CRESWELL – So it turns out that we can’t close the book on Gavin Inglish’s Lane County basketball career.
The two-time All-State guard for Pleasant Hill, after entertaining offers from a multitude of schools, elected to stay close to home and play next season for Lane Community College.
“Quite a few schools were taking a hard look at Gavin,” Pleasant Hill coach Luke Jackson said. “Ultimately, he decided to take a year to get stronger and more experienced. Bushnell wanted him bad. Western Oregon and Western Washington – which are both DII schools – told him that he’s right there but not quite there yet. So now he gets to play a year against some older guys. Gavin has all of the tools; he’s a very smart player, and he’s an exceptional shooter. I would say his shot translates right away to the college game. And he was such a great rebounder for us. He just brings it every single night.”
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound shooting guard once scored 56 points in a game, then barely reached double figures in the next game, pretty much going out of his way to show that he’s a team player, first and foremost.
Jackson said he had a former player at Bushnell who had played at Lane. Things worked out pretty well for him.
“Kylor Kelley played for me and played at Lane, and he wound up playing in the NBA,” Jackson said. “I’m not making any comparisons, but I think having that year under his belt will help Gavin grow tremendously.”
Under third-year coach CJ Edwards, the Titans went 20-8 last season and came within a point of reaching the Elite Eight.
Inglish was a four-year starter for the Billies, and was Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year his final three seasons (sharing the award with Creswell’s Tyler Whitson last season).
