Walter Luckett
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Kolbe (Bridgeport, Connecticut) |
| College | Ohio (1972–1975) |
| NBA draft | 1975 / Round: 2 / Pick: 27th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Walter Luckett, Jr. is an American former basketball player who is best known for his career at the high school and college levels. Luckett starred at the prep level for Kolbe High School in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut before playing at Ohio University for the Bobcats between 1972–73 and 1974–75. Following his junior season at Ohio he declared for the NBA Draft, where he was selected in the second round (27th overall) by the Detroit Pistons. Due to a knee injury, however, Luckett never played a single game in the NBA.
Growing up, Luckett honed his talents at Nanny Goat Park in Bridgeport. As an eighth-grade student he once scored 59 points against another high school's junior varsity team. This scoring outburst previewed what Luckett would do at Kolbe High School—establish a record-setting career that saw him score more points than any other high school player in New England history, win a state championship, and get named the national high school player of the year as a senior in 1971–72.
Throughout his four-year varsity career, Luckett scored 2,691 points, which as of 2012 is still the highest total in the New England region history. In one game during his sophomore season, he scored 53 points against an opponent, and for his career he averaged 31.1 points per game. As a junior, Luckett led Kolbe to a state championship victory. Then, as a senior, he averaged a triple-double of 39.5 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists per game en route to being named the national high school player of the year. His great success early on has been attributed to his hard work ethic and the fact that he grew up with, and played every day against, Frank Oleynick and Barry McLeod, both of whom were later drafted to the NBA (although only Oleynick played in any games.)
Toward the end of high school, Luckett suffered a freak knee injury. It was not serious enough to sideline him from playing his freshman year at Ohio University, but it would later prove to be the undoing of any professional career. In 1972–73, his first year at college, Luckett was featured on the cover of the November 27 issue of Sports Illustrated during the first week of his Bobcat career. He was a confident freshman, proclaiming that he would "drive those rascals wild" when referring to the Missouri Tigers, his first college opponent. After a 3-for-12 shooting performance against them and a rough introduction to NCAA Division I basketball, Luckett found his groove and ended up averaging 13.5 points per game for his freshman season.
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