Arni's Birthday Zoom: Tommy Luce
Purdue men’s basketball graduate assistant Tommy Luce turns 26 today (Feb. 21, 2023). Find out what the former walk-on guard and legendary fan favorite has to say about being on the upside of 30, his role with Boilermaker basketball and much more.
Luce is a native of Jeffersonville, Ind., but spent three of his high school years at Richmond, (Ind.) H.S. playing for his dad before his senior year at Jeffersonville. Not surprisingly, basketball was always part of his birthday celebration.
“My parents always made time for me to have something special on my birthday,” Luce said. “Sure we were in the middle of basketball, but it was always a special day.”
Luce’s role as a graduate assistant is multi-faceted, focusing on individual training. That individual work is spent on shooting and keeping guys sharp.
“We are really careful this time of year to keep guys’ legs fresh,” Luce said. “We want them to keep their confidence, and at this time of the year, the guys just want to see the ball go through the basket.”
On the Mt. Rushmore of all-time walk-on fan favorites, Luce said he learned to embrace the fan admiration and attention from local and national media.
“At first, I wondered why they were cheering for me,” Luce said. “But it ended up being a great experience for me that I never expected to have.”
Luce said he got an extra smile during the final two minutes of Saturday’s win over Ohio State when Carson Barrett scored four points off the bench, much to the delight of the Mackey Arena crowd.
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“Those guys work so hard, and it was great that they had a chance to have a moment on the court,” said Luce, who was nicknamed the “King of Mackey” and received attention from basketball’s media stars like Scott Van Pelt, Clark Kellogg and Bill Raftery. “They represent our scout team, and are on the court before our regulars are. They are critical to our success.”
As you will notice on the Arni’s Birthday Zoom video, a big smile came to Luce’s face when asked about the special week that is Purdue/IU prep. Yet, Luce also harnesses his inner coach when he says, “sure we are excited about playing Indiana, but we also know that we have to prepare like we have prepared all season.
“We know Mackey Arena will be rocking Saturday night.”
Luce enjoys his experience on coach Matt Painter’s staff and says this team is as close as anyone he has been around. His grad program is in technology, leadership and innovation. He was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” at the end of today’s practice.
I want to stay in coaching and would like to be a part of a support staff somewhere after this season and try to work my way up the ranks,” Luce said. “Whether that’s being a DOBO (director of basketball operations), video coordinator, or player development.”
Luce has several paths he can pursue, but is in no hurry to see this season come to an end.
“We are excited about what is ahead,” Luce said.
“How do you keep it Luce” video
Recent Arni’s Birthday Zoom interviews:
Note: We have been doing Arni’s Birthday Zoom interviews dating back to 2020. Many of those interviews can be found on Google. We are working on providing a complete directory of the many former men’s and women’s athletes who have participated.
