Iowa's best high school boys basketball players: Meet the state's top point guards

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a position-by-position look at some of the top players in Iowa high school boys basketball. This list focuses on the point guards.

There are hundreds of standout boys basketball players in Iowa and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive. If you know of any other point guards worthy of fans' attention, please email nate@scorebooklive.com. 

Holden Arnaman, 6-2, Sr., West Branch 

A fourth-year starter, Arnaman averaged 21.8 points and 5.8 asssists per game last season. He was a second-team Class 2A all-state pick by the Iowa Prep Sportswriters Association.

Mason Bechen, 6-1, Jr., North Linn

Bechen was a key contributor for last year’s Class 1A state runners-up. He averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals as a sophomore and knocked down 47 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Joe Bean, 6-3, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Bean helped Cedar Rapids Xavier reach the Class 3A state championship as a junior, averaging 14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 2022-23. He decided to play his senior season at Cedar Rapids Kennedy after earning first-team all-state accolades last season.

Redek Born, r., Norwalk

The University of Northern Iowa commit was a first team Class 4A all-state pick last season after averaging 18.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Born was named the Prep Hoops Junior Player of the Year.

Trovany Cavil, 5-11, Sr., Johnston

After playing his first three seasons at Des Moines Lincoln, Cavil has transferred to Johnston. One of the best ball-handlers in thre state, Cavil averaged 21.1 points. 6.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game last season and came into this season with 1,101 career points.

Anthony Galvin, 6-0, Jr., Cedar Falls

Galvin had a strong sophomore season for the Tigers and followed it up with an explosive summer for the AAU Iowa Barnstormers. He averaged 13.1 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 42.4 percent from 3-point range last season.

Kyler Gerardy, 6-0, Sr., North Scott

Gerardy will be a preferred walk-on with the University of Iowa football team as a defensive back. He averaged 12.4 points and was one of the top defenders on a team that reached a Class 4A substate final last season.

Jude Gibson, 6-0, Soph., Ballard

Few freshmen in the state were as productive as Gibson last season. He averaged 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.6 steals. He is far and away his team’s leading scorer through nine games this season, averaging 18.8 points to go along with 5.6 steals and 4.7 assists.

Bode Goodman, 6-0, Jr., Southeast Polk

Goodman had an impressive sophomore season, averaging 15.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, then had a strong summer on the AAU circuit for the All Iowa Attack. He has increased his scoring average to 20.6 points this season to go along with 5.5 assists per contest.

Tyler Hinz, 5-9, Sr., Maquoketa

Hinz, who averaged 14.3 points per game, is one of three double figure scorers returning for Maquoketa, which got off to a fast start but faltered in the second half of last season. He shot 42.1 percent from 3-point range and added 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a junior.

Damyen Jackson, 6-0, Jr., Davenport Assumption

Jackson had a really good sophomore season for the Knights, averaging 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while serving as the team’s main ball-handler. While playing a little more without the ball in his hands this season, he’s scoring at a 14.3 points-per-game clip through eight games.

Carson Johnson, 6-0, Sr., Ankeny

Despite undergoing knee surgery in the off-season, Johnson averaged a team-high 15 points per game and shot 42 percent (58 of 138) from 3-point range. A second-team Class 4A all-state pick as a junior and Minnesota State Moorhead recruit, Johnson leads 4A in scoring in the early stages of this season and poured in a career-high 40 points against Waukee Northwest.

Jacob Koch, 6-1, Sr., Iowa City West

The sharpshooter made 42 3-point shots last season and came away with 24 steals from his point guard spot. His father, Nate, was a walk-on player at the University of Iowa in the mid 1990s.

Owen Larson, 6-1, Sr., Estherville-Lincoln Central

A lightning-quick guard who gets to the hoop readily, Larson committed to South Dakota State before his junior season. He then went on to average 27.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game. For his career, Larson has thrown in 1,339 points, an average of 20.3 per game. To go along with 386 rebounds, 285 assists and 162 steals.

Mason Matson, 6-1, Jr., Linn-Mar

Matson has taken advantage of a productive summer for the Iowa Barnstormers, moving into a key offensive role for Linn-Mar. After contributing just four points as a sophomore reserve, he’s averaging 11.7 points in the first five games this season.

Treyton McCain, 6-1, Sr., Decorah

McCain missed his entire junior season after tearing his ACL, but is back and healthy now. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.1 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Trey McKowen, 5-11, Jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Trey is a third generation McKowen playing at Kennedy and plays for his father, Jon, the head coach at Kennedy. His uncle, Brooks McKowen, broke the all-time Iowa scoring record and starred at Northern Iowa. McKowen came off the bench as a sophomore, contributing 6.2 points and 3.2 assists per game, but is set to take on a starring role this season.

Jack Miller, 6-1, Sr., Jesup

An Upper Iowa University signee, Miller poured in 26 points per game as a junior and made 64 3-pointers. A third-team all-stater last season, Miller is off to a fast start this season, averaging over 27 points per contest.

Reed Pfaltzgraff, 6-4, Sr., Bondurant-Farrar

Pfaltzgraff helped his team compile an undefeated season, capped off by the Class 3A state championship. A third-team all-state selection, he averaged 11.8 points per game.

Jamison Poe, 5-8, Jr., Ames

Poe saw some action on a state championship team as a freshman and averaged 9.8 points, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals last season, including a career-high 31 points in a substate semifinal. He’s averaged 11.6 points in five games this season.

Xzavion Robinson, 6-1, Jr., West Des Moines Valley

Another of the Valley “super sophs,” Robinson is one of the best all-around athletes in the state, with several college football offers already on the table, despite missing his junior season because of a shoulder injury. The speedy Robinson had averages of 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the 4A state champions.

Mason Smith, 5-8, Sr., Chariton

Smith was one of the top scorers in Class 3A last season at 22.2 points per game and has picked up where he left off. Through nine games, he is averaging 24.2 points – fourth best in 3A.

Curtis Stinson Jr., 6-4, Jr., West Des Moines Valley

The son of former Iowa State star Curtis Stinson has already received an offer from the Cyclones, as well as Missouri. Stinson was one of four sophomore starters for a Valley team that won the Class 4A state championship last season. He averaged 13.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Prestige Taylor, 5-11, Jr., Johnston

Taylor contributed 7.5 points per game as a sophomore and uses his quickness to put pressure on teams both defensively and on offense. He has started five of nine games this year, shooting 56 percent from the floor.

Grant Uecker, 6-3, Sr., Urbandale

Uecker is a talented shooter both off the dribble and catch, averaging 11.6 points per game as a junior. He has averaged nearly 20 points per game in the first three weeks of the 2023-24 season.

Mason Watkins, 6-2, Jr., West Burlington

Watkins is one of the fastest players in the state with the ball in his hands and his quickness is an asset on both ends of the court. He averaged 14.5 points and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.

Luke Winkel, 6-1, Sr., Ankeny Centennial

Winkel led Centennial to a 16-8 record last season and the Jaguars’ second trip to the state tournament. He averaged a team-high 16.8 points, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game, scoring in double figures 21 of 24 games. The Class 4A first-team all-stater will play at NCAA Division II St. Cloud State.

Trey Wright, 5-11, Jr., Iowa City High

Wright is the top returning scorer for the Little Hawks after contributing just under 10 points per game as a sophomore. He is leading the team with 11.1 points and 3.1 assists per game through seven games this season.