You do it.
If the man asks you to fix world hunger, instill peace in the Middle East or find a cure cancer, you don’t ask questions. Instead, you start looking for ways to get the job done.
Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right this very minute.
You do it because you want to do it, because – under his guidance – you believe you can do it. And you can’t wait to get started.
That’s how Luke Kennard has felt the last two weeks.
For months he’s entertained offers from a half-dozen big time basketball schools, and for months he’s said pretty much the same thing. Give me some time, let me think about which school I want to attend, and I’ll get back to you by the end of the school year.
And so the question was asked just about every day – would Luke go to Ohio State, Michigan, or maybe Louisville, Duke, North Carolina or Kentucky?
Tonight, during a special ceremony that drew more than 800 people on 24 hours’ notice, he made official what became crystal clear to him on March 8: he’s going to Duke, with Coach K and all the prestige that comes with it.
“I went down there (on a night Duke played North Carolina), and I felt it,” Luke said tonight. “Being around Coach K, and seeing how he is with his players, I could see where I fit in.”
He was ready to announce this a week ago. “It was hard keeping it in,” he said.
Luke spent yesterday making some very difficult phone calls. He genuinely appreciates Coach John Beilein at Michigan, Thad Matta at OSU, Roy Williams at North Carolina and John Calipari at Kentucky, because they worked hard to get Luke into their programs.
But, in the end, he was sold on Coach K and the Duke legend. Coach Krzyzewski flew to Ohio this afternoon, and he and Luke met at the school after classes ended. Luke told Coach K face-to-face that he wanted to be a Blue Devil.
“I’m really at peace about my decision.”
Wildcat basketball coach Brian Bales was the emcee of tonight’s ceremony. He encouraged everybody to set aside their own personal hopes for Luke’s choice, and instead see how his selection was a good fit for him. “Show him you’re proud of him, that you’re behind him, and be happy with him,” he said.
Mark Kennard, Luke’s father, also said a few words, thanking the many people who have had a profound influence on Luke and the entire Kennard family. Still, he found it hard to fully express just how much the Wildcat community means to them.
The feelings go way farther than mere words. Mark said it several times throughout the night, “I’m speechless.”
Duke has won four national championships and almost 1,000 games in Coach K’s 34 years with the program. He has guided the last two Olympic teams to a gold medal and is signed on to coach the USA again in 2016.
This year, Luke was all-league, all-district and all-Ohio. To top it off, he was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball just last Tuesday.
That’s some serious firepower all the way around.
“It's a big stage, but Duke has a small town feel, and I like that,” Luke said. “I liked the campus, I liked the students, and then of course there’s Coach K.”
He said he’s free to play football and intends to do so this fall, though he may have to re-visit that decision as the season grows nearer. Luke also said he feels assured of getting significant playing time with the Blue Devils even as a freshman.
“He tells me I’m a playmaker, so I’ll play anywhere and not just one particular position,” he added.
“Coach K is really committed to his players. I really felt at home.”
That’s all part of the Coach K charisma. No doubt, it’s also a large part of his success.
The records prove it.
Suddenly, I’ve become Duke’s biggest fan.
I have this urge to climb a mountain.
Go ‘Cats. Go Duke.
