Prospect Spotlight: Aidan Vanderloo (2019)
Sioux City East’s all-time leading scorer has been among the best shooters in the state during his high school career and will look to lead the Black Raiders back to the state tournament for a third consecutive year.
6-foot-1 senior Aidan Vanderloo was going to be a special player from Day 1 at East High School and has more than lived up to the hype. While Vanderloo has accounted for 1,435 career points and been a force to be reckoned with from behind the arc, he has put the time in at the gym and attributed a majority of his success to his teammates.
“I’ll be honest, we’ve had tons and tons of great players here at East High and he’s by far put in the most time to help his game,” said head coach Ras Vanderloo. “When you leave a school like this that has great tradition and many great players, to be the all-time leading scorer means you’ve done something right.”
While Vanderloo has continued to progress as a player each season, he made significant strides leading up to his senior season by getting stronger and being able to compete in the lane.
“Since last year my goal was to get a lot stronger. This year we put a lot of focus on me getting bigger, which is something my coaches told me I needed to work on,” mentioned Vanderloo. “I took that very seriously in the offseason and that’s why I see myself doing better in the lane and finishing in the lane.”
Vanderloo’s mid-range jump shot, which was put on display in East’s overtime victory over Sergeant Bluff-Luton back in December, may be the best part of his game. He scored a career-high 36 points in the that contest and is shooting an impressive 53.8 percent from the field this season.
Playing at East High School has clearly shaped who he is as a player today, but playing with the Martin Brothers in the AAU circuit has helped when it comes to playing tougher competition.
“It taught me a lot about playing good competition. Every game we played was against good teams,” stated Vanderloo. “I played with a lot of Division I players that are doing great things. It taught me a lot about how to compete and that nothing is ever handed to you. You have to be ready every night and be ready to compete.”
The big question has been where Vanderloo will playing at next season. Vanderloo mentioned that a decision will be made soon after the season concludes.