La Lumiere builds national basketball power

La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) was founded in 1964 as a private boarding school with 24 freshman boys. The No. 1 priority was to produce a high quality education.

Sports were important from a physical education standpoint and every student had to participate in a sport during the fall, winter and spring. Historically, the schedules included mostly small area schools and a few out-of-state prep schools. The Lakers' toughest basketball opponent over the years may have been White's Institute (Wabash, Ind.), which was coached by former NBA star Clyde Lovellette.

That's why it's rather shocking to see the La Lumiere boys basketball team ranked No. 8 nationally in MaxPreps' Top 10 Academy Rankings. The Lakers were No. 10 last week before upsetting No. 1-ranked Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 67-66, in Mitchell, S.D.

It was a signature victory for the Lakers' 47-year-old program.

Dave Kirkby, the first teacher hired, told MaxPreps that the school was started "basically by a group of Catholic laymen from northern Indiana and Chicago who were looking for a good college-prep school, particularly for their sons. (The school went coed in 1979)."

The Lakers' first basketball team was tutored by football coach Ron DeNardo and compiled a 4-14 record. They had no gym - consequently no home games - and had to practice at an elementary school.

Kirkby was quick to point out, "No one who ever transferred did it for athletics. They did it to improve their  academics. We also taught table manners, how to get along in the dorm, leadership and had a dress code (suit coat and tie)."

La Lumiere, which means "the light" in French, has maintained its high academic standards over the years, producing such national figures as current Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and former U.S. Representative Jack Hiler, among others.

Roberts, a 1973  graduate, chose wrestling over basketball as his winter sport. But Hiler, who graduated in 1971, was a three-year starter in basketball, was captain as a senior and class valedictorian. A member of Congress from 1981-91, Hiler is pleased, but quite surprised by his former school's recent basketball success.

He conceded that being nationally ranked in a sport "would have been the farthest thing from anybody's mind in those days. It was not a measure of success."

Kirkby agreed, adding, "I never dreamed that would happen, because I'm kind of stuck in the past. I look at the present day and see a real dichotomy between basketball and the rest of the sports."

The rise of the basketball program can be directly traced to the hiring of 1986 graduate Michael Kennedy as headmaster eight years ago. Previously La Lumiere had faced declining enrollment, but under Kennedy enrollment increased for six consecutive years and today stands at a solid 200 - about half boys and half girls.

His initial thoughts were, "You need a vision, some organization and some resources. We needed an influx of momentum, energy and new ideas. We began raising money for the school. Our vision was to become the premier small boarding and day school in the Midwest."

The first task was to upgrade the science department, which has been accomplished. Second was athletics, basketball in particular. He also hopes to start a lacrosse program in the future.

Kennedy decided to visit former USA Today National Player of the Year Delray Brooks at a nearby basketball camp and offer him the head basketball coaching position along with his vision of the future.

"You need a champion," he said of Brooks, who had seven years of college coaching experience. "There couldn't be a better first person to kick off a program. Starting from scratch, the challenge was that academics always will take priority. We are college prep, not a basketball school."

Another challenge is that it costs $31,000 a year for a student to attend La Lumiere. Other than a few special academic scholarships, the only aid is based solely on need. There are no athletic scholarships.

Brooks, who was impressed that Kennedy wore a tie to a summer camp, recalled, "It didn't take a lot to convince me. I was impressed with Michael and his vision. It was a good opportunity. I had their best interest at heart. It was a perfect marriage."

Brooks was hired in 2005 and coached for five years, the last two also serving as athletic director. He was not fazed by the challenge of bringing blue-chip players to a school with absolutely no basketball tradition. He felt the potential always was there, but the school had to first make the commitment.

His second year he landed  6-foot-3 guard De'Andre Haskins, a transfer from Jordan (Long Beach, Calif.), through a contact in California. 

"He was the first player who was really, really good," Brooks noted. Haskins went to Valparaiso University on a scholarship, but has since transferred.

The third year Brooks brought in 6-foot-11 Luka Mirkovich, a native of Serbia, through a friend who had strong foreign contacts. Mirkovich now is the starting center at Northwestern University.

"For me, it's what I've always done," he said matter-of-factly, referring to past success as a recruiter at the University of Kentucky and Texas-Pan American.

At the end of his fifth season, Brooks left La Lumiere. Neither side wants to list specific reasons.

"With mutual respect, he left," Kennedy said. "There were certain aspirations beyond La Lumiere School. It's not glamorous driving the bus. There is on-campus duty. It was just time for him and the school to shift gears and go in different directions."

Meanwhile, Brooks says, "It's a very complicated question. I answer it best by saying I'm just not there anymore. I wish the program the best."

The 46-year-old Brooks, who lives in South Bend, Ind. and plays pick-up basketball four days a week, is seeking a position with ESPN and also would consider returning to college or high school coaching.

Enter Alan Huss, who had five years of coaching experience, the last three at Culver Academies (Culver, Ind.), as head coach in 2010. Unlike La Lumiere, Culver was a member of the Indiana High School Athletic Association and had to abide by its rules.

He related, "It felt like every year there was more and more scrutiny of how we got our players. It was not possible to do at a high level inside the state association. It was tough to make it past the military thing. A lot were eliminated before they got there. A certain percentage wouldn't give it a chance."

Even at his new school, which has similar academic values, Huss admits, "It's never easy to get really good ones. We have a steady line of kids we say no to. The biggest battle coaching at a boarding school is, No. 1, the expectation to be wildly successful and, No. 2, it's hard to get guards. Bigs are great and look good on YouTube, but they don't win you a lot of games."

He noted that his starting guards were the difference in the huge upset of Findlay Prep. The team made just five turnovers - none by his starting guards. Huss called the Findlay Prep win "a major hurdle. We had contributions across the board. We did it by just out-working them. We didn't play really well, but we played really hard."

Certainly, Huss has done his share in taking the Lakers to the next level. Five of his players signed Division I college basketball scholarships in November.

His biggest recruit this year was 6-5 senior Raphael Davis, who last year had a record 53-point game for South Side (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

A Purdue University signee, Davis carries a perfect 4.0 GPA and leads the Lakers with a 22.7 scoring average. His reasons for transferring make sense: He would have been playing for his fourth different coach in four years and although a natural guard, he would have had to play center.

Hanner Perea, a 6-8 Indiana University signee, is second with a 16.7 scoring average and leads with an 11.6 rebound average. Point guard Antonio Drummond, headed for Southern Illinois University, averages 13.3 points and leads the Lakers in assists with a 5.6 average.

{VIDEO_edcbf027-16d9-46f5-84fb-3f506f31c562,floatRightWithBar}With so much talent, is there much disenchantment for those who don't start?

Huss admitted that Johnnie Vassar, a 6-1 sophomore, transferred this year due basically to lack of playing time. He said Vassar could have been his starting point guard for the next two years if he had the patience to wait.

In contrast, 6-foot-10, 215-pound sophomore center Johnathon Wilkins is waiting his turn behind three veteran post players. His father, Jeff Wilkins, is a former NBA player and he made the initial call to the school.

"When all is said and done he may be the best player we've ever had here," Huss said. "He doesn't play a ton for us right now, but he's kind of forcing his way into the lineup. He runs so well, catching everything, has a wonderful touch and competes."

Musing over the quirks of recruiting, Huss pointed out that to get, perhaps, the school's greatest prospect, "All I had to do was pick up the phone."