WAUKEE, Iowa — Basketball teams from five Iowa universities made it into the NCAA tournament this year, and several of the players on those rosters are natives of the state.
Every college basketball player dreams of victory in March, but every dream has to come from somewhere. Six ballers competing in this year’s tournament found it on a Waukee high school basketball court.
The Waukee Community School District has proven to be a pipeline for college basketball success.
“We've been so lucky to have so many great players come and not only be great here, but be even better once they graduate," Waukee Boys Basketball coach Kevin Kanaskie told Local 5.
Kanaskie's coaching career in Waukee began seven years ago. He started as an assistant on the boys varsity team, and took on the head coaching role in 2021.
It’s no surprise to coach Kanaskie that many Waukee players on both the men's and women's teams have found success at the college level.
“You walk through our hallways, and you see pictures of them, and everyone knows," Kanaskie said. "Everyone is rooting for them, the entire community."
Katie Dinnebier and Anna Brown both played on the Waukee team that made multiple state tournament appearances. Dinnebier and Brown have taken playing for the hometown team to another level: they are now teammates on the Drake women's basketball team.
Fellow Drake bulldog Tucker DeVries is also a Waukee grad, named Iowa's Mr. Basketball in 2021 after guiding his high school team to a state title.
And the Waukee dynasty doesn't stop on the Drake basketball court.
Omaha Biliew and Cade Kelderman of the Iowa State men's basketball team are also alumni of the district. Biliew played for Waukee High during his sophomore and senior seasons, while Kelderman shined on the court for Waukee Northwest.
One other Iowa native will be playing in the men's tournament this year. Nathan Johnson was a stellar student-athlete for Waukee, and now plays ball at Samford University as a graduate student.
Kanaskie told Local 5 that the Waukee basketball alumni are inspiring the next generation of ballers in Waukee to follow in their footsteps, both on and off the court.
"We graduated 10 seniors, and eight of them want to play college basketball," Kanaskie said. "Our alumni will do great things beyond basketball and in their life."