College Sports

By JOE BUIE
Staff Writer

Once Jamie Vanderbeken received his first recruiting letter from a college in the 10th grade, he knew basketball would be his sport for as long as it lasted.

Of course, the 6-10, 235-pound Canadian had no idea at the time that he would commit early to Iowa, be declared ineligible at the last minute and then play for Tyler Junior College.

"The Canadian transcript is so much different than the American transcript," he said Tuesday after practice.

Vanderbeken says he didn't handle the sudden detour to Texas very well. He came in overweight, unprepared and overwhelmed.

"I committed to Iowa and they said I was like 14 core credits short, so I loaded up for my senior year," he said. "I took 14 core credits and passed them all. They called me two weeks before I came down here last year and said you're not eligible, we're sending you down to Tyler. I came down here blind."

This season, Vanderbeken has exhibited 20-20 vision on the court and blossomed into one of the top players on one of the top teams in Region XIV. The second-place Apaches are 16-1 overall and 10-1 in league play entering Wednesday's game (7:30 p.m.) at Trinity Valley.

"In our league he gives us something other schools don't have," said TJC head coach Mike Marquis.

"He's got size and range, then he's got size and strength on the block.

"In junior college, traditionally guys like that haven't always flourished. But he's started to figure out where his niche is in this league, and he's been a big part of our success. His lateral movement has been a key to his success, and our defensive success."

Vanderbeken has scored in double figures in three consecutive games. He had 18 points, nine rebounds and four blocks at Jacksonville. He blocked a couple more shots at Panola and had 10 points, before scoring a career-high 23 in last Saturday's 94-92 win over San Jacinto.

"It's not (crucial) for me to score, but in the past few games I've been a little more aggressive offensively - finishing plays, making shots," he said.

Vanderbeken is averaging 12.7 points per game, along with 7.7 rebounds and nearly two assists and two blocks.

He's also clicking with fellow inside-out threats Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce, a pair of 6-6 freshmen who rank among the top 10 in Region XIV scoring.

Together, they are the three Js. Against San Jacinto, all three produced a high number of points, rebounds and assists.

"We know where each one is going to be on the court," Vanderbeken said. "There's not many turnovers between us three."

It took time for Vanderbeken to reach that level of comfort after arriving at TJC in the summer of 2006.

"I think last year he was shell shocked," Marquis said. "It was a different geographic location and there was a cultural transition. Unfortunately, like a lot of kids he didn't come in in the best shape. Now he's in great shape and his confidence is high. Usually, you don't see a kid change that much right before your eyes."

Vanderbeken grew up in Belleville, Ontario, playing soccer. But he eventually grew so much that he was pushed into basketball.

He developed a jump shot in the 11th grade after getting bored with his go-to post move - the jump hook, and he's been shooting ever since. The versatile Vanderbeken is shooting 32 percent (21-for-65) from the 3-point line this season.

Vanderbeken never played organized hockey despite living in the country that discovered the game.

"We're so hockey-oriented, nobody cares about basketball," said Vanderbeken, who played two seasons of AAU basketball for the Toronto Mission. "Junior hockey is the biggest thing around the holidays."

Vanderbeken is still mulling his future beyond TJC. His list includes Penn State, Iowa State, Marshall, St. John's and South Florida.

At this rate of improvement, he may turn a few more Canadians on to basketball in hockey country.

Smoke Signals: The Paris men (19-0, 11-0) moved up to No. 4 in the nation in Tuesday's updated rankings. TJC made it as "other schools receiving votes." The Apaches received one point this week. ... Wednesday marks the second round of Region XIV play. TJC swept Trinity Valley in the first round. The Apaches won 97-85 and the Apache Ladies beat the Lady Cardinals, 79-76. The TVCC women are undefeated in conference since then, while TJC has lost four times. The women's game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.

VANDERBEKEN
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