Schenscher blossoms in Yellow Jackets win

The 7-footer from Australia had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Seven-footers may be back in vogue after Luke Schenscher's performance in the Final Four.
He scores. He rebounds. He passes. He sets picks. He blocks shots. And at the end, he just got in the way.
Symbolically and literally, the 7-1 Schenscher was a dominating figure in Georgia Tech's 67-65 victory over Oklahoma State in the national semifinals Saturday.
For the first time in school history, the Yellow Jackets will play for a national championship Monday night against either Duke or Connecticut, who played in Saturday night's late game.
For that, they can thank the Big Aussie.
Sure, Will Bynum scored the winning basket on a scintillating drive with 1.5 seconds remaining. But Schenscher was right in the middle of things -- clogging up the lane, nudging Ivan McFarlin with a shoulder and clearing a path for Bynum to drop in the shot that sent the Yellow Jackets to the title game.
Led the attack
Schenscher was all over the stat sheet, leading Georgia Tech with both 19 points and 12 rebounds. He also had an assist and a block, but that told only part of the story.
He was constantly setting picks that created space. He drew a bunch of double-teams, which freed up teammates. He kept putting Oklahoma State one-and-out when the Cowboys missed a shot.
After a desperation heave fell far short at the buzzer, Schenscher carried his teammates one final time. Or at least one. Senior guard Marvin Lewis, who got the Yellow Jackets going with five 3-pointers in the first half, leaped into Schenscher's arms.
Yep, this was a g'day for the Yellow Jackets.
"Yeah, Marvin!" Schenscher screamed as he headed off the court in tandem with Lewis.
Along the way, the Big Aussie paused to slap hands with Georgia Tech's fans -- some of them wearing T-shirts bearing the message: "Luke has a posse."
Bulked up this year
Schenscher has become something a cult hero during Georgia Tech's run to the championship game. He arrived in Atlanta as a gangly, unknown player from Down Under.
He bulked up 35 pounds -- Schenscher now weighs 250 -- and developed his game slowly over the last two seasons.
When Chris Bosh went to the NBA and Ed Nelson transferred to UConn, depriving the Yellow Jackets of their top inside players, there seemed to be a giant void in the middle.
That was the major reason Georgia Tech was picked to finish seventh in the nine-team Atlantic Coast Conference before the season. At the end, they'll be one of two teams in the country still alive.
Along the way, Schenscher proved there's still a place for the big man in this game. Guards and wing players have come to dominate in recent years, leaving many teams to wonder if there's even a need for a true center.
Just look at Oklahoma State, which started three guards and no one taller than McFarlin, a 6-8 forward. Schenscher and the Yellow Jackets took advantage of that glaring hole in the middle.