MBA Lakeshore 17U was a dominant team of all-stars but played like brothers
Players from the MBA Lakeshore 17U team take a break during a tournament in July, 2022. From left, Jake DeHaan, Harrison Sorrelle, Mason Dykstra, Parker Swartz and Sam Medendorp. The team finished the season 45-7. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
GRAND RAPDIS, Mich. - Jake DeHaan wasn’t one of those kids who has played travel basketball since he could walk.
But when he finally did find a team after his sophomore year at South Christian, it was like he found a second family when he joined the MBA Lakeshore team.
“I didn’t play AAU before last year,” DeHaan said. “I played with them for a few tournaments two years ago, and they just loved on me. That’s the greatest thing about that team, is that we all love each other and we can all joke around. And at the end of the day, we still wanted to win basketball games. That’s the kind of chemistry we had.”
That’s the kind of team Tyler Ingalls envisioned when he started to put together this group of nine basketball players that was 45-7 last summer. It was one of the most dominant travel teams in West Michigan in years.
“We were part of Impact Elite back in 7th grade,” said Ingalls, a long-time trainer and AAU coach. “I stared out with Carson DeHaan, then Parker Hovey joined us. Then Parker Swartz came in 8th grade. As sophomores, Harrison and Mason joined us.”
The team included:
Brett Bultsma (Wayland)
Jake DeHaan (South Christian)
Carson DeHaan (Calvin Christian)
Mason Dykstra (Hudsonville)
Parker Hovey (Hart)
Sam Medendorp (South Christian)
Harrison Sorrelle (Grand Haven)
Parker Swartz (Northview/Mona Shores)
Quincy Winkle (Potter’s House)
The team also had a few guys join the team for a game or two, such as Bashir Neely (Grand Haven), Nate VanTimmeren (GR Catholic Central) and Demonta Hudson (South Haven).
Grand Haven senior Harrison Sorrelle was a starting guard on a dominant MBA Lakeshore 17U team that went 45-7. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
Sorrelle had a rare day off last week, so the Grand Haven standout made the 50-minute drive to see South Christian play. He wanted to watch his buddies Jake DeHaan and Medendorp. They hugged and chatted after the game.
“You had guys like Harry and Jake, who are really good leaders,” Bultsma said. “They embraced us and we all fit in well. We all found our roles. Everyone was so unselfish, that’s why we were so good.”
Sorrelle and DeHaan were the leaders of the team, mostly because they were the starting guards.
“Me and him, being the guards, you kind of have to have command of the team,” Sorrelle said. “I feel like off the court, Jake is such a great kid. He leads by example. That’s one of his best traits. His energy is contagious.”
So what kind of team did Ingalls envision?
“For us, it was all about humility,” he said. “If you don’t have humility, you just can’t be on our team. If you’re not willing to look out for other people and you think it’s all about you, then you won’t fit. I’m also trying to find kids who will end up in the 6-foot-3 to 6-7 range, who can move the ball, be able to switch positions. We had guys who could average 20 points on their (high school team). So that’s a big sacrifice in AAU.”
Tyler Ingalls, center, shares a laugh with Nate VanTimmeren during a tournament at Byron Center. From left, Carson DeHaan, Quincy Winkle, Ingalls, Mason Dykstra and VanTimmeren. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
That team chemistry and an all-star roster helped MBA Lakeshore dominate every team and every tournament they played in.
“In the beginning, we knew we had a high ceiling,” Carson DeHaan said. “As the season went on, we just kept winning.”
One of the bigger wins as at a huge tournament at a complex in Pennsylvania called Spooky Nook.
“It was our run in Spooky Nook,” Sorrelle said. “We were ranked one of the lowest seeds in the tournament and we made it all the way to the finals. We lost on a half-court buzzer-beater.”
MBA Lakeshore didn’t lose too many games, but when they did, it was at the buzzer.
“We were 45-7,” Ingalls said. “Three of those losses were in championship games. Two of those games were on buzzer beaters.”
Jake DeHaan catches his breath after a game at MSA Woodland. He would hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat a team of local all-stars on July 17, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
They also won some games at the buzzer.
At the Brawl for the Ball in Grand Rapids, Jake DeHaan hit a fall-away 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Patriots 73-70.
“That was pretty sweet,” DeHaan said. “There was a lot of hype going into that game. They had some of the best players around here. We were kind of the underdogs, so to win that was pretty sweet.”
That was Swartz’s favorite moment, too.
“Oh yeah. The tournament at MSA Woodland, when Jake DeHaan hit the game-winner over my (Northview) teammate EJ Ryans,” Swartz said. “That was a super-fun moment for our team. It was really exciting.”
But the off court moments were just as fun.
“Atlantic City!” Sorrelle said. “We were in a hotel with a casino and a bunch of stuff was always going on there. So it was just fun running around the hotel with teammates. Going to the boardwalk and hanging out. That was fun.”
The MBA Lakeshore team celebrates their last tournament together at a Mexican restaurant in Fort Wayne, Ind. Since it was Sam Medendorp’s 18th birthday, he had to wear a sombrero. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
Jake DeHaan laughed when he recalled a team dinner after a tournament in Fort Wayne, Ind. It was Medendorp’s birthday and the entire team and all the parents celebrated.
“Going out to dinner at some Mexican place in Fort Wayne,” DeHaan said. “That was hilarious seeing ’Dorp with the sombrero. That was funny.”
Carson DeHaan said the MBA Lakeshore teammates still keep in touch.
“Its really fun to keep up on how everyone is doing and going to see their games, if possible,” he said. “I really like that group of guys. We all keep in touch.”
Said Bultema: “We all played really well together. The team chemistry was off the charts.
From our first practice, everyone gelled together really well, including the guys like me and Quincy, who came in late.”
Jake DeHaan, left, and Carson DeHaan at a Mexican restaurant in Fort Wayne, Ind. “We aren’t actually related,” Carson said. “But we tell everyone that we’re cousins.” (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
Jake DeHaan said playing for Ingalls was tough but rewarding.
“Ty’s a great guy. Everyone had different skills and different roles and he knew where we fit. He coached us hard and really pushed us. That helped us win.”
Ingalls also does his best to help his players get recruited.
“I love him,” Sorrelle said. “He’s a great coach. He also does a lot for us off the court, in terms of recruiting and making sure we’re OK. What he does for the basketball community is important.”
You know its a tight-knit team when the parents all got a long. They were sad to see it end, too.
“When we finished our last game in Fort Wayne,” Ingalls recalled. “Half the parents were in tears. They were missing the family vibe already. You literally create a culture where even the parents love each other and are hanging out together.”
The MBA Lakeshore summer roster. And Jake DeHaan, Sam Medendorp and Harrison Sorrelle after a South Christian game on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
