Whitehall enjoyed an outstanding regular season last year, earning a conference co-championship, and no less is expected this season, especially after what coach Christian Subdon termed an outstanding summer.
“I think we played every team in our region this summer, and we either beat them or lost by one, to Grand Rapids Catholic Central,” Subdon said. “That’s the only team from our region that we lost to.”
It’s no surprise given the talent level on the team. The headliner, obviously, is junior Camden Thompson, who has spent the past several months fielding Division I recruiting attention in both football and basketball while also taking second place in the state in high jump. A two-time all-state player, the junior is an uncommon talent and a double-double machine; a 36-point, 18-rebound explosion to carry the Vikings past Ludington last February was just one of many special nights he’s had in red and black.
Thompson broke a toe during the football team’s playoff defeat to Big Rapids, but Subdon said he should be ready to go when the regular season begins.
Of course, he’s far from the only talented Viking. Subdon noted that he received a lot of compliments from summer opposition about “the other guys.”
“I don’t call them the other guys, but that’s what the compliment was,” Subdon said. “That’s pretty exciting. Everyone knows Cam is a great player, but we’ve got those ‘other guys’ who are pretty special.”
Many of those ‘other guys’ are Thompson’s football teammates, including third-year varsity player Kyle Stratton. Stratton has actually played the most varsity games of anyone on the Viking roster coming into the season and he’s the team’s primary ballhandler. Capable of scoring when needed, Stratton usually plays the role of distributor, and his leadership is top-notch.
Trannon Aylor, Ca’Mar Ready and Kal Koehler are other key contributors returning. Koehler has proven capable when injuries to Thompson have thrust him into bigger roles, and Aylor, a two-time state champion in track, brings athleticism to the swingman role. Subdon called Ready “an absolute stud,” capable of a scoring explosion at any moment.
Also back is DJ Jamison, and Subdon credited him with a great summer. He’ll be a valued piece of the roster.
With so much talent back, there’s only so much room for young players to take a leap, but Brock Morningstar, Cy Black and LaVar Dean could make some noise. Black is the younger brother of Viking volleyball star Arianna; his athletic talent should be obvious. Morningstar earned a “that kid can play” from Subdon, and Dean had some varsity action last season.
The Vikings suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Fruitport in last year’s district tournament, and they’ve loaded up their schedule in hopes it won’t happen again. Despite playing a 22-game slate, only eight games are at home.
“That’s purposeful,” Subdon said. “We need to be put in situations where our backs are against the wall and we’re going to fight. We’re going to play teams significantly bigger than us. We gave up two home games to play at Cornerstone and play Hamtramck and East Grand Rapids. “We’re going to go out there and compete against anyone and prepare ourselves for the districts.”
Whitehall is the likely favorite in the WMC Lakes, but the Vikings have been around the block enough to know not to assume it means anything. They’ll probably be favored in the district too, but they won’t view themselves that way.
“I tell my guys, we were picked to win the district last year and we didn’t,” Subdon said. “In my world, Spring Lake is a better team than us. Fruitport beat us. We just don’t get to walk in and say we’re going to win the district and see who we match up with in regionals. Spring Lake will be a really good team. They’ve got almost everyone back off a district championship team. Fruitport, until we prove otherwise, they beat us, so they’re the team to beat...You’ve got Montague in the district too. You never know.
“We’re excited to get after it. Our schedule will prepare us.”
Montague preview
Montague coach Nick Thaler is still in the same gym, but he’s coaching the Wildcat boys now instead of the girls. It was an adjustment, but one Thaler and his new charges have enjoyed.
“It’s been nice these past couple days just getting to know these guys a little better and build those relationships,” Thaler said. “The guys have been working very hard and they’re willing to listen and understand some of the new things we’re trying to do, which is great. They’re excited about it.”
Thaler took over from longtime coach David Osborne, who retired over the summer. The new coach, though, is fortunate to have some familiar faces anchoring the team. In a lot of ways, Montague will revolve around its big guys in the paint - Paul Olson and Isaiah Atchison, who both had strong seasons last year and will be expected to do so again.
Olson and Atchison have both been wide receivers on the football team the past couple of years, so their athleticism is obvious, but what has stood out to Thaler has been the two young men’s wingspans.
“Length makes up for things you can’t cover or see in games,” Thaler said. “You can get to areas you can’t normally get to. On (the defensive) end, it’s been eye-opening. You’ll think some guy has a layup and all of a sudden it’s going into the third row. That’s been fun to watch, watching these guys fly up and down the floor.”
In the backcourt, Thaler doesn’t generally identify a singular point guard, subscribing to a more positionless game, much like has been the case from the pro level on down over the past several years. If he did ID one, though, it would probably be veteran Owen Raeth, one of the team’s most experienced players. Raeth was the leading scorer for last year’s Wildcats, at just under 11 points per game, and spent more minutes on the court than any player last season besides Atchison.
Joining Raeth as backcourt players are Jack Degen and Kellan Francis, who both made varsity cameos a year ago. Their roles will certainly be bigger this year.
“Those guys are tough-nosed kids, very athletic,” Thaler said of Degen and Francis. “They can shoot the ball well. They’re very coachable. They’ll be good assets for Owen to have on the basketball court.”
Other players that should be part of the plans this year include Jake Heiss, Blake Herremans and Braylen VanSickle. Heiss and VanSickle are capable of shooting it well, and Herremans is in line for more work after a stint on varsity last season.
Thaler is also excited about Cole Herremans, Blake’s younger brother. A 6-4 sophomore, Cole’s athletic ability makes him what Thaler calls “a prototypical guy I’d want playing the wing for us and holding it down on the defensive end of the floor.” He could be in line for a breakout season.
The Wildcats face a tough road in the West Michigan Conference Lakes. Whitehall and Ludington were the titans of the league last year, losing only to one another in league play, and Thaler said he expects both teams to be favored again. However, the Wildcats are hungry and are led by veteran upperclassmen, so upsets aren’t out of the question. Of course, that’s also the case for the teams below Montague in the pecking order.
“It’s a smaller version of the O-K Red,” Thaler said, recalling his experience as an assistant coach at Grand Haven. “You have a lot of good teams and great coaching. You’ve got to bring your A game every night or you’ll go home with an outcome you didn’t expect.”
Montague will challenge itself out of conference as well. With the new MHSAA rule permitting 22 varsity games instead of 20, the Wildcats joined many other teams in participating in special tournaments. Thaler parlayed his Grand Haven connections into a game at the Buccaneers’ Lakeshore Cup holiday event against Division 1 Holland, wanting to see how his team would measure up against a bigger school.
“Holland is a quality program who’s had a lot of success over the years,” Thaler said, adding that Kent City, Newaygo, Grant and Western Michigan Christian are among the other interesting non-league tests. “I’m curious to see how we fare against Holland. It’ll be a good test for us.”
It’ll all lead to a “loaded” district that includes Whitehall, Fruitport, Spring Lake and the Wildcats. The goal is to play the team’s best in February.
“There are so many competitive teams in our district,” Thaler said. “My guys are excited and ready to go.”
Reeths-Puffer preview
All the pieces seem to be in place for Reeths-Puffer boys basketball to do serious damage this season.
The Rockets are loaded with veteran talent. Seniors Jaxson Whitaker, Travis Ambrose and Antrel Jones form a nucleus any coach would want. R-P ended last season winning eight of 10 games and pushed eventual state runner-up Muskegon to the limit in the district finals. Coach Nate Aardema knows things look promising.
“We’re starting so far ahead of where we’ve been,” Aardema said. “A big part of that is having Jaxson, Travis and Antrel for their third year (of varsity play). It helps that the guys are really skilled.”
The thing that most impressed Aardema is that each one of the trio played football, but each made as much time as they could to keep their hoops games sharp - even Jones, who carried the responsibility of being the Rockets’ quarterback. Both Jones and Ambrose were somewhat hobbled by offseason injuries, but things are trending the right direction with the season approaching.
Ambrose and Whitaker each have locked in collegiate opportunities since March, too; Whitaker signed with Ferris State this month, and Ambrose has committed to Central Michigan in football.
“If i didn’t know (Ambrose), I’d have been worried he wouldn’t be as all in for basketball after committing to CMU, but he’s putting in the time and getting extra shots up,” Aardema said. “Those three guys have always put in a ton of work.”
Junior Brayden Mitchelson, who quietly started all last season for the Rockets, should have a big year as well. Brayden has the bloodlines - brother Kaleb was a star at R-P too - and the skill to have an impact.
“The sophomore to junior year jump (he) is going to make will be really noticeable this year,” Aardema said. “He’s really ready to have a fantastic junior year.”
Sophomore Marvin Moore should get plenty of opportunities too. Moore came up to the varsity late last season and quickly showed he belonged, scoring five points against Muskegon in the district final. Aardema said he doesn’t think Moore has missed an offseason workout and is poised for a big year.
“Any time the gym was open, he was doing everything he could to get there,” Aardema said. “He’s a tremendous athlete and he’s skilled. The biggest thing is not putting too much expectation on him so he doesn’t feel pressure. Last year he was able to play well because there were no true expectations for him on varsity. He’s skilled and talented enough that if he focuses on competing, he’ll have a really good year.”
Elliot Schneider, Trevon Totten, JT Fansler, Taylor Boone, Grady Woodrum, D’Andre Williams and Drew Brooks fill out the Rocket roster, and there will be opportunities there for each to play their part in the team’s success.
The Rockets are looking forward to competing against a strong schedule. Two games against Muskegon, of course, will be among the highlights, but the Zeeland schools and Union also project as tough league opponents. R-P is set for some fun non-league matchups, too, including a rematch of last year’s district semifinal classic against Coopersville in the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame game, a big matchup with Hudsonville, and an intriguing battle with North Farmington in a neutral-site game.
“Our schedule will be tough throughout,” Aardema said. “That’s the nature of what we have. We have a talented group and we want to challenge ourselves as often as we can.”
