Luke Schenscher

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 National Basketball Association (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.

Early life and career Schenscher was born in the small South Australian suburb of Hope Forest, just east of the town of Willunga where he grew up on a five-acre farm. As a junior, he played basketball for the Noarlunga City Tigers. In 1999, he moved to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport in conjunction with Lake Ginninderra College. Between 1999 and 2001, he played for the AIS men's team in the South East Australian Basketball League. 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. Also in 2001, he became the first high school student to play for the Boomers when he took part in the East Asian Games.

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.

Professional career

NBA and D-League 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. 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. In 20 games for the Bulls, he averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game. After playing for the Bulls during Summer League and preseason, he was waived on 30 October 2006.

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. On 15 March 2007, he signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. In 11 games for the Trail Blazers, he averaged 1.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game.

Germany On 27 July 2007, Schenscher signed a one-year deal with German team Brose Baskets. It was reportedly the highest fee ever paid by the club at the time. 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. On 25 October 2008, he recorded 33 points and 20 rebounds against the Perth Wildcats. On 6 December 2008, he recorded 17 points and 22 rebounds against the Melbourne Tigers.

Perth Wildcats In September 2009, Schenscher signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2009–10 NBL season. He scored a season-high 22 points twice in December, with a season-best 15 rebounds coming on 6 February against the Melbourne Tigers. In March 2010, he helped the Wildcats defeat the Wollongong Hawks 2–1 in the NBL Grand Final series to win the NBL championship. In 33 games, he averaged 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Townsville Crocodiles Weeks after parting ways with the Wildcats, Schenscher signed with the Townsville Crocodiles. On 30 October 2010, he recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds against the Sydney Kings. On 23 December, he had 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Adelaide 36ers.

After considering a move back to Adelaide, Schenscher returned to the Crocodiles for the 2011–12 season. However, his season debut was delayed until December due to hip surgery. On 10 March 2012, he scored a season-high 25 points against the Gold Coast Blaze. In 24 games, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. On 28 December 2012, he recorded 25 points and 16 rebounds against the New Zealand Breakers. He missed the final six games of the 36ers' season due a back injury. In 21 games, he averaged 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. In the 36ers' regular-season finale on 23 March 2014, he scored a season-high 18 points against the Melbourne Tigers. On 31 December 2014, he scored a season-high 16 points against the Cairns Taipans. He appeared in all 30 games for the 36ers, averaging 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. In late October, he ruptured a ligament in his left ankle. Ankle and back complaints restricted Schenscher's court time in 2015–16. 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.

Final years On 2 June 2016, Schenscher signed with the Townsville Heat for the rest of the 2016 Queensland Basketball League season.

In April 2017, Schenscher joined the Southern Tigers of the South Australian Premier League. In 13 games, he averaged 8.6 points per game.

Personal 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.

Schenscher is skilled at playing the didgeridoo.

Career stats

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

NBL †Denotes season in which Schenscher won an NBL Championship