Luedtke Off to Great Start for Men's Basketball Team
SALEM, ORE. -- Brandon
Forward is Averaging 15.7 Points, 10.7 Rebounds per Game
SALEM, ORE. -- Brandon "Bubba" Luedtke (Jr., F, Meridian, ID/Mt. View HS) is having a tremendous season so far for the Willamette University men's basketball team. He is the Bearcats' leading scorer with 15.7 points per game and is the leading rebounder with 10.7 boards per contest.
He ranks first in the NWC in rebounding and holds the lead by nearly a full rebound per game. He is sixth in the NWC in scoring average and ranks 11th in field goal shooting at 50.0% (34 of 68). In addition, he is the NWC leader in steals with 2.5 per game (15 in six games).
Luedtke has scored in double figures in five of Willamette's six games, including 19 or more points three times. He scored 23 points against Dubuque University (Iowa) during the Colorado College Thanksgiving Invitational on Nov. 28. He has grabbed seven or more rebounds in all six games, with 11 or more rebounds four times.
"Bubba is one of the most productive and efficient players we have ever had," Willamette Head Coach Kip Ioane said. "He takes a minimal number of shots, makes an extremely high percentage of them, and when he rarely does miss, he gets his own rebound and scores again. He's very machine like."
Luedtke's success has allowed him to develop into a key player for the Bearcats. After scoring 62 points and grabbing 77 rebounds as a freshman in 2012-13, he improved to 264 points and 198 rebounds in 2013-14. He also earned 49 assists and 52 steals. He averaged 10.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
One reason Luedtke consistently makes positive contributions is that he possesses the skills to play more than one position. He almost always finds a way to score, rebound, earn steals or provide assists. If he has difficulty on a given night in one area, he makes an impact in another way.
"He can play four of the five positions on the floor," Ioane noted. "He doesn't complain about any role or job we ask of him. He just does his job night in and night out."
Partway through his junior year, Luedtke has scored 420 career points and grabbed 339 career rebounds. He has achieved 65 assists and 72 steals, and has blocked 21 shots. He owns a solid 52.6% career field goal percentage (153-291). He was named Honorable Mention All-NWC in 2013-14.
He earned a career-high 26 points against University of Redlands (Calif.) on Dec. 19, 2013. He also recorded a career-high 6 steals against Redlands, a total he recently matched against University of Northwestern (Minn.) during the Colorado College Thanksgiving Invitational on Nov. 29.
Luedtke registered a personal-best 15 rebounds against University of California, Santa Cruz on Dec. 28, 2013. He also grabbed 15 boards against Linfield College on Jan. 10, 2014.
Willamette is currently 2-4 on the season. The Bearcats will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at Concordia University in Portland, Ore. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (PST).
Junior forward Brandon Luedtke has achieved 420 points and 339 rebounds during his career.