Luke Lattner
Basketball
Junior
Guard
Hinsdale, Illinois
Luke Lattner helped men’s basketball open their season at home in successful fashion on Tuesday night, as the junior guard dropped 27 points, while adding four rebounds and four assists in the Tigers 84-79 win over Franklin. Yesterday, Lattner was able to share with The DePauw his thoughts on the game and the future ahead for the basketball program.
The DePauw (TDP): After a strong post-season run (but also after losing a strong group of seniors), what was the atmosphere coming into Monday's game?
Luke Lattner (LL): We were excited to get out there and show people what we are all about. We knew coming into the game that we had something to prove not only to other people but to ourselves as well. It wasn’t pretty but we are a work in process and we will take a W.
TDP: After averaging a little over 12 points per game last season, what did it mean to you to be able to come out and double that point total (and a little more)?
LL: It didn't mean anything to me honestly. My teammates got me the ball in places where I could hit shots and I was lucky enough to knock them in on Monday night.
TDP: Going off of that, how did you personally prepare for the season, both physically and mentally? Was there anything you did more of (or differently)?
LL: I worked on my conditioning a lot in the offseason. I also put on 10 pounds of muscles so I can withstand the season because it is a long one. Mentally, I prepared to become a leader on this basketball team and got myself ready to try and teach some of the younger guys what college basketball is all about.
TDP: With a much younger team in comparison to last year, what do you see as the key to repeating last season's success?
LL: Success for us will come when we start to figure it out on the defensive end. Once we become a good defensive team, everything will start to click for us. We will be able to get up and down the floor…which we want to do more of this year and we will be able to get some more confidence which is important for a young team trying to prove itself.
TDP: Finally, heading into the weekend, what is one thing the team is looking to improve on? I know it's early in the season, but is there anything that stands out that needs to be worked on?
LL: We are just trying to get better. We want to improve in all aspects of the game and this weekend will be a good indication if our team is capable of doing so. It is still early so we are still figuring out rotations and minutes and things like that but once we figure it out, hopefully sooner rather than later, we are going to be a fun team to watch.
