Introducing Mr. Basketball Candidate #12: Lucas Duax
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 kicks off with our No. 12 player, Dubuque Hempstead point guard Lucas Duax, who is coming off a fantastic summer with the Tri-State Steam.
Name: Lucas Duax
Height: 6-2
Position: PG
School: Dubuque Hempstead
2016-17 stats: 304 points (12.7/game), 57 rebounds (2.4), 71 assists (3.0), 59 steals (2.5), 42.9 FG%, 38.2 3P%, 76.2 FT%
Career stats: 520 points (9.3/game), 124 rebounds (2.2), 122 assists (2.2), 105 steals (1.9), 41.5 FG%, 36.2 3P%, 74.8 FT%
About Duax: A highly talented point guard who helped lead the Mustangs to their first state tournament appearance last winter, Duax is a long, athletic and gifted scoring guard who recently committed to Division II Upper Iowa. He has tremendous size for a lead guard and has steadily improved throughout his high school career. Look for him to post huge numbers for a Hempstead team that will be among the best in 4A.
Why he can win Mr. Basketball: While his career stats aren’t nearly at the level of some of the players who will follow later in this countdown, Duax has the ability to make a major impact on both ends of the floor. If he’s able to help lead Hempstead back to the state tournament while putting up big numbers, he could garner some attention from some voters, especially in the northeast part of the state.
Odds he wins Mr. Basketball: Very, very slim. Duax doesn’t have a great shot at taking home the crown, of course, with so many talented players who have put together great careers ahead of him. But if you’re looking for a longshot to emerge and garner some attention, this may be your man. Either way, he’s going to put together a really strong senior season for the Mustangs.