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By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Photo By LESLIE PAYNE

Playing side-by-side with the most prolific three-point scorer in Kansas City Kansas Community College history, Scott Fruehling has quietly written himself into the Blue Devil record book.

Only the eighth Blue Devil player to go over the 100 mark in three-point goals, Fruehling’s 119 have him No. 6 on the all-time career list.

A 6-2 sophomore guard from Shawnee Mission Northwest, Fruehling reached the 100 mark with six treys in an 88-66 win at Neosho, had two more in KCKCC’s 69-62 upset of league-leading Coffeyville and followed it up with five treys and a career high 21 points in a near 75-72 upset at Independence and five more in the Blue Devils’ 87-75 overtime win over Johnson County.

With 73 three-pointers in 28 games this season, Fruehling ranks fourth in the Jayhawk with an average of 2.60 per game. Between Fruehling and Derick Denny, the conference leader with 4.35 per game, the Blue Devils are the runaway leader in both three-point goals (8.64) and shooting percentage (.401).

In double figures in 12 of his last 18 games, Fruehling has moved his scoring average into double figures at 10.5 or more than double his 4.5 average of a year ago when he played in all 31 games and started six.

The marked improvement can be attributed to a summer of practice which helped him add more than 100 points to his field goal shooting percentage, from .315 to .418.

“He’s probably done as much work with his shot as anyone I’ve ever had and really improved on his shooting over his freshman year,” said Jon Oler, who is in his 11th season as KCKCC head coach. “He’s also become quite the leader as a sophomore. Our most ocal leader, he has a real good basketball IQ and helps everyone else on the floor.” 

The marked improvement in the Blue Devil basketball record can also be attributed in part to summer workouts.

“We put in a lot of work during the summer,” said Fruehling. “All the sophomores were here and we played in a summer league and worked out on special things almost every day Monday through Thursday. Last year, we were so horrible (10-21) that we didn’t want to go through that again.”

In addition to improving his shooting, the workouts added strength.

“They made a big, big difference,” he said. “I got a lot stronger, especially my legs. I’m able to play a whole game and its made my shot more consistent because your legs are a big part of shooting.”

Equally important was the chemistry developed during the off-season.

“The chemistry is real good,” says Fruehling. “We joke with each other and give each other a hard time but on the court, there’s no selfishness at all. Everyone picks each other up. If someone is having a bad night, we tell them to keep shooting, it’s no big deal.”

Throw in the sophomore experience and it’s produced the third 20-win season in the last five season.

“I think the sophomore leadership has been the difference plus we have a lot of weapons we didn’t have last year,” says Fruehling. “We’ve got the big men we didn’t have last year, Dennis Tinnon who is averaging a double double in points and rebounds and Hal Payne at 6-10 along with sophomores Andre Metoyer at 6-7 and Jonathan Wright who comes in and gives us good minutes either at the post or the wing.”

A three-year letterman and two-year starter at SM Northwest, Fruehling averaged 12 points at the shooting guard position as a junior before moving to point guard as a senior where he led in assists and averaged eight points on a team that won the Sunflower League and finished 16-6.

He followed in brother Tyler’s footsteps in coming to KCKCC.

“I liked Coach Oler, my brother played here and liked it and it was close so I could live at home,” says Fruehling.

The son of Todd and Suzy Fruehling, there’s another older brother, Bubba, and another promising cager, Trey, a two-year starter as a junior on the SM Northwest team.

Where he’ll continue his basketball career remains up in the air.

“I have no idea what I’ll do,” he says. “I’d like to go to an NCAA Division II school. Coach Oler has said just to wait it out and see what happens.”

“He’ll have plenty of opportunities,” promises Oler. “There’s a lot of interest in NAIA schools.”