Sophomore Alex Van Kalsbeek has had an eventful past two weeks. He has been named both the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the week, as well as breaking not one, but two school records and moving to the top ten on the all-time scoring list with a total of 1,809 career points.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by both the NAIA and GPAC, and to represent my coaches and teammates. Setting the school record is evidence of the hard work and dedication of not only myself, but the coaches and teammates surrounding me,” said Van Kalsbeek. “I believe this is a shared record as it would not have been possible without them.”
His goals for the season are to win with consistency, dedication and hard work. He broke the school record for the most points in one game with 52 and the record for most field goals in one game with 21, both at the Midland game on Jan. 15. His average points per game is 21.5.
Van Kalsbeek said, “There was nothing in particular I did to break the record as it was not a goal I was striving to accomplish, it was a byproduct of achieving bigger goals.”
He is no doubt one that many would look up to as a role model. In 2021 and 2022, he made the NAIA second and third teams, which is an All-American Honor.
“To excel in any collegiate sport, you must be willing to make sacrifices, have a strong work ethic and stay consistent. To excel in basketball, master the fundamentals and realize that the college game at any level is much different than high school. Master what you are already good at and become good at other skills you don’t have,” said Van Kalsbeek.
At the Midland game on Jan. 15, Northwestern won with grand total of 113, and 52 of those points were scored by Van Kalsbeek. He is a player to watch in the coming seasons.
