General
Seven-footer who developed into one of the most solid centers in the ACC, if not the entire country, on both ends of the floor … Intelligent player who became a consistent scorer around the basket, an excellent passer and a solid defender in the post … Excellent passer for a big man, able to score with either hand … Named to Dick Vitale’s All-Rolls Royce team (fourth-team) prior to his senior year … Rated the ninth-best post man in the nation in Athlon magazine … Was a preseason candidate for the Wooden and Naismith awards.
Gained more than 40 pounds after arriving at Tech … Stayed in Atlanta the entire summer school session in 2003 to develop better quickness and strength in his upper and lower body, and also had daily one-on-one sessions with former Tech center Malcolm Mackey … It paid dividends his junior year when he averaged more than 30 minutes a game over the last half of the season … Serenaded at Alexander Memorial Coliseum by the home crowd’s chants of “Luuuuuk.”
Averaged 7.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and shot 54.0 percent from the floor against the ACC over his career … His 640 career rebounds were No. 16 on Tech[apos]s all-time list, and his 157 blocked shots ranked fifth.
Earned a spot on the Australian Boomers national team which toured China in June of 2002, and played a game against Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets … Averaged 16 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Australian National Team in the World University Games in August of 2003 … Attempted to make Australia[apos]s national team for the 2004 Olympics, and made it through the first two stages of qualifying, but did not make the final cut.
2004-05
Had another memorable ACC Tournament game against North Carolina with 15 points and 10 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season … Averaged 9.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, shot 50 percent from the floor (12-of-24) and blocked six shots in the ACC Tournament … Led Tech with 13 points against Louisville in his final game as a Yellow Jacket.
Finished his final regular season in strong fashion, scoring in double figures in eight of 10 games and averaging 11.6 points over that stretch … Also had three games with double-figure rebounds, averaging 7.8 over the 10 games, and made 54.4 percent of his field goal tries … His 15 rebounds against Clemson on Senior Day matched a season high, and 11 of those came on the offensive end.
Strong on the offensive boards in the season[apos]s later games, grabbing 11 against Clemson on Senior Day, seven against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinals, and eight against Duke in the championship game … Had 84 offensive boards in 32 games this season (89 in 38 games a year ago).
Averaged 10.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in regular-season ACC games, hitting 54.1 percent of his shots from the floor, and had three double-doubles against Duke (11 pts, 10 reb), Maryland (12 and 10) and Clemson (11 and 15) … Had 16 points (7-14 FG) and five rebounds against Duke on 2/23, 14 points (5-7 FG) and six rebounds at FSU on 2/20, and a season-high 18 points (7-9 FG) with nine boards at Wake Forest on 3/2.
After a four-game stretch in which he did not shoot a free throw, went 24-for-40 from the line over his last 13 games … Hit 55.4 percent of his field goal tries and had 12 assists over his last 12 games (after B.J. Elder[apos]s return).
Went 4-for-5 at Clemson (2/8), matched a career high with four steals, blocked two shots and held Sharrod Ford to three points and ZERO rebounds … Scored 15 points (7-11 FG) in the ACC opener against Miami … Took a season-high 15 rebounds while scoring seven points (3-5 FG) against Virginia … Scored 13 (5-9 FG) with eight rebounds at North Carolina … Reached double figures in scoring in 10 of 16 ACC games during the regular season, 17 games overall.
His 53.9-percent success rate from the floor was second on the team, but did not have enough field goals to qualify for the ACC rankings … Was consistent, failing to shoot 50 percent in a game only 10 times.
His rebounding average climbed from 3.2 his first two seasons, to 6.6 as a junior, to 7.3 as a senior (seventh in the ACC).
Posted his first double-double of the season against Georgia (12 points, 14 boards), and has seven double-figure rebound games this season (10 vs. JMU, 15 vs. Virginia, Maryland, Duke and Clemson).
His shot-blocking rate (1.75 per game) was the best of his career … It ranked in the ACC, and he had rejected at least one in 18 straight games until NC State on 2/13 … Had 27 in Tech[apos]s regular-season ACC games (1.69 per game), including five each against Virginia and North Carolina in back-to-back games, and six in three ACC Tournament games.
2003-04
Started every game except the final home game against Florida State (Senior Day) … Enjoyed a career-best season statistically with 9.2 points a game (sixth on the team) and led Tech in rebounding at 6.6 per game (8th in the ACC) … Also made 56.5 percent of his shots from the floor and 68.7 percent from the foul line.
His scoring and rebound averages were more than twice his norms for his first two years combined … Blocked 1.42 shots per game (4th in the ACC), and 2.00 shots per game in conference play (2nd in the ACC).
In the NCAA Tournament: Tech[apos]s second-leading scorer in NCAA Tournament games, averaging 10.8 points, along with 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks … At the Final Four, led Tech with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the semifinal win over Oklahoma State, then added nine points with 11 boards against Connecticut in the national championship game … Earned All-Tournament honors at the Final Four … Went 13-for-20 (65 percent) from the floor at the Final Four, and shot 60.5 percent over all six NCAA Tournament games.
Scored 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field in regional final win over Kansas, in which he played a career-high 39 minutes … Played excellent defense on Kansas standout Wayne Simien … Added seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks against Nevada … One of the standouts in Tech[apos]s first-round win over Northern Iowa with 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
In ACC games only: 9.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 55.3% FG, 64.6% FT, 2.00 blocks/g … 7th in the ACC in rebound average and 2nd in blocks for conference games only.
A key figure in Tech[apos]s ACC Tournament win over North Carolina with 17 points and a career-best 17 rebounds, the most ever by a Yellow Jacket in an ACC Tournament game … Went 6-for-9 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line against UNC with two assists and one block … Averaged 11.0 points and 11.5 rebounds in Tech[apos]s two ACC Tournament games.
Had the two best ACC games of his career against Duke, including 14 points and nine rebounds in Tech[apos]s win in Durham (5-9 FG, 4-6 FT, 4 blocks, 5 offensive boards, no turnover) … In the Jan. 31 meeting in Atlanta, he had 18 points and eight rebounds (7-of-10 from the floor, 4-for-5 from the foul line, five offensive rebounds).
Led Tech with 16 points against NC State Feb. 25 (6-8 FG), and scored 11 at Clemson (Feb. 28) … Turned in one of his better efforts in the ACC with nine points and 11 rebounds in win over North Carolina (Feb. 10) … Also blocked five shots, a career high.
In Tech[apos]s first meeting against Maryland, scored 15 points with 11 rebounds, hitting 7-of-10 shots from the floor and blocking three shots … In the second meeting Feb. 19, he scored seven points with 10 rebounds, blocked four shots and converted a pivotal three-point play with Tech clinging to a late four-point lead.
Reached double figures in scoring 16 times during the season (seven vs. ACC foes, three times in the NCAA Tournament), compared with only four in his first two seasons combined … Had eight games in double-figure rebounds.
Averaged 10.1 points and 7.5 rebounds against Tech[apos]s 15 Top 25 opponents, shooting 60.2 percent from the field and 68.0 percent from the line.
Scored a career-best 22 points against Alabama A&M … Set career highs for field goals made (10) and attempted (14) against A&M … Had five double-doubles in points and rebounds, most recently against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament (17 points, 17 rebounds), also against St. John[apos]s (12/10), Tennessee State (15/12) and Maryland (15/11).
Another measure of his vast improvement was his 27.2 minutes of playing time per game (30 or more minutes 16 times) … He averaged 28.6 minutes in ACC games and a team-high 32.3 in the NCAA Tournament … Had never played more than 24 minutes in any one game in his first two seasons.
2003 World University Games
Played for the Australian team at the World University Games in Seoul, Korea, and led his team to a 5-3 record and a seventh-place finish in the 16-team field … Averaged 16.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, capping his tournament with a 29-point, 12-rebound performance in the Australians[apos] win over the Ukraine for seventh place … For the tournament, made 54.3 percent of his field goal tries (including 3-of-5 from three-point range) and 65.2 percent from the foul line … Missed one game with a sprained ankle, which Australia lost to Estonia … In his last three games, scored 22 vs. Bulgaria, 22 vs. Turkey and 29 vs. the Ukraine, hitting 29 of 46 shots (63 percent) from the floor.
2002-03
Started 16 games, including 10 straight during the month of January and the three games prior to Tech[apos]s first-round NIT game, was Tech[apos]s first post player off the bench in other games. His minutes diminished, however, after Feb. 1 … Played a total of 12 minutes in four games prior to the Ohio State game, in which he did not see action as freshman Theodis Tarver was given an opportunity to start.
Played five minutes at Iowa (2 pts., 2 reb., 1-2 FG) and three at Texas Tech (2 reb.) … NIT averages: 1.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1-2 FG … Scored just 13 points and grabbed just 17 rebounds since Tech[apos]s Feb. 1 game against Virginia.
Averages in ACC games: 3.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 41.3% FG, 71.4% FT … Averages vs. ranked teams: 4.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 42.4% FG, 77.8% FT … Ranked third on the Tech team in field goal percentage (47.2) and second in blocked shots (25).
Scored six points with three rebounds at Duke on Jan. 25, hitting all four of his free throw attempts (1-of-7 previously) in the face of the Duke student body. Was 9-of-12 from the line after that.
Posted season highs of 13 points and nine rebounds (also a career-high) at Maryland on Dec. 29, following a 10-point game at Syracuse … Made 11-of-18 shots from the floor in the two games … Was close to double-figures points in other games, including nine vs. Gardner-Webb and eight vs. No. 17 Georgia (4-6 FG), Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Troy State … Also had eight vs. NC State on Jan. 11.
Grabbed eight rebounds against Cornell, seven against Gardner-Webb, with six each against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Troy State.
2001-02
Made a profound impact after returning to action for Georgia Tech against Virginia on Jan. 22 … Presence in the paint was invaluable, especially on defense, after his return from a broken foot at that time … Moves his feet well on defense … Strengthened Tech[apos]s interior defense to the point where he helped the Jackets allow 42.9 percent shooting in the last 11 regular-season games (33.3 percent from three-point range).
Led Tech in field goal percentage at 58.7 percent (64.3 in ACC games) . . . Averaged 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds for the season, numbers which improved to 5.7 and 3.6 against the ACC.
Went 10-for-10 from the floor in the last two regular-season games, 7-for-7 against Wake Forest and 3-for-3 at Florida State (went 0-for-1 vs. Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament) . . . Averaged 5.8 points and hit 26 of 43 field goal attempts (60.5 percent) in his last 11 games.
Started five of the first six games before he was sidelined with a broken foot . . . Prior to that, he averaged just 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds . . . Broke the third metatarsal in his left foot and missed 12 games, during which Tech went 4-8 . . . While he was out, Tech had no player taller than 6-8 and nine healthy scholarship players.
Made his presence felt immediately upon his return with six points, two rebounds and three blocks in 10 minutes against Virginia . . . Named ACC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 4 following Tech[apos]s convincing wins over Florida State and North Carolina . . . Averaged 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in the two games while providing excellent defense in the post as Tech held those two opponents to a combined 36 percent from the field.
Scored a career-high with 14 points against Wake Forest, making all seven of his field goal attempts against the Deacons after going scoreless in his first encounter with them . . . One of his best all-around games of the season came Feb. 9 against Duke: 9 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocked shots and 4 steals. He also had 9 points (4-5 FG) and 5 rebounds against North Carolina on Feb. 2.
HIGH SCHOOL
The first high school player ever named to the Australian National Team, known as the Boomers . . . Also a member of the Australian Under-22 National team, which finished eighth in the 2001 Under-22 World Championships in Satiama, Japan.
Played three years for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) club team, where he was coached by Frank Arsego . . . Played in only 17 games for AIS in 2000-01 due to commitments with the Australian National Team and Under 22 team . . . Averaged 15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds while playing about 29 minutes per game . . . Shot 54 percent from the field, including 33 percent from three-point range, and 65 percent from the free throw line . . . Also had 28 blocked shots, 26 assists and 10 steals . . . In 1999-2000 he averaged 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 27 games for AIS . . . Attended Lake Ginninderra High School.
PERSONAL
Full name is Luke Dean Schenscher (pro-nounced SHEN-sher) . . . Parents are Dean and Barbara Schenscher . . . Born December 31, 1981 . . . Management major who has made the Dean’s List at Tech (fall of 2002).
Points: 22, Alabama A&M, 12-17-03
Field Goals: 10, Alabama A&M (10-14), 12-17-03
Field Goal Attempts: 14, Alabama A&M (10-14), 12-17-03; Duke (7-14), 2-23-05
Field Goal Pct.: 1.000, Wake Forest (7-7), 2-27-02
Free Throws: 7, Kansas (7-8), 1-1-05
Free Throw Attempts: 8, Kansas (7-8), 1-1-05
Free Throw Pct.: 1.000, Duke (4-4), 1-25-03; Tennessee State (5-5), 12-6-03
Rebounds: 17, North Carolina, 3-12-04
Assists: 4, Virginia, 1-15-04; Illinois-Chicago, 11-22-04
Blocked Shots: 5, North Carolina, 2-10-04; Virginia, 1-8-05; North Carolina, 1-12-05
Steals: 4, Duke, 2-9-02; Clemson, 2-8-05
Minutes: 35 (regulation), Duke, 3-3-04; Boston College, 3-21-04 (39 vs. Kansas, OT, 3-28-04)
