Former Stagg star Max Strus lets loose with a 3-point attempt during the preseason for the Miami Heat. Photo courtesy of the Miami Heat

Former Stagg star Max Strus lets loose with a 3-point attempt during the preseason for the Miami Heat. Photo courtesy of the Miami Heat

Keeping the fire burning: Miami Heat’s Max Strus seeks to build on breakout season

Spread the love

By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer

After pouring in 24 points in a preseason game, Miami Heat guard Max Strus did a TV interview.

The 26-year-old Hickory Hills native and Stagg graduate was asked about helping young teammates.

“I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. “I know what it’s like to get waived, I know what it’s like to get signed; and I’m just trying to have a positive impact and walk them to the steps, and try to be a guide for them and help them along the way.”

Strus is still young, but it seems like he has seen his all.

His story from a successful career at Stagg to becoming a regular player on a perennial playoff that is considered one of the NBA’s model franchises is full of twists and turns. It’s almost like he is a 10-year veteran with all he has experienced.

The Heat were scheduled to open their 2022-23 season on Oct. 19, and Strus is taking nothing for granted. During an interview at his inaugural summer camp at Stagg, he expressed his appreciation for being in the league.

“I never doubted my ability to play in the NBA,” Strus said. “I think the only thing that I questioned throughout that process was if I would get another chance. There are only 450 players in the NBA, so getting an opportunity is very slim. Getting a second chance is even slimmer.

“That was the only thing I worried about. I never worried about if I could play or couldn’t play in the NBA. I always believed in myself.”

 

Painful journey
After graduating from Stagg in 2014, Strus played at Division II Lewis University in Romeoville before transferring to DePaul.

In 2019, his NBA adventure started when the undrafted free agent signed a contract with Boston. The Celtics released him and he signed with the Bulls, played 6 minutes over two games, then tore the ACL in his left knee during an NBA G-League game four days before Christmas.

For a player on the bottom of the NBA food chain, his career could have easily been over.

Strus didn’t think that way.

“My injury was a blessing in disguise,” he said. “It gave me an opportunity to step back away from things and not have basketball in my life for a while. I did get lucky with COVID happening. I think I was probably the only person who liked COVID happening for that time being because there was no basketball. I wasn’t missing anything.

“I tried to look at is as a positive and make it the most positive situation I could get out of it and that was to get my body ready and get everything back to normal. I took that time to retrain and refigure how I was going to make myself an NBA player.”

Strus wasn’t feeling sorry for himself. Family and friends, however, were devastated at the turn of events.

“That was one of the hardest things — to see my family and friends feeling sad and bad for me,” he said. “I tried to remain positive whenever I was around them and in the public eye to show them that I’ll be fine.

“I didn’t want it to be a huge setback. Obviously, it was a major injury and everyone was worried. But I just tried to stay positive through it all and tried to get through it.”

He got through it. But the next step was also difficult: Getting an NBA team to take a chance on an undrafted free agent coming off a serious injury.

 

STRUS 2

Max Strus is ready to play his third season with the Miami Heat. Photo courtesy of the Miami Heat

The Heat is on
Miami took that chance and, during the 2020-21 season, he stuck with the team after the preseason. He played in 39 games and averaged 13 minutes, averaging six points a game.

He stuck with the team again in 2021-2022, and if the holidays were lousy in 2019 around the Strus household, they were more than joyful in 2021.

Injuries were taking their toll on the Heat and Strus stepped in. He scored 20 points in one quarter en route to a 32-point game against Orlando on Dec. 17.

Strus became the first player in Heat history to score 100-plus points and hit 20-plus 3-pointers during a four-game span On Dec. 23, hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Detroit.

He’s been a mainstay ever since.

 

Giving hope to athletes
Strus’ high school coach, John Daniels, still keeps in contact with him. Daniels thinks Strus’ story can inspire others.

“This is something everyone around here should celebrate,” Daniels said. “It’s a story that give kids like him at Stagg, at Sandburg, at Andrew and all of the other area schools hope.

“They don’t have to play for the best AAU coach. They don’t have to travel around the country. They don’t have to quit playing other sports. He played baseball and was one of the best pitchers in the area. He gives hope to kids and if you work hard, you can be rewarded.”

Strus had to take a step back to reflect on the 2021-22 season

“It’s been a whirlwind of events this whole year,” he said. “There were a lot of ups and downs at the beginning.  Then I was able to carve out my role in the NBA. I think I’m established now. I’ve earned that.

“I hope I keep earning that throughout my time. I’m really excited for the future and what that holds. I had a good year last year and I want to top that and keep advancing in my career.”

 

The Strus Rule
While he may be well known around the South Suburbs and Miami area for his play, casual basketball fans across the country know him as a guy in the middle of a controversy who helped get a ruled changed in the NBA.

In a Game 7 playoff battle with Boston, Strus hit a 3-point basket in the third quarter to slice the Celtics lead to 56-54. After three minutes of game time elapsed, officials declared that Strus’ heel was out of bounds and the three points were taken off the board, after much arguing.

The NBA changed the rules starting this season. The NBA Replay Center will illuminate a blue light if officials think a scoring change is necessary. Play will be stopped during a neutral moment.

Some people are already calling it the “Strus Rule.”

He’s going to live with that for a long time.

“I think every interview I’ve done and every time I talk to people, it always comes up,” Strus said. “It’s always going to be a thing in the back of people’s minds. Hopefully, we make it to the Finals and win the championship and we’ll never talk about it again.

“It’s funny, right after the game my brother [Stagg boys basketball coach Marty Strus] said, ‘At least you are going to have a rule named after you.’ Looking back on it, it stinks, but one possession is not going to determine a game. A lot of things happen along the way.”

Local News

big PoliceLights1

Police Blotter

Spread the love

Spread the loveCHICAGO RIDGE DUI Orlando De La Rosa, 32, of Berwyn, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop at 2:29 a.m. March 8 in the 9200 block of South Harlem Avenue. Police said he failed field sobriety tests and refused to submit a breath sample. He was also…

Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer rides in the Fourth of July parade in 2022. (File photo)

Oak Lawn seeks participants for Fourth of July parade

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle It may be spring, but it is not too early to talk about a summer parade. The Oak Lawn Village Board approved a resolution Tuesday morning authorizing the submission of a permit request to the Illinois Department of Transportation for the 2024 Fourth of July Parade. The resolution approves the…

Veronica Shaw

Sandburg welcomes new associate principal of instruction

Spread the love

Spread the loveConsolidated High School District 230 Board of Education is welcoming Dr. Veronica Shaw to Carl Sandburg High School as its new Associate Principal of Instruction. She begins July 1 and replaces Anita Huffman who was recently appointed as District 230’s Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services. With ample education leadership experience, Shaw is currently…

Funeral2

Obituaries March 28, 2024

Spread the love

Spread the loveHONORATA BIS Honorata Bis (nee Donicz), age 71, passed away peacefully with loving family by her side February 27. Beloved wife of Adam Bis; loving mother of Konrad Bis and Monika (Mariusz) Sarna; dear grandmother of Michael, Matthew, Amelia and Szymon; dearest daughter of the late Irena (nee Szaniawska) and the late Jan…

Sheri Cannataro, of Cannataro Farms, demonstrates the gear she wears to extract honey from a bee hive for visitors who stopped by to see her products at the Hills Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. (Photos by Joe Boyle)

Residents warm up to Hills Chamber Business Expo

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Spring has arrived but winter continues to leave its calling card. However, that did not prevent the Hills Chamber of Commerce from holding its 10th annual Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. While the temperatures were frigid and windy outside, the spirit inside…

Palos Park Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters speaks about zoning codes at the March 25 council meeting. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Palos Park to tweak outdated village zoning codes

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The village of Palos Park has no grand plan to change the village landscape. But officials want to modernize some of its zoning codes. “The village has not comprehensively updated its development regulations since 1960,” Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said at the March 25 village council meeting. “Due to this, there…

Ridgeland sd122 logo

SD122 psychologist resigns over Islamophobic posts

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam A psychologist for Ridgeland School District 122 has resigned after hundreds of parents demanded she be fired for social media posts that were pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian. District Supt. Joseph Matise announced at a schoolboard meeting last week that Dr. Laurie Hoke had resigned. “Dr. Hoke will no longer be working…

CRR_NH

Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound March 27, 2024

Spread the love

Spread the love

Mary Stanek

Will the month of March leave like a lion?

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 517-7796 . The days are getting longer and slightly warmer. But my prediction of a few weeks ago–March is certainly not leaving like a lamb–may prove to be correct. A sure sign of spring in…

Peggy Zabicki

Robin sighting a sign of new beginnings

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327 . I saw a robin the other day. This was the first sighting of the season for me. I remember my mom saying that the first robin of spring is a promise of new beginnings. May it be so. Is…

Neighbors

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…