By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Chris Lutz

E.J. Perry is certainly familiar with the threats Chris Lutz and Chad Millard pose to the opposition on the basketball court. Perry and his Salem High boys basketball squad had the unenviable task of trying to keep the former Trinity of Manchester standouts in check during the 2003-04 Class L state semifinals.

“They're the type of players who can still blow by you for a reverse layup even though you did everything right (defensively),” Perry said. “Only in the film session (after the game) can you appreciate what they can do.”

Fortunately for Perry's Blue Devils, that Final Four game tape doesn't do the skills of this duo justice.

Holding Lutz and Millard at bay, Salem shocked unbeaten Trinity, one of the nation's top teams.

Fortunately for Lutz and Millard, they were already on the radar screens of two major-college basketball programs. Now, the former THS stars are finding themselves on the Division I hardwood as college freshmen.

Bedford's Lutz is currently playing big minutes for the Big Ten's Purdue Boilermakers. Goffstown's Millard is contributing to Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals club of the Big East.

“The things they were doing,” recalled Manchester Central coach David “Doc” Wheeler, “your mind is constantly going ‘How do I contain them?'”

The problem Perry, Wheeler and a host of other Class L hoops coaches once faced now belongs to some of college basketball's premiere names.

Diaper dandies

Having already played at powerhouse Memphis and Michigan, Lutz, nearly 21, was among the team leaders in minutes per game through Tuesday, Jan. 10, averaging 30.0 per contest.

“I think it is very unusual, but times are changing a little bit where freshmen are getting the chance to play,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said by email when his team traveled to face the Wolverines. “He knew he had a chance to play from day one. Especially with injuries, he has been able to get more minutes, but he might have got them anyway. ...

“We expect him to continue to improve,” Painter added, “and hopefully be an all-Big Ten player someday.”

The expectations on Lutz to make immediate contributions are welcomed by the Purdue freshman since he owns prior experience dealing with a similar scenario.

“As a freshman at Trinity, I was thrown in the same way there,” Lutz said. “I played a big role and tried to lead that team. ... Having always contributed right away helped make it easier here.”

Through Jan. 9, Lutz, 6-foot-2, 189-pound guard, was also second on the team in scoring, pouring in 11.5 per game, while taking the top spot in 3-point field goals at 2.4 per matchup.

“There are times in practice when he gets hot and shoots the ball, and hits seven or eight shots in a row from 3-point land,” Painter said. “In time, once he gains strength, I think he is going to be more than just a shooter on the offensive end.”

Wheeler and Perry both recalled Lutz's performance in the New Hampshire all-star game following the '03-'04 campaign.

“The reality was Lutz was just a tremendous high school player. He was virtually unstoppable,” said Wheeler, currently coaching Boston College-bound Tyler Roche of Hooksett. “We had 12 players and everybody played equal time in that 32-minute game. Lutz still managed to score 28 points.”

“Chris was just jumping through the roof doing these dunks,” Perry said. “I remember saying ‘I didn't know he could do that. Man, if I had known, I would've guarded him differently (in the state tourney).'”

Meanwhile, Millard is sure to present plenty of headaches to opposing defenses, too. Though he garners fewer minutes than Lutz, he's making the most of his opportunity when receiving the call from Pitino.

Through Monday, Jan. 9, the Goffstown resident averaged 11.3 minutes per game – one of seven members of the 14-man roster to break double digits in playing time.

“Chad has worked hard on and off the court ...,” Pitino said. “His feel of the game, ability to find the open man and understanding of what we are trying to do on offense and defense have led to his increased playing time of late.”

Millard said the secret to his early success is the result of refusing to put expectations on himself. Without the burden of worrying whether he's meeting personal goals, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward is free to play inspired basketball.

In Louisville's Big East opener against then-No. 3 Villanova on Jan. 5, Millard had 11 points, three rebounds, one block and one steal in 21 minutes of action.

“Our expectations for freshmen are all the same,” Pitino said. “Our goal is that they improve every day in every aspect of their life and for us to become a better basketball team while each individual becomes a better player at the same time.”

Chad Millard

According to Millard, he constantly incorporates his favorite piece of advice into his on-court efforts. Millard's motto is simple:

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.”

Living by that message, Millard said, is the single-greatest reason he's playing D-I hoops.

“I'll always remember running down the tunnel for my first game at Louisville,” Millard said. “I remember thinking ‘I finally made it to what my goal had been all through high school.'

“Being in Kentucky, basketball is a huge priority,” he added. “You have 19,000 people every game loving what you do.”

Millard has one friend in West Lafayette, Ind., watching, too.

“With Chad, I try to pay attention to what he's doing right now,” Lutz said. “I watched him on TV against Villanova. He showed how much he can contribute. “I talked to him after that game,” he added. “He's going to be a great player there. He's always had that (hardworking) mentality. He's going to do great things there.”

State of New Hampshire high school hoops Along with Lutz and Millard, other Granite State talents are making names for themselves at the D-I level.

Luke Bonner, younger brother of Toronto Raptor Matt Bonner, was part of the dominant Trinity trio of '03-'04. He's currently sitting out this season after transferring from West Virginia to UMass.

Merrimack High alum Corey Hassan, a freshman at Boston University, also made the leap to D-I. In his first game with the Terriers the former Tomahawk traveled to Duke.

The profile of New Hampshire hoops has definitely increased on the national level, Wheeler said, as a result of many local athletes earning spots on DI rosters.

While Lutz, Millard, Bonner and Hassan – soon to be joined by Central's Roche – stand to enjoy successful college careers, Wheeler said that's not simply due to the raw skills they share.

Athletic ability, coupled with the unquenchable desire to improve, is precisely what allowed these athletes to showcase their talents on the national stage, the Central coach added.

“If you're a talented young kid, if you want to work your rear end off, there are no parameters,” Wheeler said. “You can dream the dream. They're showing it's real.”