Basketball

Holland High School hires Andrew Meeuwsen as basketball coach

Published

5 months ago

June 11, 2024

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Holland High School hires Andrew Meeuwsen as basketball coach

ALLENDALE – Andrew Meeuwsen has only had one week and three practices with his new basketball team.

But he already knows the names of all 14 players.

“Everyone here today, I know their names,” he said. “I can’t say I know everyone else in the program yet, but I have all (the varsity player’s) names down after today.”

Meeuwsen was hired as the new varsity boys basketball coach at Holland High School last week. He replaced Mason Theile, who left to take a coaching job at East Grand Rapids.

More: Holland basketball coach Mason Theile steps down to take job in East Grand Rapids

“It’s been baptism by fire,” said Meeuwsen, who was at GVSU for a team camp on Saturday. “Sometimes it’s the best way to learn. I’m doing a lot of coaching in the games today. I’m getting to know the guys. It’s exciting.”

Meeuwsen was the varsity coach at Plymouth High School the past two years. He also has coached at Livingston Christian and Canton High School.

But he’s from West Michigan.

Meeuwsen, 33, went to Zeeland East High School, where he played basketball and he graduated from Grand Valley State.

“I got engaged in December and my fiancée is from Zeeland,” Meeuwsen said. “So it’s nice to be moving back to the west side of the state. I was looking for a job and I found the Holland job. I’m very excited to be back in West Michigan. I love it here. It feels good to be back home.”

His teaching job at Plymouth hasn’t ended yet. So he’s making a lot of trips across the state lately.

“My school year is done June 13,” he said. “I’m driving back and forth the past two weeks; putting a lot of miles on my car.”

Meeuwsen said he’s still looking for a teaching job in the Holland area. But he’s pretty excited to get started as the new Holland coach.

“Walking into the Dutch Dome, that was a pretty big, ‘Welcome to Holland High School’ moment on Monday,” he said. “I played there in high school (as a visitor) and I went to games there as a kid. So that was special.”