Introducing Mr. Basketball Candidate #11: Hunter Strait
As part of our preseason content, we’re counting down the top dozen candidates for this year’s Mr. Basketball award, presented annually to the top senior in the state. The list continues with our No. 11 player, Ankeny Centennial point guard Hunter Strait, one of the flashiest scorers and ball handlers in the state.
Name: Hunter Strait
Height: 6-2
Position: PG
School: Ankeny Centennial
2016-17 stats: 304 points (16.9/game), 65 rebounds (3.6), 48 assists (2.7), 28 steals (1.6), 46.9 FG%, 39.6 3P%, 75.5 FT%
Career stats: 682 points (11.0/game), 167 rebounds (2.7), 181 assists (2.9), 90 steals (1.5), 42.6 FG%, 33.7 3P%, 69.0 FT%
About Strait: This gifted lead guard played his first two seasons at Cedar Rapids Washington before moving to Ankeny and joining the Jaguars a few games into last season. He burst onto the scene the summer heading into his freshman year, when this crossover went viral on “Basketball Twitter”, and he’s been flashing his top-notch handles ever since. He’s a talented passer and has steadily improved as a scoring threat, turning himself into a really good mid-range shooter with the ability to knock down 3s as well. He’ll be the Jaguars’ go-to scorer this season while also being counted on to get everyone else involved with his ability to break down a defense and facilitate. He recently committed to play at Division II Truman State.
Why he can win Mr. Basketball: He’s going to put up some big numbers after Centennial lost Connor Kasperbauer to graduation, and he’ll make plenty of highlight plays with his ball handling and passing abilities. If he’s able to help lead the Jaguars to a state tournament appearance, that would go a long ways towards proving he’s among the state’s elite talents.
Odds he wins Mr. Basketball: Like Lucas Duax, our No. 12 player on the list, the odds of Strait winning the award are very slim. But that’s not an indictment on his talent, rather a testament to the resumes that some of the other players ahead of him have put together. If he’s able to put together a 20 point a game season while leading the Jaguars to State, he could garner some attention, especially from Des Moines area voters.