When first-year Northwest boys basketball head coach Buddy Sodemann met his new team last spring, he was excited to start working with an athletic group.
But over the summer he got some news that took his enthusiasm to another level.
“Our AD (Jeff Taggart) told me we had a 6-8 kid transferring in,” Sodemann said. “That is every coach’s dream.”
That kid was Luke Thorburg, who played at Tower Grove Christian the previous year. And thus far Thorburg, a senior, has been a godsend for the Lions.
“He’s got a knack for being around the ball,” Sodemann said. “He does a phenomenal job of going to the glass.”
Thorburg has been among the top rebounders in the St. Louis area, averaging 12 boards per game. As of last week he also led the area in blocked shots with 45 (4.5 per game). He is averaging 17.3 points per night for the Lions, who entered the week with a mark of 3-7.
The Lion big man said Class 5 basketball is far removed from playing for tiny Tower Grove Christian.
“We played a lot of run-and-gun (at Tower Grove),” he said. “Now we have more schemes and we’re trying to get the ball to the open man.”
Thorburg got his basketball start in fifth grade at Green Park Lutheran School. He attended Lutheran South for his first two years of high school, and got a little time on the varsity there as a sophomore.
In July 2015, his family moved to High Ridge. But it wasn’t until last summer that Thorburg decided to check out Northwest and new coach Sodemann.
“I met Buddy in person over the summer and he has a pretty good resume and comes from a basketball family,” Thorburg said. “I knew I’d enjoy playing for him.”
With just three wins on the season, the Lions’ center is far from satisfied. But he said the team is improving.
“I like it,” he said. “We’re starting to gel together. We’re progressing as the year goes on.”
Sodemann has no complaints thus far.
“Luke plays with a great motor and great energy,” Sodemann said. “A lot of our offense is created by getting rebounds. He has shown our guys what to do.
“He’s a gym rat, and he’s doing everything you would want as a coach. I wish I had him for two or three more years. He plays with some emotion, which I love. Our guys definitely feed off of that.”
Thorburg is a team co-captain alongside senior guard Austin Brown. The pair give the Northwest offense an effective inside-outside combination.
“Austin is a big part of what we’re doing,” Sodemann said. “When he is locked in mentally and gets his feet set he’s as good a shooter as there is in our conference.”
Through last weekend Brown was averaging 10 points per game and had made 25 of 59 3-point attempts (42.4 percent).
“We need him to shoot more, especially in games where the other team is packing it in,” Thorburg said. “That would take some pressure off me. To beat some of the better teams, we’re both going to have to have big games.”
Both players were on their game in a recent 51-48 home victory over Seckman. Brown finished with 15 points while Thorburg scored 16 and pulled down 18 rebounds.
Last October, Thorburg had his first visit to Columbia College in Columbia. Other schools interested in him include Westminster College (Fulton) and, closer to home, Missouri Baptist University and Webster University.
To play at the next level, Thorburg realizes he has to raise his game.
“I need to finish through contact better,” he said. “I leave a good amount of points on the table. Plus my free-throw percentage (54.2 percent) is not where it should be right now.”
Sodemann said a good work ethic should help Thorburg get where he needs to be.
“He’s put himself in position to be a good college player,” Sodemann said. “He is willing to put out the effort and has been taught the right way.”
Before he moves on, Thorburg hopes to help Northwest compete for a Class 5 District 1 championship. That will be easier said than done, going up against local rivals Fox and Seckman, plus host Poplar Bluff (currently 9-5) and defending champion Jackson (10-5).
“We’re doing pretty well, considering we’ve had two triple-overtime games,” Thorburg said. “Our record doesn’t accurately portray our team. We’ve had some trouble closing out games.”
Sodemann called Thorburg “a special player.”
“Our challenge is to get him the ball,” the coach said. “We are going into the meat grinder that is our conference (schedule). He can put up some serious numbers.”