Notebook: Calvin grads take after Kevin Vande Streek in coaching ranks

Holland Christian boys basketball coach Brad Jansen, left, chats with former Calvin College coach Kevin Vande Streek on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2023. Vande Streek was at the game to see two of his former players coach against each other. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Notes for the week of Jan. 9, 2023. Check back daily as this will be updated as news occurs.

HAMILTON, Mich. - Kevin Vande Streek sat in the stands to watch a high school basketball game on Tuesday.

The former Calvin College men’s basketball coach was there to see two of his former players who followed in his footsteps and are coaching now: Nick Kronemeyer at Hamilton High School and Brad Jansen at Holland Christian.

“It’s always great to see coach,” Kronemeyer said. “A lot of the things I know and a lot of the lessons I’ve learned about how the game works are from Coach Vande Streek. He had a big impact on me. So it was nice to see him at the game.”

Kronemeyer graduated from Calvin in 2017.

Jansen, who graduated from Calvin in 2006, didn’t play on varsity, but he coached with Vande Streek.

“I played JV for two years under Mark Christner and Coach Vande Streek,” Jansen said. “And my junior year, I was the student assistant (on varsity) when we went to the Final Four.”

Jansen chatted with Vande Streek before the game on Tuesday. Holland Christian beat Hamilton 66-54.

“He’s been a big influence on me, and I’m sure Nick, too,” Jansen said. “Learning his defensive principles was huge for me. 

It was awesome to see him. I gave him a big hug. He said ‘I’m really proud of you,’ which means a lot to me. Coaches make such a big impact on your life.”

There are at least three more former Calvin College basketball players coaching high school teams in West Michigan. Phil Visser at Caledonia, Brian Powell is in his first season at Lowell and Matt Veltema is in his first season at Calvin Christian. 

Vande Streek retired from coaching in 2019 after leading Calvin for 23 seasons. He has a career record of 435-208 and won the Division III National Title in 2000. He is still working at Calvin, however. He is an adjunct professor and teaches a few sports-related classes a few times per week.

CATHOLIC CENTRAL: T.J. Meerman became the all-time winningest basketball coach at Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Tuesday. When his team beat Cedar Springs with a 69-39 win, he passed Ray McCahill. Meerman, who played basketball at Central Michigan University, has 147 career wins in 10 seasons with the Cougars.

FERRIS STATE: Markese Mayfield is having a strong season with a team in Luxembourg called Black Star. Mayfield, who graduated from Ferris State in 2019, had 24 points and 22 rebounds in a game recently. Mayfield played his high school ball at Godwin Heights, where he won a Class B state title in 2015. He played the past two seasons in the country of Georgia.

FOREST HILLS CENTRAL: Senior big man Nate Delaney has committed to play basketball at Albion College. Delaney, a 6-foot-7 post, played his travel ball with the West Michigan Lakers.

FOREST HILLS EASTERN: Mac DeBraber got an offer from Alma College, his first college offer. The athletic guard is a senior at Forest Hills Eastern. He also plays football and was on the baseball team that won the state title last spring.

FRUITPORT CALVARY CHRISTIAN: Bradley Richards had 34 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in an 82-51 win over Calhoun Christian on Friday. The sophomore forward has three 30-point games this season.

GRAND HAVEN: Harrison Sorrelle is having a huge senior season. The 6-foot-6 guard scored a career-high 37 points on Tuesday in a win over Jenison. It is the third time this season he has reached the 30-point mark for Grand Haven (8-0).

GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN: The school will induct five members into its Sports Hall of Fame on Jan. 20 at halftime of the boys basketball game. Among the five are two basketball figures. Claus Beukema was the boys basketball coach from 1935-1946. He led the 1937-38 team to a first state championship, the first in school history. Jim Holwerda, a 1974 grad, was All-City in basketball and football. He would go on to play basketball at Hope College.

GRCC: Brockton Kohler has committed to transfer to Cleary University after this season at Grand Rapids Community College. The sophomore is a grad of Greenville High School. He is averaging 12 points per game. 

HOLLAND: Demetrius Lake, who graduated from Holland High School, is playing for the Ukrainian team Cherkasy Monkeys. He had his first 40-point game as a professional on Tuesday. Lake played two seasons at GVSU. His senior year at Holland, Lake averaged 36.2 points per game and finished his prep career with 2,069.

HOLLAND CHRISTIAN: Kyle Cannon is on fire. The senior from Holland Christian scored a career-high 34 points on Tuesday in a 66-54 win over Hamilton. It was the second time in three games he has reached the 30-point mark. “Kyle is a special player and we are not as good when he’s not on the court,” Holland Christian coach Brad Jansen said. “I think that’s pretty evident. He has a calm demeanor. He’s not flashy.” Cannon is averaging 20 points per game.

NORTHPOINTE: Senior Mitchell White got an offer from Oak Hills Christian College, an NCCAA school in Bemidji, Minnesota. It is the first offer for the senior guard from NorthPointe Christian. He played travel ball with West Michigan Lakers.

NORTHPOINTE: The NorthPointe Christian senior Kayden Bird scored 32 points in a 61-51 win over Hopkins on Friday. It is the second 30-point game of the season for the Cornerstone University commit.

SPARTA: Jax Wilson had 38 points as Sparta beat Kelloggsville 66-58 on Friday. Wilson is a senior guard, who had a 44-point game earlier this season. The un-signed senior played his travel ball with the Grand Rapids Storm.

SPRING LAKE: Zane Stahl almost had a triple-double on Tuesday as the Lakers beat West Catholic 52-42. The 6-foot-6 sophomore had 7 points, 10 rebounds and a stunning 11 blocked shots. Stahl has committed to play baseball at Louisville. 

UNITY CHRISTIAN: Former Unity basketball player Isaac TeSlaa has committed to play football at the University of Arkansas. He transfers from Hillsdale College, where the 6-foot-4 receiver was the offensive player of the year in the conference. He had 14 Division I offers once he hit the transfer portal. TeSlaa won state titles in football and basketball at Unity.

WAYLAND: Brett Butlsma got an offer from Concordia University in Ann Arbor. It is the first offer for the senior guard, who played his travel ball with MBA Lakeshore.

Holland Christian boys basketball coach Brad Jansen, left, and Hamilton coach Nick Kronemeyer chat before their teams played on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).