Eli Van Hove was not feeling the best during the Roland-Story boys basketball team’s non-conference game against Martensdale St. Marys to wrap up the regular season on Feb. 12.
Van Hove had been sick all week, missing games against Van Meter and Saydel on Feb. 9 and 10 and practice on Feb. 11. He was obviously rusty against MSM, and, as a result, finished with just two points.
But Van Hove still made several valuable contributions. He had a timely block with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, and he tipped rebounds out to teammates twice in the final four minutes to help the Norsemen secure a 51-44 victory, improving to 16-5 heading into Class 2A district competition next week.
A big reason Roland-Story has been able to more than double last year’s win total, when the Norsemen finished 7-1,5 has been the play of Van Hove.
“Last year our record wasn’t very good, and one of our weaknesses was our size,” said Roland-Story forward Luke Thoreson. “Eli has stepped in and he’s been a huge threat to help us. He’s a big contributor to our offense and defense.”
Van Hove, a 6-foot-6 junior, started to gain confidence during the second half of last season.
As a sophomore, the Norsemen center averaged 6.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was not much of a factor during the early part of 2024-2025, thanks in large part to constant foul trouble, but as he gained confidence, he found he could hang with his top opposition down low.
After a summer of hard work in the gym and the weight room, Van Hove has fully established himself as one of the best centers in the Heart of Iowa Conference.
Entering the MSM game, Van Hove was averaging 12.3 points and shooting 65.5% from the field. He was also averaging 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals and blocks each.
“This year I’ve just been looking to score more,” Van Hove said. “Last year, I’d get the ball and most times I’d look to pass out. I’m looking to a lot more to score.”
Van Hove’s offensive game is simple. Drop-step to the middle, drop-step to the baseline, go up over an opponent or try to convert a putback on an offensive rebound.
It has enabled him to lead the HOIC in field goal percentage. He is also a great complement to Thoreson, who scored 27 against MSM and went into the game averaging a team-best 17.5 points.
“The growth he’s made has been phenomenal,” said Roland-Story coach Darrin Berggren. “He’s put in a ton of work in the weight room and the gym. He’s pretty athletic, he’s got great footwork, and he has great hands around the basket. He’s just been great for us all year.”
Van Hove has also gotten a lot better on defense. Just like on offense, his recipe for success on that end of the floor has been pretty basic.
“Staying straight up and trying not to foul,” Van Hove said. “At the beginning of last year, I was almost fouling out in a ton of games.”
Van Hove will have a week to get back to full strength before the start of district play. Roland-Story is the No. 2 seed, and the Norsemen will host either Osage or Iowa Falls-Alden in the district semifinals on Feb. 19.
“I’m really excited for districts,” Van Hove said. “We get to go out and compete to go to state.”
Berggren is also looking forward to seeing Van Hove healthy, so he can help Roland-Story make a deep run in the postseason.
“We’ve been shooting it fairly well these last couple of weeks — Luke has kind of taken off to another level — and we just need Eli to stay aggressive and be that threat on the block,” Berggren said. “We tell him all the time if they don’t double team, then that’s got to be points.”
If Van Hove can have a productive postseason, that will give him even more momentum heading into his senior year. With another offseason of work, he has the potential to be scary in 2026-2027.
“Nobody is going to be able to stop him,” Thoreson said. “That’s a fact.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Simple approach made Roland-Story’s Eli Van Hove a top player in HOIC
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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