Prospect for 2nd round or Undrafted Rookie

[JASPINDLER@aol.com]

I thought that the list might be interested in this story from Terre Haute.
Perhaps LB has an eye out for unknown talent that can help in a specific
role.  Read on...


CELTICS - The Indianapolis Star (INDY)                    STORY 3

SPORTS
 Cruse is ISU's man of glass
Sycamores' 6-4 forward established Division I season high by grabbing
25 rebounds in game against Drake in January.
 PHILLIP B. WILSON
 4528 Characters
02/25/97
 (Copyright 1997)
   TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Jim Cruse is a walking question mark.
   Everywhere he goes, someone new steps forward to ask the
question he's heard a thousand times: "How do you do it?"
   How can the 6-4, 210-pound Indiana State forward grab more
rebounds in one game than any NCAA Division I-A player this season?
Maybe it was the usual game-day Snickers bar that gave him a burst
of energy to grab 25 boards against Drake on Jan. 18.
   How can a player his size rank 10th in the nation in rebounding
and be 2 inches smaller than any other player listed in the top 24?
Perhaps his work ethic and strength (he bench presses 315 pounds)
are the real reasons he nabs nearly 11 rebounds a game.
   How can the senior lead the Missouri Valley Conference in
rebounding a second straight season? It could be his secret bag of
tricks - he utilizes as many as five rule-bending tactics that
referees seldom see.
   If there's a secret to Cruse control, it's probably a
combination of all those things. Then add a double dose of desire.
   "In my book, I would rather rebound than score," said the 14-
point scorer, whose team played at Evansville on Monday night. "A
rebound for me is like scoring for other people. I love going up to
get it. And it's amazing the number of people who don't want to go
get it.
   "It seems like the only thing anybody is worried about anymore
is a dunk or a 3- pointer. You don't see guys who just work hard."
   It's that blue-collar quality that endears Cruse to coaches.
   "Rebounding is definitely an art and he has it at the highest
art form right now," said third-year ISU coach Sherman Dillard.
"Jimmy will always have a special place in my heart. He's a young
man who was here when I came on board and he's literally given it
his all."
   "This is a great young man who loves to play the game, and he
probably gets more out of his ability and skills than he probably
should," said 12th-year Southern Illinois coach Rich Herrin. "He
always keeps Indiana State in the game because he works so hard."
   And when hard work can't measure up to talent, Cruse gets
crafty. His teammates good- naturedly refer to him as a cheater for
his variety of on-court equalizers.
   His favorite is a nudge to the lower back of an opponent. Then
there's the arm lock or the shorts tug. And the golden rule is
always to be nice to officials.
   Cruse learned many of these tricks in junior high, when he was
just a nuisance to high schoolers during pick-up games at the Glenn
Civic Center in Terre Haute. He was seldom chosen and, if he was,
the basketball never came his way.
   "Now when I go back out there," he said, "I don't pick those
guys because they've all gained about 200 pounds."
   While older acquaintances stuffed themselves with
cheeseburgers, Cruse ate up basketball. The Terre Haute North High
School star eventually made a habit of staying at the civic center
until closing time.
   "What makes him stand out more than anything is he was always
out there shooting around every night," said center executive

director Larry Wilson. "I'd just give him the key or he would say,
`I'll get the door behind me.' "
   Since high school, Cruse's inspiration has been former ISU
All-American and Boston Celtics star Larry Bird.
   After last season, Bird sent Cruse a congratulatory letter when
the undersized Sycamore won the MVC rebounding title. The letter is
now framed. "A lot of people can't say they got a letter from Larry
Bird," he said.
   Cruse's nature is to be positive. He's conditioned himself to
always make the best of things, even with his team struggling to
reach the .500 mark in these final days of a collegiate career that
never included a winning season.
   "I'm still thrilled that I came here. It's been good to me," he
said. "To be honest, a lot of colleges didn't recruit me because of
my height. It's been fun showing up those other coaches."
CREDIT:STEVE HEALEY;
CAPTION:CRUSE CONTROL:What Indiana State's Jim Cruse lacks in
size, he makes up for in determination. Here, he snares a rebound
against Southwest Missouri State.;