Hoffman Estates' Mead focuses on winning

There was no consolation for Luke Mead after last year's postseason exit.

Mead didn't take Hoffman Estates' 67-66 boys basketball regional semifinal loss to Schaumburg in stride. He took it as if he was a senior who had taken off his school's uniform for the last time.

There was no solace for Mead in playing what Hoffman coach Bill Wandro called "one of Luke's best games" with 25 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.

All that mattered, with Mead's postgame emotions clearly evident, was coming up 1 point short.

"I was definitely extremely depressed last year after we lost," Mead said. "Who we lost to - I live close to (graduated) Casey Terry and it was hard for him to go out like that.

"It's what I've always dreamed about, doing something big in the playoffs, and in the first round we're out."

That's what's driven the 6-foot-1 senior and returning all-area guard since he left the gym at Conant last February.

It's the third and final try for Mead to do what his brother Bryan did three times. Win regional titles capped by a trip to the state tournament in Peoria in 2004.

"I'm hungry to win this year because I haven't won a regional yet," Luke Mead said. "It's hard looking up at the banner (in the gym) and seeing my brother won a regional every year and there's nothing up there I can say is my own."

Mead has done everything he can to get his own piece of history. He is stronger and quicker and jumping even higher through his work in the weight room.

Mead is also ready to accept the need to lead a team that has only four seniors on the roster.

"I don't care what anyone says, it's difficult to be the leader as a junior when you have seniors on the team," Wandro said. "Kids never want to step on their friends' toes."

Mead also learned it isn't always easy for a sophomore making the jump to the varsity as he averaged 3.8 points a game.

It was a tougher transition than he expected. But a mistake in the regional final may have been a blessing in disguise.

"I was on the bench sitting next to Wandro and he grabbed me and said, 'Get in,'" Mead said.

"I thought he was another kid," Wandro laughed. "Luke took a charge and got an assist. That's how it all started."

Last year turned out to be a huge leap for Mead as he averaged 15 points, 41/2 assists and 3 rebounds and made 54 3-pointers. He's gone from just a catch-and-shoot threat on the perimeter to a creator of shots for himself and teammates off the dribble.

"I love making the great pass," Mead said.

"He still wants to be relied on to do all the scoring," Wandro said. " But Luke's a good passer and he makes good decisions. That will be a part of his game that will be more obvious this year."

Mead has also worked on his defense, which Wandro said isn't always easy for a top scorer. But what he's done at that end of the floor looks familiar.

"I saw the same progression with Bryan and by the end of his senior year he was one of our major defenders," Wandro said of the elder Mead, who shut down Waukegan scoring leader Emmanuel Gaiter in the fourth quarter of the 2004 supersectional. "Hopefully we'll have history repeat itself."

Which would be fitting since Luke Mead wants to become a history teacher and coach. Mead, who has a 2.9 grade point average, said he's received interest from a lot of Division III and a couple of Division II schools.

But right now the only school he's concerned about is Hoffman.

"We're way more focused than last year and everyone is coming together for a common goal," Mead said. "We don't care about points, assists and rebounds, we're all in it for the team.

"We have to be humble and take adversity as it comes. If we go on a winning streak we have to take it as we can do more and this isn't our main goal.

"We have to set the bar higher. We all agreed that's what we wanted and we're pushing each other toward that goal."

After all, Luke Mead doesn't want any consolation prizes.