Hellige earns 1st team all-state

FORT MADISON - Luke Hellige added another all-state award to his high school basketball resumé on Tuesday.

The Holy Trinity senior was named to the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association Class 1A boys basketball first team, his second first-team honor of his career.

Hellige, an all-substate selection and a first-team Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division pick this season, finished his career with the Crusaders with 1,792 points, including 238 3-pointers. He scored 639 points this season, ranking 12th among all players in Iowa and seventh among Class 1A players. He averaged 26.6 points per game, ranking fifth in Class 1A and 10th overall.

“I'm really excited and humbled to be first-team all-state again this year,” Hellige said. “It's amazing to be mentioned with the best players in the state.  It's been an honor to wear the Holy Trinity Catholic uniform throughout my career and help put the program in a really good position.  My teammates, coaches and parents helped me become the player I am today.”

“Luke's had an incredible high school basketball career,” said Holy Trinity coach John Hellige, Luke’s father. “He and his teammates were able to help turn a struggling Holy Trinity Catholic boys basketball program around and put together a couple of 19-win seasons in his junior and senior years and put us in a position to compete in a district final and a substate final. He has worked countless hours in the gym and weight room as well as competing in other sports to put himself in a position to be one of the state’s best players. None of that comes easy and also comes with a lot of personal sacrifices.”

Luke Hellige finished his career with 706 rebounds, 223 assists and 110 steals.

Several other southeast Iowa players made the all-state teams.

Keokuk’s Jaxon Clark was a first-team selection in Class 3A. West Burlington’s Mason Watkins was a first-team pick in Class 2A.

Louisa-Muscatine’s Finnegan Cline and Mediapolis’ Max Griffin were third-team selections in Class 2A. Notre Dame’s Shay Stevens was a third-team selection in Class 1A.

West Des Moines Valley’s Trevin Jirak was named the state’s Mr. Basketball.