By Greg Bates
Correspondent
HOUGHTON, Michigan – Kyle Monroe has been giving opposing defensive players headaches for quite a while.
But it was off-court headaches that almost ended his basketball career.
After averaging 27.7 points per game during his junior season at Michigan Tech University in Houghton, Michigan, Monroe was looking forward to his senior season.
However, he was having severe migraines when exercising.
Monroe was forced to burn his medical redshirt.
In January 2019, Monroe went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and underwent numerous tests.
“When I went to Mayo, I was under the impression there was a chance I wasn’t going to be able to play again,” said Monroe, who is a 2015 Ashwaubenon High School graduate.
Monroe was originally diagnosed with Chiari malformation, where part of his brain was sagging too low.
However, just one day before surgery was scheduled on his brain, doctors thought he was misdiagnosed after realizing he was leaking spinal fluid.
Instead, Monroe underwent a blood patch procedure.
“That was not a fun time, but now everything is cleared up, and I haven’t had any issues since I went to Mayo,” Monroe said.
When doctors were trying to figure out what was wrong, he wasn’t able to play basketball for about two months.
“It made me re-evaluate how much I love the game,” Monroe said. “Luckily, I got to realize how great the sport is and how great all my teammates are.”
Tech coach Kevin Luke said he was glad his star player was back on the court.
“It was tough for him having to sit out, but he’s made a great adjustment to get back to a high level,” Luke said. “He’s our go-to guy, and on any given night, can get you 50 points. Our offense runs through him, and he’s also done a great job of getting his teammates involved.”
Monroe, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward, had 29 points in the season opener Nov. 9 and then erupted for 53 against Grand Valley State Jan. 23.
Monroe’s single-game point total broke the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) record and Tech’s school record, which he already held at 50 during his sophomore year.
In the 53-point game, Monroe shot 20-for-28 from the field, including 10-for-13 from beyond the three-point arc.
“When you have a player do that, we all got caught up watching it,” Luke said. “He made drives, free throws and had a ton of threes. It was exceptional – one of the best offensive performances I’ve seen in the 33 years I’ve been coaching here.”
Monroe shot 71.4 percent from the field that night.
“I’ve never felt like that shooting the ball before,” Monroe said. “My teammates – I’ve watched the film – did a good job screening and swinging the ball. When someone on our team is hot, you try to get them another shot. That night happened to be my night. It was a fun game, but it was a shame we ended up losing in overtime. Those are the kind of games you don’t forget about anytime soon.”
Monroe started all but one game and was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year for the 2015-16 season.
He averaged 18.7 points per game that year and followed with 20.1 points per outing as a sophomore.
Even though his scoring average is down this year – he’s at 21.8 points per game – compared to his junior year, Monroe leads the team in scoring, rebounding (6.7), steals (1.4) and is fourth in assists (2.1).
On Feb. 15, he broke the school record for career points in a win over Lake Superior State.
As of Feb. 20, Monroe has 2,376 career points, with the previous record being 2,360.
“He’s got a brilliant mind on offense,” Luke said. “You know where he’s going, his shot selection is good, he shoots from different angles and areas and his release point is different. It’s hard to block because of that. He’s got a great shot fake, and he’s able to advance the ball to the rim by dribble. On top of being able to score, he’s a willing passer, and he’ll get his teammates involved.”
Because he’s had a successful career at the Division II level, Monroe has wondered if he could have played at a Division I college.
“I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything else,” Monroe said. “I know lots of people will go to a Division I school and spend the majority of their time being a practice player and maybe get some time later in their career. One of the reasons I picked Tech is they told me I’d be able to get me some solid playing time from the start. I love playing the game, and that’s the main reason I do it.”
Luke said he is happy Monroe chose his program.
“I’m happy he wanted to be an engineer,” he said. “Could he score in [Division I] games? No question he could. It would have to be in the right system, but he’s clearly one of the best at the Division II level.”
With his college career coming to a close soon, Monroe could have viable opportunities to play professionally overseas.
“I’ve been thinking about it,” Monroe said. “I haven’t made any decisions. I am going to play out this year and see how it goes.”
Michigan Tech assistant coach Joe Buettner played in Europe for three seasons and could be a valuable resource for Monroe when the time comes.
“We know a couple of agents over there, and they are interested at this point,” Luke said. “They’re waiting for his season to be done, and then we’ll try to move forward and get Kyle with the right people. He can clearly play at some level.”