| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
By Cody Cutter
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
The NIC-10 hasn't seen a player quite like Rockford Auburn's Fred Van Vleet in quite some
time.
Van Vleet may not look imposing on the court to begin with, but once the jump ball goes off
most eyes are on the six-foot senior.
He can shoot the ball very well, averaging just under 23 points per game this season. He also
has the ability to dish the ball to his teammates with precision for buckets in the paint,
averaging nearly six assists per game to his Knight teammates. Stuffing the stat book even
further, Van Vleet also averages four steals per game while leading an up-tempo, high-
pressure oriented basketball attack.
Auburn is currently 17-2 on the season, which includes unbeaten records at the Boylan
Thanksgiving Tournament and the Hononegah Martin Luther King Tournament, as well as a
third-place showing at the prestigious Proviso East Holiday Tournament under head coach
Bryan Ott.
Big tournaments are nothing new to Van Vleet. Nationally, he has made a name for himself
with AAU success. His summer team, PrymeTyme (which also includes Auburn teammates
LaMark Foote and Marcus Posley), won the 17-U Silver Division title at the AAU
SuperShowcase in Orlando, Fla. In addition, he helped lead PrymeTyme to the Best Buy
Summer Classic title in Minneapolis, Minnesota among many others.
In the past four years that Van Vleet has been a part of the Knights, the program has won 82
games and lost just 25. Not bad for a program that had a string of 13 straight losing seasons
(1994-06). Auburn, who went 26-5 last year and made it to the Class 4A Elite Eight round,
hasn't been to a state tournament final since 1974-75.
Van Vleet, who will take his talents to Division-I Wichita State (the 2011 NIT champion) next
year, hopes that he and his team can change that.
CC: What do you like and enjoy about basketball?
FVV: It's just a home away from home. Just getting out on the court and doing something that
I love. Coming where I come from there's really not much to do, so that's probably my hobby,
my sport, my activity. That's what I put my heart and soul into, so that's what I enjoy about it.
CC: What do you think makes basketball better than any other sport that's out
there?
FVV: The teamwork you got to have. Five guys working together. The guys on the bench
even play a part. Then the individual part of it, where a guy can work on his game single-
handedly and make his team better ... that much more better and be that much more effective
just by himself, but it takes all five and all 12 on our team.
CC: How did you first get involved in basketball?
FVV: I think I was five, when my mom got me into it playing in the little ball league. My dad
was a basketball player, and so that's what I wanted to play.
CC: If you could pick one moment from your high school career to date that you are
most proud of, what do you think that would be?
FVV: It would probably be leading my team all the way to the Elite Eight last year, and just
being a part of that with those guys, it's just a great run. To be at the head of it and lead
those guys, the relationships you build and everything like that.
CC: What are your goals for this season, both team and individually?
FVV: The team goal is the same every year, to get down to State. And win state, that's got to
be your goal. Individual goals, just to be to the best leader I can be. It's not about points or
about any particular stat. Just to be the dominant player and help my team.
CC: What do you think is the toughest basketball opponent you've had to go up
against in your high school career so far?
FVV: I can't single out anyone. But we played Proviso East this year, and they're pretty good.
I would have to say my freshman year playing against the seniors that we had in practice
every day. That made me a lot better. They were so much bigger and stronger that it just
made me want to work that much harder.
CC: You're going to Wichita State next year. What made you pick them?
FVV: It's a great, great place to be. It's one of those diamond in the rough places, and they're
building their rep up a little more. It's kind of hard to explain. A high major like a place like
Illinois or a place like Michigan – just the Wichita State name is one that no one has really
heard. Once you get down there, you feel the atmosphere and you feel that it's definitely a
big place and it's big time down there.
CC: What do you think has been the biggest improvement in your basketball play
since your freshman year?
FVV: Probably my maturity. My freshman and sophomore years I would get so mad at
anything: my teammates, myself and my coach. But that's probably my biggest improvement
along with shooting the ball and just being an all-around leader.
CC: What's been the best advice given to you?
FVV: Just my gift of playing basketball that God has given me, and the talents that He's given
me to go out and affect other people and change people's lives.
CC: Finish this sentence about yourself: Other than basketball, no one can beat me
at ...
FVV: Singing. I'm a singer. I can't sing, but I'll still win a sing-off with you. I'll probably sound
terrible, but in my eyes I sound like Marvin Gaye or someone like that.
CC: Finish this other one about yourself: In my spare time when I'm not doing
anything basketball- or singing-related, I am ...
FVV: Hanging out with the family, just spending time with my guys, my people, and I play
video games every once in a while when I get a chance. Just having fun and enjoying life.
CC: If there's one rule in basketball that you would like to see changed, what would
it be?
FVV: Definitely the inconsistency with the charge call. It's terrible. Along with the
inconsistency of a hand-check. It's just so ticky-tack one game, and the next game they won't
call anything. I just wish that all officials were on the same page, so that way we don't have to
change our game, every game. We have to change how we play defense every game – and
sometimes throughout the game, in the beginning of it but not late they'll call a ticky-tack or
vice-versa.
Fred's Favorites:
Favorite Place to Eat At: Buffalo Wild Wings. I'm a wing-eater, and I love chicken wings.
Favorite Musical Artist: I like Drake. Drake's my favorite right now.
Favorite TV Show: All I watch is Sportscenter. I watch a couple of reality shows when I get a
chance, but I leave it on Sportscenter the majority of the time.
Favorite Class in School: Anything related with math. I like math. I like U.S. History when I
had Coach Ott teaching me. That was a good class, but overall I can say anything math-
related. I got Algebra 3 this year.
Favorite High School Rival: I'd have to say Boylan. Just growing up with them being so
good. They haven't been as good as they were when I was younger, since I've been to high
school, but just turning the tide a little bit in our area, as far as them being on top and we're
now kind of the top dog.
Favorite Pro Athlete: Kobe Bryant. I like a lot of other players; guys like Kevin Durant. But if
I had to choose one it would be Kobe.
Favorite Pro Sports Team: Los Angeles Lakers.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message Boards!
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
The NIC-10 hasn't seen a player quite like Rockford Auburn's Fred Van Vleet in quite some
time.
Van Vleet may not look imposing on the court to begin with, but once the jump ball goes off
most eyes are on the six-foot senior.
He can shoot the ball very well, averaging just under 23 points per game this season. He also
has the ability to dish the ball to his teammates with precision for buckets in the paint,
averaging nearly six assists per game to his Knight teammates. Stuffing the stat book even
further, Van Vleet also averages four steals per game while leading an up-tempo, high-
pressure oriented basketball attack.
Auburn is currently 17-2 on the season, which includes unbeaten records at the Boylan
Thanksgiving Tournament and the Hononegah Martin Luther King Tournament, as well as a
third-place showing at the prestigious Proviso East Holiday Tournament under head coach
Bryan Ott.
Big tournaments are nothing new to Van Vleet. Nationally, he has made a name for himself
with AAU success. His summer team, PrymeTyme (which also includes Auburn teammates
LaMark Foote and Marcus Posley), won the 17-U Silver Division title at the AAU
SuperShowcase in Orlando, Fla. In addition, he helped lead PrymeTyme to the Best Buy
Summer Classic title in Minneapolis, Minnesota among many others.
In the past four years that Van Vleet has been a part of the Knights, the program has won 82
games and lost just 25. Not bad for a program that had a string of 13 straight losing seasons
(1994-06). Auburn, who went 26-5 last year and made it to the Class 4A Elite Eight round,
hasn't been to a state tournament final since 1974-75.
Van Vleet, who will take his talents to Division-I Wichita State (the 2011 NIT champion) next
year, hopes that he and his team can change that.
CC: What do you like and enjoy about basketball?
FVV: It's just a home away from home. Just getting out on the court and doing something that
I love. Coming where I come from there's really not much to do, so that's probably my hobby,
my sport, my activity. That's what I put my heart and soul into, so that's what I enjoy about it.
CC: What do you think makes basketball better than any other sport that's out
there?
FVV: The teamwork you got to have. Five guys working together. The guys on the bench
even play a part. Then the individual part of it, where a guy can work on his game single-
handedly and make his team better ... that much more better and be that much more effective
just by himself, but it takes all five and all 12 on our team.
CC: How did you first get involved in basketball?
FVV: I think I was five, when my mom got me into it playing in the little ball league. My dad
was a basketball player, and so that's what I wanted to play.
CC: If you could pick one moment from your high school career to date that you are
most proud of, what do you think that would be?
FVV: It would probably be leading my team all the way to the Elite Eight last year, and just
being a part of that with those guys, it's just a great run. To be at the head of it and lead
those guys, the relationships you build and everything like that.
CC: What are your goals for this season, both team and individually?
FVV: The team goal is the same every year, to get down to State. And win state, that's got to
be your goal. Individual goals, just to be to the best leader I can be. It's not about points or
about any particular stat. Just to be the dominant player and help my team.
CC: What do you think is the toughest basketball opponent you've had to go up
against in your high school career so far?
FVV: I can't single out anyone. But we played Proviso East this year, and they're pretty good.
I would have to say my freshman year playing against the seniors that we had in practice
every day. That made me a lot better. They were so much bigger and stronger that it just
made me want to work that much harder.
CC: You're going to Wichita State next year. What made you pick them?
FVV: It's a great, great place to be. It's one of those diamond in the rough places, and they're
building their rep up a little more. It's kind of hard to explain. A high major like a place like
Illinois or a place like Michigan – just the Wichita State name is one that no one has really
heard. Once you get down there, you feel the atmosphere and you feel that it's definitely a
big place and it's big time down there.
CC: What do you think has been the biggest improvement in your basketball play
since your freshman year?
FVV: Probably my maturity. My freshman and sophomore years I would get so mad at
anything: my teammates, myself and my coach. But that's probably my biggest improvement
along with shooting the ball and just being an all-around leader.
CC: What's been the best advice given to you?
FVV: Just my gift of playing basketball that God has given me, and the talents that He's given
me to go out and affect other people and change people's lives.
CC: Finish this sentence about yourself: Other than basketball, no one can beat me
at ...
FVV: Singing. I'm a singer. I can't sing, but I'll still win a sing-off with you. I'll probably sound
terrible, but in my eyes I sound like Marvin Gaye or someone like that.
CC: Finish this other one about yourself: In my spare time when I'm not doing
anything basketball- or singing-related, I am ...
FVV: Hanging out with the family, just spending time with my guys, my people, and I play
video games every once in a while when I get a chance. Just having fun and enjoying life.
CC: If there's one rule in basketball that you would like to see changed, what would
it be?
FVV: Definitely the inconsistency with the charge call. It's terrible. Along with the
inconsistency of a hand-check. It's just so ticky-tack one game, and the next game they won't
call anything. I just wish that all officials were on the same page, so that way we don't have to
change our game, every game. We have to change how we play defense every game – and
sometimes throughout the game, in the beginning of it but not late they'll call a ticky-tack or
vice-versa.
Fred's Favorites:
Favorite Place to Eat At: Buffalo Wild Wings. I'm a wing-eater, and I love chicken wings.
Favorite Musical Artist: I like Drake. Drake's my favorite right now.
Favorite TV Show: All I watch is Sportscenter. I watch a couple of reality shows when I get a
chance, but I leave it on Sportscenter the majority of the time.
Favorite Class in School: Anything related with math. I like math. I like U.S. History when I
had Coach Ott teaching me. That was a good class, but overall I can say anything math-
related. I got Algebra 3 this year.
Favorite High School Rival: I'd have to say Boylan. Just growing up with them being so
good. They haven't been as good as they were when I was younger, since I've been to high
school, but just turning the tide a little bit in our area, as far as them being on top and we're
now kind of the top dog.
Favorite Pro Athlete: Kobe Bryant. I like a lot of other players; guys like Kevin Durant. But if
I had to choose one it would be Kobe.
Favorite Pro Sports Team: Los Angeles Lakers.
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message Boards!
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Q&A
With
Rockford
Auburn's
Fred Van Vleet
With
Rockford
Auburn's
Fred Van Vleet
He's Got National Success, Now Wants
State Success Too ...
State Success Too ...