ROGERSVILLE — One of southwest Missouri’s top rising juniors, Logan-Rogersville forward Luke Vandersnick is coming off a strong summer and is gearing up for a big season.
A strong, athletic forward, Vandersnick is an unselfish player who makes the right pass, can stick an open jumper or 3-pointer and is a versatile defender both on the perimeter and around the basket.
“I have always played a forward position and this season I believe I made improvements with my guard skills,” he said. “My high school team had a very good year coming off of a poor previous season. We always had great team chemistry and played to win.”
He spent the offseason playing with a group of area players for the Springfield Hawks and saw his game improve as a result.
“I was looking forward to the upcoming AAU season,” Vandersnick said. “Always a great experience playing against other high level athletes. I always expect myself to improve after every game, learning something new from the mistakes I made. And I think I did that this summer.”
This upcoming season, Vandersnick says he is looking forward to playing Springfield Catholic, a team that includes several Springfield Hawks.
“ It’s always fun to compete against them,” he said.
Vandersnick says his parents have been the biggest influence on his basketball career.
“They gave me a basketball when I was very young and then basketball just stuck and I loved it,” he said. “Without them I wouldn’t of started my career playing basketball as early as I did. I thank them for that.”
A fan of college basketball, Vandersnick says he enjoys watching players compete with passion.
“The players compete very hard,” Vandersnick said. “I would say I have picked up a couple of moves and tips from watching college ball. I can always learn from watching the athletes play.”
Vandersnick says he has not yet drawn any interest from college programs, but hopes that changes in the future.
“I am definitely interested in playing at the next level but have not been approached by any colleges at this point,” he said.
