Luke Douglas Kennard was born June 24, 1996, in Franklin, Ohio, a small city near Dayton. His father Mark played college basketball at Georgetown College in Kentucky and started taking Luke to the gym at age three. His mother Jennifer sometimes got annoyed with Mark for pushing so hard, but Mark had a vision and Luke had the talent.
At Franklin High School, Kennard became a legend. He finished with 2,997 career points — the second-highest total in Ohio history, three spots ahead of LeBron James. Two-time Ohio Mr. Basketball, two-time Gatorade POY, Parade National Player of the Year as a senior. He averaged 38.1/9.7/5.9/2.2 his final season, scoring 50+ on five occasions and setting the school record with 59 in a single game.
He also lettered three years as a quarterback and was named Ohio Division II Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 (2,331 yards, 26 TDs). He shot left-handed in basketball and threw right-handed in football.
The defining story: after scoring 27 in one of his first varsity road games as a freshman, his parents waited in the car. Instead of celebrating, he texted them to come inside — he needed a rebounder. He was so bothered by going 7-for-10 from the free throw line that he practiced after the bus ride home. His coach told him to lock the doors when he was done. “Coach, to go where I want to go, 7-of-10 is not going to get it done.” He made one college visit: Duke. When Coach K visited the Kennard home, it was coach Bales’s wife who cooked the meal. After Luke left for Durham, Franklin posted signs at the town’s entry points: “Welcome to Franklin, Ohio, Home of Luke Kennard.”