Prospect Profile: Kyle Luttinen (2018 Roosevelt HS)
One of the nice things about playing on the AAU circuit is that as you win games, you get more exposure. And when you perform well in the big games, college coaches really start paying close attention. That hopefully is the case for Kyle Luttinen. The lanky 6-foot-6, 160-pound wing from Roosevelt High School was hitting threes all throughout Northwest Coastal Elite’s run to the Premier Summer Championships title in Salem this past weekend, and according to his coach he may have well been the team’s unofficial MVP of the tournament.
“I think Kyle really got us going,” said NW Coastal Elite head coach Marques Chinn. “When he hit two and three threes, it helped people relax and breathe. He was a big MVP for us this weekend.”
There is one strength to Lutinnen’s game and it’s his outside shooting. He fits in well into NW Coastal Elite’s disciplined offense and work himself well into position to get open shots. But it’s one thing to get open shots – it’s another to make them, and Lutinnen certainly did that and at a high percentage. In the championship game alone, he nailed four threes.
“Definitely when I get my three going, everything else opens up,” Lutinnen said. “When I get the three going, I can get to the basket and do other things. I’ve been working with one of my strength coaches in Seattle trying to get bigger and quicker. I want to jump higher and get more rebounds – I’m trying to have more of an all-around game.”
As he noted, Lutinnen definitely needs to add some strength to his frame but his shooting skill is definitely attractive to college programs. Especially thanks to his play the last couple of tournaments, coaches have been in contact and Seattle University, Portland, and Whitman are three of the schools Lutinnen has been hearing from the most. At this point, he’s keeping his options open.
“I just want to see how it goes,” Lutinnen said. “I definitely want a good school, a place where I feel comfortable, and what’s a good fit for me.”
Lutinnen and his NW Coastal Elite teammates will have one more tournament to make an impression – this upcoming weekend at the Las Vegas Fab 48. “Our team is peaking us right now – I’m playing well, the team is playing well, and it’s been a lot of fun,” Lutinnen said. “We’re trying to go back-to-back-to-back.”