Shortly after Luke Zumo took his first steps, his father Peter placed a basketball in his hands.

Zumo said he admits the story sounds cliché, but it’s true.

“I carried a basketball with me everywhere,” Zumo said. “People always found me with one.”

That’s just how former Wolfpack head coach Jerry Hernandez found him last year, as Zumo was playing in a conference game for Catholic High School of Baton Rouge. And when Zumo signed with Hernandez in May, he made history, becoming the first Loyola student to be awarded a sports scholarship since 1972.

“Luke instantly upgraded not only our basketball team but our university as well,” Hernandez said after the signing. “His academic credentials, his family and his background all lend to what Loyola is all about.”

Zumo, a 6-foot-2-inch point guard for Loyola, said he’s proud to be part of the university. And since the school year began, Zumo said he’s been adjusting to the college life, on and off the court.

Zumo’s journey to Loyola began last year when his father attended a Loyola game to see Zumo’s friend Ryan Kinsley, now a general studies sophomore, play for the ‘Pack.

“Ryan and I went to elementary and high school together,” Zumo said. “We’ve been playing YMCA ball together since we were 6 and 7 years old.”

Based on what his dad told him, Zumo said he decided to fill out and send in an application for admission to Loyola.

Zumo averaged 22.7 points a game his senior year and was second team all-state and his district’s MVP. He said that soon after he sent his application, Hernandez attended a few of his games.

“He watched me play and came over to the house to visit once,” he said.

Zumo said they didn’t discuss anything too serious; they were simply getting to know each other. He later took a trip to Loyola, where Hernandez gave him a tour.

“The campus was absolutely beautiful, but I was more impressed with the teachers and how friendly everyone on campus was,” he said. “I just had this good feeling about Loyola.”

Now that he’s a student here, Zumo said he’s really enjoying it.

“The fact that I feel so comfortable here just shows that I couldn’t have found a better fit.”

He also said the team has taken him in and treated him as an equal.

“All the guys are great. We push each other. We have a general feeling of working hard,” Zumo said. “Going into it, I didn’t know if the guys would treat freshmen equally, but I don’t think that now.”

On the court, Zumo said the biggest challenge he faces is adapting to the college style of play.

“Guys are much quicker and stronger on this level. I’m going to have to learn how to defend against that.”

Off the court, he said biology is his toughest opponent.

“It’s my hardest class. I’m definitely going to have to do extra work to keep up.”

Zumo said one of the many things he’s learning at Loyola is practicing time management. “With class, homework and basketball practice, I’m always busy. Sometimes, it’s hard to focus.”

But he said he isn’t worried.

“I knew I’d be in good hands when I came here.”

Chris Anderson can be reached at [email protected].