Lawrence basketball player graduates at top of his class, has Ivy League future
LAWRENCE - A basketball star on and off the court, Obbie Luciano graduated at the top of his class and has an Ivy League future ahead of him.
Credits Boys & Girls Club for his love of basketball
Luciano is not just a top player on Lawrence High School's basketball team, he's the Class of 2024's salutatorian and is headed to Yale University in the fall. A strong influence on his path to success came from spending afternoons at the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club.
"I had to be second grade, like 7 years old, around that time. Here at the Boys Club, it's where my passion grew for basketball," said Luciano. "Just coming here every day and just seeing people playing and they're way better than me. It kind of built up this competitive spirit in me. I just want to be the best in whatever I do."
"I remember him jumping around in the gym as a little kid," said Markus Fischer, the executive director of the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. "Looking out of my office window up there and every time I turned around, I saw him shooting hoops."
Luciano combined his competitive spirit with a work ethic instilled in him by his parents. His mother, Rosa Roman, is a caregiver during the day and a Marshall's warehouse worker at night. His father, Nadobert, is a barber in Lawrence.
"The resiliency, the persistence, the consistency. Every day you have to get up and get after what you need to survive," said Luciano. "They've given me a chance to have all these opportunities to better my life."
"It's a dream for us to see him succeed"
This season with the Lawrence Lancers, Luciano averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds per game for the 17-8 Lancers. He also earned Boston Globe and Herald All-Scholastic Honors. He's also received academic honors from his school, the Lawrence City Council and State Senate.
"I've never seen an athlete just worry about their schoolwork," said Lawrence Assistant Coach Jimmy Cuyler. "Every time he gets a break, he's on the computer...he's just a different breed." Cuyler said Luciano even inspired him to go back to school to become an athletic director.
"This is what we're living for," said an emotional Fischer. "This is what we're working for. It's a dream for us to see him succeed."
Luciano graduated with a 4.71 GPA and will major in computer science at Yale. He also plans to try out as a walk-on for the men's basketball team.