I've wanted to post all the details of Luke's basketball recruitment (mostly so I don't forget) - but I've been hesitant to say too much out loud for fear of jinxing it or something. 😊 However, now that we're a full year into his official D1/D2 recruitment period, I feel like I want to share the journey because it's full of #OnlyGod moments. It's long. But it's a fun story - I promise.
Before June 15th, 2017 (the first day D1/D2 coaches could officially reach out to him), the true start of his basketball journey was when he started AAU his 8th grade year. We had NO idea then where this whole thing would take him. He had been playing since he was 8, and we knew he had lots of talent. But here's how this whole thing really started...
I found out about 8th grade tryouts for ACB (an AAU team that doesn't exist anymore) in the fall of 2014. We had heard that playing AAU (travel ball) was a must and that it was best to get him started in the AAU circuit before high school. So - without even fully knowing what we were setting ourselves up for - we signed him up for tryouts. I think they were in November of 2014. I had NO idea what the other boys would look like in comparison to Luke. We were walking into this whole thing just completely clueless. I distinctly remember Luke warming up beforehand and him sinking about 20 3's in a row. I saw the coaches lined-up watching him and figured this was probably a good sign. It's also funny to note that in one of the Gus Macker's Luke played in that previous summer, there was a guy on an opposing team that had sideburns. In the summer before 8th grade. 😨 We were joking that weekend at the Macker about checking his birth certificate. Not surprisingly, he got the nickname "Sideburns" from us right away. Well, guess who happens to be at the ACB tryouts - Sideburns, of course. And guess who Luke ended up being put up against in every single drill - Sideburns. I think Sideburns was one of the best guys there, and they wanted to test this tall, lanky homeschool boy to see how he faired.
ACB had said that if you knew of any potential conflicts to their season, to bring them with you to tryouts. Well, since our homeschool schedule went from November to March (and public school 8th grade boys get done in December, so their AAU season went from January to March) - we had a ton of conflicts.
When the next few weeks came and went, and we hadn't heard anything - we figured Luke didn't make the team. It was kind of a bummer, but not too surprising considering he was a completely unknown homeschooler & everyone else seemed to know each other. Well, at the beginning of January, we got a call from Coach Lauer. He said that they were really impressed with Luke, but didn't pick him for the team because of all his conflicts. But, they had an injured player and needed to find someone to take his place. He said they would work around Luke's schedule if we were willing to let him miss a homeschool game or two. Of course, we said yes. So Coach suggested we all come to the tournament in GR that weekend so Luke could meet the team. And guess who was on his new AAU team - you probably guessed it. Sideburns.
That first year of AAU was a challenging one for Luke. For starters, it was rough because he was doing two teams at once. And, even though he was privileged to have been on the team - he didn't play a whole lot. One really good thing that came from that first season of AAU - was it lit a fire in him to want to do better and to no longer be a bench player.
The following year, Coach Lauer is the one who let us know about a new AAU team in the GR area (that ACB was kind of merging with). So on the day after we got home from a week at homeschool nationals in Missouri, Luke had his 15U tryouts with MBA. The good thing once you get into 9th grade, is that the AAU season doesn't conflict with our homeschool season. Now AAU goes from April to July (with June off to do high school team camps). At the MBA tryouts, Dave and I were watching Luke play knowing how worn out he was and that he wasn't playing to his full potential. There were three choices for teams - National, Regional, and Local. We had requested that he only be considered for the Regional and Local - and even then, with how much talent was there, we weren't sure he'd make the team.
To our surprise, two days later we got a phone call from the director of the boys' teams informing us that Luke had been chosen for the 15U National team. Say what?! His exact words were, "Where did this kid come from?! He blew us away!". We weren't sure how we could afford the expense of the National team, but we felt it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So Coach Derrick Owens, Sr. (Coach O) would be his 15U AAU Coach. That first MBA tournament would be Luke's first dunk in a game (caught on video, thankfully). He learned a ton from Coach O (even did some personal training sessions with him after the AAU season was over). Got to travel to places he'd never been - including Pittsburgh. It was just a great overall experience. He was a noticeably improved player during his 10th grade year because of all the strides he made that summer/fall with Coach O.
So in the spring of 2017, we didn't even have to think about where Luke would be playing. He was on the MBA 16U National team coached by Derrick King (the same guy who had said a year earlier - "this kid blew us away!"). At some point in the beginning of the AAU season, Micah Lancaster (founder of I'm Possible), reached out to us about how much he wanted to train Luke. He had heard a coach at MBA tryouts that spring say something to Luke about being a post player, and Micah said "Don't EVER let anyone tell you you're a post player!". He knew Luke's talents well. And it was great to be able to have Luke start training with him. The best thing Micah did right off the bat was to have Luke come in and train with a few guys from New Jersey. Guys who are the same age as Luke, but are ranked in the top 10 Nationally. Micah told Luke, "The first thing I want you to realize is how good you are. And playing with these top-ranked guys is going to prove that to you." And it sure did! Luke matched them step-for-step. I think it was a turning point in Luke's confidence.
April and May on the MBA 16U team were good - but also frustrating. It didn't help that Mikayla was playing for the MBA girls team, and we were always traveling to different cities each weekend. Luke had a really good game in May - against Coach Lauer's team, coincidentally. Steve Bell (a basketball scout) saw him play there and did a nice little write-up on him and one of his teammates.
At some point after that, Luke heard from Coach Watts of the Michigan Mustangs team. The Mustangs are one of the top AAU teams in the state of Michigan - and they are Adidas sponsored. Coach Watts wanted Luke to join his team in July. We were glad to have people like Micah in our corner as we navigated this HUGE opportunity. I remember asking Micah, "Is Luke ready for this?" and he was like, "Luke is DEFINITELY ready for this!". We are not ones to just quit things, so we took a lot of time praying and talking about what this would mean (Luke leaving MBA mid-season). Luke let Derrick King know that he had been approached by Coach Watts and that he was considering this opportunity. Of course, Derrick didn't want to see Luke leave. But the opportunity to be part of the Mustangs was just too good to pass up. They practice in Detroit - which was a tough pill to swallow - but at least it was just once a week. It just so happened that both MBA and the Mustangs were at the same tournament that Memorial weekend in Chicago. Luke had already gone over to a Mustangs practice to meet the team (the Mustangs players wanted Luke to join them in Chicago, but understood Luke trying to handle the transition the right way). Luke had mostly made up his mind by the time he had gotten to Chicago. But what clinched it for him was when (after his MBA team had lost and was done for the weekend), Luke went to watch the Mustangs play. When their game was over, they invited Luke to join them in the team meeting. That was it. He already felt a part of this Mustangs 16U team. He let Derrick know of his decision, and we wrapped our brains around joining this new team. I know we had NO clue just how big of a decision we had just made.
By last June, Luke's new homeschool team was the Angels. We had thought, when his 10th grade homeschool season was over, that we were going to send the twins to Lowell Public School the following year. This was mostly because we thought we would have to for Luke's basketball exposure (and because I was getting burnt out on homeschooling). But neither of the twins were 100% sold on it. When the opportunity for the Angels came about, we were excited. It felt like it was OK to try at least one more year of homeschooling. I prayed for God to give me strength and wisdom to continue teaching them. Our thoughts were that if Luke's recruitment wasn't where we wanted it to be after his junior year (or if we realized we truly couldn't do this anymore), we would send them to public school as seniors. Luke's new Angels coach had connections with Ferris State, so the team went to their first college team camp at Ferris the beginning of June. Coach Bronkema (Ferris' head coach) talked to Dave and Luke and shared how impressed he was with Luke. It was very exciting to see the Angels team already opening some new doors to Luke. We were feeling blessed to be part of the Angels organization already and excited for what his junior year of homeschool basketball would bring.
Now we're almost to June 15th. We had been told that if coaches are really interested in you, they will reach out to you right after midnight on the 15th (D1 and D2 coaches can't contact high school basketball players directly until June 15th after their sophomore year). Well, we had zero expectations that this would happen. Much to all of our surprise, Luke got a text from both Ferris and Central Michigan right after midnight. We were blown away! Oh, but hold onto your seats...this was just getting started.
The month of July was about to blow all of our socks off. The connections that Coach Watts has are unbelievable. The tournaments that the Mustangs played in got Luke exposure to a ton of big schools. Our little homeschool boy suddenly was getting noticed by people from all over the country. At a tournament in Louisville, I was in complete shock at how many coaches were there. And you know they're coaches, because they're all walking around with their booklets for each player. As they see a player they're impressed with, they flip the booklet to that team's page and start texting like crazy. At one point in the tournament, apparently the buzz in the giant hall (home to over 25 basketball courts) was about this "#33 on Court 6". Well, that was MY boy! I learned really quickly that this recruiting thing is all about getting in front of coaches and it's about who those coaches know. My boy was about to get phone calls from over 30 D1 colleges in the next few months. And all of those contacts came from the exposure he got in July with Coach Watts' team. Wow.
Best. Decision. Ever.
Last fall he got lots more attention from both scrimmages the Angels participated in and from camps Luke did on his own. He also took 8 unofficial college visits and was personally visited by 5 different coaches (Belmont, Western Michigan, Princeton, Ferris, GVSU).
It also helped that the Angels had a phenomenal inaugural season. They finished second in the state (had it not been for injuries, I'm confident they would have finished first) and also won a Gold Ball National title at the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships in Missouri this past March. Rather than us thinking we have to send our boy to public school to get the proper attention from college coaches, we actually have a player leaving public school to join our Angels team this next school year! Channel 3 has talked about wanting to do a story on Luke this fall (exciting!). The path that his recruitment has taken is truly mind-blowing. We can see God's hand in every part of it. I get goosebumps just typing it all out.
Luke currently has two full ride offers (University of Toledo and Ferris State) with several others expected to happen before fall. The new schools still calling are truly blowing our minds. Just in the last week he's had both Penn State and the University of Wisconsin reach out! It sounds like Wisconsin wants him to come visit still this month, and they told Dave "we only invite guys to come to campus that we're really interested in and considering giving an offer to." 😮
Only God.
So, as he finishes out this summer, we excitedly watch with front row seats God continue to blow our minds. It's kind of terrifying to think Luke will be making a decision in the next few months on just where he wants to commit. We covet your prayers for him as he decides. We have seen God in all of this and know He will continue to make His will known to Luke. It's an exciting thing to be a part of! As we continue to navigate the world of NCAA Eligibility and all things basketball recruitment, we are being stretched and learning a ton. I have a feeling there will be lots more stories to tell before this year is over.
Stay tuned for "the rest of the story"...
PS ~ One more fun part of the Sideburns story. 😂 Last fall at the GR Union scrimmages, the Angels team saw Sideburns' school team. Wouldn't you know it - the boy who was taller than everyone in 8th grade (with a full set of sideburns) was now one of the shortest guys on his basketball team (and with a full beard)! Meanwhile, Luke is still growing (he's currently 6'10"). My how things can change in 3 years!!
Before June 15th, 2017 (the first day D1/D2 coaches could officially reach out to him), the true start of his basketball journey was when he started AAU his 8th grade year. We had NO idea then where this whole thing would take him. He had been playing since he was 8, and we knew he had lots of talent. But here's how this whole thing really started...
I found out about 8th grade tryouts for ACB (an AAU team that doesn't exist anymore) in the fall of 2014. We had heard that playing AAU (travel ball) was a must and that it was best to get him started in the AAU circuit before high school. So - without even fully knowing what we were setting ourselves up for - we signed him up for tryouts. I think they were in November of 2014. I had NO idea what the other boys would look like in comparison to Luke. We were walking into this whole thing just completely clueless. I distinctly remember Luke warming up beforehand and him sinking about 20 3's in a row. I saw the coaches lined-up watching him and figured this was probably a good sign. It's also funny to note that in one of the Gus Macker's Luke played in that previous summer, there was a guy on an opposing team that had sideburns. In the summer before 8th grade. 😨 We were joking that weekend at the Macker about checking his birth certificate. Not surprisingly, he got the nickname "Sideburns" from us right away. Well, guess who happens to be at the ACB tryouts - Sideburns, of course. And guess who Luke ended up being put up against in every single drill - Sideburns. I think Sideburns was one of the best guys there, and they wanted to test this tall, lanky homeschool boy to see how he faired.
ACB had said that if you knew of any potential conflicts to their season, to bring them with you to tryouts. Well, since our homeschool schedule went from November to March (and public school 8th grade boys get done in December, so their AAU season went from January to March) - we had a ton of conflicts.
When the next few weeks came and went, and we hadn't heard anything - we figured Luke didn't make the team. It was kind of a bummer, but not too surprising considering he was a completely unknown homeschooler & everyone else seemed to know each other. Well, at the beginning of January, we got a call from Coach Lauer. He said that they were really impressed with Luke, but didn't pick him for the team because of all his conflicts. But, they had an injured player and needed to find someone to take his place. He said they would work around Luke's schedule if we were willing to let him miss a homeschool game or two. Of course, we said yes. So Coach suggested we all come to the tournament in GR that weekend so Luke could meet the team. And guess who was on his new AAU team - you probably guessed it. Sideburns.
That first year of AAU was a challenging one for Luke. For starters, it was rough because he was doing two teams at once. And, even though he was privileged to have been on the team - he didn't play a whole lot. One really good thing that came from that first season of AAU - was it lit a fire in him to want to do better and to no longer be a bench player.
The following year, Coach Lauer is the one who let us know about a new AAU team in the GR area (that ACB was kind of merging with). So on the day after we got home from a week at homeschool nationals in Missouri, Luke had his 15U tryouts with MBA. The good thing once you get into 9th grade, is that the AAU season doesn't conflict with our homeschool season. Now AAU goes from April to July (with June off to do high school team camps). At the MBA tryouts, Dave and I were watching Luke play knowing how worn out he was and that he wasn't playing to his full potential. There were three choices for teams - National, Regional, and Local. We had requested that he only be considered for the Regional and Local - and even then, with how much talent was there, we weren't sure he'd make the team.
To our surprise, two days later we got a phone call from the director of the boys' teams informing us that Luke had been chosen for the 15U National team. Say what?! His exact words were, "Where did this kid come from?! He blew us away!". We weren't sure how we could afford the expense of the National team, but we felt it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So Coach Derrick Owens, Sr. (Coach O) would be his 15U AAU Coach. That first MBA tournament would be Luke's first dunk in a game (caught on video, thankfully). He learned a ton from Coach O (even did some personal training sessions with him after the AAU season was over). Got to travel to places he'd never been - including Pittsburgh. It was just a great overall experience. He was a noticeably improved player during his 10th grade year because of all the strides he made that summer/fall with Coach O.
So in the spring of 2017, we didn't even have to think about where Luke would be playing. He was on the MBA 16U National team coached by Derrick King (the same guy who had said a year earlier - "this kid blew us away!"). At some point in the beginning of the AAU season, Micah Lancaster (founder of I'm Possible), reached out to us about how much he wanted to train Luke. He had heard a coach at MBA tryouts that spring say something to Luke about being a post player, and Micah said "Don't EVER let anyone tell you you're a post player!". He knew Luke's talents well. And it was great to be able to have Luke start training with him. The best thing Micah did right off the bat was to have Luke come in and train with a few guys from New Jersey. Guys who are the same age as Luke, but are ranked in the top 10 Nationally. Micah told Luke, "The first thing I want you to realize is how good you are. And playing with these top-ranked guys is going to prove that to you." And it sure did! Luke matched them step-for-step. I think it was a turning point in Luke's confidence.
April and May on the MBA 16U team were good - but also frustrating. It didn't help that Mikayla was playing for the MBA girls team, and we were always traveling to different cities each weekend. Luke had a really good game in May - against Coach Lauer's team, coincidentally. Steve Bell (a basketball scout) saw him play there and did a nice little write-up on him and one of his teammates.
At some point after that, Luke heard from Coach Watts of the Michigan Mustangs team. The Mustangs are one of the top AAU teams in the state of Michigan - and they are Adidas sponsored. Coach Watts wanted Luke to join his team in July. We were glad to have people like Micah in our corner as we navigated this HUGE opportunity. I remember asking Micah, "Is Luke ready for this?" and he was like, "Luke is DEFINITELY ready for this!". We are not ones to just quit things, so we took a lot of time praying and talking about what this would mean (Luke leaving MBA mid-season). Luke let Derrick King know that he had been approached by Coach Watts and that he was considering this opportunity. Of course, Derrick didn't want to see Luke leave. But the opportunity to be part of the Mustangs was just too good to pass up. They practice in Detroit - which was a tough pill to swallow - but at least it was just once a week. It just so happened that both MBA and the Mustangs were at the same tournament that Memorial weekend in Chicago. Luke had already gone over to a Mustangs practice to meet the team (the Mustangs players wanted Luke to join them in Chicago, but understood Luke trying to handle the transition the right way). Luke had mostly made up his mind by the time he had gotten to Chicago. But what clinched it for him was when (after his MBA team had lost and was done for the weekend), Luke went to watch the Mustangs play. When their game was over, they invited Luke to join them in the team meeting. That was it. He already felt a part of this Mustangs 16U team. He let Derrick know of his decision, and we wrapped our brains around joining this new team. I know we had NO clue just how big of a decision we had just made.
By last June, Luke's new homeschool team was the Angels. We had thought, when his 10th grade homeschool season was over, that we were going to send the twins to Lowell Public School the following year. This was mostly because we thought we would have to for Luke's basketball exposure (and because I was getting burnt out on homeschooling). But neither of the twins were 100% sold on it. When the opportunity for the Angels came about, we were excited. It felt like it was OK to try at least one more year of homeschooling. I prayed for God to give me strength and wisdom to continue teaching them. Our thoughts were that if Luke's recruitment wasn't where we wanted it to be after his junior year (or if we realized we truly couldn't do this anymore), we would send them to public school as seniors. Luke's new Angels coach had connections with Ferris State, so the team went to their first college team camp at Ferris the beginning of June. Coach Bronkema (Ferris' head coach) talked to Dave and Luke and shared how impressed he was with Luke. It was very exciting to see the Angels team already opening some new doors to Luke. We were feeling blessed to be part of the Angels organization already and excited for what his junior year of homeschool basketball would bring.
Now we're almost to June 15th. We had been told that if coaches are really interested in you, they will reach out to you right after midnight on the 15th (D1 and D2 coaches can't contact high school basketball players directly until June 15th after their sophomore year). Well, we had zero expectations that this would happen. Much to all of our surprise, Luke got a text from both Ferris and Central Michigan right after midnight. We were blown away! Oh, but hold onto your seats...this was just getting started.
The month of July was about to blow all of our socks off. The connections that Coach Watts has are unbelievable. The tournaments that the Mustangs played in got Luke exposure to a ton of big schools. Our little homeschool boy suddenly was getting noticed by people from all over the country. At a tournament in Louisville, I was in complete shock at how many coaches were there. And you know they're coaches, because they're all walking around with their booklets for each player. As they see a player they're impressed with, they flip the booklet to that team's page and start texting like crazy. At one point in the tournament, apparently the buzz in the giant hall (home to over 25 basketball courts) was about this "#33 on Court 6". Well, that was MY boy! I learned really quickly that this recruiting thing is all about getting in front of coaches and it's about who those coaches know. My boy was about to get phone calls from over 30 D1 colleges in the next few months. And all of those contacts came from the exposure he got in July with Coach Watts' team. Wow.
Best. Decision. Ever.
Last fall he got lots more attention from both scrimmages the Angels participated in and from camps Luke did on his own. He also took 8 unofficial college visits and was personally visited by 5 different coaches (Belmont, Western Michigan, Princeton, Ferris, GVSU).
It also helped that the Angels had a phenomenal inaugural season. They finished second in the state (had it not been for injuries, I'm confident they would have finished first) and also won a Gold Ball National title at the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships in Missouri this past March. Rather than us thinking we have to send our boy to public school to get the proper attention from college coaches, we actually have a player leaving public school to join our Angels team this next school year! Channel 3 has talked about wanting to do a story on Luke this fall (exciting!). The path that his recruitment has taken is truly mind-blowing. We can see God's hand in every part of it. I get goosebumps just typing it all out.
Luke currently has two full ride offers (University of Toledo and Ferris State) with several others expected to happen before fall. The new schools still calling are truly blowing our minds. Just in the last week he's had both Penn State and the University of Wisconsin reach out! It sounds like Wisconsin wants him to come visit still this month, and they told Dave "we only invite guys to come to campus that we're really interested in and considering giving an offer to." 😮
Only God.
So, as he finishes out this summer, we excitedly watch with front row seats God continue to blow our minds. It's kind of terrifying to think Luke will be making a decision in the next few months on just where he wants to commit. We covet your prayers for him as he decides. We have seen God in all of this and know He will continue to make His will known to Luke. It's an exciting thing to be a part of! As we continue to navigate the world of NCAA Eligibility and all things basketball recruitment, we are being stretched and learning a ton. I have a feeling there will be lots more stories to tell before this year is over.
Stay tuned for "the rest of the story"...
PS ~ One more fun part of the Sideburns story. 😂 Last fall at the GR Union scrimmages, the Angels team saw Sideburns' school team. Wouldn't you know it - the boy who was taller than everyone in 8th grade (with a full set of sideburns) was now one of the shortest guys on his basketball team (and with a full beard)! Meanwhile, Luke is still growing (he's currently 6'10"). My how things can change in 3 years!!
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