Illiana Christian coach Tom Roozeboom quipped about crossing his fingers and knocking on wood for senior Andy Spoelman.
Indeed, being healthy has made a world of difference for Spoelman, who missed about two months last season after suffering a tear in his pelvis.
“I definitely have a chip on my shoulder,” Spoelman said. “I have something to prove.”
There can be no doubt the 6-foot-6 forward/guard is proving he can make a difference for the Vikings (9-6). Spoelman is averaging team highs of 16.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots, along with 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals.
“I definitely was hoping to do well,” he said. “I was excited to get back on the court. I had motivation, more motivation than I’ve ever had from being out almost all of last year. I was expecting big things, but I’m very proud of what I’ve done.”
Spoelman, whose freshman season on the junior varsity team was also limited by broken fingers on his left hand, suffered the pelvis injury during a workout at a local gym after Illiana Christian’s 2022-23 opener.
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“It affected me running, jumping,” he said. “But I’m 99% good now. Sometimes when I wake up, especially when it’s cold, it hurts. But I’m always ready to roll by game times.”
Spoelman traveled a long road to reach that point, even without surgery. He went through physical therapy and chiropractic treatment, and he learned how to strengthen other parts of his body to help reduce the risk of injury.
“That’s actually one of the good outcomes that happened from being injured,” he said. “I was able to work out more and develop that.”
In the end, Spoelman gained almost 20 pounds to reach 190.
Roozeboom is happy to see Spoelman finally reaping the rewards of his efforts.
“I’ve had him since he was a sophomore, and he’s been injury-free this year, and you can just see the growth he’s had and the leadership he brings to this team,” Roozeboom said. “I knew he was a great leader, and that’s been developed this year. It’s no coincidence.
“He’s worked really hard to get where he is. All the time he put in over the summer, it’s paid off. He’s bulked up. He’s gotten a lot more confident. He’s a 6-6 guy who can play on the outside, being able to handle the ball like a guard. He can take anyone he’s wanted to off the dribble, and we’ve played some pretty good competition. He’s far exceeded what I had thought.”
Spoelman averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots during his abbreviated junior season. He took over a starting spot midway through his sophomore season and averaged 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.
“I’m definitely trying to grow out my confidence,” he said. “Confidence has always been a struggle with me for basketball, so this is my big year to try to step out of that. If I have an open shot, shoot it. Don’t have a second thought. That’s the biggest change from previous years to this year.
“My sophomore year, especially, I struggled with confidence. I was a little scared to shoot the ball when I was open. That’s something I’ve been working on with the younger guys this year. You can’t just say stuff. You have to follow the actions. That’s something I try to do. If I was being led by someone, that’s what I’d want them to do for me.”
With a retooled team, Spoelman couldn’t have picked a more opportune time to put together all of the pieces. Seven players graduated after last season, including five of the Vikings’ top six scorers.
Spoelman is a team captain, along with senior guard Isaac Sherwood.
“He’s our leader,” Sherwood said about Spoelman. “Me and him are the captains for the team, but he’s our leader. He’s just a great example. All the boys look up to him, and that’s exactly what you want out of your leader — not just to provide everything on the court, but to be a great guy in general.”
Their families are close, and Sherwood and Spoelman have been best friends since “the womb,” Sherwood said. They’ve attended school together and been teammates for most of their lives.
“I want to talk more about the person he is outside of basketball,” Sherwood said. “He’s just a great guy. He’s very humble. He’s doing great things this year, but he’s not going to brag about them, which is one of the things I love about him most. He’s worked really hard over the last two years, and we’re seeing that this year with a jump-up in his points per game. But he’s a great passer. Even though he’s our go-to option, he’s always looking to distribute, which is great.
“When I talk about Andy, it’s a lot more than basketball. Character is a big thing for our program, and he’s a great representation of what our program is all about. He puts his faith first and puts the team first over everything.”
Roozeboom, who described Spoelman as a “stellar person,” agrees with Sherwood.
“He’s a super unselfish player, maybe a little too unselfish,” Roozeboom said about Spoelman. “We’ve talked to him about it. It just shows his character and who he is as a person. That’s not necessarily an awful thing. You’re just OK with what he does on the floor because more often than not, he’s going to make the right decision.”
Spoelman is in the process of deciding on a college, probably either Calvin or Olivet Nazarene. He intends to continue his basketball career and major in accounting.
In the meantime, Spoelman wants the Vikings to finish strong and challenge in the postseason.
“I love how unified we are,” he said. “It’s one of the most unified teams I’ve ever been on, outside the court and on the court. We’re all friends with each other. It’s a blessing. We have a team of workers. We all trust each other.”