For Northern California basketball fans, the last name Verhoeven should sound familiar recently. The Stanford Cardinal roster includes junior center Grant Verhoeven who is from the Hanford area as he prepped at Central Valley Christian High. Further north at Manteca High, the Buffaloes have a Verhoeven of their own in sophomore, Tydus Verhoeven.
Manteca was the runner up in the Valley Oak League (VOL) last season with a 19-9 overall record (10-4 league). As a freshman, Verhoeven was the sixth man as he averaged nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists per contest. In the current season through seven games, he has been quite effective, averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks.
Most of the past Verhoevens who have played basketball had positions in the post. Verhoeven is related to second cousin, Grant Verhoeven, as Tydus' mother is a cousin of Grant's father. Grant's father, 6-foot 9 Peter Verhoeven, played collegiately at Fresno State and then competed professionally for the Portland Trailblazers. Kenneth Wooten is another cousin (through their fathers) who is a 6-foot-8 post on the same Manteca team.
This Buffalo has post size at 6-foot-8 and 192 pounds but expects to be a guard at the next level. He compares his game to both Magic Johnson and Kyle Anderson who are taller point guards with good vision and feel for the game.
During the past summer, Verhoeven competed with the Team Superstar program based in Fresno. Team Superstar Coach Lerohn Dodson started the program in 1997 with the goal and mission to help local talented high school basketball players in Central and Northern California to gain exposure to the college recruiting system. This was Verhoeven's first year with the program as he had been with the Manteca Wildcats for the previous four summers.
Dodson comments on Verhoeven's strengths, "At 15 years old, being a 6'8 wing with his skill set and basketball IQ make him special. He is a very smart player who very seldom hurts his team. Can impact a game without scoring. Very good passer, also a really good rebounder and shot blocker."
Verhoeven competes on the football and track and field teams as well but plans to only play basketball in college. He considers his best play to be the pick-n-roll, which creates space and provides options for him to pass or to shoot. He is a versatile player who can play anywhere on the court that his coach may need him. He prefers facing the basket as he is an unselfish player.
Coach Dodson believes Verhoeven will be a major prospect, "Reminds me of DJ Wilson, who is now at Michigan. Might even be more skilled than DJ was at this age. Sky is the limit with Tydus. If he ends up being a 6'10 wing, there won't be too many kids in the country with his size, length and skill set when it's all said and done. He is big time in the classroom. His academics will open up many doors for him. His mom was a former student athlete (played basketball at Fresno State) and works in the education field so academics come first in that household."
Despite only being a sophomore, Verhoeven has an offer from Fresno State. In addition, he has made unofficial visits to Cal (Coach Hufnagel), Cal Poly SLO (Coach Fortier), Fresno State (Coach Terry), San Diego State (Coach Hutson), and UCLA (Coach Grace). His freshman GPA was 3.50 as he considers History to be his best subject and he would like to major in Sports Management.
Manteca has started this young season at 6-1. Watch for the Buffaloes to be on the loose with Verhoeven leading them in Manteca, Calif.
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