East Kentwood is getting hot at the right time: ‘We’re picking up momentum’

East Kentwood senior Christian Humphrey-Rembert dunks against Hudsonville on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. He had a game-high 28 points. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. - Mike Thomas wasn’t happy about his star guard getting in foul trouble.

But it allowed the East Kentwood basketball coach a chance to see what his team does without Jah Hatchett.

“One of our sayings is ‘just be ready when your number is called,’” Thomas said. “We had some guys step up and do that. At halftime, Jah and Chris (Humphrey-Rembert) had 23 of the 24 points. We challenged some of the other guys to say ‘hey, let’s step up and help these guys out’ and they did that.”

East Kentwood rallied to beat Hudsonville 63-52 on Monday night in an O-K Red Conference game. The Falcons trailed most of the first half and were down 29-24 at halftime. Hatchett, a star guard, had 11 points, three steals and two huge blocks in the first half. But he quickly picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and sat almost the entire second half.

Enter Landon Storms. The lanky junior scored all eight of his points in a monster third quarter as East Kentwood outscored Hudsonville 23-12 to take a 47-41 lead entering the fourth.

“It was huge,” Thomas said. “It was a good thing that Jah got into foul trouble because we were able to see some other things to help out on Szamrej. The switch from Jah to Landon on Szamrej helped us out a lot.”

Hudsonville guard Brayden Szamrej and teammate Joey Miller each had 18 points. 

The East Kentwood bench stepped up big in the second half of a game against Hudsonville on Monday, Feb. 19. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

But the best player on the court was East Kentwood senior Christian Humphrey-Rembert, who had a season-high 28 points and six rebounds. 

“If your number is called, you’ve got to step up,” Humphrey Rembert said. “We got good performances by J-Wheel (Jayden Wheeler), RJ (Randy Chapman). They played really great.”

Humphrey-Rembert, a 6-foot-9 forward, is averaging 15.3 points per game. But he’s stepped it up lately. In his last eight games, he’s averaging 18.8 points per game.

“I take my hat off to the kid,” Thomas said. “You’re seeing some things that you didn’t see last year. He’s rebounding a lot more. We challenge him every game. If we’re going to have a chance to win, he has to perform. Not only with points, but asserting himself defensively and with rebounding and blocking shots. He’s got to use that length.”

Humphrey-Rembert had 16 Division I offers before committing to Howard University in early December. But then he changed his mind and is back on the market.

“Right now, I’m still talking to coaches,” he said. “I’ll keep playing the season and letting it play out before I make a decision.”

Jah Hatchett has been one of the best players in West Michigan. He had all of his 11 points in the first half against Hudsonville on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Hatchett, a junior guard, is starting to get looks from Division I programs, too. He’s averaging 16.2 points per game. But there’s a future star on the team, too. Freshman C.J. Reynolds has played well since being called up from junior varsity. He had a 17 point on Feb. 13 against Grandville and on Monday against Hudsonville, the 6-foot-1 guard had seven points, two assists and two steals.

“CJ’s been playing well,” Humphrey-Rembert said. “Not just scoring the ball, but he’s excelling on defense.”

Hudsonville beat East Kentwood on Feb. 9, 56-48. 

“We’ve had some ups and downs as a team,” Humphrey-Rembert said. “That (Hudsonville) team caught us when we were down. Even though we didn’t start well (on Monday), we still came together as a team to pull it out.”

East Kentwood has won six of its last seven games, including a huge 61-49 win over Rockford on Feb. 16. 

“That’s very big,” Humphrey-Rembert said. “March is coming up and that’s all about momentum. And right now, we’re picking up momentum.”

The Falcons (14-6) begin district play on Feb. 28 at Byron Center. They got a bye and will play the winner of Jenison-Grandville. 

For more East Kentwood photos, click here. For more Hudsonville photos, click here.