Ten of the fifteen members of this year’s Pella High boys basketball team are graduating this spring, leaving a lot of open spots and opportunities for playing time.

The losses include four members of the starting five – Nick Finney, Ryan Van Wyk, Donovan Holterhaus and Drew Pringle. Van Wyk, a first-team all-state selection, has played on three straight state tournament teams for the Little Dutch, while the other three have seen significant minutes each of the last two years.

Assistant Pella Coach Roger DeWaard says that while all ten of the seniors will be missed, he expects their legacy to live on in those that come after them.

“What these guys did do is set an example for those younger guys about how to act and how to conduct yourself as an athlete and as a person. That’s way more important than if we win another game, to be honest. I think that the bar they set for us and what these younger guys have every opportunity to do is be the kind of quality guys these guys were. And if they do that, my opinion is that the wins and losses will take care of themselves, because there’s talent.”

The lone returning starter next year for Pella is current sophomore Nick DeJong. He’ll be joined by Landon Vander Leest, Avery Van Zee, Lucas Warner and Ryan Gustafson.

Tags: