Calvin Christian’s dominant season has been years in the making
The Calvin Christian boys basketball team poses for a group photo after a long practice on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
GRANDVILLE, Mich. - Calvin Christian coach Matt Veltema knew there was something special about Jack Agema and Carson DeHaan even when they were little kids.
“I remember Jack and Carson coming up through our kids camps when they were younger,” Veltema said. “It was fun to see them battle for 1-on-1 trophies. I was watching them and thinking ‘I can’t wait for those two to come up through our program. Because they are going to be difference makers.’ It was fun watching them grow up.”
It turns out Veltema was right.
Those little boys are now seniors on a dominant Calvin Christian basketball team that is 18-1 and has won 17 games in a row as of Tuesday, Feb. 21. They are ranked No. 7 in the Division 3 Associated Press poll.
“It’s a pretty special thing, because not every team can be really good every year,” DeHaan said. “Last year, we had that as well after our first three games. It’s a lot of fun knowing that all of our hard work is paying off.”
The Squires lost their second game of the season to Unity Christian on Dec. 9, and have won every game since. But Agema said he wishes they had that game back.
“We obviously wish we had got that one,” Agema said. “But to be on a roll going into the playoffs is nice. I would like 19-0 more, but when you are an undefeated team, you have a target on you. But I kinda wish we had that target.”
The trio of DeHaan, Agema and junior Matt Elderkin have been torching teams ever since. They won the O-K Silver Conference championship with a 13-0 record.
“It feels good,” Elderkin said of the conference title. “This is my second year on varsity and we’ve won (the conference) outright both years. So it’s a nice feeling to be the top team in the conference. Having those tough rivalry games will prepare us for the tournament.”
Matt Veltema is in his first year as the varsity basketball coach at Calvin Christian. He was the long-time junior varsity coach for the school. Here Veltema runs practice on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
Veltema is in his first season as varsity basketball coach at Calvin Christian. But he’s no stranger to the program. He’s been at the school since he was a little kid. Then he was a star on varsity and went on to play at Calvin College. Since then, he had been the junior varsity coach. But when long-time coach Ryan Stevens stepped down, Veltema got the job.
“It’s been a little bit of an adjustment,” Veltema said. “I want to make sure I lead the entire program in the right direction. Ryan Stevens did an incredible job in his 24-plus years that he was here. Of course, I was part of the program for years as a player and a coach and I loved the way he led and built this program. So I’d like to continue to build on that. I want to build from the little kids on up.”
Calvin Christian seniors Carson DeHaan, left, guards teammate Jack Agema during a practice on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
DeHaan remembers being one of those little kids who looked up to the varsity players, including his brother Carter, who was on the Calvin Christian team that made it to the Class C state championship game. They fell to Flint Beecher 63-61 but finished the season 21-5.
“When I was younger,” DeHaan recalled. “I really liked a guy named Austin Heeres, he was a bigger guy. He was always my coach when we had kid’s camp. My brother also was my favorite and Tony DeWitte, too. He was legit.”
Agema recalls his favorite players also.
“I’ve been wanting to play on varsity since I was little,” Agema said. “I looked up to guys like Brock Stevens and Tony DeWitte. So it’s cool to be here like they were.”
From left, Calvin Christian’s trio of Matt Elderkin, Jack Agema and Carson DeHaan have helped the Squires to a near perfect season. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
Now a new generation looks up to the current Squires.
Veltema’s 9-year-old son Brayson was running around the gym during a recent practice. When asked who his favorite player was, he didn’t hesitate: “Matt!”
“That’s me,” Elderkin said with a laugh. “It feels good. A lot of the kids at our games are always cheering us on, especially when one of us dunks. They go crazy.”
Veltema loves to see it.
“I grew up watching these basketball games as a kid,” he said. “Calvin Christian is just a special place in my heart. I want to see this community, the school and the basketball program to thrive.”
Carley Veltema, the wife of Calvin Christian coach Matt Veltema, runs the scoreboard while her son Brayson, 9, sits on her lap during a practice on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
DeHaan said one of the team’s goals was to win the conference title and now they’ve done that. But they also have bigger goals.
“State championship,” DeHaan said. “That’s been our goal since the beginning of summer. We’ve all said that’s what we want and If we keep playing as a team, we can get there for sure.”
He looked up at the banners on the gym wall and said he’d like to make his own mark up there.
“It would be great,” DeHaan said. “My brother was on the team in 2016 that made a run to state. I was always a water boy growing up. So putting up a banner in here would be awesome.”
From left, Calvin Christian’s Matt Elderkin, Camren Hendrickson and Paul Bouma stretch before running sprints during a practice on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
So how would Veltema break down his five starters?
Carson DeHaan: “Carson is a pure scorer. He can score in so many different ways. We can ask him to go outside, he can go inside, can attack off the dribble. You can really rely on him when you need a bucket.”
DeHaan, a 6-foot-4 forward, is averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists per game. He has offers from Albion College, Calvin University, Grace Christian University and Hope College.
Jack Agema: “I always think of Jack as our motor. People look to Carson as our leading scorer, but Jack makes this team go. He wants to guard the other team’s best player. He can score, he can break a press, his basketball IQ is off the charts. He’s a guy I can rely on. There were several games where he played all 32 minutes. He’s found a good balance as to when to attack (scoring wise) and when to find the open man. I’m proud of him for not forcing things and letting the game come to him.”
Agema, a 5-foot-9 guard, is averaging 16 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds per game.
Matt Elderkin: “Matt is still a little raw. He’s got so much talent and so much athleticism and he’s still trying to figure things out. The exciting part for me is that he has yet to hit his ceiling. He can get to the rack and he’s just finding his rhythm with his outside shot. He’s another weapon that can stretch the floor. When you get him going downhill, that’s when he’s at his best.”
Elderkin, a 6-foot-4 forward, is averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
Paul Bouma: “Paul is our senior underneath the basket. What I love about him is that he loves his role. He knows he’s not a scorer. So he’s out there screening (for teammates) and he’s relentless on the boards. He has that senior leadership. He’s vocal, he pushes the guys. But he does a lot of things that don’t show up on the state sheet.”
Bouma is a 6-foot-3 senior center.
Camren Hendrickson: “He’s another valuable player for us. He can handle the ball. We go to him for his defense. He works his tail off on defense. A lot of times we will put Cam on the other team’s best player because he works so darn hard.”
Hendrickson is a 6-foot-3 senior guard.
Calvin Christian has three more games during the regular season before starting district play at Fennville. The Squires won a district title last season.
“These guys have just found a good rhythm and groove as far as just playing together,” Veltema said. “This senior group of seven guys is really driving us forward this year. I’ve been able to lean on them. They are up to the challenge every game. They feel like they have something to prove this year.”
PHOTOS: More photos from Calvin Christian’s boys basketball team are available for purchase at: https://www.smugmug.com/app/organize/Calvin-Christian-2022-23
Calvin Christian’s Jace Hogan, left, and Isaac Groothuis during a practice on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
