{{short description|American basketball player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Wayne Kreklow | image = Wayne Kreklow portrait 2014.jpg | width = 300px | caption = Kreklow, Missouri head women's volleyball coach in 2014 | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = 175 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|01|04}} | birth_place = Neenah, Wisconsin, U. S. | high_school = Neenah (Neenah, Wisconsin) | college = Drake (1975–1979) | draft_year = 1979 | draft_round = 3 | draft_pick = 53 | draft_team = Boston Celtics | career_start = | career_end = | career_number = 20 | career_position = Shooting guard | years1 = 1979–1980 | team1 = Maine Lumberjacks | years2 = {{nbay|1980|full=y}} | team2 = Boston Celtics | highlights = * First-team All-MVC (1979) * Second-team All-MVC (1978) }}
'''Wayne R. Kreklow''' (born January 4, 1957) is an American volleyball coach and former professional basketball player. During the 1980–81 NBA regular season, Kreklow was a member of the Boston Celtics team that had won the 1981 NBA Finals. He was the women's volleyball coach at the University of Missouri from 2005 through the 2018 season. Kreklow retired in July 2019.
==Early life== Kreklow was born in Neenah, Wisconsin. Wayne is the son of Wayne Sr. (d. 2018) and Joanne. He is one of six Kreklow children. His father coached and taught for 42 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com/obituary/Wayne-Richard-Kreklow-Sr./Neenah-Wisconsin/1777913|title=Wayne Kreklow Sr. Obituary, Neenah, Wisconsin|website=www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com}}</ref>
Kreklow played on the 1975 state championship basketball team at Neenah High School. Kreklow scored 23 points in Neenah's state quarterfinal loss in 1974. Kreklow led the 1975 Wisconsin State High School Basketball Tournament in scoring with 69 points, including 19 in Neenah's 64–55 victory over Milwaukee Marshall in the WIAA Class A final.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://madison.com/wayne-kreklow---neenah-class-of/article_0466ba59-3266-5dee-9495-3a3f2e0e0452.html|title=Wayne Kreklow, 6–4, Neenah (Class of 1975)|first=Tom|last=Oates|website=madison.com}}</ref>
In leading Neenah to the 1975 WIAA state basketball title, Kreklow scored 499 points in 1974–1975 and 926 for his career. Kreklow was the 1975 Wisconsin Player of the Year. He also played volleyball in high school.<ref name="neenah.k12.wi.us">{{cite web|url=https://www.neenah.k12.wi.us/news_detail.cfm?newsid=8124|title=NJSD Names Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductees|website=www.neenah.k12.wi.us}}</ref>
==Basketball career==
===College (1975–1979)=== A {{convert|6|ft|4|in|m|adj=on}} guard, Kreklow played basketball at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. He was also recruited by Minnesota, Wisconsin and Marquette among others.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.columbiamissourian.com/sports/missouri-volleyball-coach-has-winning-history-with-boston-celtics/article_4c75fbe0-8aec-5d27-9150-f4af3988bba3.html|title=Missouri volleyball coach has winning history with Boston Celtics|first=Amy|last=Backes|website=Columbia Missourian}}</ref>
As a freshman in 1975–1976, Kreklow averaged 8.0 points and 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the 8–19 Drake Bulldogs under Coach Bob Ortegel. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists, with Drake finishing 10–17 as a sophomore. As a junior in 1977–1978, Kreklow averaged 15.2 points 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, as Drake finished 6–22.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/drake/1976.html|title=1975–76 Drake Bulldogs Roster and Stats|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/drake/1977.html|title=1976-77 Drake Bulldogs Roster and Stats}}</ref><ref name="sports-reference.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/drake/1979.html|title=1978–79 Drake Bulldogs Roster and Stats|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref>
As a senior in 1978–1979, Kreklow averaged 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists as Drake improved to 15–12.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
Overall, Kreklow averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 109 career games at Drake, leaving Drake as the program's third leading all-time scorer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/wayne-kreklow-1.html|title=Wayne Kreklow College Stats|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>
===Professional (1979–1983)=== Kreklow was the 3rd round (53rd overall) pick of the Boston Celtics in the 1979 NBA draft.
Kreklow participated in the Celtics 1979 training camp, but he did not make the team. He played the 1979–80 season for the Maine Lumberjacks of the Continental Basketball Association, averaging 9.6 points per game.<ref>1980–81 CBA Official Guide, page 62</ref>
In 25 NBA games with the Boston Celtics in 1980–81, Kreklow averaged 1.2 points per game. Kreklow was waived on January 21, 1981, and the Celtics went on to win the NBA Championship in May 1981.<ref name=bbr/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198105140HOU.html|title=1981 NBA Finals Game 6: Boston Celtics at Houston Rockets Box Score, May 14, 1981|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=2 November 2025}}</ref>
"I was very much of a support player. I wasn't one of the main guys in the rotation," Kreklow said of his Celtic tenure. "My job was to make guys work as hard as they could in practice and challenge them, and make sure they were playing to their potential. That was my time — practice."<ref name="auto1"/>
"It was a pretty remarkable group of guys. They were mature, they were professional," Kreklow added about the Celtic's Championship. "There's a reason that certain teams tend to win championships and be really successful because they're not only good players, but they have character and they're good people."<ref name="auto1"/>
After being invited back to Boston camp and playing in 1985 for Sydney Supersonics in Australia, Kreklow played for the Wisconsin Flyers of the CBA in 1982–1983.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasljerseys.com/EBA/Players/K/Kreklow.Wayne.htm|title=EBA-|website=www.nasljerseys.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apbr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3620|title=apbr.org • View topic – Where are they: Wayne Kreklow|website=www.apbr.org}}</ref>
==Volleyball coaching== Kreklow coached Columbia College to NAIA national volleyball titles and undefeated seasons in 1998 and 1999.<ref name="neenah.k12.wi.us"/>
Kreklow was the head women's volleyball coach of University of Missouri volleyball team from 2005 thru the 2018 season, and coached alongside his wife Susan since 2000. He retired from coaching in July 2019. The Tigers reached 14 NCAA Tournaments in the Kreklow's tenure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mutigers.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1124&path=wvball|title=Wayne Kreklow – Volleyball Coach|website=University of Missouri Athletics}}</ref>
"For me, I want to win," Kreklow said. "I want to win championships. I want to do all that kind of stuff. But that, to me, is the secondary by-product of doing things the right way."<ref name="auto1"/>
==Career statistics== {{NBA player statistics legend}}
===NBA=== Source<ref name=bbr>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kreklwa01.html|title=Wayne Kreklow NBA stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=2 November 2025}}</ref>
====Regular season==== {{NBA player statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1980}} | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 25 || 0 || 4.0 || .234 || .250 || .700 || .5 || .4 || .1 || .0 || 1.2 {{S-end}}
==Honors== * The Neenah Joint School District inducted Kreklow into their Hall of Fame in 2015.<ref name="neenah.k12.wi.us"/> * Kreklow was selected to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wisbca.org/hall-of-fame/inductees.php|title=Inductees – Hall Of Fame – WBCA|website=www.wisbca.org}}</ref> * In 2016, Kreklow was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, along with his wife Susan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mosportshalloffame.com/inductees/wayne-kreklow/|title=Wayne Kreklow|publisher=}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{basketballstats|bbr=k/kreklwa01}} *[http://mutigers.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/kreklow_wayne00.html Wayne Kreklow Profile] at the University of Missouri
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kreklow, Wayne}} Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:American expatriate basketball people in Australia Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball players from Wisconsin Category:Boston Celtics draft picks Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Drake Bulldogs men's basketball players Category:Maine Lumberjacks players Category:Missouri Tigers women's volleyball coaches Category:Shooting guards Category:Sportspeople from Neenah, Wisconsin Category:Wisconsin Flyers players Category:20th-century American sportsmen