Know Your Team: Meshack & Chadrack Lufile
Anyone thinking that the Halifax Hurricanes seems very tight-knight this season, it may have something to do with the addition of two players who know each other better than possibly any others in the league - brothers Chadrack and Meshack Lufile.
Meshack Lufile
6'8
Forward
From Burlington, Ontario
In the CIS, Meshack represented the CBU Capers in Sydney, Nova Scotia, for five seasons. In his senior year he averaged 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game on 67% field shooting - the latter of which being the best in the Atlantic University Sport conference in the 2015-16 season, in which he was also named AUS Defensive Player of the Year.
From there, he went on to play for Aris Leeuwarden in the Dutch Basketball League, where he continued his form from the Capers, ending the season averaging 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 56% field goal shooting.
In summer 2017, he and his brothers Chadrack and Abednego represented ACE in the pro-am Crown League. He then began the 2017-18 season for Leeuwarden, but midway through joined the Island Storm. He appeared in twenty games, but saw minimal playing time.
His efforts in that time, though, were enough for the Halifax Hurricanes to see potential in Lufile, who signed him for the 2018-19 season.
Chadrack Lufile
6'9
Forward
From Burlington, Ontario
Chadrack did not start playing basketball until his junior year at Assumption High School in Burlington. He quickly took to the game, though, and in senior year led his team to a 38-7 record and was nominated for the school's athletics wall of fame.
He then went on to average 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game across two seasons for the Coffeyville Red Ravens, leading the team to the Jayhawk East division title. His performances here saw him recruited to the Wichita State Shockers in the NCAA, where he reached two Division 1 tournaments (With a Final Four finish in the first and as the Midwest number-one seeds in the second).
Chadrack was then chosen 46th overall in the 2014 NBA D-League Draft by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, for whom he played nine games. The next team he appeared for would be the Cape Breton Highlanders in the 2016-17 NBL Canada season. He averaged 11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and shot 48% in the field in his NBLC debut season.
2017 proved to be a busy summer for the taller Lufile - as well as appearing with both his brothers in the Crown League, he represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo at AfroBasket. The team defeated eventual runners-up Nigeria to finish second in Group A, but were them eliminated by eventual winners Tunisia in the knockout stage.
After playing for Verve in the Malaysian D-League, Chadrack began the 2018-19 NBL Canada season with the St. John's Edge. Released after only three games, he went to join his brother Meshack on the Halifax Hurricanes.
In securing the services of both, Halifax may have snapped up two of the biggest free agent steals of the season in the experienced, reliable and highly experienced Lufile brothers.
Pictures: North Pole Hoops & Charlie Riedel
