Suburban Life Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Ben Oosterbaan Guides Hinsdale Central to Historic Season

Ben Oosterbaan arrives at Hinsdale Central with name recognition.

His last name was known throughout the Midwest, especially on the campus of the University of Michigan because of his great-great-uncle Benny on his great-grandfather’s side.

From a young age, Ben Oosterbaan had a stellar reputation in baseball.

Basketball, in Oosterbaan’s case, remained in the background for the early part of his high school career.

“I remember in seventh grade Ben was a skinny kid who could shoot,” said Hinsdale Central basketball coach Nike Latorre. “He trained really well, so we thought he might be something special. He just wasn’t there physically. His sophomore year he was physically immature, and his junior year he still hadn’t matured. Between junior and senior year, he gained his ‘man muscles’ and explosiveness made the difference in his game.

Oosterbaan committed to play baseball for Michigan in June 2021, becoming a two-sport star at Hinsdale Central. In his senior season, he elevated his game to become one of the state’s top players in basketball. The 6-foot-6 Oosterbaan sprouted as a go-to player before leading the popular Red Devils (31-4) to the West Suburban Silver Conference title and the Class 4A regional championship in a sectional final loss to Downers Grove North.

An Associated Press Class 4A Second-Team selection, Oosterbaan averaged 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals and blocked 27 shots and drilled 44 3-pointers before being named the 2022-23 Suburban Life Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Even now, Oosterbaan said he is surprised by his rapid growth in basketball, which he attributes to physical development and spending countless hours on his game during the pandemic.

“My freshman year I knew that if I wanted to be good at sports, I was going to have to work really hard,” Oosterbaan said. “I was really skinny. But I had a bunch of people to help me like my dad and brother.

“Getting stronger and bigger gave me more inside presence, allowed me to post, get rebounds and defend a little better and finish through contact on drives. I also felt healthy throughout the season. My sophomore year, my knees would be in pain all the time. I felt really good with my feet this year and was able to play the full 32 minutes.”

Oosterbaan credits his teammates for making his final season playing competitive basketball full of memories of a lifetime. The Red Devils played several marquee games and tournaments and beat Lyons three times before three sellout crowds.

“It was a really fun season,” Oosterbaan said. “We made the most of our season. Everyone contributed and we had really good off-the-court chemistry, which led to on-the-court chemistry. Everything just clicked for us. Was awesome.

“Basketball has been very rewarding. I worked hard at basketball. So did all my teammates. We felt underrated last year. We knew we were good but we didn’t get any respect. It was fun for everyone .

More than three years ago, when Oosterbaan played on the second team during his freshman year, he was not the most publicized long-term prospect in the program.

That title belonged to fellow freshman Matas Bouzelis, who transferred to a prep school in his sophomore year and is now widely considered one of the top three picks in 2024 NBA draft projections.

“Matas and Ben played together in their freshman year,” Latorre said.

Oosterbaan would become a cornerstone of the program, turning into an inside-and-outside scoring threat capable of taking over a game. He helped lead the Red Devils to a single-season school record for wins, consecutive wins (23), the program’s first conference title since 2014, first regional championship since 2015, and first Holiday Classic title in program history.

Oosterbaan, a fearless and unselfish player, scored in double digits in 34 of 35 games, scoring 33 points and grabbing eight rebounds on November 22 against Oswego East, setting the tone for a historic season. He exploded for 32 points against Prospect on February. 7. He closed his career with 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three 3-pointers in a sectional championship loss to Downers Grove North.

Latorre said that Oosterbaan’s value to the program cannot be measured by statistics alone.

“I had Ben as a student this year,” Latorre said. “He’s really grounded and really mature. His leadership qualities really shined this year. The kids really followed his lead. He’s really competitive. Some competitive element in everything at our practices.” Happens. If we didn’t, he would have said something about making it competitive. He’s a brilliant kid from a great family.

Oosterbaan said he never played AAU basketball because of his commitment to baseball in the spring and summer. Latorre said he saw some positive aspects to Oosterbaan not playing hoops for a year. Latorre laughed when he recalled last summer, when Oosterbaan played a few games at the elite level in the highly competitive Riverside-Brookfield Shootout without any preparation.

“Maybe a few extra months in the year make a big difference, or maybe not,” he said. “His basketball IQ is very high. He came back both his junior and senior year, after not playing over the summer, and had amazing seasons. I think Ben has definitely made the most of his potential up to this point. , But I don’t think he is the maximum in basketball.

“His improvement over the last four years was amazing. During COVID, he really developed a love for basketball. He played a lot of basketball and worked really hard and changed his game.