Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Hope Forest, South Australia | 31 December 1982
Nationality | Australian |
Listed height | 216 cm (7 ft 1 in) |
Listed weight | 115 kg (254 lb) |
Career information | |
High school |
|
College | Georgia Tech (2001–2005) |
NBA draft | 2005: undrafted |
Playing career | 2001–2017 |
Position | Centre |
Career history | |
1999–2001 | Australian Institute of Sport |
2005–2006 | Fort Worth Flyers |
2006 | Chicago Bulls |
2006–2007 | Fort Worth Flyers |
2007 | Portland Trail Blazers |
2007 | Brose Baskets |
2008–2009 | Adelaide 36ers |
2009–2010 | Perth Wildcats |
2010–2012 | Townsville Crocodiles |
2012–2015 | Adelaide 36ers |
2015–2016 | Townsville Crocodiles |
2016 | Townsville Heat |
2017 | Singapore Slingers |
2017 | Southern Tigers |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Luke Dean Schenscher (born 31 December 1982) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball for Georgia Tech before having stints in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls in 2006 and the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007. In 2010, he won an NBL championship with the Perth Wildcats.
Schenscher was born in the small South Australian town of Hope Forest. He grew up on a five-acre farm. [1] As a junior, he played basketball for the Noarlunga City Tigers. [2] In 1999, he moved to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport in conjunction with Lake Ginninderra College. [3] Between 1999 and 2001, he played for the Australian Institute of Sport's SEABL team. [4] In 2001, he led the team in scoring (15.2 points per game) and rebounding (9.2 per game), while also averaging 1.65 blocks per game and shooting 54 percent from the floor. [3] He was subsequently named AIS Junior Athlete of the Year. [5] Also in 2001, he became the first high school student to play for the Boomers when he took part in the East Asian Games. [3] [5] Additionally, he was a member of the Australian national under-21 team which finished eighth at the FIBA Under-21 World Championship. [3]
From 2001 to 2005, Schenscher played college basketball for Georgia Tech. As a freshman, he started five of first six games before being sidelined for 12 games with a broken foot. He led Tech in field goal percentage (.587) and averaged 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds for the season. As a sophomore, he started 16 games and ranked third on the team in field goal percentage (.472) and second in blocked shots (25). [6]
As a junior in 2003–04, Schenscher finished fourth in the ACC in blocks (1.4 bpg) and eighth in rebounds (6.6 rpg). He shot .565 from the floor. He was the team's second leading scorer in the NCAA tournament, averaging 10.8 points along with 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. He helped the Yellow Jackets reach the NCAA Final Four, where he recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds in the semifinal win over Oklahoma State, and nine points and 11 rebounds in the final against UConn, a game the Yellow Jackets lost 82–73. [6]
As a senior in 2004–05, Schenscher averaged a career-best 10.1 points per game, to go with 7.3 rebounds and 1.75 blocks. He led the Yellow Jackets in field goal percentage (.539) but did not meet the minimum attempts to qualify for league leaders. [6]
In 119 games at Georgia Tech, Schenscher averaged 7.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.32 blocks per game. [7]
After going undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft, Schenscher joined the Denver Nuggets' Summer League team. He later signed with the Nuggets on 15 August before being waived on 3 October. He was claimed off waivers by the Sacramento Kings two days later, before they too waived him on 26 October. [8] He subsequently joined the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League, where he averaged 8.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.42 blocks and 1.2 assists in 36 appearances with 34 starts during the 2005–06 season. He shot .530 from the floor and .607 from the free throw line. [7]
On 5 March 2006, Schenscher signed a 10-day contract with the Chicago Bulls. [7] He went on to sign a second 10-day contract on 15 March, and a rest-of-season contract on 25 March. [9] In 20 games for the Bulls, he averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game. [10] After playing for the Bulls during Summer League and preseason, he was waived on 30 October 2006. [11]
He returned to the Flyers for the 2006–07 D-League season. In 34 games (31 starts) for the Flyers, he averaged 9.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.20 blocked shots, while shooting .512 from the floor. [12] On 15 March 2007, he signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. [12] He went on to sign a second 10-day contract on 25 March, and a rest-of-season contract on 4 April. [12] In 11 games for the Trail Blazers, he averaged 1.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. [10]
In July 2007, Schenscher played for the Minnesota Timberwolves' Summer League team. [13]
On 27 July 2007, Schenscher signed a one-year deal with German team Brose Baskets. [14] It was reportedly the highest fee ever paid by the club at the time. [15] He found the pressure of the big contract and the expectation that came with being an NBA player overwhelming, with the pressure translating to injuries on the court. [15] He played only one game before returning to Australia to have surgery on his knee. [15]
In April 2008, Schenscher signed with the Adelaide 36ers for 2008–09 NBL season. [16] [17] On 25 October 2008, he recorded 33 points and 20 rebounds against the Perth Wildcats. [18] On 6 December 2008, he recorded 17 points and 22 rebounds against the Melbourne Tigers. [18] On 13 February 2009, he recorded 37 points and 15 rebounds against the Wollongong Hawks. [18] In 31 games, he averaged 16.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. [18] He subsequently earned All-NBL Second Team honours.
The 36ers allowed Schenscher to part ways with them in the off-season in order to play with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Summer League, but he aborted those plans due to a back injury. [19] [20]
In September 2009, Schenscher signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2009–10 NBL season. [19] [21] He scored a season-high 22 points twice in December, with a season-best 15 rebounds coming on 6 February against the Melbourne Tigers. [22] In March 2010, he helped the Wildcats defeat the Wollongong Hawks 2–1 in the NBL Grand Final series to win the NBL championship. [23] In 33 games, he averaged 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. [22]
In April 2010, the Wildcats parted ways with Schenscher due to his wage demands being too high for the club to meet. [24]
Weeks after parting ways with the Wildcats, Schenscher signed with the Townsville Crocodiles. [25] On 30 October 2010, he recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds against the Sydney Kings. [26] On 23 December, he had 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Adelaide 36ers. [26] He had another 25-point, 10-rebound effort on 21 January against the Wildcats. [26] In game one of the Crocodiles' semi-final series against the Cairns Taipans, Schenscher recorded 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. [26] The Crocodiles went on to lose the series 2–1. In 31 games during the 2010–11 season, he averaged 13.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. [26] He subsequently earned All-NBL Second Team honours and was named the Club MVP. [27]
After considering a move back to Adelaide, [28] Schenscher returned to the Crocodiles for the 2011–12 season. However, his season debut was delayed until December due to hip surgery. [29] [30] On 10 March 2012, he scored a season-high 25 points against the Gold Coast Blaze. [31] In 24 games, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. [31]
In May 2012, Schenscher signed a two-year deal (with the option of a third) with the Adelaide 36ers, returning to the club for a second stint. [32] On 28 December 2012, he recorded 25 points and 16 rebounds against the New Zealand Breakers. [33] He missed the final six games of the 36ers' season due a back injury. [34] In 21 games, he averaged 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. [33]
After undergoing off-season elbow surgery, [34] Schenscher appeared in all 34 games for the 36ers in 2013–14. [35] In the 36ers' regular-season finale on 23 March 2014, he scored a season-high 18 points against the Melbourne Tigers. [35] He helped the 36ers reach the 2014 NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 2–1 to the Perth Wildcats. He finished the season averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. [35]
On 27 June 2014, Schenscher took up the player option on his contract for the 2014–15 season. [36] On 31 December 2014, he scored a season-high 16 points against the Cairns Taipans. [37] He appeared in all 30 games for the 36ers, averaging 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. [37]
On 17 July 2015, Schenscher signed a three-year deal with the Townsville Crocodiles, returning to the club for a second stint. [38] In late October, he ruptured a ligament in his left ankle. [39] Ankle and back complaints restricted Schenscher's court time in 2015–16. [40] In 13 games, he averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Following the demise of the Crocodiles in 2016, Schenscher retired from the NBL. [41]
On 2 June 2016, Schenscher signed with the Townsville Heat for the rest of the 2016 Queensland Basketball League season. [40]
In February 2017, Schenscher had a two-game stint with the Singapore Slingers of the ASEAN Basketball League, in place of the injured Justin Howard. [41] [42]
In April 2017, Schenscher joined the Southern Tigers of the South Australian Premier League. [43] In 13 games, he averaged 8.6 points per game. [44]
In June 2017, Schenscher's Townsville 3x3 team won the Australian CLB 3x3 championship and competed in the Fiba 3x3 world tour qualifiers in Mongolia. [45]
Schenscher is a fan of Australian rules football and is a known supporter of the Glenelg Football Club who play in the South Australian National Football League. [46]
Schenscher is skilled at playing the didgeridoo. [47]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005–06 | Chicago | 20 | 0 | 7.4 | .615 | .000 | .308 | 1.5 | .4 | .1 | .2 | 1.8 |
2006–07 | Portland | 11 | 0 | 10.7 | .304 | .000 | .714 | 2.3 | .1 | .2 | .4 | 1.7 |
Career | 31 | 0 | 8.6 | .469 | .000 | .450 | 1.7 | .3 | .1 | .2 | 1.8 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Chicago | 3 | 0 | 5.7 | 1.000 | – | .750 | 2.3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.3 |
† | Denotes season in which Schenscher won an NBL Championship |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09 | Adelaide 36ers | 31 | 31 | 32.5 | .549 | .000 | .746 | 10.8 | 1.5 | .3 | 1.3 | 16.9 |
2009–10† | Perth Wildcats | 33 | 33 | 23.0 | .520 | .143 | .621 | 6.2 | 1.0 | .3 | 1.1 | 10.0 |
2010–11 | Townsville Crocodiles | 31 | 31 | 24.7 | .529 | .000 | .734 | 6.8 | 1.4 | .3 | 1.1 | 13.7 |
2011–12 | Townsville Crocodiles | 24 | NA | 23.8 | .477 | .000 | .703 | 5.3 | 2.2 | .4 | .7 | 10.4 |
2012–13 | Adelaide 36ers | 21 | NA | 22.8 | .453 | .000 | .613 | 6.1 | 1.9 | .8 | .9 | 9.0 |
2013–14 | Adelaide 36ers | 34 | NA | 15.8 | .526 | .500 | .595 | 5.4 | .8 | .2 | .6 | 6.8 |
2014–15 | Adelaide 36ers | 30 | NA | 17.6 | .486 | 1.000 | .408 | 5.1 | 1.1 | .3 | .8 | 6.9 |
2015–16 | Townsville Crocodiles | 13 | 0 | 13.4 | .439 | .000 | .616 | 3.1 | .3 | .2 | .5 | 4.1 |
Brad Newley is an Australian professional basketball player for the Frankston Blues of the NBL1 South. After starting his career in Australia, playing for the Australian Institute of Sport and the Townsville Crocodiles, Newley was drafted 54th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2007 NBA draft. He never played in the NBA and instead carved out a career in Europe, playing in Greece, Turkey, Lithuania, and Spain between 2007 and 2016. Between 2016 and 2024, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) for the Sydney Kings and Melbourne United.
Shawn Michael Redhage is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who is most known for his 12 seasons played with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played four years of college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils before moving to Australia in 2004 to play professionally. After spending time in the SEABL and with the New Zealand Breakers, Redhage joined the Wildcats in 2005 and went on to become one of the franchise's all-time great players.
Luke Alexander Nevill is a former Australian professional basketball player who last played for Yulon Luxgen Dinos of the Taiwan Super Basketball League. He played college basketball for the University of Utah.
Mitchell Creek is an Australian professional basketball player for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He is also contracted with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He began his NBL career in 2010 and played his first eight seasons with the Adelaide 36ers. After a stint in Germany in 2018, he joined the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League. During the 2018–19 season, he had stints in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He joined the Phoenix in 2019.
Greg Vanderjagt is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) before entering the coaching ranks. He served as the head coach of the Brisbane Bullets in 2022–23.
The 2012–13 NBL season is the 31st season for the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL. In 2011–12, the 36ers missed out on the playoffs for the 5th time in the past 6 seasons, finishing the season with the club's second ever wooden spoon with a worst ever 8-20 record. The 36ers, have won the NBL Championship four times, earning Adelaide the nickname of "Title Town", and with some astute off-season recruiting, will be looking to get back to a position of power in the league.
Jermaine Darnell Beal is an American former professional basketball player. He had a four-year college basketball career with Vanderbilt, where between 2006 and 2010 he became the winningest four-year player in school history and earned first-team All-SEC honors as a senior. He began his professional career in Poland, before having stints in the NBA Development League, Belgium, and Brazil. In 2013, he joined the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia and helped them win a championship in his first season behind his Grand Final MVP performance. After winning Club MVP honors in 2015, Beal helped the Wildcats win another title in 2016. After parting ways with the Wildcats, he won a championship in Belgium, had a short stint with the Brisbane Bullets, then won another championship, this time in Israel. His professional career ended in 2017.
Drake Ellison U'u is an American-Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Hartford and California Polytechnic State University, before playing two seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) with the Perth Wildcats, where he won a championship in 2014. He was part of the Sacramento Kings organization between 2015 and 2020, including serving as the assistant general manager of the Stockton Kings.
Brian Conklin is an American professional basketball player for the Ibaraki Robots of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for Saint Louis University and has since played in New Zealand, Australia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, France, Turkey, Portugal, and Mexico.
Jordair Jett is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Saint Louis Billikens where he was named Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year in 2014, becoming the school's first conference player of the year since 1980.
Casey Prather is an American professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators before playing professionally in the NBA Development League, Australia, Germany, Greece and Israel. He won three straight NBL championships between 2016 and 2018, the first two with the Perth Wildcats and the third with Melbourne United. He joined Hapoel Eilat in 2020 and was named as the Israeli League MVP in 2021, but missed the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons with knee injuries.
DeAndre Martise Daniels is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Townsville Heat of the NBL1 North. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, where he won a national championship and made the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team in 2014.
Brock William Motum is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for Levanga Hokkaido of the Japanese B.League. He is also a member of the Australian national basketball team.
Thomas Lachlan Jervis is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. He played college basketball for Bevill State Community College and Troy University in the United States before debuting in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats between 2013 and 2016. After two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets, Jervis returned to the Wildcats in 2018 and won his third championship. He retired from basketball in 2019 but made a comeback in January 2021 to re-join the Wildcats. Jervis is also well known for his time spent in the State Basketball League (SBL) with the East Perth Eagles, having played for them every year between 2009 and 2016, helping them win their maiden championship in 2014.
Todd Blanchfield is an Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). He began his NBL career in 2009 with the Townsville Crocodiles, where he played six seasons. Between 2015 and 2023, he played for Melbourne United (2015–17), Sydney Kings (2017–18), Illawarra Hawks (2018–20) and Perth Wildcats (2020–23). In 2017, he won a gold medal with Australia at the FIBA Asia Cup.
Matthew John Hodgson is an Australian professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Southern Utah University and Saint Mary's College of California before debuting in the National Basketball League (NBL) and playing for the Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets and Perth Wildcats.
Clinton Harold Steindl is an Australian professional basketball player for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the National Basketball League (NBL). After attending the Australian Institute of Sport, he moved to the United States in 2008 to play college basketball for Saint Mary's. In 2012, he returned to Australia and joined the Cairns Taipans, where he spent two seasons. In 2014, he joined the Townsville Crocodiles, where he spent another two seasons and won the NBL Most Improved Player in 2016. After stints in Belgium and Greece, he joined the Perth Wildcats in 2017, going on to win two NBL championships in 2019 and 2020. He won his third NBL championship in 2024 with the JackJumpers. He has also represented the Australian national team.
Christopher Cedar is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the South West Metro Pirates of the NBL1 North. He played six seasons for the Townsville Crocodiles in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2007 and 2013. He returned to the Crocodiles for a short stint in 2016. In the NBL1 North, he has played for the Townsville Heat, Rockhampton Rockets, Mackay Meteors and Southern Districts Spartans. He won NBL1 North championships in 2014, 2015 and 2021.
Nicholas Colin Kay is an Australian professional basketball player for Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners before beginning his professional career in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats in 2019 and 2020. He also won a New Zealand NBL championship and league MVP honours with the Wellington Saints in 2019. In 2021, he won a bronze medal with the Australian national team at the Tokyo Olympics.
Luke Jacob Travers is an Australian professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). Opting to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia, he made his debut for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL as a development player in 2019 and became an NBL champion in 2020. At state league level, he played three seasons for the Rockingham Flames in the State Basketball League (SBL) between 2017 and 2019, and then had a stint with the Cockburn Cougars in 2020 during the West Coast Classic. He was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 56th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
...and are also without Luke Schenscher at the moment after hip surgery...