Former Coyote finds niche in Swedish basketball
In a game of big athletes, it’s not easy to replace a player who made 102 consecutive starts. It’s not easy to replace a senior captain, and it’s definitely not easy to replace a skilled 6’10” center.
The University of South Dakota men’s basketball team is figuring out how to do just that as it experiences early growing pains of playing without four-year starter Trevor Gruis, who graduated last season.
But Gruis, an Ellsworth, Minn., native who ended his career as a Coyote second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game and sixth in the Summit League with 5.8 rebounds per game, is finding post-graduate success.
Gruis decided to take his talents to Sweden and play professionally for Jämtland, a Swedish basketball premier team.
“My family and I decided it would be best if I played in a stable country, and not go to somewhere dangerous for more money,” Gruis said. “Sweden was obviously a very stable country.”
Gruis also said a factor of his decision was the ability to come home in September for his brother’s wedding, something other teams were not willing to let happen.
Gruis is proving to be a stable player for Jamtland, where he leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg), blocks (1.3 bpg) and is tied for the team lead in rebounds (6.2 rpg).
While the stats and the accommodations have been nice, the process hasn’t been without its bumps. Through 15 games Jämtland is 2-13, good for last place in the 11-team conference.
“From the record standpoint, it’s been pretty frustrating,” Gruis said. “But I like our team and think we can do some good things.”
Jämtland’s season stretches out to 34 games and runs through March 13.
“We just need to figure out how to get some wins under our belt. We’ve lost a few close games,” Gruis said.
Playing professionally overseas wasn’t always a realistic outcome, said Gruis. He had a successful collegiate career, finishing his career with 1,340 points and 767 rebounds. Only eight other Coyotes can say they’ve done that.
Athletic Director David Herbster said it should come as no surprise to see Gruis flourishing in his new environment.
“Him having success isn’t a surprise, (but) rather a true testament to his work ethic and the values he learned at home and the values he learned at USD,” Herbster said.
Herbster also said watching the two-time Summit League Honor Roll student grow during his time was a joy.
“Through his four years here you just watched him grow and mature,” Herbster said. “He went from an 18-year-old to a man, and then his whole game progressed as well.”
But there were still doubts Gruis faced when going professional.
“The idea of playing professionally didn’t really cross my mind until I started talking to some players from USD that went and played overseas themselves,” Gruis said. “I’ve stayed in pretty close contact with Tyler Cain, Charlie Westbrook, Juevol Myles, Steve Smith and Ricardo Andreotti about their experiences overseas.”
Gruis said the thoughts started creeping into his head once his days at South Dakota were starting to come to a close.
“Once my career started to wind down at USD, I took some calls from agents and went from there,” he said. “It’s always been a dream to play after college. It’s not the big leagues by any means, but it’s another step, and it’s another challenge.”
Gruis said the talent level is fairly relatable to the Summit League, with the Summit League maybe getting a slight nod. However, he said it’s tough to compare because of the differences in style of play.
Another challenge Gruis has faced has been adapting to life far away from family and life more than 4,000 miles away from Vermillion.
“The first couple weeks were pretty rough because it was the first time I’ve been that far away from my family and loved ones, but I’m settling in pretty nicely now,” Gruis said. “The weather has also been an adjustment. It’s cold and only getting colder.”
Gruis said he’s getting used to not having $5 footlongs in Sweden. He also said he’s tried moose and reindeer for lunch a couple of times, because it costs $14 for two McChickens and fries at McDonalds.
Gruis did acknowledge that there are some similarities between Sweden and his native state of Minnesota, including the vast amount of lakes. Another bonus, he said, is that almost everyone in Sweden speaks English.
Gruis’ success hasn’t gone unnoticed by his former teammates. Junior guard Casey Kasperbauer, who played with Gruis for two years, said he has taken note of what he has done, which has added some motivation for him.
“It’s great to see him playing overseas and succeeding over there,” Kasperbauer said. “It’s great motivation for any current player that wants to play professionally when they’re done here. It lets you see what kind of work needs to be done to play at that level.”
It goes without question that Gruis’ leadership and scoring would come in handy during this upcoming week with the team’s two toughest regular season games coming up against Creighton and UNLV.
“We miss Trevor’s presence a lot. He was a leader and a down-low force that produced on both ends of the floor every night,” Kasperbauer said.
Kasperbauer, who said Gruis is still to this day one of his best friends, also said the team lost what he describes “a big teddy bear with a great sense of humor.”
An example of that humor can be pointed directly to Gruis poking fun at Smith’s hair — or lack thereof.
“No matter how the guys play this year, they won’t have to worry about giving Smith any gray hairs,” Gruis said.
But despite all the fun, the former Coyote said there are some memories at USD he replays in his head because it’s unfortunate it had to come to an end.
“I miss all the camaraderie with the guys on the team. We had a lot of good times together,” Gruis said. “I really miss all the Coyote fans, honestly. They always supported us, and there was that small town feel, which I loved.”
(Photo: Former University of South Dakota center Trevor Gruis passes the ball during the March 9 Summit League Tournament game against Denver in the Sioux Falls Arena. File Photo / The Volante)
