NBA Draft: What to know about Franklin's Luke Kennard

Franklin’s Luke Kennard, right, and his dad Mark look into the crowd before Luke threw out the the ceremonial first pitch before a Reds game against the Phillies on Monday, June 8, 2015, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. David Jablonski/Staff

Franklin’s Luke Kennard, right, and his dad Mark look into the crowd before Luke threw out the the ceremonial first pitch before a Reds game against the Phillies on Monday, June 8, 2015, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. David Jablonski/Staff
NBA DRAFT
By
June 21, 2017
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The NBA draft is scheduled for Thursday night, and Luke Kennard is expected to be selected in the first round.

Here is what you need to know about the basketball star:

• Born in Middletown, Kennard was a member of the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Franklin High School, where he scored 2,977 points. That's No. 2 in Ohio prep history, more than LeBron James and Jerry Lucas, among others.

Kennard is one of six Ohio high school players to score more than 1,000 points in a single season. He had five 50-point games as a senior. He was also a standout quarterback for the Wildcats.

Luke Kennard was the state’s D-II offensive player of the year following his junior season at Franklin High School in 2013. He didn’t play football as a senior. FILE

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MORE: Franklin ‘couldn’t ask for better ambassador’ than Luke Kennard

•A McDonald's All-American, Kennard was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball twice and signed with Duke as a consensus top 25 recruit in the country three years ago.

In 73 games for the Blue Devils, Kennard averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He was a unanimous All-ACC choice this season and was named the MVP of the ACC Tournament.

GREENVILLE, SC - MARCH 19: Luke Kennard #5 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots the ball against Sindarius Thornwell #0 of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Credit: Kevin C. Cox

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Credit: Kevin C. Cox

WATCH: Franklin native, NBA prospect Luke Kennard sings One Direction

•Kennard declared for the draft with two years of eligibility remaining. A month ago, our look at various mock drafts had him going anywhere from No. 12 to 21.

A consensus mock draft compiled by NBA.com and published Monday has Kennard going to the Denver Nuggets at No. 13. However, the most common landing spot for him in the mocks they surveyed was the Detroit Pistons at No. 12.

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Marcus Hartman has been a digital sports columnist and reporter at Cox's Ohio newspapers the Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News since 2016.