Trinity Christian's Luke Carson to play college basketball
May 6—On Wednesday, basketball standout Luke Carson signed a letter of intent to dribble the rock at Austin College.
Carson is a senior at Trinity Christian Academy in Willow Park. If the kid's name sounds familiar, he was selected as Most Valuable Player — the highest superlative award granted — on this year's All Private School Boys Basketball Team. The accompanying blurb described Carson as having a "work ethic that would shame a honeybee."
Carson averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block a game, and scored 39 points in one contest.
Head Coach Dayton Sheridan described Carson as a "one-of-a-kind" athlete.
"His work ethic is second to none, bringing with it his passion and love for the game," Sheridan said. "In that, he is the type of player any coach would want. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Luke is dedicated to getting better as a player, always pushing his teammates, stepping up when there time as needed and representing all the best parts of a Christian athlete."
In his freshman year, Carson attended Bethesda Christian in Fort Worth, a small school with a total of 300 students from K-12. As a sophomore, Carson transferred to Trinity Christian and became a leader on and off the court.
"I wanted to set an example of work ethic and a fiery competitive nature," he said. "I would get here at 6:30 a.m. every day before school and let some teammates join me in tough workouts. It was two to three times a day, on the court, then in the weight room."
As a senior, Carson played through a broken nose and a jaw and overcame other adversities.
"Time and time again, as he was knocked down, he got right back up," the coach said. "It is in Luke's heart that shows what a great young man he is. It has been an honor and a blessing to have coached him the last three years. He is going to have an amazing career at the next level."
Austin College, despite its name, is nowhere near the state capitol. It's a Division III liberal arts college in Sherman, northeast of Denton. The school was chartered in 1849 and launched its basketball program in 1910.
"They are a good program and always finish top two or three in their conference every year," Carson said. "They consistently compete for a March Madness tournament spot every year, and I wanted to be part of a winning program."
The college mascot is a familiar one in these parts — the Kangaroos.
