Name: Lucas Schiavitti
Year: senior
Hometown: Hinsdale
When did you start playing basketball?
Probably preschool or kindergarten. My dad played in high school and I have two older brothers and he coached them, and I would always go and watch their games. That kind of got me into basketball.
What do you enjoy most about the sport?
Probably the bond that I have with my team and the relationships it creates.
Are you better on offense or defense?
I preferred playing offense up until my senior year and defense now. Offense has always been the most fun, but this is probably the biggest year of basketball in my life and defense is what always keeps us in games and gives us a chance and allows us to play with all these teams.
Do you have any pre-game rituals or routines?
Me and one of the players, Mac Quast, always hang out in the locker room, just us two, before the game and have a conversation about life.
How have you improved since your freshman year?
I've grown a foot since my freshman year and just (have better) chemistry between my team as we've been playing longer and longer together. My coaches have always got on me to make sure I'm in the right place at the right time.
What is the team's goal for the season?
As a team, it's always to reach our full potential, and as our coach tries to say, make sure our defense and our offense correlate and one doesn't trump the other.
Do you have any unique talents?
Probably my dancing skills. Other people have described them as flawless, but my parents would argue they're the worst they've ever seen.
Will you play next year?
Definitely I'll play club basketball or intramurals, nothing serious, though. I'm in between Colorado-Boulder and Ohio State.
Why does coach Nick Latorre like having Schiavitti on the team?
I really enjoy having Lucas on our team because he plays the game with an amazing amount of enthusiasm and joy. He has an amazing work ethic and a phenomenal, team-first attitude. His leadership qualities have blossomed, and he is respected by everyone in our program and is a great role model for all of our players.
- profile by Pamela Lannom, photo by Jim Slonoff
