Iowa’s 50-40-90 Candidates

T.J. Rushing

December 27, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

It's a feat of true skill and marksmanship, the 50-40-90. Rarely does a player, at any level, high school to the pros, complete an entire season with these shooting clips: that's 50 percent or better from the floor, 40 percent or better from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line. It's still early in the season, but we have an abundance of 50-40-90 candidates, below we'll highlight 10 of them. <hr />   Tyler Vaske, Knoxville -- 52.2 FG%, 53.5 3FG%, 93.8 FT% The senior is one of the few guys in Iowa who's actually pulling off the feat as of right now, and he's impressively doing so with a high amount of attempts. Usually when the sample size increases, the likelihood of percentages dropping decreases. Vaske has a big enough sample size to demonstrate that he's a bonafide marksman.   Alex Hames, AGWSR -- 52.1 FG%, 46.7 3FG%, 92.3 FT% Another guy, who if the season ended now, would have achieved the 50-40-90. This might be the most impressive player on the list, he's been this efficient while putting up 22.9 points per game, and is almost certainly the focus of the other team's defense each night out.   Karter Lein, Carroll -- 48.7 FG%, 52.2 3FG%, 91.7 FT% He's averaging 12.9 points per game, and doing it the best way, on not very many shots. Lein has a way of getting fouled and sent to the line, he's been there 24 times, more than anyone else on his his team. He's made 22 of those 24 attempts.   Isaac Ripley, Dubuque, Wahlert -- 50.8 FG%, 38.7 3FG%, 91.7 FT% This junior guard is averaging 12.7 points for the 5-2 Golden Eagles, and if he can manage to bring up the 3-point percentage just a little bit, he could find himself in the 50-40-90 club, officially.   Cliff McCray, Sioux City West -- 56.0 FG%, 38.5 3FG%, 91.4 FT% What a marvelous season this athletic Wolverines point guard is having. Shooting was never his best strength, it was his slashing and athleticism. But shooting is something he's got down pat right now. Southwest Minnesota State is getting a good one.   Matt Ockey, Gilbert -- 49.5 FG%, 45.1 3FG%, 90.5 FT% We saw this slick junior guard play this past spring in Council Bluffs, and came away throughly impressed. It was clear this his IQ and skill were on a different level, and that's being demonstrated this season through these sterling shooting percentages.   Evan Obia, Valley -- 55.7 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 89.5 FT% Valley seems to always have seniors leading the way, this year it's skilled lead guard Evan Obia. Two years ago we saw the 5'11 then-incoming sophomore ball-out at our Top 250 Expo. We're not surprised he's putting up big numbers now with the 6-2 Tigers.   Drew Schurke, Ar-We-Va -- 47.2 FG%, 47.7 3FG%, 88.6 FT% The 3-point numbers are most impressive here, Schurke, a senior guard, has canned 21-44 of them this season. Shurke and teammate Keegan Simons have a good thing going at Ar-We-Va, the Rockets are 8-0 heading into Winter Break. Might this be the year we see them at Wells Fargo Arena?   Keegan Murray, Cedar Rapids Prairie -- 50.6 FG%, 46.4 3FG%, 87.5 FT% This is not surprising at all, the 6-foot-7 wing has special shooting ability, always has, and without a doubt, is one of the best shooters in the Midwest. When he lets it fly, is when the opponent holds their breath. With a little bit of a bump in free-throw percentage, and some sustained success from the field, he'll be the first Class 4A guy to achieve a 50-40-90 since Iowa City West's David DiLeo did it (minimum 50 FG attempts, 20 3s, 20 FTS) back in 2013-14.   Christian Gaytan, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows -- 48.8 FG%, 40.7 3FG%, 87.5 FT% The Cowboys lost a lot of senior talent from last season's squad, but Gaytan has come in this season and shown what he's capable of. As a freshman, he played in just three games with the varsity, and didn't take a shot. Now, the sophomore is leading his team in scoring, and posting some seriously impressive shooting numbers.   Others in the mix: Cade Winkel (Bishop Garrigan), Josh Ollendieck (Cedar Falls), Micah McWell (Sioux City West), Garrett Trapp (River Valley), Jacob Smith (Marshalltown).