Photo by Dan L. Vander Beek /Vander Beek Photography

At 6 feet, 10 inches, Central College junior and Pella Christian alum Joshua Van Gorp is accustomed to towering above the crowd. And Wednesday the center soared higher than any Dutch player in program history as he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America team, as a third-team selection.

Earlier this week, Van Gorp was the fifth Central player to gain first-team NABC all-district recognition, but he’s the first to be added to the organization’s all-America list. He’s the only Iowa college player cited this year. The selections were made by NABC Division III member coaches. Van Gorp said it was a great feeling to not only receive the accolade, but also to do it for his hometown school.

“It’s pretty cool. I mean, playing for my hometown, all my family and friends get to come to most of the games and just seeing them in the stands. Yeah, I mean it has pretty big award and it shows all the hard work over the years has paid off.”

After helping lead Central to the program’s 18th conference championship, Van Gorp was named the American Rivers Conference most valuable player. A two-time first-team all-conference selection, Van Gorp ranks fourth in the NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (68.0). He averaged a team-high 17.5 points with 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the season. He was a three-time conference player of the week, posting four double-doubles which included a 36-point, 11-rebound effort in Central’s conference tourney semifinal game February 23rd.