Gerry Besselink

Gerardus John Besselink (born September 1, 1963)[1] is a Canadian former professional basketball player.

Career

A native of Kingston, Ontario, Besselink played at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School and Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute. He enrolled at the University of Connecticut in 1983.[2] He played for the UConn Huskies men's basketball team from 1984 to 1987.[3] After 112 career games played, the 6'9'' (204 cm) center posted career game averages of 5.2 points and 5.7 rebounds.[4] He did not miss any game while at UConn.[2] In his senior season, Besselink posted career-highs 10.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.[4] In 1986, Besselink earned a spot on the Canadian Men's National Team and participated in the World Championship in Spain.[1][5]

In the professional ranks, Besselink played eight games for De Boo DAS Delft in the Netherlands in the 1987–88 season, averaging 15.6 points per contest.[6] He returned to the US to finish his university degree in Special Education/Rehabilitation, before continuing his professional career, which he mostly spent in Finland (1989–90 and 1992–93 at FoKoPo, 1990–91 at HNMKY, 1995–96 at Korihait, 1996–97 at New Wave Helsinki, 2002–03 at Rekolan Urheilijat, 2004–05 at Visa Basket).[7]

He also had stints in New Zealand,[2] Luxembourg (1991–92),[8] at Jämtland Basket in Sweden (1993-1995),[9] at Astra Basket in Sweden (1997–98),[1] and at German 2. Bundesliga side TSV Tröster Breitengüßbach (parts of the 1995–96 season).[10] At Jämtland Basket, Besselink formed a duo with American Bo Heiden, which was later considered as one of the best duos in team history.[11] Besselink won MVP honors in the Swedish league in 1994.[12] While in Sweden, he also participated in the European competition FIBA Korać Cup.[13]

After the conclusion of his basketball career, Besselink stayed in Finland, where he had met his wife, who was a member of Finland's Women's Basketball National Team and played at Saint Mary's College. Their children Maria, Max, Michael became basketball players. Besselink worked as a teacher and basketball coach in Finland.[2]

He was inducted into the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.[14]

Further reading

References
  1. "Gerardus John Besselink". FIBA Europe. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  2. "Gerry Besselink". UConn Hoop Legends. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  3. "Where Huskies Have Landed". Hartford Courant at Newspapers.com. 16 July 2006. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  4. "2020-21 UConn Men's Basketball / History" (PDF). University of Connecticut. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  5. "Besselink Selected for Canadian Team". Hartford Courant at Newspapers.com. 20 Jun 1986. p. 87. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  6. "Gerry Besselink Basketbal statistieken Spelers Dossier - NBB Database, basketball statistieken". db.basketball.nl. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  7. "Gerry Besselink". Suomen Koripalloliitto ry. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  8. "Lethbridge Herald Newspaper Archives, Apr 18, 1992, p. 10". NewspaperArchive.com. 1992-04-18. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  9. "Topplistor | Jämtland Basket". www.jamtlandbasket.se. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  10. "Saison 1995/1996". USC Heidelberg (in German). Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  11. Ersson, Hans (2015-10-05). "Han är bästa proffset någonsin i Jämtland". op.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-05-30.
  12. "Utmärkelser. ÅRETS SPELARE/MVP". basketsverige.se. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  13. "Gerardus John Besselink | Korac Cup (1998) | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  14. "Gerry Besselink". Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
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