March 28, 2024
Boys Basketball

High school boys basketball: Jacobs sophomore Krutwig gets UAB offer

Jacobs sophomore Cameron Krutwig received a message from his AAU basketball coach Mike Weinstein on Monday.

The message was that Alabama-Birmingham coach Jerod Haase wanted to talk, and under NCAA rules, that contact must be initiated at this time by the player.

Krutwig called Haase and liked what Haase had to say – which was to offer the 6-foot-9 center a scholarship. It is the first of what likely will be several offers for the big left-hander who helped the Golden Eagles to a 22-6 record last season.

“I’m excited. I know I have to keep working hard,” “Krutwig said. “It could be the start of something big. I’m humbled and want to keep striving for the best.”

Krutwig averaged 9.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Eagles. He also shot 59.9 percent from the field. Krutwig was a tough rebounder and displayed a knack for setting up teammates with his passing ability.

Krutwig played with Fundamental U in an Under Armour Association tournament over the weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. In two of the games there, he scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Haase, who led UAB to the NCAA Tournament this season, saw Krutwig in Louisville.

“I played two really good games down there,” Krutwig said. “They were at one of the really good ones and one that was pretty good.”

Krutwig started as a freshman at Jacobs and played on a Class 4A regional championship team. This season, Krutwig was integral as the Eagles swept through the FVC Valley at 10-0.

“It’s exciting, it’s a big deal,” Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts said. “It’s been a matter of time before the floodgates opened with him. He’s leading the Under Armour Association in rebounding at 16U and they’re having success. He’s playing against some of the best competition in the country.”

Krutwig, who has grown an inch since the fall, is at about 250 pounds, but Roberts said he is in better physical shape. A foot injury prior to the season kept him inactive for almost two months, during which time he put on some weight. Roberts said an assistant coach who had not seen Krutwig for a while recently thought the player had lost 25 pounds.

The next step in the process, Krutwig and Roberts both say, is developing more of a perimeter game. To this point, Krutwig has been almost exclusively an inside scorer.

“They know I can score inside,” Krutwig said. “I want to improve my range on jumpshots, I can’t be a one-trick pony. I want to improve my conditioning and physical attributes, stuff like that.”

To help with that, Roberts has had Krutwig working on guard drills.

“When you see a guy like [Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, he usually plays with his back to the basket,” Roberts said. “But he has the ability to face up from 15 to 20 feet and play off the dribble. That’s what’s next for Cam.”