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FRANKLIN, Ohio — Luke Kennard showed why he is one of the nation’s top recruits in the 2015 class when he scored 40 points in a home win over Oakwood here Friday in what he described as an “off” game and then came back with 45 points against Taylor County and highly-regarded 2016 point guard Quentin Goodin Saturday in Louisville.
Franklin coach Brian Bales knows the 6-6 Kennard could have his choice of schools even though he has narrowed his list to seven, including Kentucky and Louisville.
Bales shared these insights about his star player:
Question: When is the first time you remember seeing Luke Kennard?
Bales: “I was at his birth. So it is kind of a tough question. He has a part of my life his whole life. I can remember living there on the same street with him when I lived at home with my parents who lived next to the Kennards. I would see him constantly dribbling a basketball up and down the street. Mark (Luke’s father) wasn’t mean by any means, but he would take one hand and put it behind Luke and make him dribble with one hand and then the other hand. I think that is why he developed both hands at such a young age.
“Luke is the kind of kid that I remember — I was 18 and probably 20 or 21 when I moved out and Luke was 2 or 3 — in his driveway having a batting thing and he would step on something that tossed the ball up and he would hit it. I am telling you, it was something crazy at that age. He could do that and hit a baseball.
“He was just one of those kids even as 3- or 4-year-old that could just do things and looked different than most kids his age. I do remember sitting with the Heagens when Luke was in kindergarten, and even then he had a fan base. As crazy as that sounds, the Heagens and the Kennard crew as we call it were every involved with him. I remember him before kindergarten playing with kindergarteners and first-graders. From that day I can remember — and it has been the thought I have had ever since — he just looks like he is on a different planet compared to the kids he is playing with. He was just at a different level. I have always said he was kind of playing chess and everybody else is playing checkers. He’s just always been special.”
Question: Is it hard to coach someone that you know so well?
Bales: “I had him in class in seventh grade, both him and Evan Crowe who lived close to me. They used to call me Brian. At school I thought that would be a thing they would mess up and do that, but they never did. Luke has been raised right. He has a great support system. Honestly, it is not tough to coach him. We have had a couple of things here and there. He’s only human to where I have had to get on him for something.
“He’s very competitive and doesn’t like to lose in practice. There have been times where I have had to tell him to simmer down. But as far as being coachable, not only is he the best player I have ever coached but he might be one of the most coachable I have ever coached. He is just special. He is a can’t miss kid.”
Question: Has the recruiting process bothered him at all?
Bales: “We have had the biggest coaches around come here. Hall of Famers. I get excited. I have stuttered. He just doesn’t. When we get back in the car to go home or people are asking about did it go, it’s hard to get anything out of him. I think that is why he is so good. He is never too high, never too low. He just gets it. He has that unique ability. I don’t know what it. I don’t know if it is the support system or God-given ability not to let it get to him.
“I think the night coach Calipari was here he dropped 40-something (points) or 50-something. The night (North Carolina coach) Roy Williams was here I think he had 51. It just doesn’t get to him. I have never seen a kid that after we leave a place, he doesn’t talk about it.
Question: Will making a decision in May about his college choice be good for him?
Bales: “I think it will. We talk and he said it would be nice to make decision and enjoy senior year. He has been on a lot of unofficial visits, probably more than any kid his age because of the resources of his family. I think he will be ready and know. He may have a good idea now. That will alleviate a lot of the pressures and having to go and travel and go to places and let him just be a kid his senior year.”
Question: How many UK fans live in this area that know and see him regularly?
Bales: “There are a lot. At the games, it has been kind of funny. I think the word is out there about Kentucky. It has been funny to see the amount of people wearing Kentucky stuff everywhere we go. A dad the other day took a picture of him with a young kid and the dad had on Kentucky gear and said, ‘I hope you go there.’ I think a lot of people are wondering if that is where he is going to go.
There is a big fraternity of people here that love UK. Jim Porter, of course, does his rally (annual Ohio UK convention here in July). Luke’s family are all from Kentucky.
“It is here, but Luke is his own person. I think he grew up a Kentucky basketball fan. No doubt about it. It has not been a secret. But a lot has changed, too, from the time he rooted for them. Luke will make the best decision for him, but you can see the Kentucky blue in here.”
Question: Would the Kentucky system fit him well?
Bales: “I think Luke can fit in anywhere. That is not an easy answer to get out of the question. I think he can play the 1-2-3-4 in most systems. I know coach Cal historically has run the dribble-drive and that is what we have run here since his freshman year. Coach Cal has even commented how we run a lot of similar stuff. Luke is great with the ball in his hands and the dribble-drive allow you to penetrate and take guys off the dribble. He has great vision. He is 6-5 and can see over people. He is an incredible shooter. The dribble drive would be great for him, but I think he can shine in any offense. But we run the dribble-drive. I went to his (Calipari’s) clinics and learned his offense, not because of Luke, I just was intrigued by his offense.”
Question: Is he much more athletic than most people realize?
Bales: “I think it is a steroetype — 6-6, blonde hair, white boy, doesn’t look super strong, athletic. But in one big game he about tore the backboard down on a breakaway. He is athletic. He can obviously shoot the basketball. I would put him up shooting the basketball against anyone in the country. If he is set and ready to go, I would put him up against anybody. He is shooting 46 percent from the 3 with tons of attempts and 56 percent overall from the field. So he can shoot it. What people don’t realize is that he can take it to the hole and play above the rim, too.”
Question: So is there anything hard about coaching him?
Bales: “Making sure we have enough tickets for the gym. That’s been the thing here lately. So many people are really interested in him and want to go see him. I told to Mark (Luke’s dad) and told them that was going to be something they were going to have to get used to but I don’t want them to worry about that. When he plays in college, they are going to want to please everybody and that’s going to be hard to do. You can’t get tickets for everybody, but they are such nice people and want to please people.
“If there is a weakness about Luke, and I don’t know if this can be a weakness, but he is so competitive. He doesn’t want to lose in the classroom. He he is No. 3 (academically) in his class now and has a 4.4 GPA. He doesn’t want to lose one single drill in practice, including sprints. He scored 51 in front of Roy Williams and the next day won every single drill in practice, including our sprints. Just won every drill. If he doesn’t, he ain’t happy. Not that that is a weakness, but sometimes he has to know you can’t win everything all the time.
“He reminds me a little bit of an (Ohio State guard) Aaron Craft type guy. He wants to beat you in checkers and if he doesn’t, he going to have you stay here and play again. He is a guy that if you are coaching against him, you are not going to like him. But if he is on your team, you are going to feel pretty good about walking out on the court every night.”
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