Lux back for Bulldogs
Bellarmine recruit returns for Crown Point after knee injury put senior season ‘in jeopardy’
AJ Lux is going to have the best season of his standout career, Crown Point coach Clint Swan believes.
On a more basic level, Swan simply is happy to have the 6-foot-5 guard for his senior season at all.
Lux, a Bellarmine recruit, suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during the last tournament of the AAU season in late July and underwent surgery in early August.
“We’re just glad we have him with the scare we had over the summer with his knee,” Swan said. “To know that we not just have him back, but we have him back as soon as we did, is a blessing in itself. I’m just glad to see he’s healthy and he’s getting to play because there was some time there where that was in jeopardy.”
Lux wound up being sidelined for more than three months. The initial prognosis was even less optimistic.
“I didn’t know what it was,” Swan said. “I was holding my breath that it wasn’t something more serious than that. When they came back and said it was his meniscus, just for him, I was relieved. Then you start getting selfish and start hoping we’re going to get to use him this year. Then I was hoping to have him for the second half of the year. Then we found out it was going to be sooner than that. It was quite a relief.”
The injury was an eye-opener for Lux, who has grown up around the game. His father, T.J., who starred at Merrillville and Northern Illinois before playing professionally in Europe, is an assistant for the Bulldogs after coaching Merrillville for eight seasons.
“I turned my knee, and it just popped,” Lux said. “It was painful. But stuff like that happens. It definitely gave me a better mindset, to enjoy the time on the floor.”
After developing into a starter as a sophomore, Lux enjoyed a breakout junior season. He averaged 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists and was picked for the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association’s Underclass Large School All-State Team.
A highly regarded shooter, Lux has worked to continue to expand his game as Crown Point pursues its first sectional title since 2016.
“I want to score at all three levels this year, be more dominant on each end of the floor,” he said. “I want to be a better leader every single day.
“It’s just getting guys to buy in and believe. It’s so important for everyone to trust one another. If we trust one another, we’re going to be a really good team.”
Swan already has seen such growth from Lux.
“He’s a gifted shooter. He works really hard on his shooting,” Swan said. “He seems more multifaceted now. He’s able to create more on his own. He’s getting into the lane more, which is something we needed him to do. We talk
about getting yourself fouled and getting to the free-throw line. You’re someone who’s going to attract a lot of attention, so there’s no reason for you not to shoot a lot of free throws.
“The way he leads the team and the way he gets our younger guys, especially, where they need to go is probably a bigger change for him than anything in terms of his ability or in terms of his basketball.”
Lux can more fully focus on this season, which Crown Point opened Tuesday with a win against Illiana Christian, given that his college future is secure. He committed to play at Bellarmine during his official visit in mid-June and signed during the early period in November.
“I fell in love with the place,” he said. “It was great. The coaches there were amazing, and the culture they have with their teammates, you’re not going to find it anywhere else in the country. It’s really a special place.”
Swan anticipates Lux will have a special final season with the Bulldogs.
“He had a really good junior year, and coming off of that, he’s hungry to have a good senior year, not just individually but for the team also,” Swan said. “He’s in a good place right now. He’s the ringleader and pulls the other guys with him.”