For the third time this season, Central College’s Joshua Van Gorp (junior, Pella, Pella Christian HS) is the American Rivers Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Van Gorp, a 6-foot, 10-inch center, shot a scorching 82.7% from the floor in a pair of games last week.

He notched his third statistical double-double of the season Saturday as the Dutch handed Loras College its first conference loss 83-71. Van Gorp exploded for a career-high 32 points on 15-of-18 shooting and pulled down 13 rebounds to go with a career-best five blocked shots.

In a road defeat last Wednesday at Wartburg College 80-69, Van Gorp was 9-of-11 from the floor and scored 22 points with nine rebounds and a block.

Van Gorp ranks third in the NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (71.4%) and 13th in field goals (110). He’s the conference leader in both categories and is second in the league in blocks (21). Van Gorp has also helped Central rank third as a team in Division III in blocks per game (6.2), sixth in field goal percentage defense (36.6%), seventh in defensive rebounds per game (31.6), 11th in rebound margin (9.6) and 14th in assists per game (18.3).

Under first-year coach Joe Steinkamp, Central is 9-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play, already exceeding last year’s season win total after being picked to finish eighth in the league. The Dutch are home Wednesday for a conference women’s-men’s doubleheader at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium against Buena Vista that begins with the women’s game at 5:30 p.m.