(Wednesday, January 18; Sioux Center, Iowa) Blake Hekman, a senior at Heritage Christian Academy (Kansas), has announced his intention to attend Dordt and join the Defender basketball program.  

"We are excited to have Blake join our program.  He is a consistent shooter and comes from a solid program in Kansas City.  We look forward to his improvement and his leadership within our Defender Basketball program," said Dordt basketball coach Brian Van Haaften.  

Hekman is a 6-2 guard who averaged 16.6 points per game during his junior season and took in 3.9 rebounds per game with 4.1 assists per contest.  He converted 37.6 percent of his three-point shots and earned second-team all-conference honors along with all-state honorable mention accolades.   

"I chose Dordt because of the inclusion of Christ in all departments at the university. Professors, coaches and leaders at Dordt showed me their students/players' walk with Christ comes first and foremost. These leaders have also shown a personal relationship with me is important to them, which I valued in my decision-making process," said Hekman.   

Blake is the son of Matt and Emily Hekman of Overland Park, Kansas. He plans to study business at Dordt.   

Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive Christian college rooted in the Reformed tradition. The Defender athletic program is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA).?   

U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review all list Dordt on their best colleges lists. Dordt is home to approximately 1,500 students.