East Grand Rapids on a hot streak after rough start to season

East Grand Rapids guard Drew Caswell splits the defense against Forest Hills Eastern in the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Dec. 19, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Simon Neuhaus is tired of people overlooking the East Grand Rapids basketball team.

Yes, the Pioneers had a rough start to the season. But they are on a roll now, having won seven of their last eight games, including a huge win over Northview on Tuesday. They are now 9-7 overall and tied for first place in the O-K White Conference with a 6-2 record.

“We obviously had a tough out-of-conference schedule,” said Neuhaus, a senior at EGR. “We’ve bought into working together as team. We’ve had a lot of team dinners and hang out and do off-court stuff. We trust each other more now. We’re playing some really good basketball right now.”

The Pioneers started the season 2-6, with losses to Rockford, Hudsonville, Forest Hills Eastern, Reeths-Puffer, GR Catholic Central and Northview. All very good teams. 

So what changed?

“The (Grand Rapids) Christian game was a turning point,” Neuhaus said of a 43-40 win on Jan. 13. “We hadn’t beaten Christian in awhile. They’re a big rival for us. Going into their gym on a Friday and beating them gave us confidence to play like we think we can.”

East Grand Rapids junior Wil TeWinkle had 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter in a win over Northview on Tuesday. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

He said having starting guard Arjun Taylor back in the lineup has been huge. The senior had missed most of the season with an injury.

“Arjun is back now,” Neuhaus said. “He’s a huge help and opens up the game. He was dealing with a hamstring and an ankle injury. I’m glad to have him back.”

The first time that the Pioneers played Northview on Jan. 10, they lost 34-31.

“We played a zone,” Neuhaus said. “Our zone is really good because we really communicate at a high level. Having the ability to slow them down was huge. We were able to dictate the pace of the game both times. So we made them play our game. That helped us the second time.”

He said there is no love lost between the two O-K White rivals, who are now tied for the league lead after the Pioneers won 54-46 on Tuesday.

“We knew we could win,” Neuhaus said. “Because we played them super close the first time and we thought we should have won that game. We have always had some bad blood between us and Northview. They can blame the Lowell (loss) on sickness, but I think they were 100 percent (healthy) against us. No excuses. I feel like we are the better team, even though they have the better individual players.”

In the win, Neuhaus scored 18 points, Wil TeWinkle had 14 and Drew Caswell 8. Both Caswell and TeWinkle had a huge fourth quarter. 

“Wil had 10 points in the fourth quarter against Norhtview, which was huge for us,” Neuhaus said of the junior. “I would say Northview was focusing on me, Drew and Arjun and Wil was able to get freed up.” 

Neuhaus said Caswell, a senior point guard, is what makes EGR go.

“Drew is our point guard; our quarterback,” he said. “We can always trust him with the ball. It’s nice to not have to worry about him bringing the ball up the court. He controls the pace of the game. He’s able to score when he thinks he needs to. He had eight points in the fourth quarter against Northview.”

East Grand Rapids, which is coached by Derrick Owens Sr., hosts Grand Rapids Christian on Friday night.

“He hasn’t changed the process that we’ve had the past four years,” Neuhaus said of Owens. “He’s not a big zone guy usually, but he’s adapt this year with the guys we have. He likes to focus on defense. He doesn’t care what the score is, he just wants to win. And I like that about him.”

East Grand Rapids senior Simon Neuhaus posts up against Forest Hills Eastern’s Drew Patten in the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Dec. 19, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).