Santa Barbara High School basketball guard Luke Zuffelato hit a game-winning three to make his mark at Hoophall West in early January, giving his team their eighth win in the last nine games. Two weeks later and 2500 miles away, Zuffelato looked to top that performance on day two of Hoophall at Blake Arena.
Zuffelato is a 6-foot-5-inch do-it-all star for the Dons, but the recognition that he got even a few games into his senior season was next to none — until Zuffelato went viral.
On Dec. 30, Santa Barbara faced southern California rival Sierra Canyon in front of a sold-out crowd, and the game came down to the wire. With less than three seconds to go, the Dons had to go full court to try and get a shot off. An excellent three-quarters court pass from guard DJ Wilson, who happens to be a quarterback for the Dons football team, found Zuffelato on the wing and beat the clock with a 25-foot, one-legged bank shot. The shot gave Santa Barbara a 75-74 win over Sierra Canyon, as fans stormed the court to celebrate with Zuffelato.
The video of Zuffelato splashing the shot got posted on pages including MaxPreps and Ballislife, and amassed over a million views. However, the fame was short-lived because Zuffelato hit his buzzer-beater at Hoophall West four days later. The shots were undeniably clutch, as both occurred with his team down two points, and the ball found his hands each time.
“It was crazy. The Sierra Canyon one, honestly, I was trying to aim for the backboard, and it worked,” Zuffelato said. “The next one, I just got to my left side and pulled it off. Our team chemistry has been great since then.”
California high school basketball is regarded as arguably the best basketball state in the country, as they have produced the most players in the NBA out of any state. Zuffelato has his own NBA family connection, as his grandfather Bob was a longtime assistant in the league and a head coach for Boston College. Zuffelato has many connections, but none are more substantial than his dad, Greg, who is also the head coach of Santa Barbara.
“[Zuffelato] is very coachable,” Greg said. “He has been playing for me for so long, and if you can get coached by your dad, you can be coached by anyone. It’s stressful at times worrying about your son and the game at the same time, but I credit him on his demeanor.”
When Zuffelato’s high school career closes, he will be an all-time great at Santa Barbara. Zuffelato leads his team in points per game (24), rebounds per game (11.8) and assists per game (5.8), while shooting an astounding 51 percent from beyond the arc. Zuffelato has school records, such as most points in a game (46), most points in a season and the most career three-pointers made by the end of his junior year.
“It means a lot to me to have [the records],” Zuffelato said. “It’s cool to pass great players like Jamaal Wilkes and many more.”
On Friday at Hoophall, Santa Barbara struggled early against Ridgefield, going down 25-15 early in the second quarter, with Zuffelato being double-teamed on every drive. Ridgefield’s young fans were trying to heckle Zuffelato, chanting “ball hog” every time he got a touch. Zuffelato was unfazed, as a pair of forced turnovers by the Dons led to multiple buckets, and they ended the half on a 10-2 run, going into the third quarter only down by two.
“We have to guard the ball better. If we buckle down and guard, it’s hard to shoot over us,” Zuffelato said. “But this gym and environment is amazing.”
Santa Barbara rattled off ten points in the first two minutes of the third behind Zuffelato and his best friend Carter Battle, the team’s best on-ball defender who returned this year from a torn ACL in 2023.
Zuffelato hit a pair of threes to put his team up 46-41 with the right minutes to play, and guard Diesel Lowe hit a pair of tough shots to extend the lead to 11. The Dons displayed exceptional passing the entire game, which led to easy corner threes and baseline buckets. Santa Barbara eventually closed the game with a 66-52 victory, headlined by Zuffelato’s MVP performance of 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The Dons shot 9-13 from deep in the second half, propelling them to finish the game strong.
With his team’s recent rise and performance, Zuffelato hopes he can get more college looks. Zuffelato has two Division I offers from in-state universities: UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego. Zuffelato knows he can eventually get more opportunities.
“It’ll all work out in the long run,” Zuffelato said. “I feel like I’m better than some players I see getting a bunch of offers, but if I play how I’m supposed to play in college, I can build myself up. I know how I play and how hard I work. I’m not worried at all.”
Zuffelato’s performance left an impression on coach Tobin Anderson and Iona University, as he shortly received this third Division I offer from the Gaels.
Video By Ballislife
Photo by Liam Reilly/Springfield Student