You could say Arizona Christian University senior forward Steven Loucks knows his A, B, C’s.
Academics. Basketball. Coffee.
Coffee?
“I’m definitely a home-brewed type-of-guy,” Loucks confidently said with a wide smile to Sports360AZ.com earlier this week. “I’m 35 in a 21-year-old body.”
The caffeine kick has helped the former Yuma Cibola High School standout, who made his way to ACU after three seasons at Division II Western New Mexico University. A lack of team success and a coaching change at WNM created a path back to Arizona where the 6-foot-7 Loucks is now one of the starting forwards for the 12-2 Firestorm who opened the week ranked 14th in NAIA play.
His homecoming so-to-speak has been a success on and off the court.
“I absolutely love it,” Loucks said of ACU. “I love everything about this school. The people really make it. My only regret is that I didn’t come here earlier.”
Loucks was set to play junior college ball out of state when he was noticed by Western New Mexico at a showcase tournament in Las Vegas after averaging 14 points and eight rebounds his senior year for the Raiders.
Now back in Arizona the well-studied secondary education major is finding his balance at ACU.
“We knew we’d get a really skilled player with some size,” Firestorm head coach Jeff Rutter told Sports360AZ.com after Loucks team-high 16 points against Westmont (CA) Tuesday. “I think I’ve been pleasantly surprised with his leadership ability. He’s got a gift of encouragement. The guys like to be around him.”
When Loucks isn’t studying, shooting or sipping coffee he enjoys reading and letting the chaotic life of a student-athlete slow down a little bit.
“I love to be outdoors,” he said. “Fishing. Hunting. Anything where I can get outdoors and see some trees is always nice.”
Sometimes change is good.
Loucks sure thinks so and ACU couldn’t be happier.
