'Great fit': Mississauga's Vladimir Lukomski continuing basketball career at Wilfrid Laurier University

'Great fit': Mississauga's Vladimir Lukomski continuing basketball career at Wilfrid Laurier University

https://www.mississauga.com/community-story/9427583--great-fit-mississauga-s-vladimir-lukomski-continuing-basketball-career-at-wilfrid-laurier-university/

Vladimir Lukomski has always wanted to challenge himself as a basketball player.

That kind of mindset is what inspired him to go from playing varsity basketball with St. Marcellinus in Mississauga to prep ball, first with RISE Academy in Brantford, then with Moravian Prep in North Carolina.

"My goal going down (to Moravian Prep last year) was to play against top competition," said Lukomski, who has committed to playing for Wilfrid Laurier University next season. "I wanted to see how I rank up against those guys and to push myself."While many talented players go through the prep route in hopes of landing an NCAA scholarship, Lukomski is happy to return home and test himself in the U SPORTS system.

In recent years, Lukomski feels some Canadian universities, including Laurier, have become as competitive as low- to mid-major programs in the United States. He believes Laurier's program will help him reach his goal of playing professional basketball after university.He did a lot of research on his options and found, through talking to some people, that as coveted as NCAA Division 1 is, some people may fall for the bells and whistles and not get the most out of their experience going through that route.

"It's a great option here and a lot of pro teams are watching here in Canada," he said. "I'm really happy I found this great fit with Laurier and coach Justin (Serresse)."

Before he committed to RISE Prep for his Grade 12 year in 2017, Lukomski led the St. Marcellinus Spirit to the 2016-17 Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association (ROPSSAA) championship. 

In his last season at St. Marcellinus, he also earned several individual honours, including the title of Mr. Peel Basketball. He thanked a number of people at St. Marcellinus for helping him reach his goals.