TEAM PREVIEW: Grand Rapids Christian 2017-18
If you don’t know much about Grand Rapids Christian’s historic 2016-17 season, all you have to do is take a look at the numbers…
The Record: 27-1
Christian had an undefeated regular season and kept winning in the playoffs until the Class A finals. There, the Eagles fell to Clarkston 75-69, a mere SIX points shy of flawless record and a state championship.
The Ranking: Top 25
In addition to their state finals appearance, they were ranked by Maxpreps for a period of time in the national top 25 and finished the year ranked second in the state.
The Stars: 4 star, 2 star, red star, blue star
There were a lot of stars on this team, found in the top players and the numbers that ranked them. Most notable was 4-star PF Xavier Tillman. There was also 4-star point guard Duane Washington Jr. and 2-star players James Beck and Seth Milner.
The Classes: ’17 and ’18
Tillman and Beck were both leaders for the Eagles and graduated in 2017. Tillman is furthering his career at Michigan State while Beck is playing for Oakland. The other two players mentioned above, Washington and Milner, are both members of the 2018 graduating class. This summer, Washington decided to transfer out of GR and play for Sierra Canyon, a California high school with one of the most elite basketball programs in the country. Of last season’s top four players, only Milner remains for 2017-18.
2017-18 Preview
Now that you’re up to speed on Christian’s recent past, let’s look to the program’s future. Watching them play at Grand Rapids Union’s pre-Thanksgiving scrimmages, the team didn’t look half bad. However, not half bad is still a long way from where they finished last year. I got a chance to talk to head coach Mark Warners about what this season has in store, and he offers us an idea of what to expect.
Question: Along with Milner, Coach Warners named Tre Vallar as a guy who played significant minutes for Christian last year. I started my interview by asking how big of an impact these seniors would have this season.
Answer: He said their impact would be huge on both sides of the floor and that both are great defenders.
Question: Next, I addressed the many pieces that are missing from last year. I told him I was familiar with names but wanted to know what specific roles would need replacing.
Answer: Coach Warners listed many things. Last year, Tillman and Beck were a force to be reckoned with in the post. He referred to Washington’s transfer as a blow as it took from Christian an elite point guard. He also mentioned that 2017 saw the graduation of some key role players that were “glue guys” for the team. In the end, however, he said what really needs replacement is scoring, 82% of which is lost to graduation or transfer.
Question: I then wanted to know who he anticipated could fill these gaps.
Answer: Coach Warners answered honestly and said he was not sure. He said that he has a lot of good guys on his team who are talented and work hard, but some players will need to separate themselves from the crowd and become the go-to options on offense. He mentioned the need for Vallar to step up to fill the role of lead point guard and said that Milner is a well-rounded player who can defend, score, rebound, and even handle if needed.
Question: Towards the end of our conversation, I asked about some expectations for this season. I wanted to know what his thoughts are regarding Christian’s chances in their conference.
Answer: He told me that their primary goal is to win their conference, in which they have not lost a game for three years. He believes that they have a good chance of doing this. However, he acknowledges that winning will not come as easily as last year and games will have to be taken one at a time.
Assessment
To conclude, it is clear that the Eagles have work to do if they wish to return to last year’s glory. However, I still project them to have a very successful season by most standards. Coach Warners said it is a rebuilding year but mentioned that it is nice to have a D1 player like Milner around which to rebuild. The team also features some solid returners and young up-and-coming talent (EJ Victory, ’20 and Kobe Bufkin, ’21 are two guards with promise). Members of both groups will be looked at to fill the gaps left by the former players. How well they do so will make the difference between whether this team’s future is good or great.