April 28, 2008

Steve Smith Carbon Valley Farmer and Miner Sports Editor

FREDERICK - It's the longest regular season road trip that teams from Frederick make - the trip out Interstate 76 to Sterling. It's 112 miles one way and takes about an hour and 45 minutes in decent weather.

Luke Witty took the trip during basketball season when the Warriors faced the Tigers. It also turned into a successful audition for what turned out to be his new college team.

Witty signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Northeastern Junior College. This came after Sterling's coach told Northeastern's coach, Eddie Trenkle, about a prospect.

"That was a big influence," Witty said. "They are the only ones who talked to me. The coach called me and texted me to see how I was doing. He came down and watched a game against Berthoud."

There's one more thing that drew Witty to Northeastern, and that is the school's tradition in basketball. The Plainsmen have been to the national junior college tournament twice in the past three years.

"We were very impressed with the way he can shoot," Trenkle said. "The other thing that really impressed us is how fast he gets his shot off under pressure. We see Luke in a shooter's role. We are excited about his ability to put the ball in the hole."

McCook Community College in Nebraska, Metropolitan State College in Denver and Otero Junior College in La Junta showed varying degrees of interest in Witty. But his father, former boys basketball coach Terry Witty, said none of the interest matched that of Northeastern.

"The school does a good job of making sure the classes fit in with a college program," he said. "It's an excellent placement program for either Division I or Division II programs."

Class size figured into the decision, too. The average student-to-teacher ratio is between 20-to-1 and 25-to-1, similar to what's available at Frederick.

"The classes are small," Terry Witty said. "That gives Luke the opportunity to get some individual help. The smaller the class, the better the chance for him to get to know the teachers and for the teachers to get to know you."

The younger Witty wants to be a history teacher or a physical education instructor.

"Northeastern is a great fit for Luke academically," Trenkle said. "He will be taught by wonderful instructors. The class sizes are student friendly. The teachers know each student by name and really focus on giving them the best instruction possible."

"It's far enough away that he can be on his own," Terry Witty said. "It's close enough that Mom and Dad are close if he needs us. It's a perfect fit. The recruiting process is frustrating. You have to impress the coaches. I don't know why other coaches weren't impressed. But Coach Trenkle was, and we were impressed with him."

The younger Witty said he was ready to go play for the Plainsmen. The Plainsmen's coach seemed to be just as eager.

"We are very excited to get Luke here for the next couple of years," Trenkle said. "He will be a great addition for us."