Xane Hopkins modeled himself after some of the best basketball players in Days Creek history. Now that his long career is over, he has to be included in the discussion of the best Wolves of all time.
Hopkins was a starter the moment he joined the team as a freshman in 2022. During his career, he scored 1,153 points, fourth most in school history.
But his coaches said his contribution to the program went beyond statistics.
“Xane has done so many more things for this program than score points,” coach James Ellis said. “He is the kid who is first in the gym and last to leave. He showed up on weekends to put in time and improve his skills. What he doesn’t know is that his actions were noticed by his peers and portrays true leadership setting the example to others who want to be the caliber of player he is.”
Hopkins was recently named the Skyline League player of the year and defensive player of the year for the 2025-26 season.
As a freshman in 2022-23, Hopkins earned a starting role alongside one of the program’s other greats: four-time Skyline League defensive player of the year Keith Gaskell. Hopkins said the experience, while daunting as a first-year player, was valuable.
“Keith and Landon [Kruzic] taught me a lot about leadership, and how to be a leader more,” Hopkins said. “And that was one of my struggles early.”
The Wolves qualified for the 1A state playoffs each year Hopkins played, but pinnacle was his junior season, when Days Creek qualified for the state tournament in Baker City. The Wolves upset Crosspoint Christian on the road in the second round of the state playoffs to advance.
“I think a game that stuck out to me was the Crosspoint game to go to Baker,” Hopkins said. “That was a really big game.”
The Wolves were ranked as high as 5th this season, but failed to return to Baker City after losing a heartbreaker to Prairie City in the second round of the playoffs. During the game, teammate Camden Stufflebeam eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Stufflebeam was unavailable for comment as of press time, but is a close friend of Hopkins’ and a teammate for years.
The 2024-25 season marked Days Creek’s 11th trip to the state tournament under Ellis. The Wolves qualified for four consecutive seasons from 1998-2001, led by Jared Dunn, another 4-year starter. Dunn owns the school scoring record with 1,957 career points.
“I looked up to Jared Dunn quite a bit,” Hopkins said. “He was a really good athlete.”
Hopkins also looked up to his older brothers Eugene and Nate, who were standouts at Riddle.
“When Xane was in elementary school, his brothers were in high school,” said Rachel Matchett, Hopkins’ aunt. “So we would travel to every single basketball game and watching him grow up on the sidelines and kind of just with awe in his eyes of what his high school career would be like was really fun.”
Hopkins is the son of Geno Hopkins and Christina Walters. His aunt,” Rachel Matchett said. “And the same with my brother, his uncle. So he just really looked up to everything they had accomplished and just wanted to do well like them.”
Rachel Matchett thinks Xane has matured into a very good leader and role model outside of sports too.
“Xane is a very quiet person outside of athletics and I think that he’s kind of a quiet leader, but I definitely think he leads by example,” Matchett said. “He always shows up. I think that those are some of the qualities that he’s grown into over the years from elementary school.”
Hopkins played football as a freshman and ran cross country as a junior. He also plays baseball. The past three years he has been playing through a knee injury.
“I messed up my knee sophomore year and that’s been really hard trying to play through,” he said. “I think I injured it in football.”
Hopkins’ time in a red and white jersey is over. There were not enough Days Creek players to field a baseball team this spring, so Hopkins and teammate Camden Stufflebeam are playing for South Umpqua.
As far as basketball, Hopkins is uncertain of his future.
“I was thinking if I get the opportunity to play at a community college, I definitely will take it,” he said. “But there’s nothing lined up right now.”
He may get a few more games if he’s able to play at the 1A All-Star series of games in Sisters in June.
“Over his career as a four-year varsity player, I have seen him mature into one of the state’s best 1A players,” Ellis said. “Xane, along with all his senior teammates, will be greatly missed.”
