Kruger Making a Point With the Flash

By Neil K. Warner

As one of the final cuts from the Orlando Magic, Kevin Kruger can think back on that experience and borrow a line from Tommy Boy, one of his favorite movies. Son of a ... that's going to leave a mark.

So close to living the NBA dream, so close he could either laugh or cry and when pursuing an NBA career it is helpful to have a sense of humor, which is one of the things Kruger says most people don’t know about him — that he is funny.

“My girlfriend will do something and I’ll spit out a movie quote and she’ll just look at me with a blank stare,” Kruger says with a smile. “She’ll remember the story line of a movie, but I remember the funny one-liners. I’ve got a bunch of them on my phone.”

Tommy Boy, Wedding Crashers, Happy Gilmore, just to name a few. Kruger will pull out a line from one of those movies without warning when the situation calls for it.

Holy Snykees!

“I’m not a very serious guy at all. I may not talk very much but I love going to comedies and sitting around watching TV and laughing,” Kruger said. “But once I’m on the court it’s a completely different thing. That’s not the time to be joking around or messing around.”

When Kruger is on the court he’s all business which is one of the reasons why the Flash took him with its first pick in the D-League Draft. He can shoot. He can pass and he is a winner.

“I would like to think I have some intangibles, but that’s really not something for me to decide,” Kruger said. “As a player, I think my strengths are getting the ball where it needs to be and understanding when a good shot is a good shot—understanding what the team needs at all times.”

The strength of Kruger’s game can be traced to his background. He is the son of UNLV coach Lon Kruger, who is regarded as one of the top college coaches in the country. Lon compiled an impressive 382-267 overall record in 21 seasons as a head coach and led all five schools he coached at (Pan American, Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV) to 20 win seasons. He is one of five coaches to guide four programs to the Sweet 16.

While his father was making a name for himself as a coach, the coach’s son was distinguishing himself as a successful collegiate guard at Arizona State. As a junior, Kevin averaged 15.0 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the three-point line for the Sun Devils.

Both Lon and Kevin were at the top of their games. What could be better?

How about to team up?

Kevin took advantage of an NCAA rule that allowed a player to transfer without sitting out a year as long as that athlete had graduated and had one year of eligibility remaining to attend graduate school.

He was criticized for using the rule (that no longer exists), but he doesn’t regret it. Playing for his father at UNLV and being part of a magical UNLV season last year was worth it.

“It was very special. Not only did I get to go to the sweet 16 and have a 30-win season but I got to do it with my dad,” Kevin said. “It wasn’t even a thought going into the summer and then the (new NCAA) rule passed and it became an option and it was just something I felt like I should do with my dad.

“I don’t see anything wrong with what I did. There’s programs out there breaking rules every day and we didn’t break a rule. There was a rule there, I used it and I got to play at UNLV. A lot of people complained about it, but I don’t see what the difference is between that and any other rule.”

UNLV fans weren’t complaining. Kruger helped the Rebels beat BYU in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference tournament that set the table for an NCAA tournament appearance.

“I think the win over BYU in the Mountain West Conference tournament (career highlight) just because we felt like we had been under-appreciated all year at UNLV,” Kevin said. “Our RPI was in the top 10 going into the NCAA tournament and we came away with a seven seed. We felt like we had done everything they had asked us to do for good seeding and we had done it well. That was kind of our motto ‘something to prove.’”

UNLV used that motto to beat Georgia Tech and win its first NCAA tournament game since 1991. The upsets continued when the Rebels stunned Wisconsin—a No. 2 seed. Kruger scored 16 points, passed out seven assists and had six rebounds in the win.

In the words of Happy Gilmore.

He shoots. He scores!

With his collegiate career behind him, now Kruger is concentrating on his next challenge. He believes he can play in the NBA. He has been around basketball all his life. Yes, he is a coach’s son, but he is out to make it on his own.

“It may have helped a little (having a college coach as a father), but there is always going to be people out there that are going to be talking about what you can’t do or what you don’t do well and that’s their job, whatever makes people listen to the radio, watch TV or read the paper is what sells it and I understand that. I pretty much stay away from that.

“That’s just negativity I don’t need to listen to or need to be around. I’ve always kind of kept away from these types of people,” Kevin said. “Maybe early on in college I felt that way, but I didn’t feel that way with Orlando (Magic) and I don’t feel that way here.

“In professional basketball, they don’t hand out the type of money they hand out for favors. Looking back on it, I feel like I had a pretty good college career with some good statistics and some good games so I feel like I belong here just as much as anybody.”

The Flash believe he has a future. In Utah’s home opener Kruger was brilliant. He scored 25 points and hit 4-of-6 three-pointers. He handed out six assists and had four rebounds. He followed that with his first professional double-double against Bakersfield, scoring 17 points and dishing out 12 assists.

It’s the type of line that should be typical of Kruger. Some scoring, some assists and some rebounds, an all-around performance.

“One thing I’ve learned in professional basketball is to expect the unexpected. I know I can play in the NBA that’s not the issue, I have the confidence I can play there. It just wasn’t my time,” Kruger said. “It’s very important. It’s been a goal I’ve had since I can remember.

“There is no better league than the NBA. Once you’re in the NBA, nobody can argue that you’re one of the best players in the world. I think that right there alone is something every player should strive for if they have any competitiveness.”

Until he gets a call from an NBA team his dream of playing in the NBA will have to remain among his five favorites, but in the meantime, Kruger hopes to use his time in Orem like he did in college to prove he belongs.

And who knows by the end of the season maybe Utah Flash fans will use one of those movie lines when they talk about one of Kruger’s performances.