High School

One Of Top College Basketball Scorers Hails From Iowa High School

Jesse Van Kalsbeek currently leads all of NAIA in scoring per game

Dana Becker

MOC-Floyd Valley's Jesse Van Kalsbeek shoots the ball over his defender, Bondurant Farrar's Tanner Berggren, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Wells Fargo Arena.
MOC-Floyd Valley's Jesse Van Kalsbeek shoots the ball over his defender, Bondurant Farrar's Tanner Berggren, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Wells Fargo Arena. / Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Did you know that one of the top scorers in all of men’s college basketball is a former Iowa high school standout?

And this time, we are not talking about Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, a graduate of Bishop Garrigan High School who leads NCAA Division I women’s college basketball at 28.9 points per game.

Jesse Van Kalsbeek, a graduate of MOC-Floyd Valley High School, leads all of NAIA in scoring per game at 29.6 for Northwestern College. The forward is shooting over 60 percent from the field and averaging 12.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.

To put that into perspective, the NCAA Division I men’s scoring leader is Duke freshman sensation Cameron Boozer at 23.3 points per game - over six points few than Van Kalsbeek.

Along with leading NAIA in scoring, he is also second in rebounds per game.

Jesse Van Kalsbeek Continuing Family Legacy At Northwestern College

The Sheldon, Iowa native joined the Raiders last year, starting 32 games and playing in 33. He posted 20.5 points and nine rebounds per game as a freshman, shooting almost 60 percent from the floor and nearly 40 percent from the 3-point line.

Van Kalsbeek played alongside his brother, Alex Van Kalsbeek, who became the school’s career scoring leader before graduating. The All-American recorded 2,682 points in his career over 125 games.

That record might not be long, as the younger Van Kalsbeek is on pace for over 2,700 points just off his freshman year total. 

Raiders Riding High Behind Iowa High School Standout

Van Kalsbeek and Northwestern are off to a 13-3 start that includes a 5-3 record in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. They have won four in a row since a loss to Northwestern as they prepare to return to the court on Saturday, January 3 at Concordia in Seward, Nebraska.

He has already earned multiple GPAC player of the week honors.

As a senior at MOC-Floyd Valley, Van Kalsbeek led the Flying Dutchmen to the Class 3A Iowa high school state championship game, going 22-4 overall. He averaged 26 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game.

More Iowa High School Sports Headlines

feed

Published
Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

Home/Iowa