No, Brice Hornbeck isn't a video game character. He just puts up stat lines like one.

The Little Wound senior guard has been ridiculously good through the Mustangs first 11 games of the season, averaging 33 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals per night. That streak has included a 58-point game against Aberdeen Roncalli that put Hornbeck into a tie for second place on the state's all-time single game Class A scoring list with former West Central standout Josh Mueller.

For his efforts this season, Hornbeck has been named the Rapid City Journal Athlete of the Week.

"We were losing by a lot, so I just started shooting 3s," Hornbeck said of the 58-point eruption, 40 of which came in the second half. "Everything I threw up was going in."

Hornbeck shot 19-for-31 from the field, including eight 3-pointers, to get that 58 points and his coach, Rob Mendoza, said it should have been more.

"He should have had 70," Mendoza said. "He was tired from running all over the place with White River the night before (in a 39-point, 13-rebound performance)."

Mendoza wants everybody to know that this breakout isn't some kind of fluke, though.

"He's not hot, this is just how he plays," Mendoza said. "This isn't a streak or a string or anything like that. He's just that good. And I always tell people, if there's any doubt about it, just come watch him play."

The shift in Hornbeck's game has been noticeable, as he has gone from a junior point guard on an absolutely loaded state championship contender to the focal point of everything on an inexperienced 5-6 team.

"It's a lot different," Hornbeck said. "I was a lot more of a passer last year, just trying to get the ball to mismatches. This year I kind of started out playing that way, but coach told me that I was being too unselfish and that I needed to start shooting more. Now I'm shooting about every chance I get."

Not that it's what he really wants to do.

"This is a forced thing," Mendoza said of riding Hornbeck so much on the offensive end. "If it was up to him he'd still be a distributor, that's just how he plays the game. But he's got to play this way for us to win."

All of the extra shooting hasn't hurt Hornbeck's shooting percentage much, though. He has always possessed a natural instinct for finding even the littlest seams and cracks in an opponent's defense, but he's added a better long-range touch as well. He hit his season-high of eight 3-pointers in the loss to Roncalli and has shot 29-for-52 from downtown this season. Incredibly, Hornbeck is shooting at a 61 percent clip from the field and grabbing the 11 rebounds per game despite being just 5-foot-10.

"He's always had the ability," Mendoza said. "He just had to work at some of the things that he hadn't been asked to do before."

Hornbeck, who is third in his class with a 3.7 grade-point average, wants to go to college to study business or physical education. He admits that his college choices have grown along with his scoring average.

"There are a lot more coaches calling lately," he said with a little chuckle. "I'm just going to keep playing and see what happens and go to the best one I can get."

For now, though, Hornbeck is focused on just one thing.

"I just want to get back to the state tournament one more time, just get there," he said.

That is going to be a tall task, as the only other experience from last year's team, Ty Lunderman, seriously injured his knee against Red Cloud in his first game after becoming eligible.

"That hurts us," Hornbeck admitted. "But we have to work with our players and try to help them develop. Last year everybody knew what to expect, everybody knew what they were supposed to do. This year we're learning."

One thing everybody is learning, no matter where they're from, is to expect a little of the unexpected from Little Wound's point guard.

"He's a great player," Mendoza said. "I'm just really happy he's on our team."

Contact Duffy at 394-8429 or at padraic.duffy@rapidcityjournal.com