Christopher Lykes (born July 22, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Denain Voltaire Basket of the LNB Pro B. He played college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
.jpg) Lykes with Miami (Florida) in 2020 | |
| No. 3 – Denain Voltaire Basket | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | LNB Pro B |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 22, 1998 Mitchellville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Listed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Gonzaga College (Washington, D.C.) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2023 | Horsens IC |
| 2023-present | Denain Voltaire Basket |
Early life and high school career edit
Lykes began playing basketball in second grade and competed for Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He was a starter since his freshman season, despite standing only 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m).[1] As a sophomore, he helped his team win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship over top recruit Markelle Fultz and DeMatha Catholic High School.[2] In his junior season, Lykes averaged 22 points and 4.3 assists per game and was named WCAC player of the year and D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year.[3]
As a senior, he averaged 17.6 points and 4.2 assists, repeating as WCAC player of the year.[4] On February 16, 2017, Lykes became his school's all-time leading scorer, passing Tom Sluby. He finished his career with 2,266 points.[5] Lykes helped Gonzaga win a postseason triple crown, with WCAC, District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) and Alhambra Catholic Invitational titles.[6] He was a four-star recruit and the No. 48 player in the 2017 class, according to ESPN. Lykes committed to playing college basketball for Miami (Florida) over offers from Villanova, among other NCAA Division I programs. He was drawn to Miami due to the success of fellow undersized guards Shane Larkin and Ángel Rodríguez with the program.[7]
College career edit
As a freshman, Lykes averaged 9.6 points and 2.3 assists per game.[8] He developed a close friendship with teammate Lonnie Walker IV.[7] During his sophomore season, Miami coach Jim Larrañaga called him "crazy, but he's also crazy good" for his tendency to make risky plays that usually turn out well.[9] Lykes scored a career-high 28 points on January 3, 2019, in a 87–82 loss to NC State.[10] Lykes scored 20 points in a loss to North Carolina on January 19, and tied a season-high with four three-pointers.[9] Lykes averaged 16.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a sophomore.[11] He was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Academic Team for the second straight season. Coming into his junior season, Lykes was named Preseason Second Team All-ACC.[12] Lykes missed four games in January 2020 with a groin injury.[13] He sat out a game against Syracuse on March 8 with a laceration near his eye. As a junior, Lykes averaged 15.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game.[14] Lykes was named All-ACC Honorable Mention.[15] Two games into his senior season, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Lykes transferred to Arkansas for his final year of eligibility, choosing the Razorbacks over USC.[16]
Professional career edit
After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Lykes signed with Horsens IC of the top league in Denmark, Basketligaen. He averaged 22.0 points, 4.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game over 26 games, leading his team to an overall 17-9 record.
On June 27, 2023, Lykes signed with Denain Voltaire of the 2nd Division French League, LNB Pro B.
Career statistics edit
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Miami | 32 | 10 | 21.6 | .402 | .345 | .720 | 1.2 | 2.3 | .8 | .0 | 9.6 |
| 2018–19 | Miami | 32 | 32 | 33.8 | .406 | .318 | .781 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 1.3 | .0 | 16.2 |
| 2019–20 | Miami | 26 | 24 | 30.1 | .432 | .381 | .814 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | .3 | 15.4 |
| 2020–21 | Miami | 2 | 2 | 28.5 | .364 | .455 | .909 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 2.0 | .5 | 15.5 |
| 2021–22 | Arkansas | 37 | 2 | 17.3 | .344 | .281 | .875 | 1.0 | 1.5 | .9 | .0 | 7.6 |
| Career | 129 | 70 | 25.2 | .401 | .336 | .806 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 1.0 | .1 | 11.9 | |
References edit
- ^ Bogage, Jacob (February 23, 2017). "Gonzaga guard Chris Lykes — all 5 feet 8 of him — is the biggest playmaker in D.C." The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Parker, Brandon (December 2, 2015). "2015-16 Basketball preview: WCAC boys". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Washington, D.C. Boys Basketball POY: Chris Lykes". USA Today High School Sports. March 17, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Catholic Athletic Conference All-League Basketball Boys". Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Halley, Jim (February 17, 2017). "Miami signee Chris Lykes breaks Gonzaga's career scoring record". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "2016-17 MaxPreps High School Boys Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. April 6, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Kim-Martinez, Isaiah (November 6, 2017). "5-foot-7 freshman guard continues to shatter expectations". The Miami Hurricane. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Rubenstein, Alan (10 August 2018). "Miami Basketball gets high rating in ESPN BPI for 2018-19 season". CanesWarning.com. FanSided. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Miami Hurricanes' 5-7 Chris Lykes is 'crazy, but crazy good'". USA Today. Associated Press. January 23, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ Wine, Stephen (January 3, 2019). "No. 18 North Carolina State pounds host UM in second half, wins ACC opener 87–82". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Associated Press. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ Rubenstein, Alan (23 June 2019). "For Miami basketball to improve in 2019-20 Chris Lykes needs help". CanesWarning.com. FanSided. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ "Lykes Named Preseason Second Team All-ACC". Miami Hurricanes. October 10, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ Stock, Christopher (February 6, 2020). "PG Chris Lykes, SG Kameron McGusty aiming for returns". 247 Sports. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ Stock, Christopher (March 8, 2020). "Chris Lykes out with injury, status uncertain for ACC tournament". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ "2020 ACC Men's Basketball Award Winners Announced". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "Chris Lykes transfers to Arkansas". hawgsports.com. 247 Sports. April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.