Introducing Mr. Basketball Candidate #15: Peyton McCollum

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>As part of our preseason preview content, we're counting down the top 15 candidates for this year's Mr. Basketball award, presented annually to the top senior in the state. Our countdown kicks off with a look at our No. 15 player, Waukee Northwest guard [player_tooltip player_id='2119115' first='Peyton' last='McCollum'].</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Name: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2119115' first='Peyton' last='McCollum']<br><strong>Height:</strong> 6-0<br><strong>Position: </strong>CG<br><strong>School: </strong>Waukee Northwest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 stats: </strong>N/A<br><strong>Career stats: </strong>N/A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>About McCollum: </strong>The son of new Drake head coach Ben McCollum, Peyton moves into Waukee from Maryville High School in Missouri, where he scored over 1,000 points in his varsity career. A skilled guard who can play with or without the ball in his hands, he's a knockdown shooter off the catch and a talented playmaker off the dribble. He'll provide the Wolves with some versatility on both ends of the floor, as he's a highly intelligent player on both ends of the floor with a great feel for the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Why he can win Mr. Basketball: </strong>Waukee Northwest has to be considered one of the top state title contenders in Class 4A this season, which means that they, and McCollum, will be getting a lot of attention throughout the year. His ability to stuff the stat sheet for a team that has a real chance at taking home a state championship could help offset the fact that many voters around the state may not know anything about him yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->