Basketball Recruits
Strengthen Program (4/18/08) Coach
Tim Walker made gains in strengthening the men’s basketball program with the
signing of three quality student-athletes. Jamie King from Pekin Community High
School (Illinois), Matt Buren from Macomb High School (Illinois) and Jeremy
Dykstra from Unity Christian High School (Hudsonville, Michigan) have committed
to play their collegiate careers at Trinity. These
three individuals, along with Zak Hood, who signed in November, make up one of
the strongest recruiting classes ever for Coach Walker. The recruiting class will
join a squad that graduated only one player and finished with one of the best
seasons in the school’s history at 23-13. “I
am very excited about the addition of these young men,” said Coach Walker.
“They are an outstanding group of individuals, good Christian men, and talented
basketball players. I look for them not only to help us next season, but over
the next four years. These student-athletes, along with the players currently
in the program, make the future promising for Trolls.” Jamie
King, son of Scott and Starr King, is a six-foot guard from Pekin Community
High School, a school with great basketball tradition. He is one of the best
three-point shooters in the state, as is evident with his state “King of the
Hill” three-point shooting title earned his junior year. With his long-range ability,
King averaged over 17.5 points per game this past season. In
addition King received All-Conference honors and was named IBCA All-State Fourth
Team for 3A-4A schools and Associated Press All-State Honorable Mention for
class 4A. “Jamie
will make an immediate impact to our program,” said Walker. “He is probably the
best pure-shooter we have ever had. His talent, added to our current scoring
ability, will make us very tough offensively next year.” Matt
Buren, son of John and Hazel Buren, is a standout player at Macomb High School.
As a starter, the 6'7" forward was a major factor in Macomb’s success this past
season, helping to lead the Bombers to a regional championship. As one of the
top players in Illinois, Buren earned IBCA Class 1A-2A Second Team All-State
honors this season.
“Matt
is a very skilled all-around player, who can hit the three, play in the post,
and handle the ball,” commented Coach Walker. “He is a great addition to our
team not only because of his skill, but also because he is a tireless worker
and he understands the game so well. He is the type of player that makes his
teammates better.” In
making his choice to play at Trinity, Buren will join former high school
teammate Michael Thompson, the Trolls’ starting point guard. At Macomb they
played together on a state-level qualifying team. Buren
considered other schools, but liked what he experienced when he visited Trinity.
“It might not have been as big as many other schools, but it was a program that
people respected.”
Click here to jump down to the video link of Matt Buren signing and interview. Jeremy
Dykstra, son of Darwin and Sally Dykstra, is a strong post player for Unity
Christian High School of Hudsonville, Michigan. The 6’5” center was
instrumental in helping his team to the state quarterfinals this past season. “Jeremy
will add a strong, physical presence in the post” said Coach Walker. “He is an
asset because, although he may not put up big numbers, he is fundamentally sound
and does all the little things right.” In
addition to his success on the court, Dykstra is also an all-state football
star and a varsity baseball player at Unity. Dykstra’s
commitment to Trinity continues the connection the College has with Unity Christian
High School. He will be the third Unity player in a Troll uniform next season,
joining Alex Rusticus ’09 and Kurt Gruppen ’09.
Jamie
King, son of Scott and Starr King, is a six-foot guard from Pekin Community
High School, a school with great basketball tradition. He is one of the best
three-point shooters in the state, as is evident with his state “King of the
Hill” three-point shooting title earned his junior year. With his long-range ability,
King averaged over 17.5 points per game this past season. 
Jeremy
Dykstra, son of Darwin and Sally Dykstra, is a strong post player for Unity
Christian High School of Hudsonville, Michigan. The 6’5” center was
instrumental in helping his team to the state quarterfinals this past season. 