Season Preview: Basketball Candidate #3
As part of our preseason content, we’re counting down the top candidates for this year’s Mr. Basketball award, presented annually to the top senior in the state. The third player on the list is candidate, Castle View combo-guard, Chase Hettinger who was an All-Star throughout the summer despite playing for different teams. This is the year that he has to give Castle View a better name as they have struggled mightily, especially in league play. Can their best player turn things around and right the ship?
Name:Chase Hettinger
Height:6-5
Position:SG/SF
School:Castle View
2017-18 stats: 448 points (18.7/game), 106 rebounds (4.4/g), 59 assists (2.5/g), 31 steals (1.3/g)
Career stats: 14.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists a game
About Hettinger:
Hettinger is a player that quite possibly was the MVP of the full summer. He played on multiple AAU teams and really stood out after making the change and also came to our Prep Hoops 250 Expo with some of the best talent in the state all playing on the same court and was unarguably the best player in the expo. He was aggressive offensively as he attacked the rim relentlessly and had a few highlight plays as well. He also showcased that he is a player that can also shoot the ball from deep as well as bring it off of the dribble and either hit the open man or finish at the rim. Chase has great size and court vision and his I.Q makes things easier for himself as the game seems to slow down for him. His downfall has been the success of the team and this is a year that I think that they finally start getting it together. Chase has been a big-time scorer dating back to his sophomore season but with not many wins to the team’s name most of his attention came from the AAU circuit, him and the Saber cats will look to get things going in the Lincoln/Thomas Jefferson tournament against Gateway in a game that features two teams that are looking to have a bounce back season. With Castle View a year older and the possibility of Hettinger duplicating the success that he has been having I expect him to be a player of the year candidate for sure. My challenge for him will to be getting others involves early as the team will not be able to be successful without a full team effort, he can not take every single shot again and there are other solid players on the team as well, rely on them. The Saber cats have one of the toughest schedules and plenty of opportunities for spectators to come out and watch Chase in his senior season so if the summer was any indication of how the season will go, look out, we have a new favorite.
Odds he wins Mr. Basketball:
13%. Off of talent and numbers alone Chase deserves to be at the top as he has a unique ability to have great size and be able to score the ball from all three levels. He is a player that demands double teams but still is able to score the basketball. He led the team in scoring by a long shot and is not afraid to take the big shot. Chase is a player whose player of the year chances rely solely on the success of the team so it is critical for Castle View to win games that they are supposed to win starting with a battle against a Gateway team that will be better than expected and play hard and build from there. League play is where Castle View struggled from most but where Chase can make up ground for. He will be one of the most interesting players in the league and if there is a chance to go see him play – do it.