EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Evansville native Luke Ellspermann is returning to his hometown to join the University of Evansville men's basketball program. The Memorial High School graduate was a freshman at Wabash College last season.
 
"Luke is an extremely competitive individual that comes from an athletic family. Luke can score the ball at all 3 levels and has the ability to involve his teammates by putting them in great scoring situations," Purple Aces head men's basketball coach David Ragland said. "Luke scores and shoots the ball from the perimeter at an efficient rate.  His competitive spirit and hunger to win is infectious to his teammates and will allow him to step into a leadership role the moment he steps on campus. We are excited to bring Luke back home to continue his collegiate career."
 
In his first collegiate season at Wabash, the 6-foot guard led the Little Giants with 15.9 points per game and a total of 66 assists. Playing just under 30 minutes per game, he chipped in an average of 4.9 caroms. He was a 46.8% shooter from the field while converting 39.6% of his outside attempts. Ellspermann's top performance came against Berea where he recorded 28 points while hitting 7 of his 13 long range attempts.
 
"I chose Evansville for the great academic and athletic opportunities this institution has to offer," Ellspermann explained. "Also, having the opportunity to wear the jersey of a team I admired growing up has always been a dream of mine."
 
As a senior at Memorial in 2024-25, Ellspermann averaged 19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per contest. He was named the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference Player of the Year along with All-State Honorable Mention accolades.