Who's the Salem area's best girls basketball player ever? Vote now!

Who is the greatest girls basketball player ever from the Salem-Keizer area?

It's time to decide.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states.

Earlier this spring, the Statesman Journal recognized the area's greatest-ever football stars.

Now, we're honoring the stars of the hardwood. Here are the Statesman Journal's selections for the girls basketball players who defined and trailblazed the Salem-Keizer area. While accomplishments at the college and professional level undoubtedly influenced which standouts cracked the top-10 list, we are primarily looking to highlight those who starred at the high school level and dominated local headlines.

As part of this effort, we invite our readers to vote in polls that accompany the stories, or submit a name they think should be included if they don't see it on our list. Print readers can find the polls with the stories online at statesmanjournal.com/sports.

Here are the Statesman Journal's 10 girls basketball players (listed in alphabetical order) who defined the Salem-Keizer area.

Lis Brenden, Silverton

Brenden found a plethora of success at Silverton and was a part of the Foxes’ first state championship team in 1989 as a freshman. In 1990 and 1991, Brenden earned first-team all-state accolades and the Foxes finished as state runners-up both seasons. In Brenden’s senior season, she earned Class 3A state player of the year and all-American status.

Brenden continued her trailblazing basketball career after high school at Nebraska. She was a staple for the Cornhuskers across four years — a four-year letterwinner — and helped Nebraska to two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Casey Bunn, Stayton

Bunn was a three-time conference player of the year at Stayton and earned back-to-back all-state first-team honors in 2000 and 2001 as a junior and senior. Bunn’s name is stamped in the record books as one of the Salem-area’s highest scoring players ever with 1,831 career points.

Bunn played college hoops at Oregon State, earning Pac-10 all-freshman honors and eventually leading the conference in scoring as a senior and finishing among the Beavers’ best scorers ever. Bunn played professionally across Europe and has served as head coach of Linfield University’s women’s basketball program for over a decade.

Emma Gibb, Western Christian

Gibb was a force to be reckoned with at Western Christian (formerly Western Mennonite). Gibb earned Class 2A first-team all-state her freshman season in 2013 and won back-to-back 2A player of the year awards the two following years. In 2015, Gibb helped lead the Pioneers to their first state championship as a program. Gibb missed her senior season due to injury.

After high school, Gibb spent five years at UC Davis. Across four seasons, she appeared in 56 games and earned a spot on the Big West Conference’s 2020 and 2021 all-academic teams.

Western Mennonite's Emma Gibb makes a free throw on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, Stayton, Ore.

Deven Hunter, McNary

Hunter dominated the mid-Willamette Valley on the basketball court for the Celtics in the early 2010s. Hunter finished her career with over 1,200 career points and earned conference player of the year and all-state second team in 2012, her senior season.

After high school, Hunter played for Oregon State in some of the Beavers’ most successful campaigns to date. Hunter and the Beavers won the Pac-12 twice and made the NCAA Tournament three times, and she was crucial part of the historic 2016 Final Four team. Today, Hunter serves as an assistant coach for the Beavers.

Mandie Little, Central

Little spearheaded a state championship campaign for the Panthers in 1998 and earned OSAA all-tournament accolades consecutively in the years before and after the state title. Little collected 3A state player of the year in the Panthers title-winning season, her junior year, and she also earned first-team all-state honors the following season.

Little went on to play basketball at Utah, where she competed in 63 games across two seasons and averaged over six points and five rebounds per game. Little and the Utes made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2003, her first season there as a junior, and she was a starter and double-double threat the following season.

Sara Majors, Cascade

Majors was a three-sport star at Cascade — she was a state champion in track and field and all-conference player in soccer — but shined on the basketball court for the Cougars. She was an all-state first-team selection twice and all-conference selection three times and led the Cougars to a state final appearance in 2004.

Majors committed to Santa Clara upon graduation and played four seasons for the Broncos. She started every game her senior season and was a key contributor with over six points, six rebounds and three assists on average.

Anna Marchbanks, McKay

Anna (Earlysia) Marchbanks transferred to McKay her sophomore year in 2005 and flipped the Scots’ program on its head. She helped lead McKay to back-to-back league championships in 2007 and 2008 and in those two seasons collected consecutive 6A second-team all-state bids.

After leading Yakima Valley Community College to a NWAACC championship in 2010, Marchbanks transferred to Oregon State. There, she earned first-team all-Pac-12 as a senior while leading the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Marchbanks played professionally in Europe after that, and coached North Salem girls basketball for a few years in the late 2010s.

Anna Marchbanks led McKay to two straight league titles and was a two-time all-state selection with the Scots. Marchbanks is a nominee for the Statesman Journal's best high school basketball player ever.

Katie McWilliams, South Salem

McWilliams spearheaded one of South Salem basketball’s most successful stretches, resulting in a 6A state championship in 2015. McWilliams earned Gatorade Player of the Year that season to add to her first-team all-state selection from the year prior. She finished her career with over 1,400 points and a spot among Oregon's top girls basketball players of all time.

McWilliams committed to Oregon State after high school and continued her stellar career. She earned Pac-12 all-freshman honorable mention and Pac-12 honorable mention as a junior. She also collected a pair of Pac-12 all-defensive honorable mentions. McWilliams finished her career fifth all-time in 3-point percentage and ninth in 3-pointers made at Oregon State.

South Salem head coach Nick McWilliams and his daughter Katie McWilliams celebrate their state championship victory against St. Mary’s after the OSAA class 6A basketball tournament inside the Chiles Center, on Saturday, March 14, 2015, at the University of Portland. South Salem won the game 56-50.

Shelly Potter, Dayton

Potter is the Salem-area’s highest-scoring girls basketball player ever with 1,849 points from 1989 to 1992. Potter climbed the ladder of all-state recognition throughout her high school career with a third-team bid in 1990, second-team bid in 1991 and a first-team selection in 1992 paired with a Class 2A state championship for the Pirates.

Potter played for Western Oregon University from 1993-96 in one of the program's most successful stints. The Wolves won 111 games to 29 losses over that four-year stretch and in 1995 and 1996 won consecutive NAIA Division II national titles.

Evina Westbrook, South Salem

Westbrook is widely regarded as one of the top girls’ basketball players in Oregon history. Westbrook won back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017 and is the Salem-area’s only McDonald’s All-American. She won USA Today’s national player of the year in 2017; she’s one of just two Oregonians to achieve the feat. Westbrook helped lead South Salem to a 6A state championship in 2015.

Westbrook was the No. 2 overall national recruit in her class and committed to Tennessee. She played for the Volunteers for two years, collected SEC all-freshman accolades and averaged nearly 15 points per game her sophomore season. Westbrook transferred to UConn the following year, played two seasons and earned all-tournament honors her final season in the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament championship loss.

She was taken 21st overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm.

Landon Bartlett covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at lbartlett@salem.gannett.com or on X or Instagram @bartlelo.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Who's the Salem area's best girls basketball player ever? Vote now!