Prospect Spotlight: Lucas Hayes (2020)
After a season playing alongside one of the country’s best point guards, 6-foot-7 big-man Lucas Hayes is set to return as Bettendorf’s leading scorer next season.
His sheer size is what will makes him one of the more intriguing true big-men in Iowa, and his proficiency defensively adds to his appeal as a prospect.
“I feel like my defense is probably my best strength, I can get to the help-side or guard my own man pretty well, also I’m really good at blocking shots,” said Hayes.
“I need to work on my free-throws and my outside shooting, I’ve been working on that so I can expand my game more.”
As a junior with Bettendorf, Hayes averaged 6.4 points on 65% shooting, 4.4 rebounds and a block per game. He’ll return next season at the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, and try to help fill the giant scoring void left by Ohio State-bound DJ Carton.
“It was really fun playing with DJ, he just made the whole team better. And my role this year was to just get rebounds and set good screens and roll on them,” said Hayes.
This spring, he’s playing with the Iowa Mavericks’ top 17U squad, and is a primary big-man for the team. He’s hoping to make some deep runs in tourneys, and to see some recruitment come his way.
“I really want to win some championships. It’s really annoying to win on Saturday but then lose right away on Sunday, so I’m really hoping to just win on Sundays and improve as a team,” said Hayes.
Hayes on recruitment: “I’ve dreamed of playing basketball in college since I was little, it’d be a dream come true. As of right now, I don’t really have any schools looking at me, but I feel like that will change pretty soon.”