- April 19th, 2006, 11:01 am
#12233
Check out the update on one of our old hag ballers from back in the day:
Child of the courtshttp://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/04/19 ... 78897e.txt
Kouts player a protege of the Harden brothers
BY AL HAMNIK
VALPARAISO | Kyle Mueller's dream is to play in the NBA. His teachers and coaches at Kouts aren't about to bet against him.
"It seems unrealistic," he said. "But I figure if I put in the hours and the hard work, it'll pay off."
After spending a wondrous weekend at the 2006 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis, the sophomore point guard is convinced anything is possible.
Exhibit A is his photo album and the chummy pictures taken with college coaches Jim Boeheim, Bill Hodges, Jim Harrick, Lon Krueger, Roy Williams, Bruce Pearl, Johnny Orr and Nolan Richardson. Next are the arm-in-arm shots with all-Americans Rudy Gay and Adam Morrison. A determined Kyle approached those VIPs, introduced himself, shook their hands, then click, click, click.
"This past month was one of the best experiences of my life. That was amazing," said Kyle.
OK, so it helped a bit knowing the influential Harden family that sent three sons through the Valparaiso school system.
Al is a former vice president of Converse and was responsible for first signing Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Tony Dorsett, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, and hundreds of other sports stars in the early 1980s. He retired in 1987 after a horrific car accident that left him in a coma for a week. Al and wife Myrna now live in Crawfordsville. Rob (1981), Roger (1982) and Rodny (1987) starred at Valpo.
Roger was the 1982 Mr. Basketball and started for Eddie Sutton at Kentucky. His sportswear company, Motion Athletic Apparel, is based in Louisville and has 200 dealerships nationwide. Rob began his college career at Florida, transferred to Valparaiso University, then left shortly after for the University of Nevada. Rodny starred at Liberty University in Virginia and helps Rob run their Hoosier Sports Scouting and Scholarship Service in Crawfordsville. Both are working with Kyle Mueller to develop his game.
Kyle's dad, Mike, was a teammate of the older Hardens at VHS. The past few months, Mike and Kyle have taken the four-hour roundtrip drive to Crawfordsville for one-on-one training.
"What I see in Kyle is that he really, really, has the desire to be a very good player," said Rodny.
"Being at a 1A or 2A school, it's tough for those kids to get any exposure," added Rob. "But Kyle is very knowledgeable, very quick, a gym rat who knows the game. I think he'll become a fine guard in the next few years. Hopefully, we can help get him to the next level.
"Already, he can distribute the ball, shoot it, and he makes players around him better. The latter is tough to find nowadays among kids."
The 5-foot-10 Mueller averaged 7 points and 4.5 assists for the 15-6 Kouts JV team last season.
"We, as the Harden family, are going to pick up the phone and call college coaches -- if you're willing to put in the work," said Rodny. "In Kyle's case, he spent spring break with us. He even drove down during their season."
Rob and Rodny use the popular Rick Pitino workout emphasizing ballhandling, shooting, and agility drills.
It's been more than 20 years since the Hardens left Valpo, but the fond memories linger. Rodny has a barber shop in Crawfordsville and the walls are covered with celebrity photos and sports memorabilia.
"My coaches know about them. My friends' parents have heard about them and have said how good they were when they played here," said Kyle.
"Rob's still got NBA range," marveled Mike, a 1981 Valpo grad. "Kyle always had the drive for basketball. But the impact the Hardens have had on his game, his confidence, is massive.
"We can't even stop the kid now (on the court). We can't even keep up with him. Getting hooked up with the Hardens is the best thing that's ever happened to him."