Leo VanderKuy (May 5, 1929 – January 31, 2000) was an American basketball center. He played for the University of Michigan from 1948 to 1951 and set the program's single season scoring record with 329 points during the 1950–51 season.

Early life

VanderKuy was six feet, five inches tall. He grew up in Pontiac, and Holland, Michigan.

College career

VanderKuy enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1947 and was a member of the school's frosh basketball team during the 1947–48 season. Over the three years that followed his freshman year, VanderKuy became one of the leading scorers in the history of the Michigan basketball program. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

during the 1948–49 season, VanderKuy scored 141 points in 21 games. As a junior during the 1949–50 season, he was the team's second highest scorer with 274 points in 22 games for an average of 12.5 points per game. As a senior during the 1950–51 season, he was the team's leading scorer with 329 points in 22 games for an average of 15.0 points per game. On March 9, 1951, VanderKuy was selected as the most valuable player on the 1950–51 team. He was also selected as the second-team All- Big Ten Conference center by the conference coaches for United Press International. VanderKuy's 329 points during the 1950–51 season broke Michigan's single season scoring record of 278 points, set by

Mack Supronowicz Mack "Soup" Supronowicz (January 17, 1927 - June 4, 2010) was an American basketball forward. He played for the University of Michigan from 1947–1950 and was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1990. A native ...

during the 1949–50 season. VanderKuy's record was broken in 1954 by Jim Barron. VanderKuy was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the fifth round, 49th overall pick, of the

1951 NBA draft The 1951 NBA draft was the fifth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 25, 1951, before the 1951–52 season. In this draft, ten remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basket ...

. However, he did not play professional basketball. VanderKuy graduated from Michigan in 1951 with a bachelor of arts degree in physical education.

Personal life

Following college, VanderKuy moved to

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

where he was a salesman for an Oldsmobile and

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

dealer. He and his wife, Charmy, had four children. He died in Shreveport in January 2000.The Michigan Alumnus, 2000. Death notice for Leo Vander Kuy, Class of '51, died Shreveport, LA, Jan. 31, 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:VanderKuy, Leo 1929 births 2000 deaths American men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players Minneapolis Lakers draft picks People from Holland, Michigan Sportspeople from Pontiac, Michigan Basketball players from Oakland County, Michigan