Jim "Jimmy" Woudstra (born June 22, 1952) is an American-Dutch former professional basketball player. He was a standout college player for the
Northwestern Red Raiders
Northwestern College (NWC and informally Northwestern Iowa) is a private Christian liberal arts college in Orange City, Iowa. It is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and enrolls more than 1,500 students. In addition to approximately ...
, where he is the all-time scoring leader. Woudstra played six seasons of professional basketball in the Dutch
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
, for
Punch Delft
Delftse Studenten Basketball Vereniging Punch or simply Punch Delft is a Dutch amateur basketball team from the city of Delft. The team plays in the Promotiedivisie, the Dutch second division.Parker Leiden. He also represented the Netherlands national team.
Early life
Woudstra grew up in
Orange City, Iowa
Orange City is a city in, and the county seat of, Sioux County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 6,267 in the 2020 census, an increase from 5,582 in 2000. Named after William of Orange, the community maintains its Dutch settler tradition ...
. He attended Unity Christian High School, where he was named an Iowa All-State player in 1970. He also was active in athletics
College career
Woudstra played for the
Northwestern Red Raiders
Northwestern College (NWC and informally Northwestern Iowa) is a private Christian liberal arts college in Orange City, Iowa. It is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and enrolls more than 1,500 students. In addition to approximately ...
of the Northwestern College. He scored 2,368 points over his college career, and so Woudstra is the Red Raiders' all-time leader in points scored. He was named MVP in 1973 and 1974 and was named to the all-conference team four times. He was inducted into the Northwestern Hall of Fame in 1983.
Professional career
In 1974, Woudstra received a letter from
Theo Kinsbergen
Theo is a given name and a hypocorism.
Greek origin
Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example:
*Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...
, who attended him on his Dutch heritage and invited him to play professionally in the Netherlands. He refused the offer and started working for the Christian High School in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. There, he met
Dan Cramer
Daniel John Cramer (born October 31, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2009 until 2014, Cramer made his professional debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and was a competitor on SpikeTV's '' T ...
who had already been playing in the Netherlands. The following year, he joined
Punch Delft
Delftse Studenten Basketball Vereniging Punch or simply Punch Delft is a Dutch amateur basketball team from the city of Delft. The team plays in the Promotiedivisie, the Dutch second division.Bill Sheridan
William Sheridan (born January 27, 1959) is an American football coach who is currently the linebackers coach for the Arlington Renegades. Sheridan was previously the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football Le ...
. Woudstra averaged 18.3 points in his rookie season (1975–76).
In 1978, Woudstra moved to Parker Leiden after three years with Punch.
National team career
After debuting in 1975, Woudstra played for the Netherlands national team and played with the team at
EuroBasket 1977
The 1977 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1977, was the twentieth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe.
Venues
Group stage Group A – Liège
Group B – Ostend
...
and
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
. He averaged 16.7 points (1977) and 17.7 points (1979) per game.
Woudstra played 73 total games for the Netherlands.
Personal
Woudstra lives in
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
. He has a nephew, Brandon Woudstra, who also played professional basketball in the Netherlands.