A month after the Dover High School boys basketball team suffered a tough defeat in the state championship game, the team is back to its celebratory ways again.
Senior center Pieter Prinsloo signed his letter of intent and full scholarship to attend and play at Marist College in upstate New York next year.
Prinsloo, part of Head Coach Stephen Wilson’s two-year project after both player and coach came over from Middletown High School, is planning on bringing some size to a Marist team that won just one game last season.
“They didn’t have a big man last year,” said the 6-foot-11-inch Prinsloo. “They were very undersized and the smallest team in their conference. So I think I can bring a defensive presence, cause the lane to clog up a little more.
“I can be a presence inside and give options on the offensive end, and be a guy inside that can score and rebound, which was a problem for them last year.”
More than just his size, Wilson said Prinsloo has some intangibles that would make him successful at the next level.
One major challenge with going away to college, athlete or not, Wilson said, was adjusting to a new environment and thus adapting to it.
Since the South African-born Prinsloo has moved around a bit in his life, the Senator said that those environmental adjustments should be easy.
“He’s able to adapt to any type of circumstances or any type of circumstances or any type of culture of people,” Wilson said. “A lot of people thought he’d have a problem coming from Dover to Middletown, but he’s fit in well with the kids.”
He added that a new coach should help Prinsloo to bring his game to a different level and unlock some previously undiscovered potential.
“He’s going to hear another voice on the court, other than myself,” Wilson said. “And I think it’s going to help him mature as a basketball player and a man.”
Prinsloo will head to Marist in the summer to get a jumpstart on his academics and workouts, spending six weeks on campus taking two classes and conditioning in preparation for the season.
He said the coaches have made no promises on what he’ll contribute in his freshman year, but if he works hard he should see some minutes.
To be game-ready, however, Prinsloo admitted he needed to bulk up a bit and add some power to his height.
