Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On June 28, 1983, the Phoenix Suns drafted Des Moines Hoover all-time basketball great Joe Dykstra in the 9th Round of the NBA Draft. Dykstra scored a Metro Conference-best of 1,488 points at Hoover.
Born with basketball in his blood, Dykstra’s father, Virgil, played at Pella’s Central College. When the family moved overseas, Dykstra spent most of his childhood in The Hague, Netherlands, before moving to Des Moines as a high school sophomore. The 6’5” sophomore cracked the starting line-up at Hoover and immediately turned heads on the basketball court. Playing for coach Bert Adams, the dominant Dykstra led Hoover while pouring in points. Upset by No. 9 Cedar Rapids Washington in the first round of the state basketball tournament after going undefeated up to that point in the season, Dykstra waited for college offers.
Without a Division I offer, despite his success at Hoover, Dykstra headed to play for (then) Division II Western Illinois. After breaking his foot three games into his freshman season for the Leathernecks, Dykstra bounced back to earn All-Mid-Continent Conference honors as a Sophomore. Western Illinois moved to Division I as Dykstra entered his junior season. He caught national attention when he broke the NCAA Division I record for consecutive free throws made in 1982.
Dykstra again averaged more than 20 points per game as a senior while leading the Leathernecks to an MCC title. Selected 204th overall in the 1983 draft, Dykstra made the team’s final roster for the 1983-84 regular season. Opting for other opportunities overseas despite making the roster, Dykstra went on to play professionally in France, England, and Australia. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
