Gym giraffe leads way for Central
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Coach Chuck Crummie received an early-morning text last week, on the eve of his Central Catholic basketballteam’s season opener.
Itread: “Coach, are there any phys ed classes going on between the third and fourth periods? If not, I’d like to cometo the gym and shoot.”
The message came from star senior forward Luke Nedrow, whom Crummie refers to as a gym “giraffe.”
“He’s too big to be a gym rat,” the affable veteran coach said. “But he’s definitelya throwback, a worker.”
At 6 feet 7, Nedrow takes up ample space when he shows up at the court, which is often, Crummie said. Really often. “Sometimes, I’ll turn the lights off, andthen I hear someone yell, ‘Coach, are you there? I’m still in here,’” Crummie said, laughing. “That’s Luke.He’s always working.”
A three-year starter for the Vikings (0-2 entering the week), Nedrow operates at one speed: Turbo. Whether he’s feeding his passion for reading (he recommends the Harry Potter series and biographies of Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill) or tutoring freshmen as part of Central Catholic’s Baginski Program (”Really rewarding,” he said) or attending to academics (he carries a 4.6 gradepoint average as an AP honors student), this Fox Chapel resident is uber-focused.
“More than being a talented player, he’s a great kid,” Crummie said of Nedrow, the Vikings’ leader in scoring, 17.9 points per game, and rebounding, 6.5, last season.
Marist University thought enough of Nedrow to give him a scholarship. He might have received more attention had he waited — Maristwas the only Division I school to offer — but he felt at home at the Poughkeepsie,N.Y.-based school.
“I just knew it was the right fit for me — academically, athletically and socially,” said Nedrow, whose dad, Gil, played college basketball at Roanoke College, while uncle Scott was part of Pitt’s 1974 Elite 8 team. “Now I can concentrate on my seniorseason.”
Nedrow is a skilled interior scorer and rebounder, but it’s his outside shot that sets him apart. To underscore, he hit six 3-pointers in registering a career-high 35 points againstFox Chapel last season.
Crummie said the hard-working forward is difficult to defend because he comes at defenses in a variety of ways, sort of like Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, whom the Marist coaches liken him to. (For the record, Nedrow fancies himselfas a Paul Milsap-type).
“I want to be a well-rounded player,” he said.
It is not unusual to see Nedrow pulling up for a 15-foot jumper on one possession, tipping in a rebound on another, then shooting from long range on the next. Ubiquitousis one way to describe him.
“He’s a shooter and a scorer,” said Crummie, who is in his 37th season. “He can put together the double-layer cake with icing. The cherry on top is that he can rebound. ... And he can pass. He makes plays on both ends of the floor.”
Nedrow is part of a lineup that features returning senior starters Tom Farkos, 6-8, and Justin Tarrant, 6-2, from last season’s 10-11 (5-7 WPIAL 6A Section 1) team. ForwardCole Mason and guards Carlin Gray, Maurice Shipman and Gusty Sunseri are also expected to play keyroles this season.
Nedrow helped the Vikings to a WPIAL playoff spot as a sophomore, but the team did not qualify in 201617. He found that to be unacceptable, given Central Catholic is a regular postseasonparticipant.
“Unfinished business,” Nedrow said. “That’s what we have this season.”
As the son of a former player, Nedrow said expectations have always been high. This meant long days in the backyard, in the alley, or wherever a ball could be bounced, whiletraining with dad.
In describing their relationship, he referenced a famous Mark Twainquote.
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old manhad learned in seven years.”
“I’m not 21 yet, but I realize how important he’s been,” Nestor said. “He’s been to all my games, worked with me, challenged me. I appreciate all of it.”