Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.
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Ronnie Arrow sat in the Thomas & Mack Center stands during the recent Duel in the Desert and scratched his head.
"He's a nice kid, but what kind of rule is that?" the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach said of UNLV senior point guard Kevin Kruger. "You go to a school for four years, graduate and then go wherever you want?
"That's wacko."
Kruger graduated from Arizona State in June. Because he redshirted a season, he used a new NCAA rule to transfer to UNLV and play his senior campaign for his father, Rebels coach Lon Kruger. Arrow said official paperwork from an NCAA rules committee awaited him on his desk in Corpus Christi.
Look for the abolishment of the rule.
"It's being looked at right now," Arrow said. "I doubt, very seriously, if it'll be in for next year. This will probably be a one-year deal, and it worked out great for him."
Didn't work out so great for Arrow, whose Islanders were torched by the kid's 23 points. Arrow then watched Kruger drill his first six 3-point shots in the first half of a blowout victory over Norfolk State.
Arrow said he sees a lot of Lon, a versatile athlete and gritty basketball player at Kansas State, in Kevin.
"He's a chip off the old block," Arrow said of Kevin. "He's steady, that's the word. You can't leave him open. He can shoot. In today's game, that's important. And we didn't show (defend) big enough on him. He's really, really sharp."
After a recent practice, we asked Kevin Kruger about his transition, his ultra-serious demeanor and The Kevin Kruger Rule.
You have to be vocal and confident that what you're saying is the right thing. I came here to be part of a winning team. Sometimes, you have to say things that people don't want to hear, but it's something that needs to be said. You have to be open, as well, to things that are said to you. You can't dish it out and not be able to take it. Once people start believing in you and looking to you for support, you have to be able to handle that.
How has it helped being the son of a guy who coached Kansas State, Florida, Illinois and the Atlanta Hawks?
It's helped because I've seen him in a leadership position since Day One. And since I could handle a basketball, I've been a point guard. He's been guiding me in that direction, telling me who to watch, the good leaders of the bunch. And I've taken traits from their games and applied them to mine.
What, specifically, from whom?
That whole (1993-94 season, when Florida went to the Final Four), Dan Cross (was) the captain of the ship, really. Not the leading scorer. Not the best player on that team. But he got the ball where it needed to be and got people in positions they needed to be in.
What should fans know about your competitive streak?
I hate losing. The main thing that propels me is (not) being embarrassed. I just hate that feeling, especially at home. You don't want your home fans turning their backs on you. That drives me. Being in a point-guard position, that falls on my shoulders.
How about your serious streak?
Off the court, I don't think I'm ever serious. I joke with my friends all the time, watching comedy movies, whatever I do. Once I step on the court, I don't play around much. That is not the time or the place to be messing around. You have people counting on you to do the right things, and you're counting on people to do the right things. If they're not going to do it, like they're supposed to do it, then you really can't count on them. So that's one of the things I take pride in when I step out on the court. They know what to expect of me and know they can lean on me when things start going rough.
What have nonhoops friends noted about your on-court persona?
People who first meet me off the court, then come to a game, are surprised by how serious I can get. They never see that side off the court. People who meet me in basketball situations kind of relax a little off the court, because I'm not quite as serious.
How about waving on the crowd recently after nailing some 3-point shots?
That's just part of my passion. It gives me goose bumps to even think of hitting big 3-pointers. You know the crowd is just waiting ... standing up, saying, "Three!" When it goes in, that place erupting is one of the best feelings I've ever had, even when it's not me shooting the ball. A feeling I've loved since I was a kid.
Like when Wendell (White) had that dunk off the backboard from Wink (Adams). The place goes nuts, and you know the time out is coming from the other team. You know the crowd is about to really get into it. Those are moments that make a home game fun.
With Mountain West play starting, what do you expect from you and your teammates?
I've said it from the beginning, and people, they just kind of turn a deaf ear to it. But I expect a regular season conference championship and a conference tournament championship. I think we've opened some eyes, nationally, that we're not a team that's just going to win a couple games here and there to keep the UNLV name above water. That's not the team we're trying to be. We want to wake people up, get people out here. Get into that Top 25 and get UNLV rolling.
It doesn't seem like you'd just be satisfied getting into the NCAA tournament, where UNLV hasn't won a game since 1991?
I definitely want to win a few. Anything can happen come March. I think over the last few years, especially, that statement has been proven more than ever. Getting there is a good first step, but leaving early is not something I want to do. I want to get there and make some noise. A (program) with the tradition UNLV has, it's hard to be a team that's remembered around here. I want to be a team that's remembered and talked about after I'm gone.
What if the unique rule you used to play for your dad gets squashed after one year?
I've heard that. I'm sure a few people haven't been happy with it. There's nothing they can do about it now, unless they want to appeal some games. The stars really just aligned. I graduated in four years only because an academic adviser pushed me. The rule passed. A number of things had to go the right direction.
If it gets rescinded, would that just add to the fairy-tale nature of you finally playing for your dad?
That would make it just one more star aligning. I never grew up with that opportunity. A lot of friends have played for their dads. I never did. It didn't make sense to me. This was the opportunity to do it. I took advantage of it.
What if it's forever known as The Kevin Kruger Rule?
I don't want that type of attention. I'd rather have it from a successful career. But if that's the way it's remembered, if that's how people remember it, there's nothing you can do about that.
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