2007-2008 Season Preview
Cornerstone University men’s basketball coach Kim Elders can tell you that there is little difference between building a program and sustaining it. “Either way, you work just as hard,” Elders said, as prepares his Golden Eagles for the 2007-2008 season. “But God has blessed us with great players over the years.
“It started with Jared Crandell, who came on the scene and became Michigan’s all-time leading collegiate scorer. His success started to draw in good players. The culmination of all that building came in 1999, when Cornerstone won the NAIA Division II National Championship with a team that posted a 37-3 record. “A lot of great players led us to that championship,” Elders said . “And since then, more and more have come into the program. There were times people would say we just reloaded, but every year isn’t like that.”
This year, for example. The 2007-2008 Golden Eagles lineup is built around one senior, five sophomores and six freshmen. “We graduated six kids,” Elders said. “Six good kids. We made it to the Elite 8 of the National Tournament, so we can’t say it was a disappointing year, but there were times during the season we just didn’t know where we were going to go. Thankfully we were senior-driven, and that paid off at the end.”
The Golden Eagles went 25-10 and once again won the WHAC regular-season championship (12-2). But they also lost an unheard of three home games, two of those to cross-town rival Aquinas College. “We’ve only lost eight at home since the Mol Arena opened,” Elders said. “So that tells you how stunning that was. (Center) John Jonker had a very difficult time because we didn’t have much of a perimeter threat. So every night the lane was jammed with people, making it hard for us to complete our cuts or operate in the middle. “It was a good team, but with limitations. We expect 25 wins, but had to really work hard to get them.”
Unlike most Cornerstone teams in the past, this year’s Golden Eagles team will be small. “We’ve been very fortunate to have had outstanding big men, All-America’s like Matt Mekkes, Mark Zichterman, Justin VandePol and Jonker,” Elders said. “This year it will be different. Whoever is in the middle will be 6-5. Barely.
“On the plus side we will have a lot of players in that size range, which will help us up front. But the bottom line is that we graduated four starters and our best three-point shooter, who came off the bench.
“This will be the youngest team I’ve ever had here. I think we have talent. All six freshmen are good players who can develop into great ones. And we got some decent playing time from a couple of the sophomores last year.
“The one senior we have coming back (Jamin Olds) is coming off knee surgery, so we really don’t know what to expect. There is talent, but it takes time to develop it. Freshmen need time to mature.” Matt Kingshott, ( 6-5, Zeeland West) comes into the season as Cornerstone’s leading returning scorer. He had 139 points and 67 rebounds last year, while playing in 33 games.
“Kingshott should be the key,” Elders said. “He is our only legitimate post player, and he has most of the experience of our returning big guys. We need him to play big inside, to score and make the defense stretch the perimeter. If he is tough on the inside, it will open the outside for us. So he has to be consistent and score every game.”
Olds(6-0, Hartford) had 91 points before his season ended with a January knee injury, while Scott Jungling (6-0, Zeeland West) had 81 points in 35 games. Jungling was second in assists a year ago with 77. “We are moving Jamin to the two guard position,” Elders said. “A lot will be determined by how quickly his knee responds. He’s not a 20-points per night guy, but he can do 13-14, and that would be a huge lift.
“Jungling returns as point guard, and we expect him to be strong. Last year his assists-to-turnover ratio was very good, and with a year under his belt he should be even more productive. But we need him to score more and we need real leadership from him at that position.”
The starting lineup is up for grabs. There is no question that freshmen and sophomores will be counted on to play key roles this winter. “It’s always good to have new blood in the program,” Elders said. “I enjoy working with young men who are willing to learn. But this will be new to us because we have never had a team this young. It will be a season of taking young players and bringing them along. We will certainly be better in the second semester than in the first.”
Inexperience might be the down side, but the upside will be the following years, when so many players will be back for two or three more seasons.
“We brought in very good back-to-back classes, and that will pay off for us,” Elders said. “There are no egos in this bunch, just guys who actually like to work hard and play together. We should be able to get out and run, and I think we’ll be able to score. We won’t have that over-powering center, but we will be big all the way around, so we should be able to hit the boards and push the ball up the floor.
“I have to admit I don’t know who the go-to guy will be,” Elders added. “I suspect that it will be a case of somebody different stepping up each night, which will make us particularly difficult to defend. I think we will be a lot more dangerous from the outside this winter.”
Second-year guard Ryan Zwier (6-7, Kalamazoo Christian) could make a real difference. “He’s 6-7,” Elders said “The kid just keeps growing, which is good, because that will cause some real match-up problems for the defense. He’s one of our best shooters, and he got good playing time before he got hurt in December.”
Corbin Donaldson (5-11, Petoskey) returns with some experience at point guard. “He got some good minutes last year,” Elders said, “and he’s one of our best defenders. His offense is coming along.”
Sophomore Ted Albert (6-3, Belding) is also facing a real challenge.
“He plays bigger than 6-3, and we need him to,” Elders said. “He can play inside and he can guard post players. He is one of our best at attacking the hole and finishing plays.”
After that, it’s on the backs of the freshmen. “Kelvin DeVries (6-5, Kalamazoo Christian) was All-State,” Elders said. “He shoots very well and can put the ball on the floor. He is a very athletic young man, and we see him playing a strong forward spot for us right from the start.”
Dominic Allen (6-0 Hudsonville) will see time at guard this winter.
“He seems ready to play,” Elders said. “He has a great understanding of the game, which is necessary in a point guard. He is very good at involving everyone, and making the right passes.”
Caleb Simons (6-5, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart) will be challenged right away. “We need him fitting into the mix right from the start,” Elders said. “He can play a lot of different positions, but he will be the back-up five, playing behind Kingshott. He has to learn to play with his back to the basket. But he’s a strong, smart kid. He should have a good year.”
Bryce Semple (6-5, 180, Zeeland West), Jonathan Hoshor (6-2, Saugatuck) and Scott Soldan (6-4, Flint Genesse Christian) round out the freshman class. “These are good kids,” Elders said, “a very athletic group who can put the ball on the floor and who can score. They will all be thrown in early, they will all get minutes, to help us figure out what we have and where we can go with them.”
The key to Cornerstone’s success has always been the type of player the school recruits. “The funnel at the top is a lot wider than when it comes out the spout,” Elders said. “There are a lot of basketball players out there, but we have to find good players who know Christ and want to come in here and live that kind of life. We want kids who are committed to representing Christ in their lives, on the basketball court, in everything they do.
“That eliminates a lot of kids right from the start, because they don’t have a relationship with the Lord, and don’t want to pursue one. Fortunately, there are still a lot of kids with a solid faith who come from good families and want to be around others who believe the same way.
“This is a good atmosphere. The school is not perfect, things go on here that we have to deal with. But when you come here you feel a bond with the others who are here, a bond established through Christ.
“Some kids come in here searching and we want to have an impact on their lives. It’s the kind of thing you don’t always see right away, but a few years down the road a player will come back to say thank you and tell us where God has taken him. As coaches, we want to prepare a player for basketball, but we also want to have an impact on their spiritual journey.
“On this campus we make giving glory to God a priority.”
