Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Luke Hickey, who led the Lake boys basketball team to a 49-24 record over the past three seasons, has been hired as the next head coach at Central Catholic High School, where he will replace Mike Floyd.
“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,” Central Catholic director of athletics Greg 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 took over Lake’s program for the 2022-23 season as the Flyers were coming off seven straight losing seasons, with no more than eight wins in any of those years. The Flyers went 2-21 in his first year, but he won 17, 13, and 19 games in each of his next three years. Overall, he finished 51-45 during his tenure.
In fact, Lake’s 19 wins this past season is tied for the third-most wins in a single campaign in Millbury since at least 1996-97. Ryan Bowen led Lake to 21 wins in 2013-14, 20 in 2014-15, and 19 in 2012-13.
Hickey guided the Flyers to sectional titles in 2023-24 and 2025-26, and the team advanced to the district championship game this past season. He was named the 2025-26 District 7 Division IV Coach of the Year.
“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.”
Prior to becoming head coach, Hickey served as a varsity assistant at Lake from 2019-22, and he was the JV head coach in 2021-22, where he led the team to a 12-10 record.
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’s 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 JV baseball coach from 2017-19.
Hickey takes over for Floyd, who was hired as the head coach at his alma mater Defiance College in March after leading the Fighting Irish the past eight seasons. In 2025-26, he guided Central Catholic to a 23-4 record and a Division III state semifinal appearance.
