Verhoeven on a mission to bring VOL title back to Manteca High

Manteca High School’s Tydus Verhoeven moved through the Mark Gallo Health and Fitness Center with hoodie pulled low on his face.

His eyes may have been hidden, but his vision was clear: “Just out to prove everybody wrong,” Verhoeven said following last week’s 69-60 boys basketball victory over Central Catholic.

Verhoeven is on a mission this season, his last as the cornerstone for the Buffaloes (17-5, 9-0 Valley Oak League).

For four years, he’s dedicated his life to the grind, traveling the West Coast for games, college visits and sessions with trainers to the stars, and he’s grown the game of basketball on a campus ruled by football players.

Still, the 6-foot-8 senior said he has his share of doubters and naysayers, real or contrived.

Verhoeven was overlooked for all-VOL consideration as a junior, the season Manteca ascended to a CIF State Division III championship. He failed to make the first, second or all-defensive team, earning only a mention in the selection process.

The chip on his shoulder has doubled in size in the wake of that state title.

Today, he can’t hide from the limelight. He’s the face of the Stanislaus District’s top public school. Can he lead his team to a title – VOL or otherwise – without the two-headed monster on the low block, 6-9 forwards Kenny Wooten (Arizona State commit) and Anand Hundal (Las Positas College)?

“He’s got a little bit of a fire burning right now, and I hope he continues to keep that going,” Manteca coach Brett Lewis said. “He’s playing motivated and he’s playing with a goal, and that’s huge.”

Verhoeven’s desire to prove himself as a legitimate Division I prospect and captain the Buffaloes to a VOL title has produced an exhausting schedule. He trains around the clock, beginning and ending each day with hundreds of shots at the gym. In between, he attends class and practices and family dinners and maintains his place on the honor roll.

Verhoeven has been one of the most recruited players in the southern half of the Sac-Joaquin Section. He holds scholarship offers from Fresno State, USF, Houston, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Montana, Weber State, San Jose State, Nevada, Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly. North Carolina State and Cal have also expressed interest in the versatile forward with the 7-foot wingspan.

Still, he’s delayed any decision about his future until after his senior season.

He’s on a mission.

At 9-0 with decisive victories over No. 4 Central Catholic, Verhoeven and the second-ranked Buffaloes are steaming toward their first league title in six years. He knows the only way to silence his critics, real or contrived, is to hang a title in the rafters at Winter Gym.

So he leaves nothing to chance.

Just as the triple-double is in vogue in the NBA, Verhoeven chases one nightly, and he can get there in a number of ways. He’s averaging 15.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 5.7 blocks.

He has 15 double-doubles and three triple-doubles, and he was recently named one of Cal-Hi Sports’ Stat Stars of the Week for posting 24 points, 19 rebounds and nine blocks in an 81-61 win over Lathrop.

Manteca has won 10 consecutive games and hosts Kimball (5-17, 1-8) on Wednesday. With five regular-season games left, the Buffaloes’ magic number to clinch a VOL title is three.

“You really want to win league. I’ve never done that, and I really want to do that; the guys really want to do that,” Verhoeven said. “And then also, making another deep run in the playoffs. My biggest thing is you don’t want your last high school game to be a loss, so let’s just keep fighting and see where we can go.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Verhoeven on a mission to bring VOL title back to Manteca High."