"Finishing at Texas would keep him local and he'd be able to continue here," Craycroft said. For that to happen, however, he needs to complete a college degree. It's an occupational hazard." Degree neededĬraycroft hopes Axtell will stick around to build a program and teach English. If a parent thinks a kid isn't playing enough, they don't care the coach is Luke Axtell. "He's dealing with the stuff a regular coach deals with. "Our kids are just young enough, they don't really know who he is," Craycroft said. Some of the parents know of Axtell's career and even his musical talents, which includes writing songs for his sister, recording artist Brooke. It's great to see our guys scoring off backdoor cuts." We ran 3 1/2 minutes off the clock and I almost cried. "The first game we had a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Our biggest guy is sitting on the bench in a polo shirt," Craycroft said, adding he likes Axtell's game-day strategy. "We're winning with a team that doesn't have a player over 6-feet tall. That competitive spirit is something Hill Country Christian School athletic director Pete Craycroft admires. You find yourself getting really competitive on the sidelines." He'll relate to players because of some things he's been through and teach character."Īxtell, who went through much at KU including an undisclosed medical condition that he won't discuss, said "coaching is really different. "I believe that basketball is good for Luke and Luke is good for basketball. He's eager interested, and hard working," said Robinson, now in his 36th season in coaching. Yet he's using much of what he's learned not from ex-Jayhawk mentor Roy Williams, but from Jim Robinson of Maumee (Ohio) High.Īxtell played one year of high school ball under Robinson and went to visit his former coach in suburban Toledo last summer. "Everybody treated me the best possible way you could be treated." I would never want to sacrifice players."Īxtell has no specific complaints about his days at KU. "Players are less important sometimes than what goes in the won/loss column. "At a big-time college there are things sacrificed," he said. It seems I was exposed to some stuff not everybody is exposed to."Īt this time, Axtell can't envision himself as a college coach. "I just happened to go through some things other kids don't have to go through. "There are several things wrong with the system I saw," Axtell said. His woes started when his former coach at Texas released his grades to a radio station. It's not all about basketball."Īxtell doesn't want his players to go through what he did in college. "I can show them I truly love them and it's not whether they win the next game or not. "I'll try to show them the best way I can, being an authority figure, to be as Christian-like as I can be," Axtell said.
Christian valuesĪxtell says he's fortunate to be coaching at a school that encourages him to instill Christian values. I want them to enjoy themselves and have this prepare them for life," Axtell said. "My goal is to give the kids the best experience I can. You don't have to deal with injuries, which for me is big."Īxtell suffered a broken hand and incurred a back injury, which ultimately ended his career with several games to play during his senior year at KU (2000-01).įormer Kansas University men's basketball player Luke Axtell, shown Dec. "In coaching," Axtell said, "you don't have to deal with what players do, which is being totally exhausted. I don't have to deal with any attitudes," said Axtell, who coaches the boys team in a part-time position with the school as he completes work on his college degree. Now Axtell believes he may have found his true calling at the age of 26.
"Khakis, boots and coaches shirts with the emblem of the school," Axtell said of his casual game attire.Īxtell, a 6-foot-10 former Kansas University basketball player and country music singer-songwriter, has led the small-school Knights in his hometown of Austin, Texas, to a 13-7 record in his first coaching gig of what could be a long career.Īxtell, who because of injuries and illness never reached his potential as a player at the University of Texas and KU, has resurfaced in his home state after his bid at a pro basketball career was cut short because of persistent back problems. Luke Axtell doesn't wear a suit, tie and Gucci shoes as he paces the bench and barks instructions to his Hill Country Christian School basketball players.