Iowa’s Top Scorers: Class 4A
Tick tock, the season is almost here. Practice started across Iowa on Nov. 12, and games will start across the state on Tuesday, Nov. 27. That gives us just enough time to bring some quantitative lists, counting down the best returners in a given statistical category. We’ll start by bringing you the best returning scorers, from 4A to 1A.
T9 Kris Murray, Cedar Rapids Prairie — 16.6 PPG
What makes this long 6-foot-6 wing a special scoring threat is his ability to shoot it from deep, but he’s also a bit more athletic than people give him credit for. His grassroots coach, Tanner Carlson, said last summer that In July, “He had some games where he would attack the rim, and a guy would come over and Kris would just go up and dunk on him.”
T9 Willie Guy, Cedar Rapids Jefferson — 16.6 PPG
Every time we see Guy play, we come away impressed. It’s his supreme quickness paired with strength and skill that make him one of the more butter scorers in the state. His outside shot is certainly a strength, Guy connected on 63 3s last season at a 38 percent clip.
8 Dillon Carlson, Ankeny — 17.0 PPG
A coach’s son, Carlson makes his mark by being a savvy and skilled scorer. He’s got the handle to create separation and get his own looks, and he’s a more-than-capable 3-point shooter. He made 39 percent of his outside shots attempts last season.
7 Noah Carter, Dubuque, Senior — 18.3 PPG
What a dynamo this Northern Iowa signee has become. A big and strong post, Carter can get up and dunk as good as anyone in Iowa. But he’s also one of the more accurate set shooters in the state, too. He’ll light it up this season for Rams team that has state title aspirations.
6 Trey Hutcheson, Linn-Mar — 18.7 PPG
Albany will be the college destination for this extremely lengthy sharpshooter, but first Hutcheson will have a senior season with Linn-Mar to fill it up each night out. His 43 percent 3-point shooting showcases his shooting prowess, but at 6-foot-5 he’ll be big and long enough to do damage from all over the floor.
5 Evan Gauger, Indianola — 19.2 PPG
Certainly one of the more skilled and athletic guards in Iowa, Gauger has grown to 6-foot-2 and added some muscle over the past year, and he’s without a doubt a Division I prospect now. Northern Iowa thought so, Gauger will play with the Panthers when he’s done leaving his legacy with the Indians.
4 Patrick McCaffery, Iowa City West — 19.9 PPG
Last season was McCaffery’s first as the main-man at Iowa City West, and he did not disappoint. He not only went for 19.9 points per game, but did so on some very efficient 52 percent shooting. He’s as smart, patient and poised and any player in Iowa, as coach’s sons tend to be.
3 Tyrese Nickelson, Waterloo East — 21.5 PPG
Waterloo East star Tyrese Nickelson has had a dramatic career, but he spent last season focusing on his game, and dominating each night out in the process. A quick and athletic 6-foot-1 combo-guard, Nickelson had some decent shooting clips of 44/37/78; if he can improve upon those this season, we’d be impressed.
2 DJ Carton, Bettendorf — 23.6 PPG
The most heralded prospect to come out of the state since we started this Prep Hoops Iowa thing in 2014, this five star Ohio State signee is a guy who not only scores a ton, but scores the biggest chunk of his teams points, by far. A lot of guys on this list play for high-scoring teams, Carton’s Bulldogs are not that. Bettendorf averaged just 48 points per game last season, Carton scored about half of those.
1 Tyreke Locure, Des Moines North — 28.1 PPG
The leading scorer in Class 4A by a wide-margin, Locure is pound for pound the best scorer not only in Iowa, but maybe in the Midwest. At just 5-foot-10, he’s able to cleverly and craftily get shots to drop among the big-men at the rim, and he’s certainly not afraid to let it fly from deep, way deep. His senior season could potentially be epic.