Feb. 28, 2001
Veenstra named MIAA MVP in men's basketball
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Calvin College sophomore Jeremy Veenstra has been
named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player in men's basketball while also
being named to the All-MIAA first team for the second straight year. He
is joined on the All-MIAA first team from Calvin by senior Josh
Tubergen. In addition, senior Nate Burgess and sophomore Bryan Foltice
have been named to the All-MIAA second team.
A native of Kalamazoo and a graduate of Kalamazoo Christian High School,
Veenstra is the 13th player in Calvin men's basketball history to
receive MIAA MVP accolades. It also marks the 19th time and the third
consecutive year that a Calvin men's basketball player has been selected
as the MIAA's MVP. Veenstra is also just the second sophomore in Calvin
men's basketball history to receive the award, joining his cousin Mark
Veenstra who received the award four times between 1973-1977. Jeremy
Veenstra is the second Calvin player out of Kalamazoo Christian High
School to receive MIAA MVP accolades as current Kalamazoo Christian High
School athletic director Ken Fletcher was named the MIAA's MVP as a
Calvin senior in 1965. Fletcher is a 1961 graduate of Kalamazoo
Christian High School.
Veenstra finished as the MIAA's scoring champion this year, averaging
22.5 points a game in conference games. Veenstra also finished second
in the MIAA in field goal percentage (.566); third in rebound average
(8.5); seventh in free throw percentage (.780) and ninth in
assists-per-game (3.2) and blocked-shots-per-game (0.8). Overall,
Veenstra is averaging 19.0 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. He has
scored in double-figures in 25 of Calvin's 26 games this year and
currently has a 16-game double-figure scoring streak. Veenstra was
named MIAA Player of the Week three times this and was also selected to
the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week twice.
Tubergen hails from Zeeland and is a graduate of Holland Christian High
School. A 6-7 senior center, Tubergen is making his first appearance on
the All-MIAA first team. Tubergen finished ninth in the MIAA scoring
race this year, averaging 12.2 points a game in league play. He also
finished second in the MIAA in blocked-shots-per-game (1.8); third in
field goal percentage (.541) and fourth in rebound average (7.4).
Tubergen is averaging 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds a game overall along
with a team-high 40 blocked shots. Tubergen was recently named MIAA
Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
Burgess is a native of Byron Center and is a graduate of Grand Rapids
South Christian High School. A 5-11 shooting guard, Burgess was also
recently named MIAA Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
Arguably the top defensive player on the Calvin squad, Burgess is also
averaging 9.0 points and 3.9 rebounds a game along with a team-high 2.9
assists-per-game. Over the last two years, Burgess has an
assists-to-turnover ratio of nearly three-to-one. Burgess has also
connected on 43.5 percent of his three-point field goal attempts this
year. In a memorable 84-82 overtime win at Hope February 14, Burgess
scored a career-high 21 points. In overtime, Burgess nailed a pair of
three-point attempts including the game-winner with seven seconds left
in overtime.
Foltice is from Grandville and is a graduate of Tri-unity Christian High
School. A 6-0 point guard, Foltice finished seventh in the MIAA scoring
race with an average of 12.5 points a game in league play. He also
finished sixth in free throw percentage (.793) and eighth in field goal
percentage (.419). Overall, Foltice is second on the Calvin team in
scoring with an average of 14.3 points a game. He has also connected on
a team-high 49 three-point field goals this year out of 117 attempts for
a 41.9 percent three-point clip. During the year, Foltice has been
named MIAA Player of the Week twice. The left-handed point guard has
also shown a flair of the dramatic this year, sinking the game-winning
jumper in an 85-81 win over Cornerstone in the Old Kent Classic
Championship game November 25, and then sinking a three-pointer at the
end of regulation to send the February 14 contest at Hope into overtime.
Calvin recently captured its third consecutive MIAA regular season title
with a 10-2 conference mark. The Knights also captured their second
straight MIAA Tournament title this past weekend, defeating Olivet in
the semifinals and Adrian in the championship game. In winning the MIAA
Tournament, Calvin earned an automatic bid to the NCAA III Tournament
for the second straight year and for the 13th time in school history.
The Knights are currently 22-4 on the year, having reached the 20-win
plateau for the 12th time in school history.
Calvin will host Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champion
Defiance (17-10) Thursday night in a first round NCAA III Tournament
game at the Calvin Fieldhouse. Thursday's game will begin at 7:30 pm
with the winner traveling to Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, for
a second round game Saturday night at 7:30 pm.
MIAA Men's Basketball MVP's from Calvin College
Don Vroon, 1956 Ken Fletcher, 1965 Mike Phelps, 1970
Doug Taatjes, 1971 Mark Veenstra, 1974 Mark Veenstra, 1975
Mark Veenstra, 1976 Mark Veenstra 1977 Marty Grasmeyer, 1980
Jim Schipper, 1986 Dan Davis, 1988 Dan Davis & Bill Sall, 1989
Bill Sall, 1990 Steve Honderd, 1992 Steve Honderd, 1993
Chris Knoester, 1994 Aaron Winkle, 1999 Aaron Winkle, 2000
Jeremy Veenstra, 2001
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