Luke Travers

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Luke Travers
No. 23 – Perth Wildcats
PositionGuard / Forward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2001-09-03) 3 September 2001 (age 20)
Perth, Western Australia
NationalityAustralian
Listed height200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Listed weight94 kg (207 lb)
Career information
High schoolWilletton Senior
(Perth, Western Australia)
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2019Rockingham Flames
2019–presentPerth Wildcats
2020Cockburn Cougars
Career highlights and awards

Luke Jacob Travers (born 3 September 2001) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). Opting to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia, he made his debut for the Wildcats as a development player in 2019 and became an NBL champion in 2020. At state league level, he played three seasons for the Rockingham Flames in the State Basketball League (SBL) between 2017 and 2019, and then had a stint with the Cockburn Cougars in 2020 during the West Coast Classic.

Early life and career[]

Travers was born in the Perth southern suburb of Rockingham.[1] He attended Willetton Senior High School[2][3] and played for the Rockingham Flames as a junior.[4]

In 2017, Travers debuted in the State Basketball League (SBL) for the Rockingham Flames. He saw action in five games and totaled five points.[5] In 2018, he played five games during the regular season and then all five games during the finals, helping the Flames sweep the Geraldton Buccaneers 2–0 in the quarter-finals and averaging 14.7 points during the 2–1 semi-final series loss to the Perry Lakes Hawks.[6] In 2019, he played 18 games for the Flames and averaged 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.[7] He was an integral player for the Flames in 2019, starting a number of games but often used as the sixth man off the bench.[8] He was subsequently named the SBL Most Improved Player.[9]

In 2018, Travers helped break a 17-year drought for Western Australia, winning gold at the Under 18 National Championships.[4][10]

Professional career[]

On 1 August 2019, Travers signed with the Perth Wildcats as a development player for the 2019–20 NBL season.[10] His elite athleticism and ability to play multiple positions made him an attractive option for the Wildcats.[8] Regarded as one of Australia's most sought-after basketball prospects, he had interest from a number of colleges in the United States,[8] but indicated his desire to turn professional due to a lack of motivation at school.[11] In his debut for the Wildcats on 1 December 2019, he had three points, four assists and two rebounds in roughly 11 minutes in a 99–88 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.[12] On 20 December 2019, he opted to forgo college basketball and begin his professional career, signing a three-year contract extension with the Wildcats.[13][14] He played four games during the season[15] and was a member of the Wildcats' championship-winning squad in March 2020.[16][17]

During the West Coast Classic in 2020, Travers had a five-game stint with the Cockburn Cougars,[11] averaging 17.8 points, 14.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.[18]

Continuing on as a development player in the 2020–21 NBL season, Travers was thrust into a much larger role during the preseason, starting in both of the Wildcats' preseason games against the Illawarra Hawks.[19] While mostly a traditional wing player, he added strength to his frame over the off-season and was assigned the starting power forward role.[19] He was replaced in the starting line-up by Jarred Bairstow midway through the season,[20] with Travers later stating he got complacent in the role and was forced to work his way back into starting contention.[21] On 28 March 2021, he went 6-of-6 from the field for 16 points off the bench in an 89–65 win over the Sydney Kings.[22] A season-ending injury to Bryce Cotton saw Travers return to the starting line-up as a guard at the back-end of the regular season and in the semi-finals.[23] On 27 May, he had 16 points and eight rebounds in an 81–67 win over the Kings.[24] In the 2–1 semi-final series win over Illawarra, Travers averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and three assists per game.[23] He went on to miss the first two games of the grand final series against Melbourne United with a calf injury,[25][26][27] returning in game three to record nine points and six rebounds off the bench in an 81–76 series-ending loss.[28][29]

On 1 July 2021, Travers signed with the Mandurah Magic for the rest of the 2021 NBL1 West season.[30][31] However, he was never cleared by the Wildcats medical staff to play for Mandurah.[32]

On 5 December 2021, Travers had a career-high 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 90–67 win over the Cairns Taipans.[33][34]

National team career[]

In 2018, Travers represented Australia at the Under-17 FIBA World Cup in Argentina and won gold at the Under-16 FIBA Asia Championship in China.[10][35] He had 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks for Australia in their title-clinching victory over China and was named in the all-tournament second team.[36]

Personal life[]

Travers is the son of Karl and Sam. He has an older brother.[37]

References[]

  1. ^ "Luke Travers". australiabasket.com. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  2. ^ Newbold, Cameron (27 August 2019). "NASHS schoolboys best in the West". albanyadvertiser.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. ...to set up a grand final against Willetton Senior High School, featuring 197cm Perth Wildcats development player Luke Travers.
  3. ^ "Player statistics for Luke Travers". Australian Schools Championships. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Feature Athlete: Luke Travers". aussieprospects.com. 2018. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Player statistics for Luke Travers – SBL 2017". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Player statistics for Luke Travers – SBL 2018". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Player statistics for Luke Travers – SBL 2019". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Horton, Stuart (1 August 2019). "Rockingham Flames young gun Travers signs with Perth Wildcats". soundtelegraph.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  9. ^ "2019 SBL AWARDS". SBL.asn.au. 11 September 2019. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Young gun Luke Travers signed as development player". Wildcats.com.au. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  11. ^ a b Smith, Ben (26 November 2019). "Cougars young gun hoping to traverse the path to professionalism". perthnow.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  12. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (1 December 2019). "Perth Wildcats stunned in home blowout with loss to Adelaide". perthnow.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Luke Travers signs long term contract with Wildcats". Wildcats.com.au. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Luke Travers Signs Long-Term Deal with Wildcats". NBL.com.au. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Luke Travers". RealGM.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Perth Wildcats Back-to-Back NBL Champions". Wildcats.com.au. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Perth Wildcats Crowned NBL20 Champions". NBL.com.au. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Player statistics for Luke Travers – WCC 2020". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  19. ^ a b Houben, Michael (8 January 2021). "NBL21 Prospect Watch: 17 names you should know this season". pickandroll.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  20. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (10 March 2021). "Bustling Perth Wildcat Jarred Bairstow still pinching himself amid incredible move into starting five". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 26 June 2021. The Wildcats had been starting with teenage Development Player Luke Travers in the opening games. But after beginning the season strongly...
  21. ^ "Luke Travers Press Conference - 13 June 2021". YouTube. Perth Wildcats. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  22. ^ Encarnacion, Matt (28 March 2021). "Perth Wildcats win exposes NBL gap: Kings". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Australian basketball great Shane Heal says Melbourne United to 'sweep' Perth Wildcats". perthnow.com.au. 17 June 2021. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Cotton's absence forced coach Trevor Gleeson to rely on his bench, most notably 19-year-old development player Luke Travers was thrust into a starting role over the three games and delivered 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and three assists per game.
  24. ^ "Bryce-less Wildcats too much at home for Kings". NBL.com.au. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021. Development player Luke Travers was back to start and made the most of it setting a new career-high and he was the player kept the 'Cats on top during the third quarter finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds on 7/10 shooting.
  25. ^ Garlepp, Josh (18 June 2021). "Perth Wildcats dealt massive blow with Luke Travers ruled out for grand final series opener". perthnow.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  26. ^ Garlepp, Josh (25 June 2021). "Perth Wildcats' Luke Travers and Clint Steindl cleared for game three of grand final series against Melbourne United". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Finals Breakout Performers". Wildcats.com.au. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  28. ^ "United secure NBL21 championship on home court". NBL.com.au. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  29. ^ "So proud of the boys: Gleeson". Wildcats.com.au. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Breaking News". facebook.com/mandurahbasketball. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  31. ^ "Luke Travers signs at Magic". australiabasket.com. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021.
  32. ^ "NBL1 West Recap | Friday Men's Finals Week 1". NBL1.com.au. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021. ...the Magic signed Cairns Taipans NBL superstar Scott Machado and rising Perth Wildcats star Luke Travers. ... However, things didn't quite go to plan with Travers never being cleared by the Wildcats medical staff to play...
  33. ^ "Cotton Fires as Wildcats Overpower Snakes". NBL.com.au. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  34. ^ "Cotton explodes for 31 as Wildcats crush Taipans". Wildcats.com.au. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021. Luke Travers had a career-high 14 rebounds to go with six points...
  35. ^ "Luke Travers - Flames Local Talent Prepares for International Tour". Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association. 31 March 2018. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021.
  36. ^ "Sotto, Sun and Wigness lead the FIBA U16 Asian Championship Mythical Teams". fiba.basketball. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  37. ^ "Luke Travers: The Kid From Rocko". YouTube. Perth Wildcats. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.

External links[]

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