Horizon High School‘s Logan McCullough looks back on the 2016-17 season with mixed reviews.
On one hand, he feels his team accomplished some nice things.
Horizon was 13-13 on the season and 4-6 in 6A Desert Valley play, but the Huskies did finish third in the section — impressive considering the teams ahead of them. Horizon looked up to Mountian Ridge and Pinnacle, which went undefeated in section play (10-0) by the time all was said and done.
“It was a pretty good season,” McCullough said, recapping the Huskies’ latest campaign. “It didn’t go as well as I wanted to personally, but as a team, we accomplished some things.”
Unfortunately, Horizon’s season ended prematurely in the playoffs with a first-round loss to Desert Ridge. The Huskies lost a close one, 79-74, though it wasn’t because of a lack of effort from McCullough or the rest of his teammates. McCullough scored 12 points, which included one three-ball and five points made at the charity stripe. He also notched an assist and a block against the Jaguars.
Horizon was led by senior Henry Walsh, who scored 16 points. Sophomore Aidyn Albright pitched in 14, with McCullough checking in as the third top scorer for the team in the game.
On the 2016-17 season, McCullough averaged 8.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game. Those aren’t dominant numbers but they’re sure good for a player’s sophomore season. When asked to explain his dissatisfaction with his own season, though, McCullough was very clear that he holds himself to a high standard.
“I was expecting more out of myself,” he explained. “I like to have high expectations for myself, I feel that will help me in the long-run.”
Those high expectations include room for improvement, and there are two things that McCullough already knows he needs to work on this offseason.
“Ball handling and being more consistent as a shooter,” he said when asked what he feels his areas of improvement are.
He did learn a lot from the 2016-17 season, though, mainly the fact that high school basketball doesn’t last forever. He’s going to have to make the most of his opportunities because especially in the grand scheme of things, his time on the court is flying by.
Speaking of opportunities, McCullough will have an opportunity to make a name for himself playing AAU basketball. He’s part of team Alvin Gentry Elite, and he’s hoping that season will be a big one for him in terms of gaining exposure.
“An ultimate goal would be to get any kind of offer,” he told Prep Hoops.
Speaking of offers, McCullough is receiving a bit of interest on the recruiting trail. He relayed that Elon Universityhas been keeping an eye on him. Elon is a small private DI school in North Carolina, but the Phoenix are coming after McCullough in a big way right now. They’ve already sent him 12 recruiting letters.
As of right now, only Elon is showing interest, but that could change as McCullough progresses through the next two years.
Especially in regard to Horizon basketball, he projects to be an important player.
Horizon is losing senior center Jake Hess, who’s a top 30 2017 recruit from Arizona, and Walsh, who’s a top 80 player. The Huskies don’t have any ranked 2018 players, so when push comes to shove, success next season and beyond for Horizon will come down to McCullough and Albright.
Per the Prep Hoops rankings, Albright is the No. 22 2019 recruit from the state of Arizona. McCullough checks in at No. 49.
