Athlete Spotlight: Alex “Van” Vandenbergh

Some of you may know Alex Vandenbergh as the 6’5 basketball player, who occasionally knocks other players on the ground. But there is a lot more to him! Let’s learn more about him.

Alex is a senior here, averaging a 4.0 GPA on top of basketball, and takes the term “Student Athlete” into consideration. You might hear people refer to him as “Van” whose nickname came from one of his coaches when he was young, and it stuck. Plus, it’s catchy. He’s been playing basketball since he was in 2^nd grade and got into basketball because his friend’s dad saw that he was “big.”  This ultimately convinced him to play basketball and is a Forward here at CHS.

Van was asked, “What’s his motivation when on the court?” He responded with the fact that he wants to make his family proud. Basketball is his safe space, but it feels just as good to compete and win! He mentions that if he didn’t play basketball, he would consider playing football. During the summer, he plays AAU and plays for the Arkansas Hawks. Sometimes, when playing school ball, you get to play against your summer ball teammates. He thinks that it is a lot of fun and it makes him more competitive when getting to play against his teammates. As a senior on the basketball team this year, a lot of things are different than they were in the previous years. Alex has had to step up and take a role as a leader, instead of being the underclassman and having the upperclassmen guide him.

Alex was asked what he does to prepare for games, here are the answers. His favorite pregame meal is fruit, yogurt, and PB&Js which is surprising because before every game Collierville Men’s Basketball will always have Chick-Fil-A. Alongside getting Chick-Fil-A, before games, he always stretches and prays. He also shares that music is always a way to get you hyped up! If you’re looking for a music artist to get you hyped, here are some of his favorites! Big Boogie, NBA YoungBoy, and more Memphis artists were definitely his top artists this year, but one song he could listen to for the rest of his life is Chasin’ You by Morgan Wallen. Morgan Wallen is also his favorite artist overall!

After high school, if he gets a scholarship from a school he’s interested in, he will play basketball for them and plans to go to the University of Memphis. After he gets his bachelor’s degree, he wants to start his own business or become a physical therapist. Even if he won’t be knocking people over on court anymore, the future has great plans for him!