Recruiting Report: Jarad Kruse (2018)
Recently discovered Oskaloosa small forward Jarad Kruse may not currently be in our 2018 rankings, but that will change very soon. Look for the lengthy and versatile 6-foot-5 junior to make one of the higher debuts of anybody next month…
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Continue ReadingRecently discovered Oskaloosa small forward Jarad Kruse may not currently be in our 2018 rankings, but that will change very soon.
Look for the lengthy and versatile 6-foot-5 junior to make one of the higher debuts of anybody next month when new rankings are released. And some additional recruitment should likely follow.
Kruse played last spring and summer with Iowa Fire and Pure Prep, and says he’s looking to play with Iowa Intensity this offseason. And hoping to see his recruitment spike.
“William Penn has been showing a little bit of interest, but other than that I haven’t gotten any letters or anything of that sort,” said Kruse.
“I’d say I’m just now starting to get on the map, really. So, we’ll just see what happens as far as AAU goes, and who starts looking at me and showing interest.”
A versatile threat, who considers himself a small forward or a power forward, Kruse uses his size and length to get off clean looks from deep and to disrupt defensively.
“I like to get to the basket, but I can also get open on the wing, and in the corner for 3-point shots. Really, on offense I feel like I can score from just about anywhere,” he said.
“I’ve got to work on everything all the time, but I’d say free-throw shooting and just defense in general are some things that I need to improve on.”
After winning just five games last season, Kruse’s Indians are off to a nice start this season, already matching their six-win total just midway through the season.
“Coming into this season I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew we’d have a lot of good talent, especially with Xavier (Foster) coming in, and I knew we’d have a lot of height. But playing in the Little Hawkeye I didn’t really know how well we’d match up,” said Kruse.
“We’ve proved that we can match-up with anyone, and we can be in any game.”
With an abundance of talent on the floor each night out, Kruse says he and his teammates get a feel for the game, and whoever has the hot hand that night, is the go-to.
“Obviously they expect me to score and put up good numbers. And to be honest, we could have a different best player each night out,” said Kruse. “So just getting a feel for the game and knowing what’s needed of you each night out is important.”