Wayne R. Kreklow (born January 4, 1957) is an American volleyball coach and former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Kreklow won an NBA championship with the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in 1981. He was the women's volleyball coach at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

from 2005 through the 2018 season. Kreklow retired in July 2019.

Early life

Kreklow was born in

Neenah, Wisconsin Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River, approximately forty miles (60 km) southwest of Green ...

. Wayne is the son of Wayne Sr. (d. 2018) and Joanne. He is one of six Kreklow children. His father coached and taught for 42 years. Kreklow played on the 1975 state championship basketball team at

Neenah High School Neenah High School is a public high school located in Neenah, Wisconsin. It is the only traditional high school of the Neenah Joint School District. As of fall 2008, approximately 2250 students were enrolled in grades 9 through 12, making it one ...

. Kreklow scored 23 points in Neenah's state quarterfinal loss in 1974. Kreklow led the 1975 Wisconsin State High School Basketball Tournament in scoring with 69 points, including 19 in Neenah's 64–55 victory over Milwaukee Marshall in the WIAA Class A final. In leading Neenah to the 1975 WIAA state basketball title, Kreklow scored 499 points in 1974–1975 and 926 for his career. Kreklow was the 1975 Wisconsin Player of the Year. He also played volleyball in high school.

College career (1975–1979)

A 6'4" (1.93 m)

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

, Kreklow played basketball at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, a member of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

. He was also recruited by Minnesota, Wisconsin and Marquette among others. As a freshman in 1975–1976, Kreklow averaged 8.0 points and 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the 8–19

Drake Bulldogs The Drake Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The Bulldogs' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA ...

under Coach

Bob Ortegel Robert Frank Ortegel (born September 15, 1940 in Evanston, Illinois) was the color commentator for Dallas Mavericks television broadcasts. Ortegel had previously been head coach for Drake University Drake University is a private university in ...

. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists, with Drake finishing 10–17 as a sophomore. As a junior in 1977–1978, Kreklow averaged 15.2 points 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, as Drake finished 6–22. As a senior in 1978–1979, Kreklow averaged 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists as Drake improved to 15–12. Overall, Kreklow averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 109 career games at Drake, leaving Drake as the program's third leading all-time scorer.

Professional career (1979–1983)

Kreklow was the 3rd round (53rd overall) pick of the

in the 1979 NBA draft. Kreklow participated in the Celtics 1979 training camp, but he did not make the team. He played the 1979–80 season for the Maine Lumberjacks of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

, averaging 9.6 points per game. In 25 NBA games with Boston in 1980–1981, Kreklow averaged 1.2

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

, as the Celtics won the 1981 NBA Championship. "I was very much of a support player. I wasn't one of the main guys in the rotation," Kreklow said of his Celtic tenure. "My job was to make guys work as hard as they could in practice and challenge them, and make sure they were playing to their potential. That was my time — practice." "It was a pretty remarkable group of guys. They were mature, they were professional," Kreklow added about the Celtic's Championship. "There's a reason that certain teams tend to win championships and be really successful because they're not only good players, but they have character and they're good people." After being invited back to Boston camp and playing in 1985 for

Sydney Supersonics The Sydney Supersonics are a defunct basketball team that competed in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). The team joined the NBL in 1979 as the City of Sydney Astronauts, becoming the Sydney Supersonics in 1982 as a result of a merge ...

in Australia, Kreklow played for the

Wisconsin Flyers The Wisconsin Flyers were a professional basketball team based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. They were members of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1982 to 1987. The team relocated to Rochester, Minnesota at the conclusion ...

of the CBA in 1982–1983.

Volleyball coaching

Kreklow coached Columbia College to NAIA national volleyball titles and undefeated seasons in 1998 and 1999. Kreklow was the head women's volleyball coach of University of Missouri volleyball team from 2005 thru the 2018 season, and coached alongside his wife Susan since 2000. He retired from coaching in July 2019. The Tigers reached 14 NCAA Tournaments in the Kreklow's tenure. "For me, I want to win," Kreklow said. "I want to win championships. I want to do all that kind of stuff. But that, to me, is the secondary by-product of doing things the right way."

Honors

* The Neenah Joint School District inducted Kreklow into their Hall of Fame in 2015. * Kreklow was selected to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008. * In 2016, Kreklow was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, along with his wife Susan.

References

External links

Wayne Kreklow Profile
at the University of Missouri {{DEFAULTSORT:Kreklow, Wayne 1957 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Australia American men's basketball players Basketball players from Wisconsin Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Drake Bulldogs men's basketball players Maine Lumberjacks players Missouri Tigers women's volleyball coaches Shooting guards Sportspeople from Neenah, Wisconsin Wisconsin Flyers players