Reed Rus checks a lot of boxes for Mount Vernon/Plankinton. 

Rus, a 6-foot-4 do-it-all point guard, has been instrumental in MVP’s 10-4 start to the season and does just about everything on the court. This season, the junior leads the Titans in scoring (20.2), rebounding (9.6), assists (4.1) and steals (3.5) per game. 

“He’s our go-to guy and he’s just good at all parts of the game,” MVP coach Eric Denning said. “He’s tremendously athletic and he’s worked hard to become a very skilled basketball player. He’s just the key to everything that we do essentially.” 

Rus, who is 16 points away from 1,000 career points, regularly stuffs the stat sheet on a nightly basis. 

 -Against Tri-Valley, he finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, eight steals, five assists and four blocked shots.

-He logged 29 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots against Redfield.

-Against Wessington Springs, he posted 26 points, eight rebounds, eight steals, five assists and four blocked shots.

-He recorded 31 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and three assists against Freeman.

-Rus posted 28 points, 18 rebounds, four steals and four assists against Miller. 

Not the usual stat lines for a point guard. 

“The ball is in his hands as much as it can be,” Denning said. “He’s been playing the one for us, which sometimes I think limits his scoring opportunities a little bit. Because he’s got to bring it up, but overall he can just kind of do it all for us.”

Mount Vernon/Plankinton's Reed Rus, right, attacks the basket against Platte-Geddes earlier this season. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Offensively and defensively, Denning has trust in Rus to play and defend all five spots on the court. Rus, who has played point guard since the second grade, is most comfortable orchestrating the team’s offense and playing with the ball in his hands. 

“You always just kind of have control and get to control the tempo and make sure everything is going well,” Rus said. “You can stay on top of the key and know we need to slow it down and get a good look here and make sure everything is going the way it’s supposed to be and get us organized right away.”

In addition to initiating the offense, Rus regularly guards the opposing team’s best player. He uses his quick hands and lengthy frame to cause havoc in the passing lanes. His defensive prowess and versatility has led to a handful of breakaway slam dunks this season. 

“Mr. Denning can change a lineup when he wants to because I can always kind of guard the five or if he needs me to guard the one, or anywhere in between,” said Rus, who has 20 blocked shots this season. “I can always guard where we are lacking in that area. I try to be the best defender I can and that’s always been something I’ve tried to work on.”

Denning, who has coached basketball for 25 years, likened Rus to a former Mount Vernon Mustang. 

“He reminds me a lot of Josh Nebelsick,” Denning said. “He’s very versatile. He sees the floor very well. He’s a good passer. Josh was a player that just made everybody on the team better and I think Reed does that, too.”

Denning also coached Rus’ uncle, Chad Greenway, and said athletically, they are similar on the basketball court. Rus leans on Greenway, a Mount Vernon native and former NFL linebacker, for advice during his own athletic exploits. 

“It’s pretty exciting just knowing kind of how it all works and always having somebody to talk to because he’s gone through all the levels and knows a lot of people,” Rus said.