Javion Otten bounces back after ankle injury ended his season
Kenowa Hills senior Javion Otten puts up shots during a workout on Thursday, April 13, 2023. He has committed to play at Grand Valley State next season. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
WALKER, Mich. - Javion Otten puts up shot after shot in an empty gym. The sound of the ball bouncing on the court and the squeak of his basketball shoes echoes echo off the walls of folded up bleachers.
The Kenowa Hills High School basketball standout never stops working. It is partially because he just loves the game. But more so because his senior year was a crushing disappointment. An ankle injury caused him to miss the final eight games of his career.
“It was tough having to sit and watch,” Otten said. “But I liked how we played. We were missing some shots, but I think they played well even without me.”
The season started of great for the 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard. He committed to play for Grand Valley State University before the year. His Kenowa Hills team started the season 4-0 and on January 24, he scored his 1,000th career point against Cedar Springs. At that point, he was averaging 24.5 points per game.
But two games later, it all came crashing down.
“It was against Coopersville,” Otten said of his injury. “We were on a fast break, I had the ball and I stepped on someone’s foot and twisted my ankle. It was tough.”
Kenowa Hills’ Javion Otten takes a jumpshot against South Christian during the 2021-22 season. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
During a solo workout at the Kenowa Hills gym recently, he looks like he’s back to normal. Moving fluidly and his jump shot hits nothing but net.
“Its not fully at 100 percent,” Otten said. “It’s a little tight around my Achilles still. But I’ll be 100 percent soon.”
He also missed a game after he broke his nose in a collision on the court.
“I had a concussion, which kept me out a game and had a broken nose,” he said. “It’s still pretty crooked right now. It was against TK (Middleville). It was a head-on-head collision.”
Ironically, his mother, Jessie Otten, wanted to keep her son away from contact sports to avoid injuries.
“My mom is a single mother,” Otten said. “Since I can remember, she’s always pushed me to play basketball or any sport. I used to box and play lots of sports. When I got taller and better (at basketball) after my sophomore year, she wouldn’t let me play any other sports. No football.”
He does miss playing travel basketball, however. He sees some of his friends starting the spring portion of the AAU season.
“It’s frustrating that I can’t go out there again,” Otten said. “AAU was where I started to grow as a player. But I’ll still have fun watching my brother (Roger, who plays for the Thunder) and some other guys I know.”
Otten played for several travel teams in the past two seasons: The Grand Rapids Thunder, UTS and the Grand Rapids Storm.
“With UTS, that was definitely when I had the most fun,” he said. “But we weren’t playing in the biggest tournaments. I was averaging like 30 a game. But when (Jason) Martin asked me to play for Storm on the UA circuit where there are a lot more scouts. It didn’t go exactly how I wanted it to go, but it was still an amazing experience.”
Otten is looking forward to the next chapter in his life as he heads to GVSU in the fall.
“It was a blessing that Coach (Cornell) Mann took a chance on me,” he said of the Lakers second-year coach. “When he gave me the offer, I felt it was the place I wanted to go to, for sure. I’m super excited.”
Kenowa Hills senior Javion Otten puts up shots during a workout on Thursday, April 13, 2023. He missed nine games during the season with an ankle injury. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
