Ada's MacCollister repeats as Player of the Year
May 16—The ninth-ranked Ada High School boys basketball team stubbed its toe in a Class 4A District Tournament road matchup with Tuttle.
The Cougars then reeled off four straight victories and found themselves playing in a 4A Area Tournament consolation championship contest with a trip to the state tournament on the line.
However, the Cougars ran into a buzzsaw in the form of No. 8 Blanchard.
Still, Ada finished the season at 22-8 and a key part of the Cougars' success was the play of point guard Devon MacCollister, who was named the 2024 Ada News All-Area Boys Player of the Year. He also won the award last year.
"I believe the key to being successful starts with having a great point guard and guard play," Ada boys basketball coach Kyle Caufield told The Ada News. "Devon's experience for the team this year was very important. He helped this program and teams accomplish a lot and be very successful."
On a team full of talented scorers, MacCollister led the way by averaging 16.4 points per game. He also grabbed 3.7 rebounds per contest and came up with team-highs of 108 assists and 40 steals.
"He is one of the few who has been through just about every scenario you could think of in a basketball season. He was able to help navigate our team on the floor. He could get us into the right situation, set, call, and change the tempo when needed," Caufield said. "He competed at a high level this season, just as he has done his whole career for us."
MacCollister, who recently signed a letter of intent to play college basketball at Murray State College in Tishomingo, came up big more times than not during Ada's strong postseason run. Some of his playoff highlights include:
—He hit three 3-point baskets and scored 16 points in an emotional 46-43 win over local rival Byng with the season on the line.
—He erupted for 25 in a tense 57-56 win over Broken Bow in a regional tournament barn-burner.
—He finished with 13 points, six assists and five rebounds in a 62-51 overtime win over Tuttle in a wild Class 4A Area Tournament clash.
—and he sank four 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the season-ending loss to Blanchard.
MacCollister was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Class 4A All-Star by Class basketball team and was listed on the 2024 Oklahoma Native All-State boys basketball squad.
Caufield said MacCollister has been a special part of the Ada High boys basketball team for four years.
"He had a great career and has been a staple for four years and a three-year starter," he said. "He will truly be missed, but I look forward to watching him continue to be successful on and off the court."
