Luke Dean Schenscher (born 31 December 1982) is an Australian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played four years of college basketball for

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

before having stints in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in 2006 and the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

in 2007. In 2010, he won an NBL championship with the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

Early life and career

Schenscher was born in the small

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n 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 Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

to attend the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

in conjunction with Lake Ginninderra College. Between 1999 and 2001, he played for the Australian Institute of Sport's SEABL team. 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. He was subsequently named AIS Junior Athlete of the Year. Also in 2001, he became the first high school student to play for the

Boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort preceded by the Silent Generation and followed by Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the mid-20th century baby boom that fol ...

when he took part in the

East Asian Games The East Asian Games was a multi-sport event organized by the East Asian Games Association and held every four years from 1993 to 2013. Among those who competed included athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council ...

. Additionally, he was a member of the Australian national under-21 team which finished eighth at the

FIBA Under-21 World Championship The FIBA Under-21 World Championship was a men's under-21-only basketball competition organized by the International Basketball Federation The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizat ...

College career

From 2001 to 2005, Schenscher played college basketball for

. 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). 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 Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, and nine points and 11 rebounds in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

against

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

, a game the Yellow Jackets lost 82–73. 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. In 119 games at Georgia Tech, Schenscher averaged 7.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.32 blocks per game.

Professional career

NBA and D-League

After going undrafted in the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

, Schenscher joined the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

' 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 The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

two days later, before they too waived him on 26 October. He subsequently joined the

Fort Worth Flyers The Fort Worth Flyers were a minor league basketball team in the NBA Development League (D-League) based in Fort Worth, Texas. They began play in the 2005–06 season and were shut down for the 2007–08 season. Franchise history In 2005, Sout ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, 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. On 5 March 2006, Schenscher signed a 10-day contract with the

. He went on to sign a second 10-day contract on 15 March, and a rest-of-season contract on 25 March. 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

. He went on to sign a second 10-day contract on 25 March, and a rest-of-season contract on 4 April. In 11 games for the Trail Blazers, he averaged 1.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. In July 2007, Schenscher played for the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

' Summer League team.

Germany

On 27 July 2007, Schenscher signed a one-year deal with German team

Brose Baskets Bamberg Baskets is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia/North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup six times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...

. 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. He played only one game before returning to Australia to have surgery on his knee.

NBL

Adelaide 36ers

In April 2008, Schenscher signed with the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adela ...

for

2008–09 NBL season The 2008–09 NBL season was the 31st season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 10 teams contested the league. 2008–09 league participants * On 30 June 2008 the Brisbane Bullets confirmed they would be handing back t ...

. On 25 October 2008, he recorded 33 points and 20 rebounds against the

. On 6 December 2008, he recorded 17 points and 22 rebounds against the

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Joh ...

. On 13 February 2009, he recorded 37 points and 15 rebounds against the

Wollongong Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketbal ...

. In 31 games, he averaged 16.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. 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 The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the NBA Summer League, but he aborted those plans due to a back injury.

Perth Wildcats

In September 2009, Schenscher signed with the

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

. In March 2010, he helped the Wildcats defeat the

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. In April 2010, the Wildcats parted ways with Schenscher due to his wage demands being too high for the club to meet.

Townsville Crocodiles

Weeks after parting ways with the Wildcats, Schenscher signed with the

Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertain ...

. On 30 October 2010, he recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds against the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...

. On 23 December, he had 25 points and 10 rebounds against the

. He had another 25-point, 10-rebound effort on 21 January against the Wildcats. In game one of the Crocodiles' semi-final series against the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The S ...

, Schenscher recorded 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. 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. He subsequently earned All-NBL Second Team honours and was named the Club MVP. 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 The Gold Coast Blaze were an Australian men's professional basketball team which competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The Blaze played five seasons in the NBL between 2007 and 2012, and played their home games at the Gold Coast C ...

. In 24 games, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Return to Adelaide

In May 2012, Schenscher signed a two-year deal (with the option of a third) with the

, returning to the club for a second stint. On 28 December 2012, he recorded 25 points and 16 rebounds against the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...

. 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. After undergoing off-season elbow surgery, Schenscher appeared in all 34 games for the 36ers in 2013–14. In the 36ers' regular-season finale on 23 March 2014, he scored a season-high 18 points against the

. He helped the 36ers reach the 2014 NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 2–1 to the

. He finished the season averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. On 27 June 2014, Schenscher took up the player option on his contract for the 2014–15 season. On 31 December 2014, he scored a season-high 16 points against the

. He appeared in all 30 games for the 36ers, averaging 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Return to Townsville

On 17 July 2015, Schenscher signed a three-year deal with the

, returning to the club for a second stint. 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 February 2017, Schenscher had a two-game stint with the

Singapore Slingers The Singapore Slingers are a Singaporean professional basketball team that last competed in the ASEAN Basketball League. The Slingers were known as the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers between 2009 and 2014, due to sponsorship ties with JobSt ...

of the ASEAN Basketball League, in place of the injured Justin Howard. In April 2017, Schenscher joined the

Southern Tigers Southern Tigers is a NBL1 Central club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The club fields both a men's and women's team. The club is a division of the overarching Southern Tigers Basketball Association (STBA), one of the major administrative b ...

of the South Australian

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

. In 13 games, he averaged 8.6 points per game. 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.

Personal

Schenscher is a fan of

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

and is a known supporter of the

Glenelg Football Club The Glenelg Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or the Bays, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the South Australian National Football League. Their home ground is Stratarama Stadium (formerly Glenelg Oval), located in the so ...

who play in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

. Schenscher is skilled at playing the

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (;()), also spelt didjeridu, among other variants, is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous Drone (music), drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgerido ...

Career stats

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 20 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .615 , , .000 , , .308 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .304 , , .000 , , .714 , , 2.3 , , .1 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 31 , , 0 , , 8.6 , , .469 , , .000 , , .450 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.8

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 5.7 , , 1.000 , , – , , .750 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.3

NBL

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 32.5 , , .549 , , .000 , , .746 , , 10.8 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 2009–10† , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 23.0 , , .520 , , .143 , , .621 , , 6.2 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.1 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 24.7 , , .529 , , .000 , , .734 , , 6.8 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 1.1 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , ''NA'' , , 23.8 , , .477 , , .000 , , .703 , , 5.3 , , 2.2 , , .4 , , .7 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , ''NA'' , , 22.8 , , .453 , , .000 , , .613 , , 6.1 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .9 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , ''NA'' , , 15.8 , , .526 , , .500 , , .595 , , 5.4 , , .8 , , .2 , , .6 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , ''NA'' , , 17.6 , , .486 , , 1.000 , , .408 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .8 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 0 , , 13.4 , , .439 , , .000 , , .616 , , 3.1 , , .3 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.1

References

External links

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bioTownsville Crocodiles bioNBL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schenscher, Luke 1982 births Living people Adelaide 36ers players Australian expatriate basketball people in Germany Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian Institute of Sport basketball players Australian men's basketball players Australian people of German descent Basketball players from South Australia Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Fort Worth Flyers players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players NBA players from Australia People educated at Cardijn College People educated at Lake Ginninderra College Perth Wildcats players Portland Trail Blazers players Townsville Crocodiles players Undrafted NBA players Sportsmen from South Australia Singapore Slingers players 21st-century Australian sportsmen