Holland, MI — With a need for height, athleticism and ball handling in its 2006-2007 recruiting class, Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski may have fulfilled all those needs with one signing.

Welcome Chloe Van Den Brink.

Wiktorowski announced Wednesday that Van Den Brink, a 5-10 do-it-all player from West Ottowa High School (Holland, MI), had signed a letter of intent to attend and play basketball for Goshen beginning next fall, giving the program an impressive start to its recruiting efforts this off-season. A three-year letterwinner at West Ottowa, Van Den Brink brings a multitude of talents to the Leafs, most notably a 5-10 frame that can play any of the five positions on the floor.

“We are very excited that Chloe is our first recruit to commit this season,” Wiktorowski said on Wednesday. “We think she has a lot of tools and that her best basketball is clearly ahead of her. We really liked that she was a 5-10 point guard in high school. While we don’t know yet what her beset position will be in college, we felt it showed her skill potential in playing that position at her size.”

While running the show at West Ottowa, Van Den Brink averaged just over 9.5 points per game in her final two seasons, grabbing 4.3 boards per game during that time as well. A 77 percent free throw shooter, Van Den Brink dished out nearly two assists per game en route to being named her team’s Most Valuable Player in both her junior and senior seasons. She was a two-time all-conference performer, while being named to both the Zeeland Record and Holland Sentinel All-Area Teams following her junior and senior seasons.

“We especially like the fact that Chloe puts the ball on the floor very well and can get to the basket, an offensive skill we feel is somewhat lacking on our team right now,” Wiktorowski said. “Chloe can also shoot the ball well from the perimeter, so we believe this can potentially make her a difficult match up for opponents. She runs the fast break well and can either score or get the ball to others. She works very hard on defense and we hope her size and agility will make her especially useful on the top of our zone defenses and presses.”

An outstanding student, Van Den Brink said she plans to major in biology once at Goshen with a specialization in pre-medical studies. Van Den Brink has maintained a 3.8 grade point average throughout her high school tenure, ranking in the top 10 percent of her class of over 600 students. She will graduate from West Ottowa in June.

“I decided to come to Goshen because I wanted to experience a new place with new points of view,” Van Den Brink said. “Also, I wanted to participate in athletics, which was a big part of my decision. I wanted to have a competitive aspect to my life, but not so much that I couldn't do other things that I love. I think that Goshen is a really good fit for me, and I'm excited for the many opportunities that it will bring. The team and the coaching staff are great, and I'm very glad to have the chance to be part of it.”

Wiktorowski said that Van Den Brink is the first of what he expects to be a rather large recruiting class, with as many as four additional signings to transpire in the coming weeks.

“Chole is a great girl, an outstanding student and a dedicated Christian,” Wiktorowski said. “She will fit in very well with the chemistry of our team and will be very involved in many different campus activities. We feel she is very dedicated and coachable, and will improve tremendously over her four-year career at Goshen. If she continues to work hard in the weight room and adapts to the increased physicality of college play, she has the potential to come in and help us right away. I really look forward to getting her on campus and working with her to help develop her athletic potential.”

Check back to this website in the coming weeks for further team information, including additional recruit signings and program news.