Kuebler used smarts on, off court at UH

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Michael Kuebler averages 18.1 points and a 3.67 GPA. Advertiser library photo • Dec. 27, 2003

After joining the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team as a longshot two years ago, he will leave as a hot shot.

Two years after agreeing to walk-on with the Rainbow Warriors, Kuebler will walk off with one of the greatest individual seasons for a student-athlete in the history of the UH basketball program.

"You have to look at him as one of the best ever for what he did on the court and in the classroom," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "Very few can be good in both areas, and he was outstanding in both."

Kuebler, a 6-foot-4 senior shooting guard, will play in his final Western Athletic Conference Tournament this week with the 'Bows. Hawai'i is scheduled to play Rice in a quarterfinal game on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. (Hawai'i time) at the Save Mart Center.

"I'd trade all the awards for the WAC championship and a chance to go to the NCAA (Tournament)," Kuebler said.

It is quite a collection of awards.

Kuebler was named to the All-WAC first team on Sunday, just the 13th player in UH history to earn that distinction. He ranks second in the conference in scoring with an average of 18.1 points per game. He has also made a WAC-best 84 3-pointers this season, which is five short of the Hawai'i record.

Carl English set that UH record last season, and his departure was the talk of the offseason. Kuebler has been a more than capable replacement.

"We knew he could shoot it, but he really stepped it up this year and became a scorer, not just a shooter," Wallace said. "We weren't supposed to have a go-to guy this season, but he's made himself into our go-to guy."

But perhaps his most impressive statistic is the 3.67 grade point average he maintains as a business administration major. Last week, he became the first men's basketball player in UH history to earn first-team Academic All-America honors.

"That's the best award you can get," Wallace said.

Kuebler said: "I'm probably more proud of that than the basketball stuff. People don't usually pay attention to that stuff, but I obviously consider it important."

He's been that way ever since he attended South Salem High in Salem, Ore.

John Turman, Kuebler's history teacher in high school, said: "His grades were exemplary and his peers respected him. He unknowingly was a great role model, even in high school."

According to Chelsie Pfau, who has been Kuebler's girlfriend since high school: "He could be a dork sometimes, just like anybody else. But for the most part, he was always the popular guy."

But that wasn't so much the truth as far as basketball.

Kuebler wasn't recruited by any major colleges out of high school, so he opted to attend Clackamas Community College, a junior college in his home state.

"I kind of felt like I had to prove myself again because I wanted to play at (an NCAA Division I) school," he said.

He averaged 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.4 rebounds per game during his sophomore season at Clackamas, but still was not heavily recruited. Even the Hawai'i coaches could not guarantee Kuebler a scholarship his first season.

"It was just a tough situation," said UH associate coach Jackson Wheeler, who recruited Kuebler. "We knew he was perfect for our system, but we didn't have an open scholarship for him."

Kuebler agreed to walk-on with the 'Bows, and eventually was awarded a scholarship about a week later when another recruit decided not to attend Hawai'i.

"We didn't know what to expect," said his father, Mike Kuebler. "But we liked the program, and it was Michael's choice. Even if he never got a scholarship, we would have helped him out to get him through it."

Last season, his first at UH, Kuebler worked his way into the lineup as a small forward. This season, with the departure of English, he moved to his natural position, shooting guard.

He has scored in double-figures in 26 of 29 games this season, including 14 games with 20 or more points.

"We came to depend on him maybe a little too much," Wallace said. "And that's not his fault. He still takes shots that are in the offense. We've had scorers in the past who would try to take over games by going out of the offense. Kuebs is not like that. He might be the most unselfish scorer we've had."

Pfau likes to brag about her high school sweetheart every day at work. She is a student assistant in the University of Oregon men's basketball office.

"Every time the coaches see he has a good game, they talk about how he got away from Oregon," she said.

As Kuebler put it: "At the time, I was hoping somebody — anybody — would give me a chance. But now, I feel like Hawai'i was the best place for me. It's been the best two years of my life."

By the way, that potential walk-on who would have gotten the scholarship ahead of Kuebler? He quit during his first season at Southwest Missouri State.

"It's amazing how it worked out," Wheeler said. "Kuebs turned out to be everything a college athlete should be. I wish all our players could be like him."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.