Russell Westbrook set a NBA record Monday when he recorded a triple-double in a loss to Atlanta. The 182nd triple-double of his career, the Washington Wizards guard passed Oscar Robertson on the list for the most triple-doubles in NBA history.
Also on the floor last night was Daniel Gafford, a first-year center out of Arkansas who played high school basketball at El Dorado (Ark.). He finished the game with 2 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Naturally, that leads to the question is, which of the two players – Westbrook or Gafford – had more triple-doubles their senior year of high school?
The answer, of course, is Gafford, who posted 11 triple-doubles in 2017 at El Dorado. All of his 11 triple-doubles were via points/rebounds/blocked shots. Westbrook, who averaged 25 points per game as a senior at Leuzinger (Lawndale, Calif.), reportedly had 14 double-doubles, but there is no mention of triple-doubles.
Gafford's 11 triple-doubles made our list of prep players who have accomplished the feat most often over the past eight years.
Westbrook's record prompted a check of the MaxPreps leaderboards to see what players have racked up the most triple-doubles. MaxPreps has tracked the stat (for those players who have complete stats on the site) since the 2013-14 season. While career triple-doubles are not necessarily available, the MaxPreps double-doubles tool allows fans to track players who have the most double-doubles, triple-doubles and quadruple-doubles in a season.
Lonzo Ball's 25 triple-doubles as a senior led Chino Hills to state and national titles.
Photo by Heston Quan
Current New Orleans Pelican guard Lonzo Ball leads the list with 25 triple-doubles during Chino Hills' 2015-16 season when MaxPreps ranked the team No. 1 in the nation. Ball also had a quadruple-double during the season and finished with an average of 23.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 11.5 assists per game. Ball's career triple-doubles are not available.
Like Gafford, five of the players make the list for double-figures in points, rebounds and blocked shots. A total of six players averaged a triple-double for the season and one player, Reece Beekman of Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.), makes the list twice.
Beekman, coming off a promising freshman campaign at the University of Virginia, is one of several players on the list who have gone on to excel at the next level. Tilquan Rucker led all junior college players in scoring at 31.9 points per game in 2020. Theo Akwuba was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 while at the University of Louisiana.
In addition to Ball and Gafford, Mitchell Robinson of Chalmette (La.) is also in the NBA as a member of the New York Knicks. Travis Jay of Madison County (Madison, Fla.) has gone a different route. He is a member of the Florida State football team.
Unfortunately MaxPreps doesn't have statistics for some of the NBA's all-time triple-double standouts like Westbrook, Robertson, Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd.
Kidd averaged 25 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 steals as a senior while leading St. Joseph's (Alameda, Calif.) to the second of back-to-back championships in 1992. He finished his career as the state's all-time leader in assists and steals, according to the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book. He is known to have close to a quadruple-double in a win over Bishop O'Dowd that year, getting 30 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 steals.
Robertson's rebound and assist totals are unavailable as scoring totals were usually the only numbers reported by the media in 1956. Johnson, meanwhile, averaged 25.8 points per game as a senior on an Everett (Lansing, Mich.) team that won the 1977 Michigan state championship. According to the Lansing State Journal, Johnson averaged 17 rebounds and 9 assists per game as a senior.
Single season triple-double leaders
Lonzo BallTotal triple-doubles: 25
School: Chino Hills (Calif.)Year: 2015-16
Per game averages: 23.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 11.5 assists
Best game: vs. Seattle Prep, 33 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists, 10 steals
Reece BeekmanTotal triple-doubles: 18
School: Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.)Year: 2018-19
Per game averages: 21.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists
Best game: vs. East Ascension, 39 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists
James MooreTotal triple-doubles: 15
School: South Creek (Robersonville, N.C.)Year: 2015-16
Per game averages: 15.1 points, 15.7 rebounds, 10.6 blocked shots
Best game: vs. Columbia, 22 points, 22 rebounds, 13 blocked shots
Reece BeekmanTotal triple-doubles: 15
School: Scotlandville
Year: 2019-20
Per game averages: 19.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 9.2 assists
Best game: vs. Live Oak, 40 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists
Tilquan RuckerTotal triple-doubles: 15
School: South Bronx Prep (Bronx, N.Y.)Year: 2016-17
Per game averages: 36.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 10.2 assists
Best game: vs. Bronx Early College Academy, 61 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists
Mike KozlowskiTotal triple-doubles: 14
School: Redeemer Classical Christ (Kingsville, Md.)Year: 2015-16
Per game averages: 25.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, 10.6 blocked shots
Best game: vs. Arlington Baptist, 29 points, 20 rebounds, 17 blocked shots
Theo AkwubaTotal triple-doubles: 14
School: Brewbaker Tech (Montgomery, Ala.)Year: 2017-18
Per game averages: 11.7 points, 14.1 rebounds, 10.4 blocked shots
Best game: vs. Lee, 18 points, 17 rebounds, 22 blocked shots
Mitchell RobinsonTotal triple-doubles: 11
School: Chalmette (La.)Year: 2015-16
Per game averages: 16.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 7.9 blocked shots
Best game: vs. Holy Cross, 20 points, 10 rebounds, 20 blocked shots
Daniel GaffordTotal triple-doubles: 11
School: El Dorado (Ark.)Year: 2016-17
Per game averages: 17.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, 7.7 blocked shots
Best game: vs. Pine Bluff, 33 points, 18 rebounds, 15 blocked shots
Travis JayTotal triple-doubles: 11
School: Madison County (Madison, Fla.)Year: 2017-18
Per game averages: 13.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists
Best game: vs. Lee, 25 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists
