November 17, 2010
Gruber heads southwest
Those deciding to become lumberjacks are usually residents of small towns where forests are the primary natural resource. Not 6-foot-3 backcourter Colin Gruber. He resides in a city (Santa Cruz) on the Pacific Ocean, is entering his fourth year as a Harbor High Pirate and considered options to next become an Aggie as well as other possibilities, but he eventually decided to take up the ax and become a member of the Big Sky Conference.
Thankfully for opponents, there is no Paul Bunyan-like ‘big’ listed on Coach Mike Adras’ Northern Arizona Lumberjack basketball roster. But his squads have enjoyed a bountiful number of accurate shooters and Gruber is expected to become the latest.
So why was NAU the choice?
"It was just the best fit overall," said Mike Gruber, Colin’s father and his coach at Harbor. Worth noting is that the elder Gruber is a Gonzaga graduate who played as a Zag with Utah State’s Stew Morrill, which led to some speculation that the youngster might sign on to play in Logan for Morrill.
"Northern Arizona did a wonderful job recruiting him," the elder Gruber continued. "Plus, Colin liked the kids on the team."
NAU has four underclass backcourters on its 2010-2011 roster but two rarely saw action last season, one appears to be primarily a catch-and-shoot three-point marksman and the fourth is a point whose shooting numbers are currently south of 30%.
Gruber’s shooting ability and range is his top talent but he also is a solid ballhandler and passer. He averaged 20.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.9 blocks and 3.6 steals last season, one in which he was the co-MVP of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League. Gruber possesses the wingspan of someone 6-foot-7.
Besides NAU, those showing the most interest were Cal Poly, Columbia, Pacific, Santa Clara, Sam Diego, Santa Barbara and Utah State.
About his latest signee, Adras said, "Colin is one of the top three shooting guards we saw all summer. He is also a terrific passer. He has a good understanding of the game of basketball."
Adras is known for his "recruit to shoot" motto and his squad, which led the nation in three-point shooting in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2007 and have been among the national top 30 in eight of his 11 seasons. The Lumberjacks have won 82 games over the last five seasons, nabbing back-to-back Big Sky Conference regular season titles in 2005-06, and 2006-06 while appearing in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship games in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
NAU always plays a player-friendly challenging non-conference schedule, already having faced Iowa State and Creighton this season, with USC and Arizona road games coming just prior to Big Sky Conference play.
Also, Sacramento State is a three-hour drive to the north of the Gruber home and a member of the conference and that will allow family and friends to catch Gruber in college action.
Oh yes, as for the Lumberjack nickname, it wasn’t pulled out of thin air although there is plenty of that in Flagstaff, Arizona, with a 7,000 foot elevation. The town is situated along the western side of the largest contiguous Ponderosa Pine forest in the continental United States.
As for the fast-approaching season, Harbor High won’t enjoy much in the way of depth. But seniors Jon Bogaard and Matt Armstrong, 6-foot-1 and 6-foot respectively, will provide the scoring ability and shooting prowess to make opponents pay for focusing too closely on Gruber. 6-foot-7 senior Mitch Postle has decided not play his final year.