Rains has become one of my favorite guards to watch in the state over the last few years, and his play against Drive Pro Select showed why. He’s oozing with confidence and is a dynamic three-level scorer and skilled playmaker who sets his teammates up well. He’s fearless and loves to attack the rim despite being a smaller, slighter built guard, and he doesn’t shy away from contact at the bucket. He’s always balanced, always under control.

I might need to stop watching Linn-Mar, because I’m only becoming more and more of a fan of Karson Rains Karson Rains 6'0" | PG Linn-Mar Marion | 2027 State IA . An absolute sniper from three, Rains is as confident as they come from beyond the three-point line, and if I had to pick anyone in the state to knockdown an open triple, he might be my choice.

A combo guard that can initiate the offense and hit a three-pointer with his eyes closed, Rains is one of my favorite prospects in the state. If he gets hots from deep, there’s no telling how many triples he could make in a game.

An excellent compliment to Lions’ leading scorer Tyler Hilton Tyler Hilton 6'6" | SF Linn-Mar | 2026 State IA , Rains and the 6-foot-8 forward combined for 35 points against North Scott, fending off the Lancers and Harrington for the win.

I hadn’t heard the name Karson Rains Karson Rains 6'0" | PG Linn-Mar Marion | 2027 State IA prior to Monday night. I definitely know who he is now.

In the first quarter, the Tigers were dominating the Lions, up by double digits in the first frame and making it look like they were going to run away with a victory. Then Rains said “not so fast.”

A knock down shooter from three, Rains scored back-to-back triples, getting the lead down to single digits, and from there, he made it Rain. If the junior guard had a sliver of space, he was going to shoot it from deep, and rightfully so. One of the best shooters in the state, Rain can serve as a ball-handler for Linn-Mar, but also serves as a perfect complimentary scorer to Hilton.

With the swagger of a Division I point guard, Rains looks like he believes the shot is going in every time he launches it, and part way through the game, everyone else begins to believe it, too.

A quick, intelligent guard with a great feel for the game and an innate sense for making the right pass, Rains has great vision, plays with pace, and can score at the rim or from distance. He got good minutes for the Lions as a sophomore and will use that valuable experience to become one of the top options as a junior. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.0 assists on 47-42 splits last season.

A high IQ, quick guard who does a great job setting his teammates up, Rains does a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor for his team. He does a great job playing with pace, changing speeds to keep the defender off-balance and getting into the teeth of the defense, where he can either get all the way to the rim, finish over bigger defenders with a floater, or find an open teammate. He has a really good feel for the game, uses ball screens well, and shoots it at a high level off both the dribble and the catch.