Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Last month Holden Arnaman put together perhaps the most impressive individual performance in his brilliant prep career.

The West Branch senior point guard poured in a single-game school record 48 points on 19-of-27 shooting, including 8-of-11 from 3-point range and added six rebounds, six assists and five steals in a win at Durant.

As impressive as Arnaman was in the win over the Wildcats the encore performance from the Minnesota State recruit over the next four games may have been even better.

Arnaman is averaging 24 points, five rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game since his record-breaking performance helping West Branch win five of its last six games.

“It’s impressive but it doesn’t surprise me because I’ve seen the work the kid has put in,” West Branch coach Jason Kern said. “I knew this is the type of player that he could be. When you in the work that he has you are going to get there.”

Arnaman followed up this career-high 48 points by scoring 27 in an upset of rival Regina.

After scoring 16 in a loss to fifth-ranked Pella Christian Arnaman scored 29 points in a win over Durant and had 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 57-33 win over Wilton.

“It was just something that happened in the moment,” Arnaman said of the school record. “I wasn’t going out there to do that I was just hitting shots and getting to the hoop and that felt great but honestly getting wins has meant a lot more to me.”

A second-team all-state selection last season Arnaman has raised his game yet another notch this season while helping the Bears to 14-6 record.

Arnaman is averaging a career-high 24.1 points per game which ranks 18^th in the state and ninth in Class 2A.

“I am never satisfied with where my game is, there are always ways to improve,” Arnaman said. “I have big goals so I worked my tail off over the summer trying to get better.”

The scoring for Arnaman is up and so is his efficiency on offense.

He is shooting carer bests from the field and from beyond the 3-point line where he ranks fifth in the state with 3.7 made 3-pointers per game and 24^th state-wide in 3-point percentage at 50 percent.

“He’s shooting 50 percent from 3-point range and they aren’t uncontested shots, it’s not catch and shoot stuff,” Kern said. “It’s hard contested looks that he’s hitting at a high percentage. To be able to shoot that percentage while hitting that many shots is really impressive.”

Shooting was an offseason focus for Arnaman who averaged 21.8 points on 47 percent shooting a year ago.

“I worked on shooting every day,” Arnaman said. “I know I am going to have to make shots to win games and I just focused on contested shots and being comfortable shooting those shots.”

That work has paid off as Arnaman is an impressive 77-of-154 from 3-point range while shooting better than 51 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line.

The offensive numbers stand out but Arnaman has improved in every aspect of his game.

Arnaman is averaging a career-high 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game along with 4.7 assists.

“I’ve tried to work a lot on the little things,” Arnaman said. “A lot of people know I can dribble or hit shots but it’s the catch and shoot 3s, playing hard on defense, rebounding, making the right play all that stuff.”

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