Top basketball players of the century: Boys No. 4, Cam Krutwig of Jacobs
Former Jacobs center Cameron Krutwig did a lot more than rebound.
Granted, the No. 8 rebounder in IHSA history with 1,281 cleaned the glass and ignited the transition game like few could.
That's why his future college coach, Loyola's Porter Moser, in 2017 called the 6-foot-9, 270-pound center "the best outlet passer that I've seen in many, many years" after Krutwig led Jacobs to a sectional title win over Larkin.
It was Krutwig's wide-ranging skill set that impressed a national audience a year later when the then-freshman helped Loyola advance to the NCAA Final Four. Basketball fans in the Fox Valley were already well aware what he could do.
In his fourth high school varsity season, Krutwig's combination of size, savvy and leadership propelled Jacobs to the best state tournament finish in the Algonquin school's history. The Golden Eagles won 30 games before falling to undefeated Fremd 36-35 in overtime in a Sears Centre supersectional.
Jacobs coach Jimmy Roberts said it was no coincidence the Golden Eagles and Ramblers each enjoyed deep tournament runs with Krutwig in the starting lineup.
"Cam has shown since he stepped foot on Loyola's campus that he makes people around him better," Roberts said. "He didn't average 20 points for us because he wasn't that guy, but he made the guys around him better. I'm not sure there's a better compliment you can have as a player."
Blessed with height - the Algonquin native topped six feet when he was 11-years-old and stood 6-5 as a high school freshman - Krutwig did not rely on size alone.
The left-hander developed quick feet and a variety of spinning post moves by training with his older brother, Conrad, a 2009 Daily Herald All-Area Team captain who played at Wisconsin-Parkside.
Cam Krutwig became one of the better inside-out passers in the high school game. Teammates like Cooper Schwartz, Mason Materna and Ryan Phillips knew if they lobbed the ball to Krutwig in the post, there was an even chance it was coming right back for an open 3-point look. Krutwig averaged 2.8 assists as a senior, a tick less than the team's third-year point guard.
"I think it had a lot to do with the chemistry that me and my teammates had," Krutwig said. "That was super important when I was in high school. We were all really good buddies. We could get on each other and know that it didn't mean we didn't like each other. We just tried to push each other. Statistically, we were the best team in Jacobs history. It's something we'll never forget. We'll always have that with each other."
As a senior at Jacobs, Krutwig averaged 15.6 points, 14 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. His 1,528 career points rank third most in program history.
Majoring in Entrepreneurship at Loyola, the 21-year-old last season averaged 15.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists and finished second in Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year voting. The senior said he does not care about individual accolades at this stage of his career. He wants more team success in his final season as a Rambler.
"We were so so good my freshman year at Loyola because we were so old and senior heavy that those guys just wanted to win," Krutwig said. "This year is kind of similar. We've got seven seniors and a bunch of guys who are going to be back. We're just trying to win at all costs."