Recruiting Update: Kyle Gruhler (2020 Skyview HS)
It was a great turnout in terms of talent at Western Oregon’s Elite Camp this past weekend and of all the top players that competed hard and played well, the one that may have shined the most was Kyle Gruhler.…
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Continue ReadingIt was a great turnout in terms of talent at Western Oregon’s Elite Camp this past weekend and of all the top players that competed hard and played well, the one that may have shined the most was Kyle Gruhler. It was a good feeling for the tough 6-foot-5, 185-pound wing from Skyview High School as he’s been working his way back from an injury that cost him a big chunk of the summer. He certainly balled out on Saturday and it was an opportunity he hopes will continue to elevate his college recruitment.
“It was a great experience and it’s awesome to be invited to one of these camps,” Gruhler said. “The competition was great and I tried to come out here and play my best and play hard.”
Gruhler certainly made an impression with his game, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Always known as a shooter, he knocked down open and contested threes, but he also made an effort to create off the dribble and ended up scoring on pull-ups and with finishes at the rim. It appears he’s improved his overall athleticism as he was able to dunk with not only ease but also with some power on tough drives to the hoop.
The performance wraps up what has been a busy past month for Gruhler, who had missed much of June due to a broken wrist. But he was able to return for Team Camp at Gonzaga and then rejoined his Iron Athletics Sixers squad for an AAU tournament in LA. He then went to Phoenix for the College Basketball Academy and while he had a conflict that prevented him from accepting an invite to Portland State Elite Camp, he was able to come to WOU – where he certainly showed how he’s been diversifying his game.
“Everyone knows that I’m a shooter and I still want to shoot at a high level,” Gruhler said. “But I’ve been trying to learn how to attack the basket more and be able to finish with contact. I wasn’t a good finisher the last couple of years so I’ve been trying to work on that more as well as on the defensive end and with more rebounding.”
Despite the fact he missed a chunk of time, Gruhler has much of the Great Northwest Conference and other Division II programs interested in him including Western Oregon, Northwest Nazarene, St. Martin’s, Concordia, and Chaminade. He noted that he may make an unofficial visit up to Northwest Nazarene during the school year. Other than that, he’s planning on playing out his senior season – one in which he’s ready to take on more of a leading role.
“It should be fun and we should be solid,” Gruhler said. “It will be different without Schu but we’ll have to learn how to play since we don’t have that one ‘dude’ yet. So it will be an interesting first few practices with the team. We’ll shoot a lot of threes this year though – it should be fun.”
Gruhler currently ranks as the #19 player in the PrepHoops Washington Class of 2020 rankings.