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An in-depth look at Division III
Posted Feb. 14, 2000
By Mark Simon
D3hoops.com
It is hard to come into a collegiate program and any level and step right in and contribute.
It's harder to come in and start.
Not to mention start for a Top 25 team.
So what does it say about these three guys, who came into Top 25 programs and are starting and averaging more than 15 points per game as freshmen?
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Jeremy Veenstra has a bit of a reputation to live up to since he decided to play at Calvin. Grandpa Bernard graduated in 1951. His parents both graduated from the college. Then there was cousin Mark Veenstra, a legendary player who was a four-time Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association MVP and an All-American.
"People remember him," said Jeremy Veenstra, one of the top players on a Calvin squad ranked No. 2 nationally at 18-2. "He gets mentioned a lot, but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve known him for a long time. When I made my (college) choice, we sat down and talked quite a bit."
So far the 6-foot-6, 205-pound Veenstra is living up to the family name just fine.
"He has great poise and a great understanding of the game," said Calvin coach Kevin Vande Streek. "He’s very assertive on the court. He wants to take the big shot. He’s earned the confidence of his teammates."
The Knights have a team dedicated to looking for the best shot. Van De Streek says his leading scorer Aaron Winkle is the most unselfish player on the squad. Veenstra might not be too far behind.
"I love to pass," Veenstra said. "I’ll take a pass over a shot. To set up a teammate makes me just as happy."
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Good luck has come Luke Kasten’s way this season.
Good thing too- he’s the most superstitious player on a team that is 15-6 and ranked No. 6 in the nation.
Here’s a few of Kasten’s quirks:
- Before the season he bought the uniform No. 34 from a teammate because it’s the only number he has ever worn. "He still hasn’t seen the money though," Kasten said with a laugh.
- He wears the same socks every game since his junior year of high school
- He wears the same pair of Michael Jordan boxers every game. He does launder them on a nearly daily basis.
- He won’t speak to anyone before a game.
- He has to be the last player on the court during warmups.
- If he’s starting, he has to be the first player introduced in the lineup
- He won’t look at this Web site. "I looked at the site before a game," said Kasten, laughing again, "and I had a bad game. So now I won’t look at this site again until the season is over."
"That’s one of the key reasons I wanted to come here," said the 6-foot-6, 200 pound Kasten, who grew up on a farm in Coffeen, Ill., (pop. 750) and was not introduced to basketball until he reached the fifth grade. "I wanted to go somewhere that I could make an impact right away. To go to practice every day and not play (as a redshirt at a Division I program) would have killed me."
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Usually, the kid has to persuade his parents to play sports. For Derek Reich, it was the other way around.
Frustrated by the fact that he didn’t get any Division I basketball scholarship offers coming out of an average basketball program at Niles West High, Reich was all set to attend the University of Illinois and play intramurals. He mailed in his admissions and housing deposit willing to forego collegiate hoops.
Chicago coach Mike McGrath kept calling though -- not willing to give up on a player who started three consecutive seasons and was an All-State honoree as a senior.
Eventually Reich’s mother and father convinced him it was worth a try. So far, it looks like good advice.
Told he was going to probably come off the bench, Reich played four games before he beat out the Maroons' starting center from last season. He’s impressed coaches and teammates with his deft touch on three-pointers. He is shooting 53% from the field and 51% from three-point range as the team’s leading scorer.
"Some people made mistakes on him," said McGrath, referring to a number of Division I colleges that passed on the 6-8, 205-pound center who has helped the Maroons to a 18-3 mark, an undefeated season in the University Athletic Association and a No. 14 national ranking. "When they saw him play, they didn’t realize how good he was. He’s better then I thought he would be."
And Chicago is far better then Reich thought it would be.
"It had the reputation of being a nerdy school," Reich said. "But I was surprised at how much fun you could have at a school like this. It’s a really good experience."
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