After a three-year stretch that included 77 wins and two semifinal runs, South Salem’s boys basketball team faded back to the pack the last two seasons.
But it’s starting to look as if the Saxons are ready to rejoin the front group.
Led by a fourth-year starter at point guard in Portland State-bound Jaden Nielsen-Skinner, South Salem is 5-0 and ranked fourth in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll.
“The pieces are falling into place,” South Salem coach Tyler Allen said. “We knew there would be a dip these last two years, but we stayed consistent, and we continued to develop, and I think this year will definitely be a product of that.”
The Saxons have not beaten a team currently ranked in the top 10 of the coaches poll, but hold quality wins over South Eugene (3-2), Sunset (5-2) and Tigard (3-2). They are off until what will be a revealing appearance in the Les Schwab Invitational next week, when they will face No. 2 Jefferson in the opening round Dec. 26.
The team revolves around the play of the 5-foot-10 Nielsen-Skinner, a fourth-year starter and a two-time first-team pick in the Greater Valley Conference.
Coming off a season in which he averaged 22.3 points, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, Nielsen-Skinner is averaging 20.6 points. He opened the season with a 37-point outburst in an 82-73 win over South Eugene.
“He just has a knack to take over the game,” Allen said. “For us, the game never feels like it’s out of control, or that it’s just outside his grasp of taking control.”
He is the second player to start as a freshman in Allen’s eight seasons at South Salem, the other being three-sport star Gabe Matthews, a 2016 graduate. Nielsen-Skinner played with Matthews on the 2016 team that reached the state semifinals before losing to South Medford 49-48.
“He had a model of what leadership should look like from those seniors, and now it’s his senior year, and he’s really taken on that piece,” Allen said. “His skillset of being able to put the ball in the hoop is one thing, but his ability to keep the team together and keep egos in check … to have that anchor on the team is huge for us. He carries a lot of emotion when he plays, and he’s starting to find his voice, as well.”
South Salem went 12-13 and 14-10 the last two seasons, falling in the first round of the playoffs both times. Four starters are back from last season, though, and the team added a key transfer in Treyden Harris, a 6-4 senior guard from 4A Cascade.
Harris -- whose father, Andre, has joined South Salem’s coaching staff -- is second on the team in scoring with a 13.8 average. A receiver in football, he adds athleticism to the Saxons.
“He’s a guy, if you run the right play, he can get up above the rim a little bit,” Allen said. “He’s fun to watch. He’s also got a good touch from the three-point line. He kind of balances the floor for you.”
Junior guard Trey Galbraith (13.6 points), senior guard Ryan Brown and junior post Ryan Rickman also were starters last season. Senior guard Eric Lungu and junior post Parker Johnson filled in as starters late last season.
Rickman, who led the team in charges taken last season, suffered a knee injury in football and has not played while recovering from surgery. He is expected back by the end of January.
The Saxons have shown resiliency early. They bounced back from a 19-4 deficit to beat Sunset 56-48 and gutted out a 60-53 win over Tigard after being tied with 2:30 left.
The upcoming game with Jefferson, the 6A runner-up last season, is the beginning of a challenging stretch. After four games at the tough Les Schwab Invitational, South Salem will visit No. 7 Jesuit.
“If we didn’t handle business in those first five games, we could be looking at quite the deficit going into league play,” Allen said. “We know Jefferson is going to be the toughest opponent we’ve faced all season. If we want to see ourselves as a Chiles Center team, we’ve got to show that we deserve to be there. This first game of this tournament is going to be a good indicator if we belong or not.”
