South Christian’s new basketball coach: ‘When David Kool calls, you listen’
Taylor Johnson, the new boys basketball coach at Grand Rapids South Christian, goes through drills during a practice on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
BYRON CENTER, Mich. - Taylor Johnson was wearing a long-sleeve, white shirt with a South Christian High School logo on the front as he worked with his basketball team during a recent practice.
This isn’t where Johnson anticipated being, but he’s glad it happened. Johnson, who spent the past 13 years on the bench of four different college programs, is the new boys basketball coach at Grand Rapids South Christian.
“This offseason, I spent a lot of time interviewing to be a head coach,” Johnson said. “I was the finalist for four colleges jobs around the nation. I knew I was ready. I just needed someone to take a chance on me. But it didn’t happen at the college level. That was difficult. But the end of the day, basketball is basketball. And when David Kool calls, you listen. This is a great program and a great opportunity. And they took a chance on me.”
Kool, a former Mr. Basketball during his playing days at South Christian, is now the school’s athletic director.
“We stayed in touched,” Kool said. “I knew his passion and goal was to be a coach in college. I knew he had been interviewing, but wasn’t getting the results he wanted. So I called him and said ‘Coach (Jeff) Meengs just stepped down, what do you think about this job?’ I don’t think he thought about coaching high school.”
South Christian senior Jake DeHaan, left, chats with basketball coach Taylor Johnson during a practice on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
Kool and Johnson go way back. They have known each other since they were in elementary school. In fact, Johnson was in Kool’s wedding.
“I’ve know Taylor roughly 25 years,” Kool said. “We went to Kalamazoo Christian together. We went to North Christian, a feeder into there. My dad was the principal there.”
Their paths crossed again at Western Michigan University.
“David and I go way back,” Johnson said. “David went through the Kalamazoo Christian system all the way up until 6th grade. We went to school together. Our families stayed in touch. Our paths crossed again when David became an assistant at Western Michigan while I was the student manager there. He and I were roommates at Western, too. He’s a very good friend. I was actually in his wedding. So he’s a close friend.”
While at Kalamazoo Christian High School, Johnson’s team won the Class C basketball state championship in 2001. Kool won two state titles. South Christian was the Class B state champs in 2003 and 2005. In 2006, he won Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award.
Johnson would go on to work at South Eastern University for one year, Western Michigan for three years and North Carolina State for three years. The past six seasons, he was the assistant coach at Grand Valley State University.
“I don’t think I would have taken this job without the kids,” Johnson said of the South Christian athletes. “They’re great kids. I had the opportunity to recruit a couple of them when I was at Grand Valley State. We had some of them out to campus, so I knew them a bit. This summer, just being a basketball fan in the area, I was at tournaments and I’m like ‘wow, that kid is pretty good’ and I find out they’re all on the same high school team. I’m like ‘whoa, that’s a big deal’.”
South Christian was 16-5 last season under coach Jeff Meengs. Most of the key contributors to that team return this season. That includes seniors Jake DeHaan, Nate Brinks, Sam Medendorp; juniors Jake Vermaas and Sam Weiss and sophomore Carson Vis.
“We have a lot of really good players,”Johnson said. “A lot of them are dual-sport kids. What sets us apart from other schools is that we’re not a single-sport school. Everyone can see that. They won a state championship in (boys) soccer last year and won a state championship in football this year. These are multi-sport kids. They’re athletes.”
Brinks is excited to have Johnson as the coach.
“He’s really amazing,” said Brinks, who started last season. “He’s got everything down to a science. He really pushes us. Doesn’t let guys slack off. I think going to help us win a state championship.”
South Christian has tough road to begin the season. Its first game is on Tuesday, Dec. 6 against Grand Rapids Christian, the team that ended their season in the district title game last March. The Sailors travel to Holland Christian on Thursday, Dec. 8. Then take on Northview, the top team in the area, on Saturday, Dec. 10 in “The Invite” at Calvin University.
South Christian’s Jake Vermaas, left, is guarded by teammate Nate Brinks during a practice on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. Both players were on the football team that won a state championship last week. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
