McCorkle's Corner: The College Report XVIII
Home Coverage – LCC alum Gruhler cooking at Montana-Western; plus other local talents at the next level
By Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com
Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar
Men’s College Basketball
After winning Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week accolades in five of this season's 10 weeks, it was only a matter of time before former Lower Columbia College men's basketball player Kyle Gruhler would earn national recognition.
Gruhler, a senior guard at Montana-Western, was named the Gared Performance Sports Systems NAIA Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week.
"This is a huge honor for Kyle and we're very proud of the work he has put in to put himself in this position," Montana Western head coach Patrick Jensen said in a story on the school's website. "Awards like this don't happen without his teammates and our group as a whole. Great honor and recognition for Kyle and our program."
In this season's 10 weeks, former LCC players have claimed the award seven times. Besides the five for Gruhler, Emanuel Steward of Montana-Western has claimed the award once, as has Sherman Royal III of Rocky Mountain College. Also, ex-LCC player David Young, also at Montana-Western, was named the conference Defensive Player of the Week once.
This season, Gruhler is averaging 23.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. He is shooting over 50.0 percent from the field (54.9) and from three (53.2) and is hitting 83.9 percent from the foul line.
In a 77-70 win over Montana State-Northern, Gruhler netted 19 points and pulled five rebounds, Steward had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Young had six points. In an 83-74 victory over the University of Providence of Montana, Gruhler exploded for 27 points, two rebounds and blocked two shots, Steward tallied 22 points, four rebounds and five assists, and Young had 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
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