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Krutwig's dream season a steppingstone to NBA draft

In a video released Thursday, Loyola men's basketball senior center Cameron Krutwig announced he will be forgoing his final year of eligibility and declaring for the NBA draft.

"After a great four years, I feel that it's in my best interest and just the right move for me to ... try and pursue my dreams of playing professional basketball," Krutwig, from Algonquin, said in the video.

Although Krutwig is graduating in the spring, he would still have an extra year of eligibility due to the NCAA expanding eligibility for student-athletes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Krutwig said he will be waiving this extra year of eligibility to pursue a career in professional basketball either with the NBA or in Europe. Although he hopes to be playing professionally, the Jacobs High School graduate said he will still be around for the Loyola program.

"I'll be a face that everyone will see around," Krutwig said in the video. "When this place turns into the powerhouse that we've built with continued success, I'll be back for games with my family and everything. I'll definitely be a Rambler for life."

During his four years at Loyola, Krutwig saw three regular season Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) titles, two MVC Tournament championship wins and two NCAA Tournament appearances. He scored 1,833 career points in the Maroon and Gold - the fifth highest mark in program history.

In March, Krutwig was named the MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year, becoming the third Rambler in four years to receive this title. During his senior year, he averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game.

In the video, Krutwig thanked the coaching and athletics staff, along with his teammates. He placed a particular emphasis on fellow senior Lucas Williamson and talked about their growth over the past four years of playing together.

It's been a busy off-season for the Ramblers. Porter Moser, who coached Loyola for 10 years, was hired by Oklahoma. He was replaced by Drew Valentine.

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