Recruiting Report: Luke Empen (2018)
A 6-foot-6 bruiser from Northeast, Goose Lake, Luke Empen had himself a nice spring, and is hoping to carry that momentum into the summer months.
His recruitment is starting to take some shape as he heads into his final summer of grassroots ball, and there’s one Northwest Iowa NAIA that’s getting after him the most.”
“Briar Cliff is still recruiting me pretty hard, Morningside just started, Coe’s starting; Wayne State has been, and a couple other D2s. I’m hoping to get a D2 offer somewhere from around here,” said Empen.
“I’d say probably Briar Cliff (might be the first to offer), they’ve been recruiting me pretty hard for the last year or so.”
Though D2 is the goal for now, Empen says he’s open to any level of college hoops.
“I’m all for anything, I’m not settling for just one thing. If I get a look from an NAIA school , I’ll definitely check it out,” he said.
“I just want to play in college, it doesn’t matter where it is.”
The decent height is helpful for Empen, but it’s his muscle mass that really gives him an advantage, even as a slightly undersized post.
“My strength for me is my strength. I have enough muscle mass to move people around and bully people around inside. I like that, I’ve put a lot of work into that and it’s paid off, said Empen, who is working to become more of a stretch-four.
“I’ve worked so I can shoot outside, I have a good mid-range jump-shot, and I’ve been improving my 3-point shot. And I’ve been working on my ball-handling lately.”
This past season with the Rebels, Empen averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. He’s looking to dramatically improve those numbers as a senior.
“I rebounded the ball OK, I could have had a lot more I just wasn’t aggressive enough. So that’s something I’m looking to improve next season,” said Empen.
This summer, like he did this past spring, Empen will play with Iowa Mavericks Purple 17U.
“It’s a lot of fun. My role is to be the big guy on our team. They count on me for scoring and rebounds, and I feel like I do that plenty, but I could always do better with that,” said Empen.
“Over the summer, I’m expecting to get a lot better, and definitely improve my ball-handling and my passing; those are my two key points right now.”