Bekkering rises again

Jimmy Chitwood

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made famous for his phenomenal dunks, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9drNlclSzE "Vanilla Sky," asHenry Bekkeringwas once dubbed, has flown to Canada to resurrect his basketball career. he sat out last season as a red-shirt for the University of Calgary Dinos, but he is looking to jump start the hoops team this fall. he's igniting interest north of the border with his community appearances. http://youtube.com/watch?v=_EUkGfLzSCE


his brother, Ross, has been making waves, as well. you see, Ross Bekkering happens to be a 6-8 high flyer, too. http://youtube.com/watch?v=akASb1EUzbgthey will play together for the Dinos this upcoming season.


i was often curious as to what exactly happened for him not to succeed at Eastern Washington, where he was on a basketball scholarship but barely played for 2 years before transferring. here's an interview where he explains it. sounds like he suffered severely from culture clash to me... http://www.hooplife.ca/viewArticle.php?id=99


some interesting blurbs regarding Henry's physical abilities...


And that's a testament to the shear -- almost freakish -- athletic ability of Henry Bekkering.


"Henry was in my office half an hour ago, and I was looking at him and I was thinking, 'Man, this kid is a physical specimen,' " said Dinos football coach Blake Nill. "Athletically speaking, you're not going to find too many kids like him in the draft."


"He ran a 4.5 [second] 40 [yard dash] at Eastern Washington and has a 40-inch vertical leap," U of C basketball coach Dan Vanhooren said. "He's probably in the top 2 per cent of athletes. He's that good."


His obvious athletic ability -- a 40-inch-plus vertical leap, for instance -- and size (six-foot-six, 245 pounds) no doubt caught scouts' eyes when he popped up on the CFL draft-eligible list (as a result of that year spent on the EWU football team).


oh, and he was drafted in the Canadian Football League draft. ha! even though he's barely played football other than doing some kicking at Eastern Washington.


as a side note, there is a little sister Bekkering who plays for Gonzaga. [url]http://gozags.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/bekkering_janelle 00.html[/url]Janelle is a phenomenal talent, but she injured her knee last year. rumor has it that the 6-0 Janelle can dunk, but i've not seen proof.


and just a little more Henry to get you pumped... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnmFacOjvvc
 
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