Introducing Mr. Basketball Candidate #6: Cole Henry
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. 6 candidate, Oskaloosa point forward Cole Henry, who nearly led the Indians to their first state title last year, and will be looking to lead them to the promised land this winter.
Name: Cole Henry
Height: 6-10
Position: F
School: Oskaloosa
2017-18 stats: 391 points (15.0/game), 179 rebounds (6.9), 142 assists (5.5), 59.2 FG%, 30.0 3P%, 53.3 FT%
Career stats: 683 points (11.2/game), 403 rebounds (6.6), 220 assists (3.6), 56.4 FG%, 28.6 3P%, 57.7 FT%
About Henry: Henry is one of the most uniquely talented players we’ve seen in the state in years, a huge point forward who handles the ball well and is among the best passers in the state. His 142 assists ranked 26th in the state, but nobody else on that list is nearly his size. The lefty has steadily improved throughout his high school career, with the final piece being a jumper that he has worked tirelessly on and should become a potent piece of his game this year and moving forward. He’s signed on to play at Northern Iowa, where his size, versatility and passing should be utilized in a major way.
Why he can win Mr. Basketball: He was painstakingly close to leading Oskaloosa to their first ever state title last season, and he’s a major reason why the Indians are our favorite in Class 3A this year. If he can lead Osky to their first title, and dominate on both ends of the floor in doing so, he’ll have a chance.
Odds he wins Mr. Basketball: Now we’re really getting into the players with a real chance at taking home the award. Henry is still probably a longshot, but if he’s able to lead Oskaloosa to a 3A title and put his full skill set on display in the process, he’ll garner a lot of attention.