Boscobel Standout Takes AAU Route

Boscobel's Luke Knoble and his Higher Level Camps elite team are preparing for the busy AAU tournament season.

Stiff competition never hurt anybody, and Luke Knoble knows firsthand what it’s meant to his progression as a basketball player.

Knoble will be a senior at Boscobel High School, where he and the Bulldogs tangled in the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League.

The 6-foot-5-inch Knoble made the all-conference first team with the likes of Cuba City’s Ben Pickel, Fennimore’s Jake Wiederholt, Darlington’s Mitchell Erickson and Iowa-Grant’s Quentin Tranberg.

To put that into perspective: The latter four seniors played for the victorious Division 3 South squad in last weekend’s Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star game.

Knoble was a Wisconsin State Journal all-area honorable mention pick in D-3 after averaging 16 points and eight rebounds per game, and he’s honing those skills this summer with an elite team at Higher Level Camps out of Fond du Lac, his first venture into the world of Wisconsin’s Amateur Athletic Union program.

“Somebody had recommended me for this because I got a letter through school,” Knoble said. “I decided that participating in AAU was the best way for me to go in order to play college ball.”

Knoble started down that path after competing in the Tri-States camp at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, which was run by none other than Hall of Fame Cuba City coach Jerry Petitgoue.

His efforts have earned interest from Maryville University of St. Louis, which is moving up to NCAA Division II status next year, and Rochester University (N.Y.), a D-III program.

“They said they were interested in me for my athleticism, so I could play forward or guard, but it doesn’t really matter to me because I’ll fit wherever they need me,” Knoble said.

Chris Spencer would agree with their assessment. He’s in his second year as head coach of the elite boys squad, which will play in the Ripon Shootout this weekend as a tune-up for tournaments in Louisville and Las Vegas in July.

“He is an unbelievable athlete, so his No. 1 attribute is his versatility because he can play anywhere from a 1 to a 5,” said Spencer, a Manitowoc Lutheran standout whose playing career at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee was derailed by four knee surgeries. “Luke can shoot, he’s great anywhere around the free-throw line and makes good decisions.”

Knoble is excited about his future, but he knows that he faces a long road yet.

“Playing in the SWAL has definitely helped me out, and playing against those guys gives me confidence that I can do it at the next level,” Knoble said. “I’ve always been pretty good at attacking the basket and rebounding. I want to improve my ball handling, and even though I shot 39 percent from three-point range last season, I’m hard on myself and never satisfied. Besides, you can always improve your shooting.”

Higher Level Camps Boys Elite Roster

Kaleb Buch, Manitowoc Lutheran, senior

Tyler Jakups, Ashwaubenon, junior

Tim Callen, West Bend West, junior

Dominic Ufi, Little Chute, junior

Matt Dabney, Pewaukee, junior

Ryan Bode, Grafton, senior

Luke Knoble, Boscobel, senior

Scott Christensen, Verona, junior

Matt Kramer, Winneconne, senior

Michael Gehring, Hartford, senior

For information, visit www.higherlevelcamps.com or www.wiaauhoops.com.