AMONG the collection of super heroes on the University of Hawaii men's basketball team, there is no Superman. But maybe there's a Clark Kent. Kroeger a super fit
for RainbowsMicah Kroeger is happy playing his unassuming role, the perfect complement to the Rainbows' Dynamic Guard Duo unveiled at Midnight Ohana Saturday morning. When Batman (Anthony Carter) and Robin (Alika Smith) fly down the court, the 6-foot-6 Kroeger knows where he needs to be -- under the basket, ready to receive one of those out-of-nowhere passes.
Five months ago, Kroeger had knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a damaged meniscus. Now he's 100 percent.
"When you talk about something positive, you talk about Micah," Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said. "He's worked very hard and is way ahead of schedule."
The motivation was as simple as wanting to be there for his teammates, even just to lift Smith to the rim for an assist in the Midnight Ohana dunk-off.
"That was my job over the summer, to be ready," Kroeger said. "I'd go to class, then to the training room every day for three hours. The motivation was there. I knew what we had coming back and there was no way I was going to miss this year. No way I was going to redshirt. This is the year I've been waiting for all of my life."
It goes beyond wins and losses, he says. This team has a special quality that has him struggling for words, a rarity for the gregarious Kroeger.
"It's not just chemistry," he said. "It's a special team with a special group of good guys who want to come together to see what they can do. It doesn't come along very often, especially these days.
"It's making that extra pass, having a silent respect for each other, doing everything it takes to win. You look at other college teams and you don't see what we have here. It's unique."
UNIQUE could be Kroeger's middle name. He hasn't been one to do things the conventional way.
He went to junior college, not because he had to academically, but because he wanted to. He left Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif., after a year because he said he felt ready to play Division I basketball at Hawaii.
Kroeger and Carter were freshmen on the Saddleback team that won the Orange Empire Conference. He couldn't wait for "AC" to join him at Manoa the next year.
"AC's a big part of what we have," Kroeger said. "What's amazing is there's no jealousy. Everyone has their roles and wants to do them. No one acts like they're better than anyone else.
"I think our fans see it. They like this team. If I were a fan, I'd want to come watch us, too."
Hawaii should set attendance records this season. More than 7,000 season tickets have been sold, nearly 2,000 more than the Fabulous Five days in 1970-72.
Improving on last year's 21-8 record and getting past the first round of the NCAA Tournament are realistic goals. Thanks in part to Kroeger, a player who is a cowlick taller than Wallace, but doesn't always see eye-to-eye with his coach. Maybe it's because the two are so much alike.
"He's probably the player most like myself when I played in college," Wallace said. "He plays hard, averages about 12 points, rebounds and defends the opponent's best player."
Kroeger turns 22 the night before Hawaii's Nov. 20 exhibition against the California All-Stars. Two days later, the Rainbows play Indiana.
"A goal is a dream with a deadline" is Kroeger's favorite quote. Like the newspaperman Clark Kent, Kroeger is looking to write the perfect ending to his story.
Cindy Luis is a Star-Bulletin sportswriter.
Her column appears weekly.