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2005-06 Season Outlook by Coach Shilts Only two of the top eight players from last season return. Both were forced into major minutes played after the semester break on the 2004-05 Cougar squad. Back are Darre Johnson and Dirail Flenorl, II. Posting a league scoring average of 16.1 and garnering 8.0 rebounds per game in over 32 minutes of action per contest, Darre earned Honorable Mention All League honors on the 19-10 Cougar team. Dirail played an excess of 26 minutes a game in league contests, posting 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game marks. The only other "true" sophomores are Alan Robinson (3.6, 1.1) and Jaime Brandon (.5, .7). The departure of All League performers Adam Kerfoot (14.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, and 6.1 apg) and Quincy Bell (13.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and 3.0 apg) leave this season a challenging one to say the least. However, I am excited about the prospects for a successful season. We have added 12 first year players with what I regard as impressive credentials. I expect this new team to be a better rebounding team, a better defensive team, and a much deeper team. We recruited players for every position, and I like the attitudes and character of this group. Several of our top players are transfers so they are a year or two (or more) older and have noticeably matured since their matriculation in high school. At the forefront of this group are Shawn Earl, John Neal, and Daniel Gay. Shawn is a Three Rivers HS graduate who attended his first year of college at Grand Valley State University. Since he did not play basketball there, he has two seasons of eligibility at KVCC. He is a nifty dribbler who has run offenses since his freshman and sophomore seasons at Colon HS before his move to Three Rivers. John Neal played a season of basketball at Madonna University before transferring back to KVCC last season to participate in our baseball program. He has decided to play his second season of basketball for the Cougars, and he is currently undecided about playing baseball at KVCC in the spring. John played on one of the many successful Dan Hoff coached teams at Mattawan HS in 2002-03. At 6'5", 220, he is a versatile athlete with a strong work-ethic, and he will contribute significantly to the Cougar-cause this season. Daniel Gay is a Grand Rapids Union HS graduate with stints at Aquinas College and Grand Rapids CC. He has not used a season of eligibility yet, so he too has freshman status in our program. Daniel has some back pain issues, but with regular treatments, he has shown significant promise recently. He has a fine perimeter shot and could become one of the finest defenders on this squad. Inside performers that will compliment Neal are rookies Josh Bartlett (6'7"), Kyle Laker (6'7"), and Justin Thorp (6'7"). Josh and Kyle are traditional students, Josh graduating from Lakeview HS and Kyle from Wayland HS in June of 2005. Josh is a good passer with solid inside and outside skills, while Kyle, who set a Wayland HS high jump record of 6'9"--2nd best in the MHSAA Class B State Track Meet--has good fundamentals but must become stronger and more aggressive to reach his potential this season. Justin has been working construction for the past six years, and has made the commitment to succeeding in college both in the classroom and on the court. All three of these big men give the Cougars some inside presence and strength that have been lacking on recent teams. Three other newcomers, Paul Griffith (Ottawa Hills HS), Kevin Ludwig (Holland West Ottawa HS), and Jon-Lamar Hamilton (Ann Arbor Huron HS) will provide scoring and defensive punch for the Cougars. At 6'4" Paul provides size and strength at the two guard position. Both Kevin and Jon-Lamar can play the point if needed, but will also play 2nd guard often this season. Both have excellent "ups" and both are picking up the fine points of the game rapidly. These three rookies will generate some excitement as the season unfolds. Coach Shilts' Pre-season Comments: "An accurate assessment of this new team is difficult at this point. In our early scrimmages, we played well in a jamboree in Danville, IL, then faltered big-time to a talented, senior-dominated team at Spring Arbor, and then came back to play pretty well against Olivet's varsity. We have shown an ability to learn quickly and improve rapidly, both indications that a good year is coming. Our greatest concerns at this point will be our ability to understand shot selection better, to learn to move better without the ball, thereby minimizing our turnovers, and to learn to trust each other in our Lockdown defensive system. There is an eagerness in this group that I like. I am excited about working toward their development as individuals and as basketball players. I am also pleased with the early signs of academic achievement I see in them. Without exception they are making a solid effort to succeed in the classroom, and as every college coach knows, that effort precedes any on-court success. I am convinced that many of our players are already working harder in the classroom than they ever have before, and that pleases me immensely." "Also, I like the caring and togetherness this team has shown so far, and I am hopeful that these qualities will continue to be evident and will spark us toward an exciting season. We should have pretty good depth, which is another prerequisite for a championship run. We are already working hard toward becoming a good league team." "Our players are involved in the Kalamazoo Library's Ready to Read Program. They go, two at a time, to Angling Road Elementary and read weekly to three and four year olds in the Head Start program. They also have visited a local church to help assemble flood buckets that were sent to Hurricane Katrina victims. This year we will again have ample challenges to stretch our maturity and character. Twenty years from now we will be able to better determine just how 'successful' our season really was. By that time we will know if the experiences we will share together this season actually helped each of us to become better citizens, better fathers, better husbands, better workers, and better friends. I'm optimistic about the great potential I see in these areas for this group of young men. I'm also excited about what I have already seen take place in the few short weeks we have worked together. This is going to be a rewarding season!"
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