Solum repeats as SG basketball MVP, among four Lions honored

Junior Elijah Solum was voted 2023 Most Valuable Player for the second straight season by his Spring Grove basketball teammates. Senior Caleb Griffin was the choice for Most Improved while junior Ethan Crouch was voted the Lion Award, which reflects leadership, passion and energy during practice as well as games. Determined solely by statistics, the Hustle Award went to senior Tysen Grinde for the second straight year.

Grinde was also Academic All-State, one of the state’s most prestigious honors. Ten of the 11 letter winners were also Academic All-Conference. Coached by five-time and current Section 1A Coach of the Year Wade Grinde, the Spring Grove boys (31-2, 20-0 SEC) won a school-record 31 games on the way to conference and section championships before placing third at the state tournament. The Lion boys extended their conference winning streak to 36 games while claiming their 23rd league title, including 12 of the last 13 SEC East Division crowns.

Solum (MVP) sparked the Lion defense by taking a season-record 24 charges, including a jaw-dropping four in the state semi-final game and three in the section championship. He took a charge in each of the final six postseason tournament games. Solum led Spring Grove in scoring with 16.1 points per game and assists (3.1 apg) and shared the team lead in 3-point accuracy (40%). He ranked second in 3-point field goals, only one trey behind leader Jacob Olerud.

With another season of eligibility remaining, he is already the Lion boys’ 11th all-time leading scorer with 1,214 career points, ranks fourth with 36 career charges, is seventh with 130 career three-point baskets and ninth all-time with 260 assists.

Solum was previously named to the All-State Tournament Team for Class A, All-Area Third Team (all classes) and repeated as a First Team All-Southeast Conference selection. State recruiting analyst Ryan James named Solum to his All-State Team for juniors and tabbed him Section 1A Junior of the Year.

Crouch (Lion Award) was voted the Lion Award, which reflects leadership, passion and energy during practice as well as games. The junior starter blocked 35 shots, the fifth-best season on record and with a year of eligibility remaining, already ranks 10th all-time with 43 career blocks. Crouch took care of the ball with nearly twice as many assists as turnovers. His career 1.93 assist-to-turnover ratio is the fourth best in the record book.

Griffin (MIP) led the Lion primary playing rotation in free throw accuracy (72.3%) and shared the team lead in 3-point accuracy (40%). On offense, he had a positive 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. On defense, the senior guard ranked second while taking five charges. On the career charts, he ranks 15th all-time in both free throw accuracy (70%) and 3-point accuracy (35%). Griffin had previously received Honorable Mention on the All-SEC Team

Grinde (Hustle Award) earned Academic All-State credentials by being a senior starter who had a 3.5 or higher GPA, cumulative in academic core curriculum through his sophomore and junior years plus the first semester of his senior year.

Grinde led Spring Grove in hustle points (111), rebounds (5.6 per game) and also led both the Lions and the conference in steals for the second straight season. He had the record book’s third-best season with 119 steals (3.6 spg) after breaking the record the previous season with 139. Grinde was the Lion’s second leading scorer (14.3 ppg), had the second-most assists (3.0 apg) and a strong 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Grinde graduates with the third-most career thefts (292), the ninth-most made free throws (189) and tied for third in career 3-point field goals (123). He ranks 12th all-time in both rebounds (426) and hustle points (242), 13th in both career assists (233) and blocked shots (39) and 14th in scoring (1,106 points).

Grinde had previously been named First Team All-SEC for second season and received Honorable Mention All-Area. He was highlighted by KAAL-TV as the Prep of the Week.

There was far more than one scholar on the court; 10 of the 11 letter winners were Academic All-Conference, recognizing an A-/B+ grade point average during the academic quarter of the basketball season. Those achievers were seniors Grinde, Griffin, Logan Brumm and Dane Edgington along with juniors Crouch, Solum, Jaxon Strinmoen, Jacob Olerud, Josh Newgaard and Isaac Nerstad.

Earning their fourth varsity letters were Solum, Grinde and Hunter Holland. Three-year letterwinners were Strinmoen and Griffin while two-year letter winners were Nerstad, Brumm, Newgaard, Crouch and Olerud. Lettering for the first time was Edgington.