University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
Q&A With Luke Loewe
2/4/2022 2:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Luke Loewe joined the Gopher program after a four-year stint at William & Mary. Wanting to play at the highest level of basketball, Loewe entered the transfer portal and connected with head coach Ben Johnson shortly after coach was hired. Already committing to the Gophers, his assistant coach and mentor Jason Kemp also joined the coaching staff. Hailing from Fond du Lac, Wis., Loewe was a three-year starter for the Tribe and saw action in 107 collegiate games. While there, Loewe was a Second Team All-CAA selection and a two-time CAA All-Defensive Team honoree. As a senior, he averaged 16.2 points per game. Here at Minnesota, Loewe has started in every single game for the Gophers. This feature first appeared in the Ohio State digital game program.Â
What led you to choosing Minnesota when looking at grad transfer options?
I wanted to play this last year at the highest level and I thought this culture would be a great new experience. I loved what Coach Johnson is going to do here. I was excited to come and play with a bunch of guys who came from all over the place. We are all older experienced guys with the same vision as mine and wanted to win.
You and Coach Kemp both were at William & Mary together. Did you decide to come to Minnesota first or did you follow Kemp here?
I committed first actually. Coach Kemp didn't have the job offer and it was crazy timing. It was right afterwards. I committed first after I spoke to Coach Johnson a couple of times. He was the main reason I came here. I was excited to hear what he wanted to build here and what he wanted to do with the program. I wanted to be a part of that.
What was your reaction when Coach Kemp was announced as an assistant?
It was amazing and really God's perfect timing. My decision to leave was really tough on me. I loved my time at William & Mary. I had a great relationship with all the coaches, especially Coach Kemp. When he got the job offer at Minnesota, it was amazing. I was super excited to have this opportunity to finish my last year with him here.
Talk about that relationship with Coach Kemp and what he's been able to provide on and off the court?
He's arguably been one of the most influential people in my life, both on and off the court. He's helped me overcome so much adversity. My basketball career started off pretty rough and when he got there, he helped me regain the confidence that I had as a player in high school that I lost at the beginning of my college career. He's helped me fight through tough times and William & Mary and even here this season. He's really helped me with my mental strength and my mindset. I can't thank him enough for what he's been able to teach me and how he's affected my life.
Obviously you have a previous coaching relationship with Kemp, but what have the other coaches been able to provide for you on or off the court this year?
They are all great guys and great coaches. I've really enjoyed it so far. They are all even a little like me coming to Minnesota and starting something new. I've learned some valuable lessons about playing at the highest level in the Big Ten.
You've done a great job on playing great defense throughout your career, how have you been able to hone in on that skill?
Personally, I've always taken great pride in playing defense. Growing up it was how I was raised and how I was taught. When I was really young, my dad emphasized that a ton. I always love the saying 'defense wins championships' and that was always true for me and always believe it. At William & Mary, I always guarded the best opposing player and enjoyed that challenge. Some of my favorite games have been where I didn't play that well on offense, but I shut down the best opposing player, an all-league scorer, player of the year or even NBA prospect. Those have been highlights for me and I take great pride in that. In my opinion, playing good defense is having a lot of heart, ability and God's gifts. I have pretty good feet, but at the end of the day it's just wanting to play good defense and wanting to get good stops and having that heart.
Everyone knows you're big into fishing. Where some of your favorite fishing places and who are your usual partners?
My dad has always been my fishing partner and my tournament partner and he's taught me everything I know about fishing. I grew up fishing on Green Lake, that's my home lake in Wisconsin. I like that and Lake Winnebago. Probably my favorite place to fish is northern Wisconsin as there's a lot of good lakes up there. I had a lot of fun also fishing in Williamsburg (William & Mary location). There's a lot of good lakes there. My favorite place though, is probably Table Rock Lake in Missouri. My dad and I make that a spring vacation spots. We both like fishing there. This summer and fall, I also took a lot of advantage fishing here in Minnesota. I'm definitely going to be doing more of that here this spring and summer again.
Being from Wisconsin, you've been able to have a lot of family and friends be able to watch you play. What does it mean to you to have their support and be able to come out this year and be in attendance for your final collegiate season?
It's been pretty weird for me because the last four years, I didn't have too many people that would come and watch games. My parents and grandparents were amazing though. They drove 16 hours there and back just to come and see me play. Being here, they've been to all my games. It's been pretty cool. I have a lot of extended family that live in Minnetonka, Minn., and Hudson, Wis., so there's always here. My one set of grandparents have season tickets and my other set of grandparents drive to every road game, no matter where it is.
You said when you led off with this that you wanted to play at the highest level. Is this everything you expected it to be?
Big Ten is arguably one of the best conferences in the country. It's been pretty cool so far. I just think about being in high school and being a younger kid watching the Big Ten. The guys that were playing in this league were like legends to me. I always thought they were amazing players and on a different level. Now that I'm here, it's weird and cool to be one of those guys. Some of the atmospheres we've played in and playing here at the Barn has been amazing. The level of basketball is different, but at the end of the day it's still Division I college basketball that I've been doing for four years. It's just been really fun.
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What led you to choosing Minnesota when looking at grad transfer options?
I wanted to play this last year at the highest level and I thought this culture would be a great new experience. I loved what Coach Johnson is going to do here. I was excited to come and play with a bunch of guys who came from all over the place. We are all older experienced guys with the same vision as mine and wanted to win.
You and Coach Kemp both were at William & Mary together. Did you decide to come to Minnesota first or did you follow Kemp here?
I committed first actually. Coach Kemp didn't have the job offer and it was crazy timing. It was right afterwards. I committed first after I spoke to Coach Johnson a couple of times. He was the main reason I came here. I was excited to hear what he wanted to build here and what he wanted to do with the program. I wanted to be a part of that.
What was your reaction when Coach Kemp was announced as an assistant?
It was amazing and really God's perfect timing. My decision to leave was really tough on me. I loved my time at William & Mary. I had a great relationship with all the coaches, especially Coach Kemp. When he got the job offer at Minnesota, it was amazing. I was super excited to have this opportunity to finish my last year with him here.
Talk about that relationship with Coach Kemp and what he's been able to provide on and off the court?
He's arguably been one of the most influential people in my life, both on and off the court. He's helped me overcome so much adversity. My basketball career started off pretty rough and when he got there, he helped me regain the confidence that I had as a player in high school that I lost at the beginning of my college career. He's helped me fight through tough times and William & Mary and even here this season. He's really helped me with my mental strength and my mindset. I can't thank him enough for what he's been able to teach me and how he's affected my life.
Obviously you have a previous coaching relationship with Kemp, but what have the other coaches been able to provide for you on or off the court this year?
They are all great guys and great coaches. I've really enjoyed it so far. They are all even a little like me coming to Minnesota and starting something new. I've learned some valuable lessons about playing at the highest level in the Big Ten.
You've done a great job on playing great defense throughout your career, how have you been able to hone in on that skill?
Personally, I've always taken great pride in playing defense. Growing up it was how I was raised and how I was taught. When I was really young, my dad emphasized that a ton. I always love the saying 'defense wins championships' and that was always true for me and always believe it. At William & Mary, I always guarded the best opposing player and enjoyed that challenge. Some of my favorite games have been where I didn't play that well on offense, but I shut down the best opposing player, an all-league scorer, player of the year or even NBA prospect. Those have been highlights for me and I take great pride in that. In my opinion, playing good defense is having a lot of heart, ability and God's gifts. I have pretty good feet, but at the end of the day it's just wanting to play good defense and wanting to get good stops and having that heart.
Everyone knows you're big into fishing. Where some of your favorite fishing places and who are your usual partners?
My dad has always been my fishing partner and my tournament partner and he's taught me everything I know about fishing. I grew up fishing on Green Lake, that's my home lake in Wisconsin. I like that and Lake Winnebago. Probably my favorite place to fish is northern Wisconsin as there's a lot of good lakes up there. I had a lot of fun also fishing in Williamsburg (William & Mary location). There's a lot of good lakes there. My favorite place though, is probably Table Rock Lake in Missouri. My dad and I make that a spring vacation spots. We both like fishing there. This summer and fall, I also took a lot of advantage fishing here in Minnesota. I'm definitely going to be doing more of that here this spring and summer again.
Being from Wisconsin, you've been able to have a lot of family and friends be able to watch you play. What does it mean to you to have their support and be able to come out this year and be in attendance for your final collegiate season?
It's been pretty weird for me because the last four years, I didn't have too many people that would come and watch games. My parents and grandparents were amazing though. They drove 16 hours there and back just to come and see me play. Being here, they've been to all my games. It's been pretty cool. I have a lot of extended family that live in Minnetonka, Minn., and Hudson, Wis., so there's always here. My one set of grandparents have season tickets and my other set of grandparents drive to every road game, no matter where it is.
You said when you led off with this that you wanted to play at the highest level. Is this everything you expected it to be?
Big Ten is arguably one of the best conferences in the country. It's been pretty cool so far. I just think about being in high school and being a younger kid watching the Big Ten. The guys that were playing in this league were like legends to me. I always thought they were amazing players and on a different level. Now that I'm here, it's weird and cool to be one of those guys. Some of the atmospheres we've played in and playing here at the Barn has been amazing. The level of basketball is different, but at the end of the day it's still Division I college basketball that I've been doing for four years. It's just been really fun.
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