Luedtke leads by example as lone senior with Mavericks

Mitchell Cutcher SPORTS EDITOR

The Men’s Basketball team at Omaha has a unique roster composition, given the fact that the roster only carries one senior and five total upperclassmen. The only senior on the roster, Kyle Luedtke, has been a leader for the Mavericks this season.

It is no secret that Omaha has one of the younger rosters in the country. According to the Kenpom rankings, the Mavericks rank 352nd in the country in Division I experience. With the youth on the team, Luedtke has taken on a leadership role in the locker room. He learned to do the right thing from the seniors on the team his freshman season, and he chose to lead in similar fashion.

“Luckily, when I first came in, I had a bunch of great upperclassmen that taught me how to do the right thing every day,” said Luedtke. “Guys I still stay in touch with to this day, like Mitch Hahn and Zach Jackson. They just taught me the right thing to do every day, and what it takes to win at this level.”

When it comes to winning in the Summit League, Mitch Hahn and Zach Jackson are a pair who are worth listening to. Both players were on Omaha teams that were one game away from a Summit League tournament championship, and an NCAA tournament berth. Luedtke was a freshman on the team that fell to North Dakota State in the Summit League championship in 2019.

Given the younger roster for the Mavericks, Luedtke has made it a point to help his teammates however possible. He was one of the first players around the new coaching staff and has helped introduce them to college basketball. For him, it is about giving back to the younger guys on the team what was passed down to him when he was a freshman.

“We call him the vet on the team,” said Luedtke’s teammate, Ja’Sean Glover. “He’s been here, he’s been experienced, so whatever he says, we value. Whether it’s on the court, off the court, he’s been here longer than most of us have ever since Coach Crutch brought in this new team.”

Luedtke has appeared in 79 games and made six starts for the Mavericks, and has totaled 287 points with a career three-point percentage of 39% in four seasons. Prior to his time at UNO, Luedtke played high school basketball in Omaha at Creighton Prep. During his high school career, Luedtke was part of a Prep team that won backto-back district championships and the 2018 state championship squad that went 26-1.

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