Observations from basketball team camps in West Michigan

South Christian senior Ike Schrotenboer shows off his new smile after he had a tooth knocked out during a team camp at Western Michigan University on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Ike Schrotenboer took an elbow to the face and it knocked out one of his teeth.

It seemed to light a fire under the South Christian High School senior during a team camp at Western Michigan University on Saturday, June 15.

“I was getting back in transition and Cam Hutson, who is on East Lansing, did like a Eurostep and elbowed me in the face,” Schrotenboer said. “I knew right away that my tooth was out.”

He picked up the tooth, handed it to his dad Todd - who is an assistant coach for South Christian - and returned for the second half against East Lansing with a different attitude. He scored four buckets in the paint in the first five minutes. Although the Sailors lost to East Lansing, one of the best teams in the state. 

“Maybe getting my tooth knocked out kinda pissed me off,” Schrotenboer said with a toothy smile. “So I thought ‘why not go out and play my hardest.’”

Some of the best teams in the state were in the huge team tournament at WMU. The Sailors played East Lansing, Muskegon and Warren Lincoln.

“It prepares us for moments in the (regular season),” Schrotenboer said. “It’s really good for the young guys, too, to get this kind of experience as well. Playing these teams gets you prepared and become a better player.”

Here are some first-person observations from a week of team camps: 

ALLENDALE: The trio of Jacksen Fitten, Alex Genuise and Jacob Dykstra could put up some points this season. At the GVSU camp, I didn’t recognize Fitten or Genuise because they both shaved off their long hair. Dykstra is intriguing. He probably could have been playing varsity last year, but was lighting it up on JV. He’s a really good soccer player, too. And it shows in his foot work and no fear of contact.

CALVIN CHRISTIAN: At the GVSU camp, I didn’t recognize anyone on the team other than Will Orme, the team’s all-conference incoming junior from last year. But that’s not a bad thing. They are all seemingly the same height but are all pretty athletic. I bet the Squires will have a lineup of guys who average 7-to-10 points per game with no real stars, but they still win a lot of games.

COOPERSVILLE: The Broncos graduated the big dunker in Porter Kretschman. But they might have a good replacement in Carter Mekkes. The lanky 6-foot-5 senior was dunking all over the place at the Hope College camp. His dad, Matt Mekkes, was a good player at Cornerstone in the late 1990s.  

FOREST HILLS CENTRAL: Matt Sexton isn’t really a basketball player. He’s a football player who also plays hoops. But he’s becoming a bigtime scorer for the Rangers this summer. The junior normally just banged in the paint. But he is lighting it up from 3-point range this spring and summer. In one game at Hope College camp, he and Brendan Cargill combined for about 10 threes. In the Hope Camp, he drained four more in a game on Saturday. Cargill might be the best shooter in Grand Rapids. I could see him draining 10 in a game at some point.

Forest Hills Central junior Matt Sexton competes in the Hope College team camp on Friday, June 14, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

EAST KENTWOOD: Jah Hatchett has been one of the best guards in the state for a few years. But he might have some help scoring this season. Hatchett and Randy Chapman looked good at the WMU camp on Saturday. But there was a kid in the No. 12 jersey who stood out. When asked what his name was, the bench only knew him as “Sammy”. No one knew his last name. When I asked, he said it is Sammy Makuag. The 6-foot-3 forward is just a sophomore and has some potential. Also, senior Jaden Bowman, who played a lot last year, transferred to Byron Center.

GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN: The Eagles graduated their entire starting lineup. The only returning player with any playing time from a year ago is Tyler Davis, who was a stud off the bench. But juniors Connor Johnson and Carl Thompson looked really good at the WMU camp. They could average 15 points or more per game this season. Johnson is about 6-foot-6, can really shoot or attack the rim. He could have started on varsity as a freshman in most programs, but Christian has been so deep lately. Thompson looks like a clone of Kobe Bufkin and shows flashes of being a star. At WMU, he scored four-straight buckets in transition at one point.

HUDSONVILLE: The Eagles have two incoming sophomores who are going to be really good. Alex Armstrong will be a star. He’s 6-foot-4 and really lanky and skinny. He was more of a point guard before he had a big growth spurt. He’s an elite shooter and, despite his baby face, has no fear driving to the paint. One of his Northcoast Premier teammates said he’s nearly un-guardable in practice. I had never seen Levi VanderVeen until this week. The 6-foot-4 forward looked like instant offense off the bench against Unity Christian. He’s really athletic and bouncy. He’s the little brother of Eli VanderVeen, who played with the Eagles two years ago. We’ll see if the sophomores stick on varsity.

NORTHVIEW: Sophomore Anthony Willis will be the point guard for the Wildcats this season. He’s been a pretty good scorer before reaching varsity last season, but he showed off his ball-handling skills against a really tough Muskegon team at the WMU camp. With defenders banging him the entire way up the court, he couldn’t be shaken. The kid is tough. Also, incoming sophomore Jaylen Perry transferred in from Wyoming. He likely will have to sit out the season, however.

ROCKFORD: The Rams have two of the best incoming freshmen in West Michigan in Josh Bascom and Eli Wolfe. I’m excited to see if they play on the varsity team. They were at the GVSU camp and played well. Bascom is a forward and is the little brother of junior Jake Bascom. Wolfe is a quick and skinny guard who has no fear. He is the son of Nick Wolfe, who was an all-state guard at Cedar Springs and eventually at Lake Superior State.

SOUTH CHRISTIAN: The Sailors might have a designated shooter in Owen Burgess. The incoming junior looked really good in a scrimmage against Unity Christian. He showed no fear and would shoot with defenders in his face and was making everything. He drained at least four 3-pointers in one half. Then at the WMU camp, he hit a couple threes on the main court from the college 3-point line. Also, Ike Schrotenboer and Tyler Brinks - both 6-foot-5 big guys - really like to bang in the post. Not the most smooth offensive players, but they will play a huge role for the Sailors. 

East Kentwood junior Randy Champan drives to the basket during a team camp at Western Michigan University on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).