CHAMPAIGN — It’s not difficult to see Luke Goode on the basketball court rallying his teammates together and picture him commanding the huddle on the football field.
Mostly because Goode did exactly that growing up and was a two-year starter at quarterback for Fort Wayne (Ind.) Homestead. An all-state level high school quarterback, even, throwing for a single-season school record 2,778 yards as a junior before he put football aside as a senior and turned his focus solely toward basketball after committing to Illinois.
“I did not run,” Goode said with a laugh, describing his style as a quarterback. “I stayed in the pocket and threw the ball. I did not like to get hit very much. That was kind of my mantra.”
Goode’s dual-sport background has helped him in year one playing basketball at Illinois.
He might not have liked getting hit all that much, but football ingrained in him a sense of toughness that he puts to use on the basketball court. And all the effort toward good footwork on drops in the pocket deliver a nimbleness that’s helped him defensively, too.
Then, there’s the leadership component. Goode had to command the huddle as quarterback. While the 6-foot-7, 200-pound freshman guard isn’t the only leader on the basketball court for the Illini (7-2) heading into Saturday’s 4 p.m. showdown with No. 11 Arizona (8-0) at State Farm Center, the 19-year-old hasn’t shied away from filling that role when necessary on a veteran team.
That part of his game has, without fail, been Illinois coach Brad Underwood’s primary talking point when discussing his freshman guard.
“Luke’s unique,” Underwood said. “I say this because he’s got unrivaled leadership abilities. He’s not afraid. He has always been a leader. You see his quarterback come out in him from his high school football days. To do that, you’ve got to be unafraid. You’ve got to be unafraid when you say something. You’ve got to be unafraid when you play.”
That approach has given Goode a boost early in his college basketball career. One of three freshmen on the Illinois roster, Goode emerged as the most likely rotation piece among that group early in the fall. Save for two missed games in Kansas City, Mo., last month with back spasms, Goode has filled a role off the bench for the Illini ahead of fellow freshmen RJ Melendez and Brandin Podziemski.
“He is an ultra competitor, and that’s helped him stand out early and helped him make the adjustment,” Underwood said. “Then, when you put his abilities with his IQ and those leadership qualities, you’ve got a guy you’ve been able to push fast forward and hit it a few times. That’s expedited his growth.”
Underwood talks like a basketball coach that would only recruit dual-sport athletes if he could. The Illinois coach said he has always advocated for athletes to play multiple sports.
“It’s unique today because nobody plays two sports anymore,” Underwood said. “We’ve become so individualized, kids in the fifth grade are selecting one sport they play.
“We’ve become so specialized it’s really hard to find guys like that anymore. Luke has got a grit. He’s got an intelligence. I call it a lack of fear. He took a shot (against Rutgers) that I wasn’t ultimately pleased with because it was quick in the clock, but it’s a shot he makes and he’s not afraid to take it. That’s going to play really well for him in the rest of his career.”
Goode said he understands his football background has helped him on the basketball court. Any second sport in high school, he argued, can provide skills in the sport an athlete pursues at the next level. But Goode also said advice from his parents before he left for Champaign and support and encouragement from his teammates and coaches once he arrived has helped him find his role early with the Illini.
Illinois veterans Kofi Cockburn, Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams have all encouraged Goode to assume a leadership role. The message from assistant coach Chester Frazier and strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher was just as simple.
“He pulled me aside and was like, ‘Just step up,’” Goode said of Chester Frazier’s encouragement. “Coach Fletch, too. Step up and be that guy. … Whenever you get any type of leadership role on any team — no matter how old you are, no matter what position you’re in — means you’ve got trust from not only your coaches, but your guys. If your coach can put trust in you and faith in you, then they know that the teammates on the team kind of look to you that was, as well. Having that responsibility and kind of that role already as a freshman means a lot to me. I take pride in that.”
Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
