The UW-Whitewater men’s basketball team has received a strong playmaker and leader by example in the form of guard Luke Bara. A Division II transfer from Davenport University, the junior has been making an impact on and off the court in his first year as a Warhawk, while holding relationships that root back to his days in high school.
“It’s a winning program and culture,” Bara said on transferring to Whitewater. “I know that I will have success here my last two years.”
Bara grew up in Muskego, playing high school basketball at Muskego High School and playing a postgraduate season with Elevation Prep in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Warhawks head coach Jarod Wichser, who was an assistant coach at the time, recruited Bara heavily out of high school, but he decided to take his basketball career to Davenport.
In his two seasons with the Panthers, Bara averaged 5.5 points per game on 38.4% shooting, with 1.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He decided to enter the transfer portal after his sophomore season, where he ultimately chose the Warhawks.
“I’ve known coach Wichser for a while,” Bara said. “He recruited me and I kind of knew he believed in me, and I saw his vision for the program so I wanted to be a part of it.”
In his time being a Warhawk, Bara has formed many relationships with his teammates that have helped him settle into his new home.
“It’s probably been one of my favorite parts about Whitewater,” Bara said. “We have a good group of guys. Coming in as a transfer isn’t always easy but Richie [Warren], my roommate, is really cool along with a lot of the guys making it easy to fit right in.”
Wichser recruited Bara for all of the attributes he brings to the court and the leadership that he displays for his teammates. Being that he is a junior, his leadership is important to the team given his experience as a player and teammate.
“Luke is able to see the floor very well and is very unselfish,” Wichser said. “He’s able to not only find the open guys, but he’s willing to share the ball, and he’s also able to score. He’s a vocal leader when he needs to be. He’s really a guy that leads by example, he leads by being coachable.”
Bara is entering only his second semester at UW-W but has already been able to create memories that are key to his basketball career. His favorite moment is when the team defeated No. 1 UW-Platteville 74-68 Jan. 22, which he described as a “special win for us.” Bara added 16 points on 60% shooting in that contest, 50% from three-point range.
“We were coming off a tough loss and we all came together and made it happen,” Bara said.
As the men’s basketball team gets closer to the end of the regular season with the WIAC tournament approaching, Bara stated his goals for him and the team that lay ahead.
“I haven’t been lucky enough to make the conference tournament in my college career,” Bara said. “We have six games left and that’s very achievable. Make the conference tournament, win the conference tournament, then go from there.”
Bara has made an impact since transferring to Whitewater and will continue to lead by example as the Warhawks enter the final stretch of their season.
