Prospect Spotlight: Kyle Gruhler (2020 Skyview HS)
The Prime Time Top 40 Showcase last Saturday was mainly filled with kids from Oregon but a select few from above the Columbia River were invited to participate as well. One of those who came down I-5 to partake in the festivities was Kyle Gruhler. The still-growing 6-foot-5, 185-pound wing from Skyview High School was one of the top shooters in the gym and it was an experience that the junior won’t soon forget.
“It was a pleasure to be in the same gym as the top players in Oregon and Washington,” Gruhler said. “I just wanted to come out and prove myself and hopefully one day play college basketball. I’ve known as a shooter so I tried to shoot the most I could when I was open and it worked out. I feel like I was pretty successful out here today.”
As noted, Gruhler was one of the top shooters at the event. He worked hard to get open and was able to knock down some open threes in all of the games he played in. The showcase comes off a busy summer where he was able to spend some time playing on the EYBL circuit with the Rose City Rebels 16U squad.
“The summer was good – we traveled some places and it was a good overall,” Gruhler said. “I developed as a player more and it also helped that I grew from 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-4 and a half. My rebounding improved, especially as my height went up, and driving to the basket – it still needs work but it has really come along.”
Because of his shooting ability and size for the wing, Gruhler is hopeful that his college recruitment will pick up. He recently took an unofficial visit with Skyview teammate Alex Schumacher to St. Martin’s, but other than that he’s completely wide open when it comes to college. “I’m looking for a place that will give me a chance to play,” Gruhler said. “Any school is awesome. If I get the pleasure of playing there, I’ll take it.”
With his focus more on the upcoming season with Skyview, Gruhler is excited about the opportunities ahead. The Storm will have a challenging schedule that includes the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational after Christmas. “I think we should be fairly good this year,” Gruhler said. “We’ll be younger than last year and we won’t have as much height as we lost Cole (Grossman) and Samaad (Hector) but we should be good. We’ll stretch the floor and shoot a lot.”