Luczynski leads Hawks in romp
Conrad Luczynski was 7-2 at the start of the season. That’s an eye-popping height, but the Bartlett senior already has grown another inch. He’s now 7-3.
“I’ve always been the tallest kid,” Luczynski said. “In first grade, I was taller than some of my teachers.”
Luczynski isn’t one of those tall kids who’s playing basketball because he’s kind of forced to. That’s clear from his soft touch around the basket and at the free-throw line.
“I’ve been playing since I was 4,” Luczynski said. “It’s in my blood. My dad played college ball in Poland.”
Luczynski scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in Bartlett’s 65-28 victory against visiting West Chicago on Thursday. He played about half the game.
Luczynski said he’s talking to some colleges, but he doesn’t have a scholarship offer. That’s strange to hear from an athletic 7-3 player.
“He loves the game, and he’s got all the tools,” Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. “He’s arguably the most under-recruited kid I’ve ever seen. Probably since John Konchar, who went to West Chicago and is now playing in the pros.”
Luczynski has been on a tear. He had 33 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a win over Wheaton Academy. He had 21 points and 13 rebounds against Francis Parker and opened the season with a phenomenal 18 points, 20 rebounds, nine blocks and eight assists against Metea Valley.
“I don’t understand why colleges aren’t all over him,” Wolfsmith said. “He’s got everything you need to have. Big, long and athletic, and he can shoot it and handle and loves to pass the ball. I can’t say enough about how hard the kid works.”
Luczynski is 17 and still growing. Wolfsmith thinks that he might hit 7-4 before he’s done.
“He’s still a baby,” Wolfsmith said. “He’s not an awkward 7-footer. This is not a guy tripping over his own feet. He runs the floor and can dunk. He’s got a really nice outside shot, although he doesn’t really do it for us.”
Luczynski threw down a fast-break dunk against West Chicago. He was 6-for-6 from the field and made all four of his free throws. He had two blocks and two assists.
Sophomore Kelton McEwen scored 14 for the Hawks (4-2, 1-0 Upstate Eight).
“Every time we walk out of the locker room, we see all the fans and the other team just staring at [Luczynski] and whispering about him and stuff like that,’’ McEwen said. ‘‘It’s definitely crazy. The first time I saw him, I was amazed.”
Sophomore Hudson Parker led West Chicago (1-3, 0-1) with 10 points. The Wildcats are very young, starting three sophomores and a junior.