Living just six blocks from the University of Illinois-Chicago, Mike Naiditch knew what kind of competitor and player Robo Kreps was on the basketball court.
What Naiditch didn’t realize was just how passionate Kreps was for the game. When the two finally crossed paths during the agent and player process after Kreps graduated this spring, Naiditch found out what drives the Maroa-Forsyth product every day.
It’s not dollar signs.
“He just wants a job to play basketball,” Naiditch said. “He has a passion for the game that I haven’t seen from a lot of guys. He didn’t bring up money, not one time. I can tell you that’s not his motivation. He really is doing this because he loves it.”
Kreps’ dedication to getting better in order to live as a professional has backed that up. He’s in the middle of a two-month stint at Attack Athletic, one of the country’s elite training facilities under the direction of Tim Grover. Grover’s spent time with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, just to name a few.
When Kreps showed up with his swollen physique after living the majority of his college career in the weight room, Grover dubbed him the “fat white kid.”
“In college, I wanted to put on this weight and I knew how to do it,” said Kreps, who graduated with a Kinesiology degree. “I know how to lose the weight, too.”
Kreps has limited his lunch diet to either Subway or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while he’s basically taken up residence at Attack Athletic. The first four days of the week feature five-hour workouts that mix in court work with some lifting. The end of the week is a ligther load, but every day he finds himself in the gym trying to get better, specifically as a guard with the ball in his hands. After making a promise to work extensively on his handles every day, his elbow is even a bit sore.
On a rare day off recently, Kreps relished the day by sleeping in and simply watching a movie. A direct reflection of the amount of work he’s put in to lose 20 pounds and develop ball handling skills he’s never had.
“I’m 10 times quicker,” Kreps said. “I have gotten better in every area.”
The rapid development Naiditch has seen is changing the outlook on Kreps’ options overseas. There’s already one offer on the table to play ball in Germany at one of the highest levels, but Naiditch thinks Kreps can handle even better competition with his new explosiveness and improved point guard skills.
So, Naiditch is exploring every option in Europe in hopes of finding Kreps the perfect fit.
“I want to push as hard as I can because I believe he can surprise some people at a high level,” Naiditch said about Kreps. “Losing that weight and adding some tools has really changed things.
“Germany in the second division is a safe start but I think we could make a shot at the first division.”
One of the challenges for Kreps when it comes to attaining his dream of playing in the NBA is figuring out what guard position he fits best. He’s a natural scorer, but doesn’t possess the needed size to play at the two in the League.
In Europe, he doesn’t run into that issue. He can be a score-first point guard who enjoys a long career, which is fine by him — even if it means adapting to a life half a world away from his family, which is already making his a bit nervous.
“It flew by, but I feel like I played in college forever. I’m ready to move on,” Kreps said. “If you want to be good in the game, you have to put the time in. I’ve always said if I stop having the drive that I do right now to get better, that’s when I’m done.”
For now, Kreps has another couple weeks in Chicago before he finally finds out where he’s going to be playing next.
“Mid-august I would like to have him off and running wherever that may be,” Naiditch said.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970
Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.
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