In the latest edition of ‘P.I. Pulse’, Pro Insight’s Michael Visenberg spotlights prospects who stood out at Capitol City Classic after spending multiple days on-site in Salem, Oregon:
The seventh edition of the Capitol City Classic took place in Salem, Oregon from December 16-21. This year featured two teams from California in St. John Bosco and Modesto Christian, as well as John Paul II out of Texas, rounded out by some top Oregon high school programs. Since its inception, the Capitol City Classic has featured future college players, including a number who have gone to the D1 level and even some current NBA players. Troy Brown, Jr. (2015, Centennial HS/NV, LA Lakers) and Evan Mobley (2019, Rancho Christian/CA, Cleveland Cavaliers) both played in Salem, along with possible 2023 NBA draftees in 2018 Capitol City Classic MOP Jaylen Clark (Corona Centennial HS/CA, UCLA) and 2021 First Team All-Tournament Brandon Miller (Cane Ridge HS/TN, Alabama).
Modesto Christian’s Jamari “Jiggy” Phillips, the 25th ranked prospect in 2024 (per 247Sports Composite), was injured and opted to visit Arizona over the weekend, which resulted in his commitment to the Wildcats. Despite missing Phillips, this year’s rendition still featured several future D1 prospects and some very talented players who project to play post-high school. The final game between St. John Bosco and West Linn (OR) was a tremendous matchup, with the team from Oregon taking the 60-57 victory. We learned a lot about these prospects throughout the tournament and we’ve highlighted a batch of them, below.
Backcourt Eye-Catchers
Jackson Shelstad | 2023 | 6’0” Guard | West Linn HS (OR) *Oregon commit
After shining this season on West Linn’s state championship football team, the Oregon commit seems stronger than ever while seemingly increasing his rare burst and vertical explosion. Shelstad can effortlessly create space for his pull-up jumper and takes up huge portions of the floor with his defensive ground coverage. Once he’s in the open floor, Shelstad is incredibly effective in breaking through defenses and getting points around the basket. He also uses his gravity to make plays for teammates.
While Shelstad provided relatively balanced scoring in his first two games against South Salem and Beaverton, he went on serious scoring sprees after halftime in the Lions’ final two games. In their games against Modesto Christian and St. John Bosco, Shelstad took on more of a facilitator role while conserving his energy in the first 24 minutes. Post-halftime in both games, it got to the point where he was able to simply take over, making clutch shots, getting his teammates good looks, and making key defensive plays.
In the Modesto Christian matchup, with West Linn down 56-49 with just 2:38 on the clock, Shelstad went on a personal 16-0 run between the end of regulation and overtime. His ability to take over the game was also on display in the finals, where he scored 22 of his game high 24 points after halftime. He plays well beyond his listed 6’0” size and while it may take some time to excel finishing in the paint once he gets to the Pac-12, it looks like he will be an immediate impact player, particularly in his ability to create shot opportunities and in using his top-notch speed to affect so much on both ends. Throughout the week in Salem, Shelstad showed why he was the top-ranked 2023 prospect in the tournament.
BJ Davis | 2023 | 6’1” Guard | Modesto Christian HS (CA) *San Diego State commit
When San Diego State has been at their best, they have been deadly from outside, taken care of the ball and have created havoc defensively. Fittingly, these are cornerstones of BJ Davis’ game and should allow him to waste no time making his presence felt once he gets to campus. Even though Davis could at times get overly aggressive on defense which led to some foul trouble, his lateral movement and mirroring ability as a defender both stood out right out of the gate. He’s also a very quick decision maker with the ball in his hands with a knack for generating great opportunities for his teammates with his passes.
While he had a forgettable opening game against Canby in terms of his individual offense, his advanced scoring package was on display in Modesto Christian’s overtime win over John Paul II, where he finished with a tournament-high 49 points, including 7-12 3FG and 14-16 FT. He showed proficiency as a well-rounded shooter and pristine footwork while creating space. Beyond his somewhat anomaly of an opener, Davis averaged 12 FTA/game from the quarterfinals to his team’s third-place game win.
Even in his match-up with Jackson Shelstad, Davis had 25 points on only 10 FGA, while playing strong defense on his contemporary in 2023 for a majority of the match-up. One can imagine how complementary Davis has been with other scorers around him, and what kind of a duo he and Jamari Phillips are when he is healthy. Davis does a ton of the little winning things on-ball, off-ball and also showed his leadership as a communicator throughout the event. He displayed encouraging signs in his ability to step-up and be an alpha when called upon and while he will need some time to adapt to the physicality at the college level, it should not take long for him to make his mark as an Aztec.
Elzie Harrington | 2025 | 6’6” Guard | St. John Bosco HS (CA)
As the #12 sophomore in the current 247Sports Composite rankings, Harrington was the highest-ranked player in the event overall and brings excellent positional size with a handle, passing acumen and three-level scoring. More of an effortless mover than an explosive one, Harrington was the primary initiator for St. John Bosco all week and did so admirably. His instinct seemed to be much more to make plays for others as opposed to hunting for his own shot, and he made nice kicks to shooters in addition to making post entries and finding cutters.
Further, he was able to put the ball on the floor and create, particularly as a facilitator for others. He had a few impressive open floor dunks, even getting some easy baskets off steals, and did try to finish above the rim a few times in traffic. While he showed signs of him being an offensive initiator and multi-faceted scorer, it was more in glimpses than a consistent flow of production at this stage in his development. Defensively, Harrington did a nice job matching up with smaller players, affecting shots with his length and making it difficult for his man to get back in the play while guarding off-ball.
He was one of the better passers in the tournament and it’s easy to see him develop even more off-ball equity as his outside shot continues to become more lethal. He seems to really let the game come to him and the combination of legitimate guard skills at his size, tough shot making, paint finishing and foul drawing cements Harrington’s status as a priority national recruit.
Jack Turner | 2024 | 6’3” | St. John Bosco HS (CA) *Loyola Chicago commit
His shooting mechanics may be somewhat unorthodox aesthetically, but Turner has the ability to make jumpers in a versatile way, even doing a good amount of damage off movement all week in Salem. From his warm-up routine you can see his level of preparation, which translates into games making it a rarity whenever one of his makes would even touch the rim. Beyond his range shooting prowess, he also showed off his floater game and adept passing skill.
Turner is a combo guard who is good with the ball in his hands and even more deadly without it due to his outlier shooting. He is very good at playing with his speeds to create space and finds teammates with creative passes, even though he can become overly ambitious with his deliveries, at times. Turner has already committed to Loyola Chicago, and though he still has a lanky frame that should continue to fill out, it’s worth noting that he is significantly older for his class.
It’s not difficult to see the translatable offensive skillset that he’ll bring to the college game, coupled with some ability to sit and slide defensively along with some flashes of vertical pop as an athlete. The major upside in his game is the movement shooting blended with his ability to put the ball on the floor and set teammates up, which will be best accomplished when he is able to better fight through contact. With further development with his body, he should be an effective piece in Loyola Chicago’s rotation in time.
Frontcourt Eye-Catchers
Kade Bonam | 2025 | 6’7” Forward | St. John Bosco HS (CA)
Bonam was Bosco’s second-leading scorer on the season behind Jack Turner heading into the tournament, and at a strong 6’7”, displayed some inside-outside ability in Salem. He led his team in scoring in the finals with West Linn with 17 points, with his only three-pointer leading to a four-point play. He has good touch around the hoop, and certainly has some comfortability facing up. He has a wide frame and flashes passing chops as well as fundamentals as a rebounder (he grabbed 11 boards in the championship game).
He is someone who finishes for the most part below or at the rim, and still needs to work on developing his lift off two feet, especially in traffic. He shot just 63.2% from the free throw line throughout the tournament, and it seems like his confidence as a three-point shooter will be a major key in his development, along with further conditioning. Bonam still showed the talent and strength that should help him accumulate plenty of D1 offers moving forward, with skills that fit with either forward spot. With this sophomore, it will be about gaining some of that quick twitch athleticism and vertical pop for him to be a more permanent fixture on the wing.
Bryson McGlothin | 2024 | 6’7” Wing | John Paul II HS (TX)
With a 6’10” wingspan, ball skills and a soft shooting touch, McGlothin stood out as one of the better long-term prospects in the event. He has a two-motion outside shot that proved to be a weapon, along with an assortment of hooks and touch shots near the hoop. He also has the straight-line handling ability to attack closeouts and is capable of making quick decisions as a passer.
He contributed all week as a rebounder, though will have to work on his body and key in on fundamentals to thrive on the glass at the next level. His defensive reaction time is also something to work on, though his natural length and lateral ability provide versatility and room for error. Throughout the tournament, he appeared to be very coachable and brought some competitive fire to the table, as well. McGlothin currently holds offers from Rice and UT Rio Grande Valley, with interest from Abilene Christian, California, Louisiana Tech, SMU, and TCU. His will be a recruitment to track once the AAU circuit comes around in the spring.
Jalen Brown | 2023 | 6’2” Wing | Modesto Christian HS (CA)
When BJ Davis was plagued by foul trouble in Modesto Christian’s first game, Brown stepped up as a scorer, finishing with 26 points on 11-14 FG. He scored in double figures every game he played and worked impressively as a second fiddle with his slashing and cutting. There is a level of explosiveness to Brown as an athlete and he provides shooting gravity as he is not someone you can forget about when he’s open on the outside. Based on what he showed in this setting, he deserves increased attention from college programs due to his physical tools and offensive repertoire.
Adrian Mosley | 2023 | 6’2” Wing | West Linn HS (OR)
Mosley showed some terrific functional athleticism throughout the tournament, with his ability to elevate around the rim and play up with other bigs (much less players his own size) in the tournament. Holding down the middle of West Linn’s zone against St. John Bosco, Mosley finished with 8 blocked shots, many on Kade Bonam and a few on 6’9” center Xinyi Li. He is a streaky outside shooter and his perimeter skills are still in development, but he was simply a key force in providing West Linn defensive versatility and some offensive juice around the basket in the first half of the semifinals and finals.
Other Notable Performers
Jalen Childs | 2023 | 6’3” Guard | Beaverton HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Can provide a scoring punch, outside shooting and defend both guard positions
Rashod Cotton | 2026 | 6’0” Guard | Modesto Christian HS (CA)
Bottom Line: Played a lot of valuable minutes with offensive poise, outside shooting touch and has plenty of time to grow into his body
Kyle Counts | 2024 | 6’7” Forward | Wilsonville HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Grandson of former Oregon State and NBA player Mel Counts who has some stretch ability and knowledge of how to use his size around the basket
Zeke Davis | 2025 | 6’3” Wing | Modesto Christian HS (CA)
Bottom Line: Spot-up shooting, strength, and defensive versatility make him a great complement to MC’s guards
Kallen Gutridge | 2024 | 6’3” Guard | Wilsonville HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Averaged 22.3 ppg in the tournament — can score in a variety of ways, make plays for others and was one of the better outside shooting threats in the tournament
Mark Hamper | 2023 | 6’3” Wing | West Linn HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Idaho football commit as a TE; secondary initiator and tough defender who can guard up and down the line-up
Spencer Horne | 2023 | 6’3” Guard | Cascade HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Did a little of everything for his team with his all-around play, really filling up the stat sheet
Jaison Joyce | 2025 | 6’7” Wing | St. John Bosco HS (CA)
Bottom Line: Only turns 16 after the New Year; has the physical tools and an outside stroke that make him a player to track
Jackson Leach | 2024 | 5’9” Guard | West Salem HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Tough guard who can set up teammates and play tough on-ball defense
Sam Leavitt | 2023 | 6’3” Wing | West Linn HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Quarterback for West Linn’s state championship team, committed to Michigan State for football; stretches the floor as a complementary piece on the hardwood
Xinyi Li | 2023 | 6’9” Big | St. John Bosco HS (CA)
Bottom Line: Soft outside shooting touch and size in the post
Cameron Marks | 2025 | 6’1” Guard | John Paul II HS (TX)
Bottom Line: Brings shooting, smart decision making, and poise under defensive pressure
Prince Oseya | 2023 | 6’10” Big | Modesto Christian HS (CA)
Bottom Line: Interior defensive presence, with a shot and touch that give him something to work with
Esyah Pippa-White | 2023 | 6’1” Guard | Gresham HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Strong guard with a deadly pull-up game and an ability to get to the stripe; brings some playmaking chops, too
Brady Rice | 2023 | 6’2” Guard | Beaverton HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Effective off the bounce and can get hot from the outside; brings positional versatility and willing to do some of the dirty work
Scotty Riddle | 2023| 6’0” Guard | Gresham HS (OR)
Bottom Line: Can heat up from deep and a floater game if run off the line; provides some flashes on-ball, as well
Austin Senters | 2025 | 6’4” Wing | John Paul II HS (TX)
Bottom Line: Aggressive downhill driver who can finish above the rim — one of the best run-and-jump athletes in the building
