Stat Stuffers: 2018 McClintock Holiday Shootout
The McClintock Holiday Shootout is one of Arizona’s premiere basketball tournaments each season. This year, 16 teams from around Arizona will face off, beginning on December 26. The winner of each of the past three tournaments has at least made the final of the state playoffs at the end of that season, as Mesa (state title) won in 2015, Shadow Mountain (state title) won in 2016 and Mountain Pointe (state runner-up) won in 2017.
Here are players that, as of December 21, according to MaxPreps, lead the field in significant statistical categories:
Scoring:
Host McClintock boasts Josh Baker, who scores 23.1 points per game. Baker can score from all parts of the floor, usually is in control of the offense, and is especially lethal with his three-point shot. It would not surprising if he wins MVP of the tournament.
Second-place: Patrick Herrera – Skyline – 19.1
Rebounds:
Skyline junior Tyree Tyler leads the way with 10.2 rebounds per game. He has used his height and strength, as well as leaping ability, to battle on the boards every game. He is one of the young members of a Skyline team that looks to have its best season in a long time.
Second-place: JJ Hill – Marcos de Niza – 7.8
Assists:
The third Skyline player on this list, Dayton Harris averages 6.5 assists per game. Though just a junior, he has a lot of experience running the Coyote offense, and his ball-handling and passing abilities have been a big part of Skyline’s success.
Second-place: Mekhi Rodgers – McClintock – 5.5
Blocks:
This statistic is not even close. Jalen Calvert of McClintock leads not just Arizona, but the nation, in blocks with 6.8 per game. That puts him 2.3 more than even the second-place total, that of Mountain Pointe’s Jalen Graham whose team will be playing in Torrey Pines over the holiday. Calvert is a major factor in McClintock’s defense, and contests every single shot.
Second-place: Osasere Ighodaro – Desert Vista – 1.8
Steals:
Both of the players on this list have already been mentioned. Skyline’s Dayton Harris leads the way with 4.1 per game. Beside running the offense, he is the front man on a Coyote defense that pressures the ball well, and he comes up with a lot of deflections and forces a lot of mistakes.
Second-place: Josh Baker – McClintock – 2.9