Alex Slusher, A, Oregon Episcopal (Ore.)

Clubs: 3d Oregon, National

The state of Oregon has seen a big rise in Division I talent recently, so consider Slusher the next in line of great scorers from the Pacific Northwest. Quick, slick and intelligent, he has a great change of direction and overall dodging style from X, turning the corner with fearlessness. In addition, it’s evident that he’s been coached extremely well, as Slusher doesn’t have any bad habits like dropping his hands or telegraphing passes. At the Philly Freshman Showcase, he was money when finishing from 5-8 yards and could do so with either hand. What makes him an X-factor, however, is how he’s unmatched in the riding game and constantly got the ball back for his team. Slusher is currently eyeing Duke and Ivy League programs, among others.

Alex Slusher, Attack, Oregon Episcopal (Ore.)/3d Oregon, 2019

Slusher capped a tremendous fall run through the recruiting circuit with one more good outing at the Oceanside Hustle. The multi-tool attackman continues to show the ability to carry with his head up with a defender checking his hands and make a pass. In his last game of the tournament, we saw Slusher put up a goal and five assists. He consistently initiated from behind or out below the wing and GLE and would use his good mix of dodging and stick protection to get himself moving and thread the ball to teammates. Two or three of his assists were nearly identical feeds to the same player, in the same spot. Defenders look like they have to be in good shape to cover Slusher when he’s initiating that much because he will go and go at them every possession and has a wide assortment of dodges and shots and can package them in different ways. We saw him score a couple goals throughout the tournament that included the jump shot he likes from out near the 5x5 spot.

Alex Slusher, Attack, Oregon Episcopal (Ore.)/3d Oregon

Slusher showed well over the course of both days, but particularly on the first day of competition at the NXT Philly Freshman Showcase. An ambidextrous attackman who can make decisions very quickly and is a threat in a variety of ways, Slusher is aggressive and asserted himself at the event as a creator who can score off of different dodges. Like we saw over the summer, Slusher will ride hard through every opportunity. His athleticism is increasing and that helps him in all aspects of his game, especially his dodging, which is noticeably more developed than the last time we saw him. He can piece together two, perhaps even three, dodges on a take and looks mechanically sound doing it. In his first game of the event, Slusher scored something like four times, including the first goal of each half right off the bat — again showing no hesitation in going to the cage when he likes the matchup. One of his goals saw him use a roll dodge at X, then get topside, roll back inside and finish. One of his other goals saw him get topside, highlighting that as a strength for him. Another saw him grab the rebound off one of his own shots and use his quick hands to slip it past the goalie with little room or angle. In the All-Star game, Slusher scored three times that we saw, including finishing a pass through the middle with time and room. He scored on a drive to the interior that saw him get through with a defender getting all over him, and he finished with an improvised low-to-low flick to finish the play. Another goal saw him push the ball over the goalie’s shoulder after driving hard to his left. He would go on to have a good showing the next day with the 3d National team.

Alex Slusher, A, Oregon Episcopal (Ore.) / 3d

Out of the 2019’s that I had yet to see headed into the event, Slusher was probably the most impressive. He’s already remarkably polished at this early stage and the attention he’s getting from top programs certainly reflects that. Slusher attacked both sides of the cage with confidence and proficiency, limited turnovers and brought heat on his shots with time and room. In addition, the amount of effort he put in during the ride jumped off the page. Posted three goals in Saturday’s All-Star Game.

Alex Slusher, Attack, Oregon Episcopal School (Ore.)/3d Colorado, 2019

Slusher is a jack-of-all-trades attackman, able to carry, finish, and dodge effectively. He has already been playing at a high level for a long time and it certainly shows, as he is adept at using his body to protect his stick off the dodge and he moves very well off-ball. While he might not look particularly explosive, he always seems to get the job done on the dodge. He’s a high-energy player who always plays hard, and is a tough riding attackman. He will certainly be a high-level Division I prospect. He typically plays for 3d Oregon.

Alex Slusher ’19, A, 3d Colorado / Oregon Episcopal (Ore.)

A highly touted player based on the summer that he had, Slusher was 3d Colorado’s go-to guy from the attack spot. He loved to attack from behind the goal, overpowering his defender to GLE where he got underneath his man with a quick inside roll. Once Slusher gets to where he likes, he has a knack for putting the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis.

Alex Slusher, Attack, Oregon Episcopal School (Ore.)/3d Oregon

Slusher is a right-handed attackman who is both well-rounded in terms of his skill set and his athleticism. He can dodge from X, showing explosiveness and protecting the stick to shoot or feed. He can shoot with time and room or cutting to open space. He's got soft hands and moves the ball quickly. And he rides hard on every chance. He was having a field day working with his fellow attackmen (he helped make his group one of the more fluid and productive lines). Easily one of the most consistent attackmen at the camp, we lost track of Slusher's points as so much offense seemed to flow through him. He never ran out of energy, which meant that every time he touched the ball, whether dodging or simply catching, taking a step and popping it to the next guy, he was testing his defender. His fundamentals are all there. He’s crisp with the stick, he’s non-stop on the dodge and he’s always quick to see teammates and move the ball. Watching him in transition — the seemingly second-nature passes, the accuracy of the ball — was a sight. I saw Slusher playing in California back in December at the Oceanside Hustle and he seems to have improved immensely even since then. His ceiling appears quite high.