Max Strus is right where he wants to be

He remembers the scruffiness of the beard that gave Max Strus the appearance of a washed up 30-something. That was DePaul Blue Demons forward Brandon Cyrus’ first impression.

In high school, Strus was three inches shorter and several pounds skinnier as he waited for his muscle and his facial hair to come in. So high profile coaches came and went without scholarship offers. And if he judged Division II Lewis University as critically as these coaches evaluated him, Strus might have missed out on becoming perhaps the best collegiate player in Illinois.

The bridge between Strus and Lewis was built by his older brother Marty. He played there, introducing Max to the quality of this level of…