The senior star will face the world’s best on April 8 at the Moda Center in Portland.
West Linn senior Jackson Shelstad is ready for the next big stage.
Shelstad, a senior guard on the West Linn boys basketball team, has already led the Lions to the No. 1 ranking in the state of Oregon, the Three Rivers League lead, a victory in the Les Schwab Invitational, and at one point, the No. 1 ranking in the country.
So what’s left?
Easy, Shelstad, 17, will test himself against some of the world’s best young players as a member of the U.S. team in the Nike Hoop Summit, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the Moda Center in Portland.
Shelstad, 6-foot-1 senior point guard, will play on the USA Men’s Nike Hoop Summit Team against Team World, a team of top international players ages 19 and younger.
“It’s pretty cool. I mean, representing your country, it’s pretty cool. Not a lot of kids can say they did that,” Shelstad told Portland’s KOIN 6 News. “I’m the only kid from Portland on the team. Nobody else is playing in front of their home state, so that’s really cool for me. Just going out on a bang one last time in high school.”
First, however, Shelstad and the Lions (8-0 in Three Rivers League play, 22-1 overall) hope to finish off the regular season with a flourish. Next up, West Linn faces defending Class 6A state champion Tualatin (No. 2 in the latest Class 6A coaches poll and No. 3 in the OSAA power rankings) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Tualatin High School. In their first meeting, the Lions beat the Timberwolves 60-54 back on Feb. 2. West Linn then closes out regular season play when the Lions play at Oregon City at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24.
The Class 6A state playoffs are set for Feb. 28 and March 3, with the state tournament scheduled for March 8-11 at the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus.
You can buy photos (prints or digitial downloads) of Shelstad here — https://milesvance.smugmug.com/2022-23/Winter-2022-23/Boys-Basketball-2022
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