Notebook: South Christian has found a third scoring option
South Christian’s Davis Kemper, a 6-foot-7 junior, blocks the shot of Hudsonville’s Breylan McPhaul in the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - South Christian has been looking for a third scoring option early this season.
They may have found it in Davis Kemper.
The 6-foot-7 junior has gained confidence since getting more playing time. He didn’t play a whole lot last season with a deep group of seniors.
“I thought before the season that he would be a key guy for us and he has been,” South Christian coach Taylor Johnson said. “I don’t think he made any threes tonight (against Hudsonville), but his presence inside, his touch with his left hand, the fact that he wants the ball … it’s been a big thing for us.”
Kemper, who is a pretty good shooter, also plays well in the paint. He had 14 points in a 64-54 win over Rockford and nine points in a 58-56 win over Unity Christian, including the game-winner. Kemper also plays football and baseball.
Most of the scoring will come from junior Carson Vis and senior Jake Vermaas. In a 64-60 win over Hudsonville on Tuesday in the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament, Vermaas had 18 points and Vis had 13.
Vis, who is getting offers from Division I colleges, has been getting double teamed a lot this season.
“It’s no fun for him and it’s no fun for me,” Johnson said. “But it can be fun for the other (South Christian) kids. That means someone is open. We need to work together as a team and keep it in the middle of the floor so he can’t be doubled as much.”
South Christian was 25-5 last season, which included a trip to the state title game. This season, the Sailors are 4-1 as of Dec. 20 and they have played a very tough schedule. Their lone loss is to No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian.
“If you look at our schedule, we haven’t had an easy game yet,” Johnson said. “With our non-conference schedule, we thought we should get battle tested early.”
The Sailors won’t play again until Dec. 28 when they play West Bloomfield in the Motor City Roundball Classic at Ferndale.
For more photos of South Christian, click here.
AREA BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
CALVIN CHRISTIAN: Senior Matthew Elderkin has missed the past two weeks with a foot injury. The 6-foot-5 forward has committed to play at Grand Valley State.
CATHOLIC CENTRAL: The Cougars aren’t as deep this season, but it wasn’t planned that way. They are missing four players who are no longer with the program. Juniors Jami Williams and Sean Sullivan decided not to play basketball this season. Center Isaiah Hamlet transferred out and D.J. Nystrom got into some legal trouble and is no longer at Catholic Central.
COOPERSVILLE: Gabe VanSickle, a center on the basketball team, officially signed with Ohio State University to play football on Wednesday. He is a lineman.
GRAND RAPIDS PREP: The top scoring game in the area so far this season is by senior Jaydon Weddle. He scored 43 points on Dec. 15 against Wellspring Prep. He had five 5-pointers and was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
GREENVILLE: Senior guard Trevor Zamarron committed to play basketball at Spring Arbor University. He likely will miss the entire season after tearing the ACL in his knee in the fall.
FERRIS STATE: Ethan Erickson (Forest Hills Northern) was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after draining six 3-pointers and finishing with 19 points against Ashland. And Jimmy Scholler (Forest Hills Central) was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after six rebounds and four steals against Ashland.
FOREST HILLS CENTRAL: Ty Hudkins, who is a guard on the basketball team, officially signed with Purdue University on Wednesday to play football. The receiver/defensive back helped lead the Rangers to a football state title this fall.
OTTAWA HILLS: Senior guard Craig Hureskin scored a career-high 36 points as Ottawa Hills lost to Flint Beecher 72-68 on Dec. 16.
SOUTH CHRISTIAN: Senior guard Jake Vermaas will be playing football in college. The receiver committed to Grand Valley State. He put up some video game numbers on the gridiron. He finished his senior year as one of the top receivers in MHSAA history. His 98 catches and 1,797 yards receiving are both third all time. His 21 touchdown catches are tied for seventh.
WELLSPRING PREP: Zeek Jackson reached the 1,000 career point mark on Tuesday. The senior guard scored 20 points in a win over Martin to reach the record. Jackson has scored 30 or more points x times this season.
WEST CATHOLIC: Senior guard Jeremiah Jones got an offer from Alma College to play basketball.
