April 25, 2005
Normal, Ill. -
Mark Kruse, the leading scorer at the 2005 National Junior College Basketball Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., will be doing his scoring next season in an Illinois State uniform as the 6-foot-7, 205 guard from North Dakota State College of Science signed a national letter of intent to continue his career with the Redbirds on Monday.
"Mark is an extremely long wing," head coach Porter Moser said. "He has long arms and is bouncy. He is a phenomenal shooter and does a great job of rebounding from the guard spot with his long frame. He really hit it off with our guys on his visit and he's excited about coming to Illinois State. I like that."
As a first team All-Region XIII and all-conference selection, Kruse led the Wildcats in scoring with 17.4 points per game, including 18.8 per contest during the national tournament, and ranked third on the squad with 6.3 rebounds per game. The Wildcats finished the season with a 28-7 record and ended the year ranked No. 7 in the country by winning its final three games in the consolation bracket.
"I'm very excited," Kruse said about joining the Redbird program. "I pretty much knew what I wanted to do before I came, but my visit pretty much solidified it. Illinois State has a beautiful facility (Redbird Arena) with a great new weight room (Owen Strength and Conditioning Center) and a great team to be a part of. I'm just really excited of the opportunity to put on that Illinois State uniform."
Prior to junior college, Kruse spent his prep career at Apollo High School in his hometown of St. Cloud, Minn. At Apollo, Kruse is the school's second all-time leading scorer with 1,034 points and still holds the school record for career three-point baskets made (165), season scoring average (19.0) and threes made in a season (75).
In addition to being a productive outside shooter, Kruse also registered 35 dunks his senior campaign. He also was named to the Central Lakes All-Conference Team and was a St. Cloud Times all-area honorable mention selection.
