Really good big men are so rare that teams at the mid-level seldom get their hands on them. (The case of Navy with David Robinson was a notable exception to that rule.) What the lower levels can do, however, is to recruit a kid who is big and who works hard and is coachable, and then develop him so that he can be of real use to them by his upperclass years.
Loyola's Cameron Krutwig is ahead of the curve. Porter Moser got his hands on him this year, and the true freshman (6-9, 260#) became a major factor in the Ramblers' Final Four run and place in history. He did what big men are supposed to do: 59.8% from the field, lead the team in FT attempts and make 73% of them, pull down 6.1 rebounds per game, block a few shots, and keep his turnovers at a reasonable level. All as a true freshman. Plus, since he did not attempt a three-pointer all year, he did not have the delusions of grandeur and glamor that so many big men suffer these days when the perimeter shot is everything. He knew his role and did it well.
Look for this kid to become one of the headline big men in college basketball over the next three years. He has a good coach who insists that his players play the right way, and he evidently listens to him. Basketball fans have a unique opportunity to watch a good player become a really good player, perhaps even a dominant player.
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