University of North Florida Athletics

2009-10 Season:  Played in 19 games... Averaged 1.1 points and 1.2 rebounds providing the Ospreys with solid post depth... Had season best five points and five rebounds in game at Lipscomb... Pulled down boards in 11 games... Named UNF's Scholar Athlete of the Year for his work in the classroom maintaining a 3.96 GPA... Became the first UNF student recognized as a prestigious L.L. Waters Scholarship recipient... An All-Academic A-Sun performer and member of the President's and Dean's lists.
 
2008-09 Season:  Appeared in all 30 games including 27 starts… Averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field (ranked 2nd on team)… Tied for second best single-game shooting performance on the year by going 5-for-6 (83.3 percent) from the field in three separate games…Had eight blocks, third most on the team…Led the team in scoring three times and rebounding five times…Scored in double-figures five times, with a season high of 11 vs Belmont and at ETSU... Pulled down season-high eight rebounds twice, at Furman and against ETSU... An All-Academic A-Sun performer and member of the President's and Dean's lists.
 
2007-08 Season: Played in all 29 games with one start as a freshman... Averaged two points per contest... Scored first career field goal against Concordia…Had breakout performance against Kennesaw State, hitting 5-of-6 field goal attempts for his first career double-figure scoring game (11 points)… Followed that up with a 13-point performance at East Tennessee State (also 5-of-6 from the floor)… Hit 16 of last 20 FG attempts (.800)…Had a season-best four blocked shots against Campbell, helping UNF set a team record for blocks (10)... An All-Academic A-Sun performer and member of the President's and Dean's lists.
 
High School: Played his senior season at Bradley Central High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., for head coach Kent Smith… Spent the first three years of his prep career between Chattanooga Christian School (9th and 10th) and David Brainerd Christian School (11th)…At Bradley Central, played alongside two first-team all-state selections in Terrence Oglesby (Clemson) and Keith Dodd (Middle Tennessee State), with the trio leading the squad to a 33-5 record and a berth in the AAA state tournament…Shot 64 percent from the floor and averaged 14 points and eight rebounds per game during the regular season but averaged better than 20 points per contest during the squad's postseason run, which netted Bears a District 5 title, Region 3 championship and a berth in the state tournament…In the regional title game, hit the game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds remaining to knock off Red Bank and advance team to the state tournament… Finished the season with 512 points, ranking 2nd on team, and a team-high 293 rebounds... Also shot team-leading 69 percent from the floor as a senior… Earned first-team all-district and all-region honors as a senior… Following his senior season, Groothuis was invited to participate in the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association East/West All-Star Classic, where he led all scorers with 23 points and hit 10 of 13 shots from the floor… Ranked among the nation's top power forwards by ESPN.com and as the 36th best senior prospect in Tennessee by The Hoop Scoop Online and earned mention among the "Best of Preps" by the Chattanooga Times…Sat out junior season at Brainerd meeting TSSAA transfer rules…Started as a freshman and sophomore at Chattanooga Christian, leading the team in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore (14.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg), while shooting 73 percent from the floor…Teams were 25-5 and 15-10 his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively... Graduated with a 3.918 grade point average and was a member of the National Honor Society.
 
Personal: Born on Oct. 27, 1988…Son of Kristie and Neil Groothuis…Has an older brother, Mitch, who graduated from the University of Tennessee, and a younger brother, Jacob…Grandfather, Dean Murdock, played college basketball at Bradley University…Majoring in Transportation and Logistics.