Central Catholic Hires Luke Hickey as Boys’ Basketball Coach
Central Catholic High School has announced the hiring of Luke Hickey as its new head boys’ basketball coach, Director of Athletics Greg Dempsey ’90 announced Tuesday.
“Luke has done an outstanding job elevating the Lake basketball program and is the perfect fit to continue building on the strong tradition established at Central Catholic,” Dempsey said. “We are excited to welcome Luke as the leader of our program and look forward to the future of Irish basketball under his direction.”
Hickey comes to Cherry Street following four seasons as head boys’ basketball coach at Lake High School, where he revitalized the program. After the Flyers posted a combined 36-118 record in the seven seasons prior to his arrival, Hickey guided Lake to a 51-45 mark during his tenure, including a 49-24 record over the past three seasons. His teams produced three consecutive winning seasons — the program’s first such stretch in more than a decade — while capturing two sectional championships, finishing as Northern Buckeye Conference runner-up twice, and earning a district runner-up finish.
For his efforts, Hickey was named the 2025-26 District 7 Division IV Coach of the Year and earned Suburban Press Co-Coach of the Year honors in 2023-24.
Prior to becoming head coach, Hickey served as Lake’s junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant during the 2021-22 season, leading the JV team to a 12-10 record. He also spent two seasons as a varsity assistant (2019-21), contributing to all aspects of the program, including scouting, film analysis, player development, and program operations.
A graduate of Whitmer High School, Hickey was a member of the Panthers’ 2012 Division I state runner-up team. He went on to play baseball at Bluffton University, where he was a four-year starter and earned all-conference honors each season. Hickey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bluffton and serves as an intervention specialist.
He began his coaching and teaching career at Lima Bath High School, where he also served as junior varsity baseball coach from 2017-19.
Hickey now takes over a Central Catholic program with a proud tradition and recent success, and he is eager to continue building a culture of excellence on and off the court.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be in this position,” Hickey said. “It’s not something I take lightly. The traditions, values, and sustained success here — not only in athletics but across the entire institution — are truly second to none. I’m excited to be part of it and look forward to getting started, working with our players, and continuing to build this program in a positive way.”
