Arroyo Grande's VanderVeen is The Tribune County Player of the Year for boys basketball
Brent VanderVeen’s basketball season almost didn’t happen.
He almost wasn’t a part of these Arroyo Grande High boys basketball milestones: the program’s first outright league title in 11 years, a 15-game winning streak and an appearance in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AAA championship game.
But, he decided to play.
And because of his decision, VanderVeen has been named The Tribune’s San Luis Obispo County Player of the Year after powering his Eagles to a memorable run. He almost single-handedly changed the Eagles’ season in just 19 games, averaging 16.3 points and 13.4 rebounds.
By the way, basketball isn’t his top sport. He’s signed with the Oregon State football team to become the Beavers’ future quarterback.On Dec. 9, Arroyo Grande won the section’s Western Division title in football — the school’s first since 1998. Fans mobbed VanderVeen for hugs and congratulatory handshakes. Members of the media asked questions about his performance in a 42-14 win over Culver City, which included a 76-yard touchdown run.
At that moment, he was not thinking about basketball.
But when he went to bed that night, settling down from a historic night on the football field, VanderVeen began to think about basketball. He remembers a previous talk with his future quarterbacks coach at Oregon State, who said the program would be fine with his decision to play basketball. He thought about using the winter to work out and get stronger as a quarterback. Not playing basketball was also a good way of avoiding a non-football injury.
But, he couldn’t resist.
Basketball “was my first love when I was little,” said VanderVeen, who ended up finding enough time to work on his football skills during the basketball season. “I always wanted to play basketball. It means a lot to me.”
The decision wasn’t the hardest part, however.
Making the transition
On his final night as a high school football player, VanderVeen, as he always did, led the Eagles’ passing attack. He did have one long TD run, but he did most of his work inside the pocket, either handing the ball off to a running back or throwing it to a receiver.
So imagine the shock he felt the following day when he joined the Arroyo Grande basketball team at its own tournament without enduring any formal practices. The Eagles were 1-3 by then.
VanderVeen is a gifted athlete, thanks to his muscular 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame and his large hands. But once he got onto the court, he realized the hardest part about this transition from football was getting back into basketball shape.
“Playing quarterback, I didn’t run much,” VanderVeen said. “I wasn’t in the best shape, but I was definitely fit. Basketball is a different type of running, different type of energy. You can definitely feel it.”
Nonetheless, the Eagles got a scorer, a rebounder, a shot blocker, an inside presence. His arrival meant more double-teams on him, granting shooters like Gunnar Gomez and Matt Willkomm — also a football player — more opportunities for open shots.
“Brent’s one of those unique and special athletes. When he joined the team this year, literally everything changed in a day,” Arroyo Grande coach Ryan Glanville said. “Things became a lot easier for us when we had a big guy inside who we could throw it to. He could pretty much score from anywhere on the floor.”
“Having him on the court,” he added, “made all the difference for us.”
It took some time, though. The Eagles went 6-4 directly after VanderVeen’s arrival. The turning point in Arroyo Grande’s season happened Jan. 4, when Arroyo Grande fell 70-45 to Righetti in the PAC 7 opener. That loss changed everything.
The Eagles became a better team. They became more focused and determined. They went on a 15-game winning streak — one that included a revenge win over Righetti. They ended up capturing the PAC 7 title with an 11-1 record, with VanderVeen regularly finishing with double-doubles.
Area basketball coaches believe VanderVeen might’ve gotten Division I basketball interest if he hadn’t already sign with Oregon State for football. He said Chapman University — a Division III school — approached him at a tournament but soon backed off after the recruiter learned of his college plans.
VanderVeen “never had a down game,” said Jerry Tamelier, the recently retired Atascadero coach. “He was active and always putting up good numbers.”
Then came the playoffs.
Finishing strong
That set up a battle between VanderVeen and 6-foot-7 St. Mary’s signee Chris Reyes.
VanderVeen came out victorious, finishing with 16 points in a thrilling 50-43 win at the Arroyo Grande gym. Reyes, who played in foul trouble, had 20 points, two dunks and a handful of monstrous blocks but also was one of just three Damien scorers.
“Brent absolutely dominated him on both ends of the floor,” Glanville said. “If they were the team to beat and he was the guy that was supposed to be a tremendous basketball player — and he is a very good player — but on that night, Brent outplayed him.”
Arroyo Grande then traveled about 300 miles to beat Palm Desert to reach the section final for the first time since 1970, when the Eagles lost 45-41 to Wilson of Hacienda Heights in Division 2A.
In the section final against Pasadena at the Anaheim Convention Center on March 3, the Eagles lost for the first time in 16 games — a stretch that started once VanderVeen and four other football players got into basketball shape. Arroyo Grande didn’t stop there, going on to play in two state tournament games.
In the end, VanderVeen was glad he chose to play basketball.
“I didn’t expect it,” he said about the Eagles’ season. “It’s always my goal to win league, it’s always my goal to win and go as far as you can but I didn’t think we had a shot and then, we started rolling.”
Tribune All-County First Team
Player of the Year — Brent VanderVeen, Arroyo Grande, F, Sr.
Gunnar Gomez, Arroyo Grande, G., Sr.
Robbie Berwick, Atascadero, G, So.
Zach Allmon, Mission Prep, C, Sr.
Connor Woolpert, Mission Prep, F, Jr.
Edward Griley, Morro Bay, F, Sr.
Ryan McNeil, Nipomo, F, Sr.
Second Team
Matt Willkomm, Arroyo Grande, G, Jr.
Hayden Mislavsky, Atascadero, G, Sr.
Andy Rowley, Mission Prep, G, Jr.
Josh Wilson-Murry, Paso Robles, G, So.
Matt Moore, San Luis Obispo, G, Sr.
Andy Garretson, Templeton, F, Jr.
Honorable Mention
Jackson Zimmerman, Arroyo Grande, G, Jr.
Joe Johnson, Atascadero, G, So.
Quinten Raethke, Coast Union, C, So.
Patrick Laird, Mission Prep, G, So.
Luke Munds, Morro Bay, G, Jr.
Daniel Katches, North County Christian, F, Sr.
Chandler Torres, San Luis Obispo, G, Sr.
Casey Dakin, Templeton, C, Sr.
This story was originally published April 14, 2012 at 10:59 PM with the headline "Arroyo Grande's VanderVeen is The Tribune County Player of the Year for boys basketball."