We continue our 2013-14 team previews with an in-depth look at La Lumiere School of LaPorte, Ind., which is looking to take the next step as one of the top boarding school programs in the country. Throughout October, we’ll preview many of the top teams from across the country as a countdown to the release of our preseason 2013-14 Student Sports FAB 50.
Note: All information that follows came from a questionnaire that was sent to and returned by the school’s head coach. If you would like your school to be profiled, please return the questionnaire that was mailed out earlier this month or it can be filled out online.
The information can also be emailed to editor Ronnie Flores: ronnie@studentsports.com. StudentSportsBasketball.com thanks the programs that have submitted information.
Team Name: La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.)
Head Coach: Alan Huss (77-18, 167-55 overall)
2012-13 Record: 27-6, 14-6 (J.V.)
Final Ranking: No. 22 (FAB 50) No. 7 (Midwest Region)
Returning Starters: 2
Returning Lettermen: 5
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: F Sam Logwood 6-7 2014 (Auburn commit), G Jalen Coleman 6-4 2015 (No. 47 Hoop Scoop Top 100, offers around the country), F Joseph Toye 6-7 2015 (Big 10, Big 12, Big East offers), G Munis Tutu 6-1 2015.
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: G Jojo Anderson 6-3 2015, F Alex Olesinki 6-9 2015.
Coach’s General Outlook: I like the fact our perimeter players can really shoot the ball. We’re extremely skilled on the perimeter and guard play should carry us. We have some size, but what concerns me more is we only have two seniors on the roster. We are going to be young and sometimes that makes a difference in the close games. Despite our youth, I really like my roster and I feel we can crack the top 10.
Events Scheduled To Play In: State Farm Tournament of Champions (East Peoria, Ill.) vs. St. Louis CBC vs. Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) vs. St. Louis Christian, Tarkanian Classic (Las Vegas, Nev.), Mike Miller Shootout (Mitchell, S.D.) vs. Mitchell vs. West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.), Midwest Prep Classic (Hudson, Ohio).
Team(s) On Schedule Deserving of Ranking: Prime Prep (Dallas), Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), Tech (Indianapolis, Ind.)
StudentSportsBasketball.com Comments: The Lakers have made tremendous strides over the past two years to put themselves in the national rankings conversation. In 2012, La Lumiere handed Findlay Prep its only loss of the season and finished No. 35 in the FAB 50. Last year, the Lakers rose to as high as No. 4 in the FAB 50, with a big win over Oak Hill Academy, but they went into a tailspin to close the season. La Lumiere dropped four of its last five, including a setback to No. 2 St. Benedict’s in the quarterfinals of the NHSI. Coach Huss wants his team to peak at the appropriate time this season and will take the necessary steps to get that done, including shuffling the game and practice schedule. On the floor, the Lakers lose guard Detrick Mostella, but they will hardly miss a beat with the return of leading scorer Sam Logwood (17 ppg) and the addition of Jalen Coleman, one of the nation’s top juniors who played his sophomore season at Cathedral (Indianapolis), a nationally-ranked team last season. The addition of Coleman and Toye will give the Lakers the necessary firepower to compete for a NHSI berth, but Olesinki and the rest of the frontcourt is going to have to grow up in a hurry if La Lumiere is to compete for the mythical FAB 50 national title.
Fast Fact: La Lumiere opened is doors in 1963 with 24 male students (according to noted basketball writer Dave Krider) and is an elite institution with a strong academic reputation. Huss previosuly coached at Culver Academies (Culver, Ind.), a Indiana High School Athletic Association member school. La Lumiere is not part of the IHSAA, although it can compete against member programs.
Send corrections or comments to ronnie@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment that others can check out.
RELATED: FAB 50 Consideration Form
2013-2014 Team Previews
Desert Pines (Las Vegas) CLICK HERE
Rainier Beach (Seattle) CLICK HERE
Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) CLICK HERE
Damien (La Verne, Calif.) CLICK HERE
Jeffersonville (Jeffersonville, Ind.) CLICK HERE
Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) CLICK HERE
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) CLICK HERE
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