First Half State Leaders: Assists
With the holiday break upon us, it’s time to look back at who the state’s leading helpers have been throughout the first half of the season.
1.) Jake Hilmer (North Linn, 2019) – 13.3 assists per game
Only a junior, Hilmer is on pace to break the all-time assists record in the Lynx’s second postseason game this year. He’ll end up going down as one of the best point guards in the state’s history, and paces one of the most potent attacks the state has seen, with North Linn averaging just under 96 points a game.
2.) Parker Ingamells (Hudson, 2018) – 9.6 assists per game
The 5-10 lead guard is not only among the state leaders in assists, he also leads the Pirates in scoring at 15.0 points a game.
3.) Luke Vaske (Norwalk, 2018) – 8.9 assists per game
Vaske has made his reputation as a scoring guard, but has shifted a bit this year to become one of the best helpers in the state. He paces the highest scoring team in 3A (84.4 points a game), and in addition to his assist numbers is averaging 18.4 points a game on 59.5% shooting. Norwalk has been one of the big surprises early this season, and Vaske’s play is a huge reason why.
4.) Kenny Clay (Davenport West, 2018) – 8.6 assists per game
Clay was among the state’s best in assists last year, and is back at the top this season. The diminutive point guard does a tremendous job using his speed to push the pace and get into the paint to find teammates. He dished out 15 assists in a win over Davenport Central early this season.
5.) Keontae Luckett (New London, 2019) – 7.9 assists per game
Luckett has been tremendous for the Tigers, who have played the first part of the year without star guard Mason Porter, but have still gotten off to a 6-2 start. He’s averaging 13.6 points (on 62.3% shooting) and has been one of the best helpers out there. His prowess on the defensive end (4.1 steals a game) has helped rack up a few easy ones in transition.
6.) Bryce Carr (Danville, 2019) – 7.6 assists per game
The 5-9 junior isn’t much of a scoring threat (7.9 points on 32.1% shooting), but has posted one of the state’s best assist-to-turnover ratios so far this year, dishing out 61 assists to just 19 turnovers for the Bears.
7.) Trenton Massner (Wapello, 2018) – 7.6 assists per game
The 6-2 point guard leads the Indians not only in assists, but also in scoring (20.4) and rebounding, while ranking second in steals. He’s shooting an incredible 60.7% from the floor and 51.5% from behind the arc for a Wapello team that went 7-0 in the first portion of the year.
8.) Alec Oberhauser (Aplington-Parkersburg, 2018) – 7.4 assists per game
Oberhauser has established himself as one of the state’s most versatile stat sheet stuffers. A recent Grand View commit, the 6-5 lead guard is averaging an impressive stat line of 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.0 blocks a game.
9.) Brady Happel (Dunkerton, 2019) – 7.4 assists per game
The Raiders’ lead guard has his team undefeated at the break and is contributing 15.6 points a game to the attack in addition to his assist numbers. He also leads the team in steals and blocks, while ranking second in rebounding.
10.) Joe Weber (Boyer Valley, 2018) – 7.1 assists per game
The 5-9 point guard has made his name as a scorer, and while he’s still doing plenty of that this year (22.8 a night), his assist numbers have skyrocketed for a Boyer Valley team enjoying one of their best seasons ever.
The next five: Jacob Conlon (Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, 2018; 7.0), Dev Patel (Camanche, 2018; 6.9), Grant DeMeulenaere (Grand View Christian, 2018; 6.9), Jonathan Jacobs (Colfax-Mingo, 2018; 6.8), Cade Nolan (Jesup, 2019; 6.8)