TAYLOR BRAUN

Team Jones suffered some personnel losses and had some injury setbacks this summer, but the positive out of those situations is allowed others to step up. Taylor Braun, the all-around 6-foot-7, 185-pound from Newberg High school rose to the occasion in July. His never-ending motor and increased production caught the eyes of some college coaches and Braun has a positive outlook on the recruiting possibilities for him this season.

"I just got back from L.A. a week ago and I did pretty well out there," Braun said. "I had about eight points a game and probably played 15-to-20 minutes a game. I came in aggressive and helped pick up the intensity and I helped lock people down on defense."

In essense, Braun was able to play his game and put more numbers on the board because of more playing time. College coaches have noticed and now Braun has garnered some recruiting interest. "I've got a couple of schools looking at me right now," Braun said. "I've talked to the University of Denver, Montana, Santa Clara, Portland, Portland State, and Idaho, as well as a couple of D-II schools. They all say that they want to see how I do in high school. They didn't get to see me this summer as a scorer, so they want me to do that in high school."

Braun knows he can score - after all, he averaged a team-high 15.7 points last season for Newberg. Now it's just a matter of doing it enough to earn a scholarship from the right school, of which he currently has two favorites. "I like Santa Clara and Montana right now," Braun said. "I went down to a Santa Clara camp at the end of June and that was pretty fun. I didn't get to play much because I was injured but they have some interest in me. Overall, the atmosphere there is pretty nice."

"Montana - they're going in the right direction toward the top of the conference," Braun continued. "It's kind of an isolated place so you can stay focused there, so I like that."

Until that right offer comes, Braun is keeping open with his options with a couple of key things in mind. "I just want to be in a stable program, one that won't be changing coaches every year," Braun said. "I feel like I've got a pretty good chance at going Division I, so I'll probably wait (until the spring) to decide."