Lucas Andrew Recker (born June 17, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. A
swingman
A swingman is an athlete capable of playing multiple positions in their sport.
Basketball
In basketball, the term “swingman” (a.k.a. “wing” or “guard-forward”) denotes a player who can play both the shooting guard (2) and small forw ...
who primarily played the
shooting guard position but could also play
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular c ...
, he was one of the top high school prospects of the class of 1997. He played his first two years of college basketball at
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
before deciding to transfer; after missing one year due to a car accident he went on to play two more years for
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
. He went undrafted in the
2002 NBA draft and after a season in the
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
he played professional basketball in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. Luke has two children named Avery (June 20th, 2007) and Bennett (December 26th, 2010) Luke is married to Megan Recker.
High school career
Recker was born in
Lima, Ohio
Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, southwest of Toledo, and southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
As o ...
to father Clair Recker
and mother Marti Pepple;
he then moved to
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
in his mother's hometown of
Auburn, Indiana
Auburn is a city in DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,820 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1836 by Wesley Park (1811–1868), the city is the county seat of DeKalb County. Auburn is also known as Home of the Classics.
H ...
and attended
DeKalb High School in
Waterloo, Indiana
Waterloo is a town in Grant and Smithfield townships, DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,242 at the 2010 census.
History
Waterloo was laid out in 1856 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was likely named a ...
.
He was already recruited by colleges in his early high school career,
and at age 15, in his sophomore year in high school, he committed to play for
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
, citing his desire to play for coach
Bob Knight
Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-ti ...
.
During his junior year of high school he averaged 21 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists with a field goal percentage of 59%. He was one of the top ranked guards in the nation by his senior year, during which he averaged 26.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5 assists, and for his career he recorded totals of 2,008 points and 477 assists, both school records at DeKalb.
Recker's remarkable performance in his senior year earned him the
Indiana Mr. Basketball award as the best high school basketball player in the state of Indiana in the year 1997;
Gatorade also named him as their Indiana Player of the Year. He was selected as a Second Team ''Parade'' All-American and as a
McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburge ...
.
In the
1997 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 1997 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Saturday, March 29, 1997 at the Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys gra ...
he scored 10 points, going 3/12 from the field and 3/4 from the free throw line.
[ 1997 game and rosters at page 79.]
College career
Indiana
Recker officially signed to play for Indiana in May 1997 after having verbally committed in his sophomore year of high school. He chose to wear jersey number 4. Despite being only a freshman, Recker was given a starting role from Knight, and in his first year he led the team in steals with an average of 1.5 per game and was the second player for minutes played (939) and points per game.
He scored a then career-high 29 points against
Oklahoma during the
1998 NCAA tournament.
He ended the season having started 30 of his 32 games, with averages of 12.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals, shooting almost 50% from the field. During his freshman year he mainly played the small forward position and was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
As a sophomore he was already considered one of the top perimeter players of Indiana's roster,
and further increased his scoring average, recording double figures in 26 of the 34 games played (in 12 games he scored 20 points or more).
He was the best scorer of the team with an average of 16.1 points per game. He started 33 of his 34 games, and played a total of 1,080 minutes (31.8 per game). His successful sophomore season earned him a place in the All-Big Ten Third Team, and he was also an Academic All-American.
During his two years at Indiana he scored 954 points.
Despite his success at Indiana, in April 1999 he announced his desire to transfer to another program, stating he was not «satisfied with his development as a player». He restricted his choices to
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
and
Notre Dame
Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to:
* Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France
* University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States
** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...
, and finally decided to transfer to Arizona.
Due to NCAA transfer rules, he was to sit out the 1999–2000 season. He chose the jersey number 2 and attended the University of Arizona for the Fall semester.
Recker and several other people were involved in a car accident on July 10, 1999 near
Durango, Colorado
Durango is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States Census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis ...
.
Recker was a passenger with his girlfriend Kelly Craig (aged 19) and her brother, Jason Craig (17), in a
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...
which was driven by their friend John Hollberg (23).
While they were on County Road 240 heading to Durango for a carnival, a truck driven by Bob Hardwick invaded the central lane and collided with two other vehicles at 70 mph.
A total of 15 people were involved in the accident.
John Hollberg died and Recker and Kelly and Jasper Craig suffered severe injuries that required surgery.
Recker's injuries included a laceration to his left ear, cuts on his head and damage to his left wrist and thumb.
Iowa
After the accident, Recker began treatment to recover from his injuries, and changed his college choice, deciding to transfer to Iowa instead of Arizona. Among the factors that contributed to this decision was Recker's intention to stay closer both to his father (who lived in
Washington, Iowa
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,352 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Washington was founded in 1 ...
)
and his girlfriend Kelly Craig, who was in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
still recovering from the accident.
In January 2000 he came back to training in
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the ti ...
under coach
Steve Alford
Stephen Todd Alford (born November 23, 1964) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Born and raised in Indiana, he was ...
.
Originally ineligible until January 2001, he sat out only his first semester at Iowa
because the NCAA granted him a waiver to come back to play one semester earlier due to his involvement in the accident, which was considered a case of "special circumstances" after Recker appealed to the NCAA trying to regain his eligibility.
At Iowa he chose to wear number 24, which was also his high school jersey number. He was immediately given a prominent role within the program, and he became a starter: after starting the first 18 games of the season, he fractured his kneecap and had to miss the remaining 15 games.
In the games he played in his junior season he played 33.6 minutes per game, averaging 18.1 points (a career high), 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals, while shooting 43% from three-point range (another career high).
Despite his brief appearance in the season he still earned several honors (All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, All-Big Ten Academic Team, NABC All-District Second Team).
In his senior season Recker was again playing a key role at Iowa, receiving starting assignments and was the top scorer of the team, with an average of 17.1 points: he also was the steals leader with 56 (1.6 average), ranked second in assists (88 total, 2.5 average) and third in rebounding (119 total, 3.4 average).
He scored a personal career high 31 points against
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
and was named in the All-Tournament team in the
2002 Big Ten tournament: during the competition Recker scored two game-winning shots in a row, one against
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
and one against his former team Indiana. Iowa ultimately lost in the title game against
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. At the end of the season, Recker was named Iowa's team MVP along with
Reggie Evans
Reggie is a given name, usually a short form of the name Reginald. It may refer to:
People
* Reggie Bonnafon (born 1996), American football player
* Reggie Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Reggie Bush (born 1985), National Football ...
, and also set a new record for free throw percentage in a season with 88.5%.
In his two years at Iowa he scored a total of 926 points.
At the end of his senior season he was named an
AP Honorable Mention. In his four years of college basketball he scored a total of 1,880 points with an average of 15.8.
College statistics
, -
, align="left" ,
1997–98
, align="left" ,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
, 32 , , 30 , , 29.3 , , .498 , , .362 , , .781 , , 3.9 , , 2.8 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 12.8
, -
, align="left" ,
1998–99
, align="left" ,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
, 34 , , 33 , , 31.8 , , .428 , , .364 , , .747 , , 4.0 , , 2.6 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 16.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1999–2000
, style="text-align:left;",
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
, colspan=11 align=center , ''Did not play – transfer''
, -
, align="left" ,
2000–01
, align="left" ,
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
, 18 , , 18 , , 33.6 , , .439 , , .431 , , .856 , , 3.9 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 18.1
, -
, align="left" ,
2001–02
, align="left" ,
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
, 35 , , 32 , , 33.3 , , .444 , , .413 , , .885 , , 3.4 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 17.1
, -
, align="left" , Career
, align="left" ,
, 119 , , 113 , , 32.0 , , .450 , , .394 , , .811 , , 3.8 , , 2.6 , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , 15.8
, -
Professional career
At the 2002 NBA Pre Draft camp held in Chicago he was measured at 6 ft 4¾ in tall without shoes, 6 ft 6½ with shoes, with a 6 ft 7 in wingspan and an 8 ft 5 in standing reach, and weighted 198 lbs. Despite being projected as a second-round pick, or even a late first-rounder,
Recker went undrafted at the
2002 NBA draft.
He joined the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
for the 2002 Summer League and played 9 games, starting 7: he averaged 10.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 16.2 minutes of play. He then signed for the Heat as a free agent on August 13, 2002, but was waived on October 28, 2002.
After being cut from the Heat roster, in December 2002 Recker joined the
Asheville Altitude, a team that played in the
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
. In 34 games Recker averaged 8.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.5 steals in 18.7 minutes per game: he was mainly used as a reserve, and started only 4 games.
In 2003 he participated to the
Reebok Pro Summer League, playing for the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...
. He did not make the Celtics roster for the NBA season and signed for
Euro Roseto, an Italian team based in
Roseto which played in the
Lega Basket Serie A
The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tie ...
, the Italian top level.
He played 33 games, starting 32, and averaged 17.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.1 steals in 31.5 minutes per game. He was very efficient, shooting 60.3% from the field (40.9% from 3 averaging 7.7 shots a game) and 84.8% from the free throw line.
He had a career-high 35 points against
Skipper Bologna
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna 103, commonly known as Fortitudo Bologna and currently known as Fortitudo Kiğılı Bologna for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball club based in Bologna, Italy and currently plays in the second division.
Histor ...
: he shot 11 from 20 from 3-point range,
one of the all-time highs of the Italian basketball league.
After leaving Roseto at the end of the season, Recker joined the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...
in the 2004 Salt Lake City
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...
, playing 5 games (3 starts) and averaging 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals in 19.8 minutes per game.
Again he did not make the final roster, and signed for Spanish club
CB Girona
Club Bàsquet Sant Josep was a professional basketball team based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
History
The club was founded in 1962 by Ramon Sitjà as CB Sant Josep. In 1989 it became the Anonymous Sport Association (SAD). In 1987, when the ACB ...
. In the
Liga ACB he played 19 games, starting 15, and scored 15.2 points per game, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists.
In 2005 he returned to Italy, this time signing for
Basket Livorno
Pallacanestro Don Bosco Livorno, founded in 1996, is a professional Italian basketball club from the town of Livorno, Tuscany, playing in the Serie C (third division) as of June 2015.
Formerly a youth section of Basket Livorno, Don Bosco has gone ...
. He started all of the 34 games he played in the 2005–06 Serie A season, averaging 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 29.8 minutes per game, with a season high of 20 points.
In 2006 he joined
Bilbao Berri, where in his first year he started all 33 games he averaged 14.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 28.1 minutes per game. He played two more seasons in Bilbao: in 2007–08, as a starter he averaged 11.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game, while in 2008–09 he became one of the first options off the bench (9 starts in 32 games played), and his averages were 7.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists. After the end of the season, Recker retired from professional basketball.
References
External links
Career stats at ProBallers.comIndiana stats at IUHoosiers.comSpanish league statsItalian league stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recker, Luke
1978 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
Asheville Altitude players
Basket Livorno players
Basketball players from Indiana
Basketball players from Ohio
Bilbao Basket players
CB Girona players
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players
Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Roseto Sharks players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Lima, Ohio
American men's basketball players