Monday, March 06, 2006

Hoops - Luke's 1st NBA Game

The stat line for Luke Schenscher - 12:19 minutes, 4 pts (2-2), 1 rebound, 3 fouls. Hey, it's his first game. Here's what his new head coach had to say:

Overall, coach Scott Skiles said Schenscher's defensive instincts were "as good as anybody else's," and liked his touch around the basket.


In addition, he said this:

"Luke's legitimately over 7 feet tall,'' Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "He's got good hands. He has some nice moves around the basket, a hook with either hand. He plays hard.


"The 10-day thing is always a difficult thing because you want to bring a guy up and give him a legitimate look. Because of the 10-day contract start [in January], you're so late in the season that your practice time is limited. So the game is when you want to look at him.''


Here's what Luol Deng had to say - remembering his match-ups with Luke in his one season with Duke:

Schenscher went undrafted last June after four years at Georgia Tech, where Bulls forward Luol Deng remembered the 7-1, 265-pounder as a formidable foe when Deng was at Duke.


"He gave us a lot of trouble with our shots,'' Deng said. "Every time he played us, he played great. He's long, very good around the rim.''


Now Luke himself sees a niche for himself with the Bulls:

"Obviously, they don't have too many true centers, so I think I can slip in and do something," the 23-year-old Australian said.


And I kid you not, here is what Luke said about his newly grown curls:

"[Skiles] just said he likes hard workers and just go out there and do what he asks,'' said Schenscher, who likes his long locks. "I always said, 'The curls get the girls.' That's why I've got them.''