Players

Don Verstraete

Year Inducted: 1975

Category: Players

Schools / Organizations: Moline High School
Georgia Southern University
Rock Island High School

Biography: Don “Whitey” Verstraete led Moline High School to state tournament appearances in 1954 and 1955.  In 1954, Whitey was named to a 3^rd team all-state spot as he averaged 13 ppg.  The following year, he upped his scoring to 19 ppg and earned 1^st team all-state honors.  In 1955 he was selected to play in the North-South HS Game in Murray, KY., before playing for Georgia Southern University.  In his three varsity seasons, Whitey scored 1,519 points (3^rd best in school history) and grabbed 975 rebounds.  After college Whitey returned to the Quad Cities and served for a time as an assistant coach at Rock Island HS. He was the head coach at both Rock Island High School and Moline High School.  His teams earned 4 regional crowns, 2 sectional titles and 1 quarterfinal appearance in the IHSA tournament.  Don Verstraete passed away on August 27, 2004.