Long Island Lutheran boys basketball's tough travel schedule has advantages

The Long Island Lutheran boys basketball team has traveled more than 15,000 miles to be ready for one of its shortest bus rides of the season.

With lofty goals and expectations every winter, the Crusaders look to test themselves against the top teams in the best environments high school basketball has to offer. Long Island Lutheran has a state-record eight Federation titles, including winning the Class AA crown last season. And with their quest to win a ninth title, which will be played at Fordham University this year, LuHi travels the country in search of top competition.

“If you’re just winning all your games by giving 80 percent effort and beating teams that you are better than,” coach John Buck said, “I don’t know if you condition yourself to know what to do when you play an equal or better opponent that makes a 10-0 run to put you down eight points. So we practice that throughout the year.”

Buck, in his 11th season as head coach and 14th year on the basketball staff, has helped make the small private school in Brookville a giant in the prep basketball world.

Long Island Lutheran, ranked No. 12 in the country by ESPN, attracts not only some of the top basketball talent on Long Island, but across the globe. In a school of approximately 550 students, some of those are the best basketball players in the country. LuHi entered this season with three players committed to play Division I in college -- seniors Andre Curbelo (Illinois), Zed Key (Ohio State) and Jalen Celestine (California).

Year after year, tournaments reach out to LuHi to gauge the school’s interest in playing in their showcases. And for the Crusaders, it gives them a chance to prove themselves against other top national programs.

“You look for what will be the best environment for the kids, and who else is going to the events as far as competition,” said Buck, who is also the Head of School at Long Island Lutheran. “You want to play the best. You don’t want to just travel to travel.”

Long Island Lutheran (20-3) has played in major tournaments in Hawaii, South Carolina and Florida this season. The Crusaders also played against Sierra Canyon, which includes the sons of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade along with high Division I commits, last week in the Metro Classic in New Jersey. LuHi also hosted The Patrick School from New Jersey, which featured the top-ranked high school player in the Class of 2021 in Jonathan Kuminga.

Many tournaments have sponsorship deals, which takes some of the financial burden off the schools, which Buck said is a factor into where they play each season. The coaches also help fundraise to lessen the cost.

“It’s a blessing because not many high school teams get to play the competition we’re playing or travel like we have this year,” said Key, who played at Brentwood High School before transferring to LuHi. “It’s a blessing just to play the best competition every night and knowing teams are going to give you everything they’ve got day in and day out.”

Playing a demanding schedule gives college recruiting exposure to LuHi’s players. It also prepares them for the upcoming Federation tournament, which will be held at Fordham University this year.

“When we come to New York, we know we can hang with the best teams in the country,” Curbelo said. “So when we are at Fordham and we go to play the Feds, we always feel like we are going to win. We don’t try to feel too cocky, but we are confident that we are going to win because we have played and beat so many good teams.”

The Crusaders played Montverde Academy from Florida -- the top ranked team in the country -- earlier this season. For the second straight season, LuHi was invited to play Montverde’s tournament. The Crusaders advanced to the final, but with Celestine out injured and Curbelo playing only about two minutes due to the flu, they lost to Montverde, 83-47.

“Last year we missed out on the opportunity to play them, but this year, we were like, ‘We’re not losing. We’re going to win and get to this championship and play the No. 1 team in the country,’ ” Key said. “And they are really good. They are the No. 1 team for a reason.”

And the chance to play those caliber of teams is what the Crusaders hope will make a key difference when playing for a Federation crown.

“I think we’ve seen -- if not everything, because that’s not possible -- we’ve seen a lot,” Buck said. “So, when it comes to March 27 and 28 in Fordham, I think we’ll be really prepared for the moment because of our schedule.”