By Randy Gregory, Michigan Sports Radio
Photo courtesy of Miles Postema
The boys’ basketball team at Rockford has had plenty of success over the years including a state championship and another loss in the finals. But the depth and talent of this year’s version has rarely been matched. The Rams feature three seniors, two juniors and two freshmen among their top seven players. They will also not hesitate to go even deeper into their roster and that versatility allows them to dictate the pace on almost a nightly basis. As a team, the Rams are averaging 63 points per game while allowing only 42. They have gotten off to a 6-1 start with their only loss coming to the defending state champions from Orchard Lake St. Mary in a game they led for the vast majority of the contest.
They have also topped solid teams in Northview, Traverse City Central and GR Catholic Central. Rockford will kick off OK Red play this Friday, January 3 when they host Grand Haven. The Buccaneers are also off to a solid start at 6-1. Their only loss was by a single point to Dearborn and they have wins over GR Christian and Holland Christian to highlight their strong early start.
“Grand Haven has three very good shooters,” said Rockford Coach Kyle Clough. “They also put a lot of pressure on the ball and try to play the game at the pace they want to. It should be a great game and an excellent challenge for our team.”
Rockford is led by seniors Michael DeKuiper, Lucas Pitsch and Isaac Poot. DeKuiper is shooting over 60% on his three-point attempts and over 90% from the line in the early going and has committed to Calvin University. The 6’7″ Pitsch offers inside and out play with a solid shooting touch and great height to go inside. The multi-talented Poot is a jack of all trades with explosive athleticism and tireless effort defensively. Juniors Jake Bascom and Dylan Gross are in many ways the key to what the Rams try to do offensively. The 6’6″ Bascom is the leading rebounder for the Rams and has a multitude of ways to beat you offensively with his play both on the interior and on the perimeter. Gross led the state as a three-point shooter last year and will not hesitate to pull the trigger if you give him an inch of room. Freshmen Eli Wolfe and Josh Bascom are both brimming with talent and athleticism.
“Eli is elite at creating his own scoring opportunities,” said Clough. “He is very opportunistic and has an incredible burst of energy. As he grows and adapts to this level, he has every opportunity to be a special player for us. Josh (Bascom) is just an example of being a complete player at a young age of 15. He is second on the team in rebounding already and hasn’t even brushed the surface of how good he can be.”
“We are off to a great start as a team,” said Clough. “We ramped up the schedule after having achieved great success this summer. We pride ourselves on having great depth and having a nice combination of experience and youth, We have seven different players averaging over seven points and would really like to continue our emphasis on balance and strong defense.”
