TRAPPER MEN BRING IN TALENTED CLASS

BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune

A strong recruiting class is joining a number of returners for the Northwest College men's basketball team, as eight athletes will join the Trappers for the 2024-25 season.

Two athletes who were signed a couple of years ago are set to join the Trappers from missions they were serving, starting with a 3A athlete in Braydon Bradshaw from Lyman.

Bradshaw was the 3A West Player of the Year in the 2022-23 and averaged nearly 15 points and 8.4 rebounds and brings decent size to the Trappers at 6 feet, 5 inches.

"I don't know where he's at from a physical standpoint, I think it's tough when you don't play for a couple years," coach Andy Ward said. "But he's devoted. He'll get himself back into playing shape pretty fast. I like Brayden, I thought he was pretty versatile … He can do a little bit of everything and he's got good size. I think he's got a big upside, I think he has some similarities to guys on the team last year, he might be a hybrid between Drew (Larson) and Colin (Hayes)."

The other returning missionary  is Isaac Wolfe, a 6-foot, 1-inch point guard from Payson, Utah.

In high school, Wolfe averaged 21.4 points per game, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 53% shooting from the field, 42% from 3-point range and 94% at the free throw line. He was second team All-State in 5A in Utah.

"He can score the ball, he shoots the ball really well," Ward said. "When he came up for his visit I just liked his demeanor … He's got really good leadership qualities … Like Brayden, he's going to need a little while to get back in full form."

A new recruit from the class of 2025 comes from Rolling Hills Prep School in California, as Mateo Trujillo makes his way to the Trappers as a 6-foot, 2-inch guard.

"I think he has tremendous leadership qualities, really skilled and unselfish," Ward said. "The thing that attracted me to Mateo instantly is I felt like he just makes everybody better on the floor … He was the valedictorian of his high school. He's an exceptional student, I think he's going to bring a lot of positive things to the program."

The next Trapper recruit is an international prospect, as Monybuony "Big Money" Kor heads to Powell from Melbourne, Australia.

He is a 6-foot, 7-inch forward who averaged 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, playing as part of the Red Roo Sports AAU program.

"He played in the same club team that Tessi Thong played for. He's a good athlete … I think he's going to be one of those guys that can guard multiple positions on the floor and be an active rebounder. He's good at finishing in the open floor."

Another international recruit, Nayel Girard, comes from Gaudeloupe in the Caribbean Islands by way of Alma Prep in Quebec, Canada.

The 6-foot, 7-inch versatile guard finished with an average of 18.3 points, 11 rebounds and six assists last season.

"I felt like we lost so much scoring, and he can really score the ball. He's another guy I think is versatile. He can play 1-4, a really good passer," Ward said. "He rebounds the ball at a pretty high level … I think he can be a really dynamic defender too because he's mobile and long."

Another recruit from Utah comes from South Summit, as Logan Woolstenhulme will join the Trappers.

Woolstenhulme was the leading scorer in all of Utah this past season averaging 26.7 points per game as a 6-foot, 5-inch wing, also averaging the fourth most rebounds at 12.7 per game along with 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.

He was first team All-State in 3A in both 2024 and 2025, with Ward excited for Woolstenhulme to come to Powell.

"He is a stat stuffer. He just gets in every category, but he has a knack obviously for scoring the ball," Ward said. "He didn't shoot the ball a lot from the perimeter in high school but I think it's something he can do."

Two more athletes joining the Trappers that Ward said will likely be redshirts this upcoming season include a former Panther in Alex Jordan, with Ward excited for a year to develop the All-State Panther.

"AJ has got really good tools to work with. He's got good length and athleticism. We've got to continue to get stronger, improve his skill set, improve passing the ball and shooting but I really like his attitude," Ward said.

The final new athlete joining Northwest is Shaydon Randall from Billings West, with Ward adding Randall as a physically strong prospect with hustle qualities.

"He was persistent and I wasn't sure that we were going to have another spot," Ward said. "He's strong physically and I think he's got some of the same qualities of Gunnar (Erickson) and Trey (Rinn). Willing to do whatever. My idea is that I'll probably redshirt them, develop them and then see what happens. But you never know."