The future is now for Kutcher

Keaton Kutcher is one of the best 3-point shooters the state of Iowa has ever produced. He’s also a freshman guard at the University of South Dakota who originally intended to redshirt this season.

You remember redshirts, correct? Before the pandemic hit and temporarily rearranged the eligibility rules in college basketball, student-athletes had the option of going to classes and practicing with the team but not playing. In exchange, players would have the opportunity to play four years of basketball over the span of five years.

Now that the NCAA is returning to those rules, when Kutcher became a fully functioning part of the 2021-22 Coyote season it was a significant career move for him personally.

And one he’s now embracing.

In four games Kutcher, a 6-2 guard from Mount Vernon, Iowa, is 7-for-13 from the field and 4-of-8 on 3-pointers. They aren’t crazy numbers – not like the time he hit 10 3-pointers in a varsity contest for Mount Vernon as a high school freshman, for instance – but the Coyotes are 4-0 in games he’s played in.

“It involved a lot of people – me, my parents and the coaching staff – it was a collective decision,” said Kutcher, whose father, David, played basketball at Western Illinois. “They brought me in during the winter break and we talked about the possibility of playing this year and it went on from there.”

In return, the Coyotes got another player into the rotation who demands defensive attention outside the 3-point arc. Perimeter sharpshooters like Kutcher help clear traffic in the half-court just by being on the floor. When they combine that with being useful inside the arc – something fans can expect to an increasing degree from Kutcher in the coming years – the shooters become even more of a problem.

“I never redshirt a player unless the player and the parents agree and are 100-percent into it – it’s ultimately a family decision, along with the coaching staff,” USD coach Todd Lee said. “And I treat pulling redshirts the same way. It’s also a family decision.”

Injuries and COVID-19 developments conspired to thin-out the Coyote bench in the first part of the season. It got to the point where the coaching staff was looking for bodies. Specifically, in this case, bodies who can hit from long-range.

“Both he and his parents were great about it,” Lee said. “We all want to do what’s best for the program. He was a scout team guy and we knew he was very hard to guard on the scout team. He can make baskets and he’s a good athlete. We know he’s going to be a very good player in our program.”

Though it was a Coyote need, it wasn’t an act of desperation. Kutcher came to USD as a top recruit after scoring 1,640 points at Mount Vernon High School, finishing 10th all-time in 3-pointers in Iowa history.

Though the change now means fans will get to see him in games, the difference for Kutcher goes well beyond that.

The scout team duty that was Kutcher’s world up until a few weeks ago is a time-honored gig in college basketball. The guys who aren’t going to get minutes run the upcoming opponents’ offense for the benefit of those who will be playing a lot.

A good scout player has sound knowledge of the game, picks things up quickly and can test his teammates’ defense by making them work at practice.

Kutcher checked all those boxes in his efforts to make the Coyotes better without actually playing. Now practices are different because he is playing, though the same philosophical framework applies.

“It’s changed from being a good scout team player for these guys to actually playing with them,” Kutcher said. “The principles of practicing hard have not changed, but now I have to guard people instead of just running an offense. I’m still doing whatever I can to make the team better.”

Every freshman shooter has some version of a conversation with coaches that goes like this: We know you can shoot. You’ll get in games if you show us you can play some defense.

Kutcher listened, like most freshmen do, and yet it was initially a shock to understand how much better he was going to need to get at it to avoid being a liability.

“I couldn’t guard worth a lick when I got here,” he said. “It was definitely a source of frustration for me. But I got some tips and talked a lot with coaches and I got better at it. I still have a lot to improve on but I’m light years ahead of where I was. When I get thrown in a game, now I can actually guard people.”

Kutcher had heard a lot about playing defense against college kids and knew some adjustment was going to be necessary as he transitioned to a higher level. He didn’t know how much better, though. Now he does. 

“It really ramps up,” he said. “And no one is going to wait for you to figure it out. Everyone is faster, tougher and more physical. Even the slow guys seem crazy fast when you’re comparing them to most high school players. You just have to understand you’re going to mess up once in a while – these guys are Division I athletes and they’re going to make some plays. You just do your best and live with it.”

Coyote assistant Casey Kasperbauer’s background was invaluable in selling the program. The Carroll, Iowa, native was a Coyote shooter himself a few years earlier, of course. Not only that, he was from the same state and also posted historic numbers from beyond the arc.

That’s where Kutcher’s familiarity with the Coyote program stopped, but he’s since made great adjustments with the help of teammates that he didn’t know when he came to town.

“They were very welcoming – they showed me the ropes right away,” he said. “I knew very quickly that this was a good group of guys who were fun to hang out with. Those freshman jitter moments weren’t as bad because I knew this was where I was supposed to be.”