Georgia Tech Finds Center at the Ends of the Earth

People say there are no “true” centers in basketball anymore and, of course, that’s just a load of hay in Hope Forest.

You just have to look harder now.

OK, you have to look harder and, in terms of world geography, lower.

OK, sometimes you need to look beyond America, even though we invented basketball, because big men in this country want to be Allen Iverson, not George Mikan.

Our big men don’t like to play with their backs to the basket, or bend down to pick up loose balls, because that is no way to get a shoe contract.

And so the finger roll rests in peace, along with Wilt Chamberlain.

Sometimes, to find a true center, you have to make travel plans, set your watch 15 hours ahead, lose a day in transit and throw another scholarship on the barbie.

Georgia Tech, playing in its first NCAA championship game tonight against Connecticut, found Luke Schenscher on a dirt-road, Down Under farm roughly 50 miles south of Adelaide, Australia, in a place called Hope Forest.

Schenscher was 7 feet 1 and 215 pounds when he arrived at Georgia Tech, pretty much looking like Big Bird on the Atkins Diet.

He had red, curly locks of hair and dreamed of playing in the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference, the “AyCC” as he calls it.

Schenscher was not very good -- any 7-footer worth his salt would be an NBA lottery pick, right? -- but he was a hoot at fraternity parties.

How often do guys taller than the Sydney Opera House drop into Atlanta?

Naturally, folks were curious.

“I’ve had people ask me if I learned English before I came to America or whether I learned it here,” he said. “I’ve had people ask if we used to ride in kangaroo pouches, ride around in their pouches and stuff.”

Serious?

“Dead serious .... “

Teammates tried to mimic his accent.

Marvin Lewis gave it a go once before lapsing into “Jamaican or something, I just lost it.”

Initially, the thought of Schenscher leading his team beyond a rousing rendition of “Waltzing Matilda” was laughable.

And now he may lead Georgia Tech to a national title?

Last year, as a sophomore, he tripped over his shoes in limited minutes, producing twice as many turnovers as assists.

Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt could have hung a “work in progress” sign around Schenscher’s neck.

After center Chris Bosh left early for the NBA, and everyone knew Schenscher was the heir apparent, the experts immediately picked Georgia Tech to finish seventh in the ACC.

Yet, Schenscher’s game has progressed steadily to the point he could actually lead the Yellow Jackets to a national title.

Tonight, his play against Connecticut All-American center Emeka Okafor becomes the all-important matchup.

Funny, but this is no longer a frightening prospect.

Schenscher, in fact, held his own against Okafor when Georgia Tech defeated Connecticut, 77-61, in November in the semifinals of the preseason National Invitation Tournament.

Schenscher fouled out with only two points in 22 minutes, but he held Okafor to a two-for-10 shooting day.

Schenscher has averaged 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in five NCAA tournament games.

Saturday, in his team’s national semifinal win over Oklahoma State at the Alamodome, Schenscher had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

“You have to pay close attention to those numbers,” Okafor said Sunday of Schenscher. “I know he’s going to make things difficult for me.”

Schenscher has moved beyond his reputation of being a light pole in the lane.

He has bulked up to 250 pounds -- “I think it’s the American fast food that’s done it to me,” he jokes -- and kept working on the monotonous elements of post play, a reputation that has earned him the nickname “the Big Fundamental.”

Although American-bred centers tend to want to play like guards, Schenscher didn’t mind acting like a center, willing to hone the methodical, dance-by-number skills required of his position.

“Not too many people want to do that anymore,” he said. “Nothing really in the game of basketball comes naturally to me. Everything I’ve got I had to work on .... “

Schenscher said that physically, it’s difficult for many international players to play the rough American game.

“We have to counteract that somehow,” he said. “I think that’s why you find so many Europeans and other guys shooting the ball so well. It’s the only way we can compete against the Americans.”

Schenscher has fast become a cult figure among Yellow Jacket fans. They used to boo the center but now lovingly chant, “Luuuuke.”

Someone made up T-shirts that read “Luke Schenscher has a posse,” to which he says, “I don’t know why people would want to have my ugly face on a T-shirt.”

Actually, Schenscher has come to embrace the interest in him.

“I think it’s just being different,” he said. “Being from Australia. Being 7-foot-1. Red, curly hair, all that stuff. People just like to see someone different.”

Schenscher can’t believe his junior season has come to this.

A few years ago, he was chasing ducks and chickens around on the hobby farm owned by his working-class parents (Dad is a sales rep for a paint company; Mom works for a bus company).

Tonight (Tuesday afternoon in Australia), half of Hope Forest will descend on the Schenscher farm to watch the NCAA final.

One of his former coaches is postponing practice to watch the local hero play.

“Everyone is really rooting for me back home,” Schenscher said. “My old teammates, coaches, my family and people in my town, they just love to hear the name Hope Forest.”