Triple threat: Lawrence's Vanderhorst excelling in basketball, volleyball and the classroom at Mt. Ida

Kevin Vanderhorst could give any one of his peers a crash course in time management.

A sophomore at Mt. Ida College, Lawrence’s Vanderhorst had a breakout season on the basketball court this winter.

That wasn’t entirely a surprise — he was an Eagle-Tribune Super-Teamer as a senior at Lawrence two years ago — but after hoop season ended it was a quick transition back to the court for volleyball. And since joining the team after missing the first week of the season to recuperate from hoop, he has arguably been the team’s most well-rounded player.

What more, Vanderhorst has maintained a 3.55 GPA as a business major with a minor in digital marketing while working on campus as a mentor for freshman.

In short, Vanderhorst never has a dull day, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Honestly, it’s really hard at times,” he said. “With basketball, volleyball and school, and I also have a job on campus, you need to have good time management.

“I like it, though. I like having my mind active.”

After averaging just 1.4 points per game as a freshman, Vanderhorst led the Mustangs in both scoring (12.4 ppg) and rebounds (8.3) this winter while mostly coming off of the bench. He scored a career-high 27 points against St. Joe’s (Maine), had a 21-rebound game against Wheelock and recorded seven double-doubles on the season.

Once he joined the volleyball team after missing the first 12 games of the season due to the two sport’s overlapping schedules, Vanderhorst has done a bit of everything. He has averaged 1.67 kills per set (72 total) with 82 total assists, 41 digs and 17 blocks. He has already surpassed his freshman totals in all of those categories while helping the Mustangs to 25 victories over the last two years after just 28 combined wins the previous five years.

“Coming from hoop, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “My body was so tired from basketball. But it’s been really good so far.”

And in the classroom, Vanderhorst has a full schedule of five classes this semester after taking six classes last semester.

Most college students wouldn’t want such a dense schedule, but Vanderhorst has some advice for those who want to give it a shot.

“I’d be straight up honest and tell them that it’s going to be hard,” he said. “ But it’s definitely worth it.”

Double-take

You might remember Vanderhorst from his MVC days as a throwback center that used his body to make room in the paint offensively and crash the boards defensively.

But you might do a double-take seeing him now.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Vanderhorst has hit the gym hard since arriving at Mt. Ida, and has transformed his body.

“In the transition from freshman year to this year I’ve lost about 20 pounds,” he said. “That’s been really beneficial for me.”

Although, you may have seen Vanderhorst around town recently.

He served as an assistant coach for the Lawrence Hoops for Hope team, and was in attendance for the Lancers’ entire run to the Division 1 North title game.

Change ahead as Mt. Ida set to close

Lawrence’s Kevin Vanderhorst has excelled in basketball, volleyball and in the classroom as a sophomore for Mt. Ida College, but the future is uncertain.

Amidst rumors, it was reported on Friday that the struggling Mt. Ida College, located in Newton, Mass., will be closing at the end of the semester and the University of Massachusetts is purchasing the school’s assets.

It was also reported that undergraduate students in good standing at Mount Ida will be offered automatic admission to the University of Massachusetts’ Dartmouth campus.

Vanderhorst, a business major with a minor in digital marketing, has a 3.55 GPA.

Before the news broke, Vanderhorst offered high praise for the private university he has called home for the past two years.

“I definitely love it here,” he said. “It’s a smaller school, and I really like the one-on-one interactions you can have with your professors.”

There were previous talks of a merge between Mt. Ida and nearby Laselle College, but those discussions fell through.

UMass Amherst will use the 74-acre Mt. Ida campus, which will now be known as the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst, as an extension to the Amherst campus but will not enroll undergraduate students directly, according to the announcement both school’s released on Friday.