Prospect Spotlight: Luke Winkler (2021 Grant)

<p>A high academic student, [player_tooltip player_id="855986" first="Luke" last="Winkler"] could easily be attending school next fall at a four-year school. But the gritty 5-foot-11, 170-pound point guard wants a chance to play college ball and is hoping to decide on a destination for that soon. He and his Grant teammates recently captured the first-ever Oregon Madness title and it was an experience that he’ll not soon forget.</p> <p>"It was fun playing here, especially in this new facility here in Salem," Winkler said. "Especially after losing to Beaverton, we had the opportunity to finish on a win which is always nice."</p> <p>Winkler played a big part in the win as the steady hand at the point. He averaged over five assists in the four games played and ended up named on the All-Tournament Second Team. The tournament was indicative of how he played all year, one in which Grant finished up an impressive 14-3 on the year.</p> <p>"I felt it went good especially with how it was structured," Winkler said. "I think we performed really, really well. A lot of people didn’t think we would be that good this year, but we really came together as a team and did something special."</p> <p>Individually, Winkler elevated into a starting role at the point. His floor leadership was particularly evident at Oregon Madness as he was a vocal leader on both ends and made good decisions with the basketball, whether it was the pass, the drive, or knocking down the open shot.</p> <p>"All of quarantine I was working out, didn’t know what was going to happen but I knew I wanted to play at the next level," Winkler said. "So I was ready to fill a role that I thought that we needed which was being a one guard, being scrappy on defense, and it worked out great this year."</p> <p>In terms of the next level, Winkler had been accepted into Seattle as a regular student but has instead settled on going to a school so he can continue playing. So far, either he or the Grant coaches have been talking to North Idaho, Clackamas, Columbia Basin, and Portland CC and he recently received a roster spot offer from Pacific. With the season now fully over, he’s hoping to take some campus visits, including North Idaho.</p> <p>"I’m just looking for this one chance to prove myself at the next level," Winkler said. "I’m hoping to have a decision soon."</p> <p>Winkler currently ranks as the #64 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.</p>