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Arch Awards: Who Was the Rising Star of St. Louis Sports in 2016?

By Patrick Karraker

Oct 2, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz (36) throws on the run to force out Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Pedro Florimon (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz (36) throws on the run to force out Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Pedro Florimon (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Frankie Hughes Missouri Tigers
Dec 10, 2016; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jordan Geist (15) passes the ball to guard Frankie Hughes (3) during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Mizzou Arena. Arizona won 79-60. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

Frankie Hughes, G, Missouri Tigers

For a Missouri Tigers basketball team that has been woefully inconsistent to begin the 2016-17 season, Frankie Hughes has been one of the few bright spots. Hughes came in and made a major impact right away, leading the Tigers with 23 points in their season opener against Alabama A&M, then playing out of his mind as Mizzou took No. 11 Xavier to overtime, collecting a team-best 24 points as he was on the floor for 41 minutes.

Through 10 games, the 6-foot-4 freshman guard from Cleveland leads the team with 12.7 points per game. Averaging 26.3 minutes per contest, Hughes has been impressive across the board, collecting 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 takeaways per game.

Next: Who Was St. Louis's Best Under-the-Radar Performer in 2016?

Mizzou simply must play better than .500 non-conference basketball to be taken seriously as an SEC basketball program, but if Hughes can continue to progress and play like he has thus far, perhaps he’ll provide a positive example for teammates during the rebuilding efforts and accelerate the process.

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