Showcase Preview: The Invite @ Calvin University

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Rapids is home to, in my opinion, the best collection of small college basketball in the country. Cornerstone University, Aquinas College, Davenport University, Hope College, Calvin University, etc, etc are all within a 20-minute drive. A big benefit to having all those programs in town is the ability to host multi-team events at those universities. First up on the docket is "The Invite" at Calvin University presented by the Grand Rapids Storm. Oh, did I mention a 35-second shot clock will be used? About time. Let's get into the game previews.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Game 1 @ 2:30 pm: Calvin Christian vs Grandville </h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Invite at Calvin University gets started with a cross-town showdown between two schools with an enrollment difference of over 1,500 students. However, don't let the school size differential lead you to believe that this won't be a good game. In fact, I have Calvin Christian as the slight favorite to take home the win in game one. Calvin Christian's trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1431582' first='Carson' last='DeHaan'], [player_tooltip player_id='1356975' first='Matt' last='Elderkin'], and Jack Agema can score in bunches and match up with just about any other trio West Michigan has to offer. Grandville will be led by junior [player_tooltip player_id='1356986' first='Cameron' last='Regnerus'], who is an all-around defensive game-changer at Forward. The Bulldogs will need a big offensive game from Cam and hope its guards can also step up to the challenge if they hope to get a big non-conference win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Game 2 @ 4:10 pm: Forest Hills Central vs Kenowa Hills</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Game two features an exciting matchup between two programs that haven't faced each other that frequently in the past. Forest Hills Central is coming off a 14-7 season and has to replace two multi-year starters in Jacob Bonnett and Conner Milton. Sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='1223504' first='Jonas' last='Vanderwoude'] figures to be the Ranger's go-to guard on offense, while fellow backcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id='1352906' first='Levi' last='McKenzie'] will be tasked with an increased role. Meanwhile, head coach Mike Moorehead begins his third season at Kenowa Hills and has his best team yet, thanks in large part to standout guard [player_tooltip player_id='1213127' first='Javion' last='Otten']. Javion is a future Grand Valley Laker and should put on a show against the Ranger's frontcourt. This game should be a complete toss-up, but highly competitive nonetheless. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Game 3 @ 5:45 pm: South Christian vs Northview</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The "evening slate" featuring games between South Christian/Northview and Catholic Central/Rockford should be two of the best matchups between OK Conference teams all season. Game three features two teams stacked with talent with legitimate aspirations of making it to the Breslin in March. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1111924' first='EJ' last='Ryans'] is arguably the guard in the state in the 2024 class and will have the responsibility of leading this Northview team with Kyler Vanderjagt and Jalen Charity graduating this past spring. Standout [player_tooltip player_id='987644' first='Tyran' last='Thomas'] and transfers [player_tooltip player_id='1212752' first='Terrell' last='Jefferson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1213117' first='Parker' last='Swartz'] will be key pieces for Northview in this one and keep an eye out for highly regarded freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1588161' first='Cameron' last='Ryans'], who looks to make his varsity debut this week. South Christian has a loaded roster of its own led by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1300920' first='Carson' last='Vis'], junior [player_tooltip player_id='1223499' first='Jake' last='Vermaas'], and seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1431579' first='Jacob' last='DeHaan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='987281' first='Sam' last='Mendendorp']. Don't miss this one if you're a fan of scoring, as both teams like to get out and run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Game 4 @ 7:20 pm: Catholic Central vs Rockford</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The finale of The Invite features two of the most storied programs in West Michigan. Catholic Central comes into the early season showcase with state championship aspirations, led by a pair of star guards in senior [player_tooltip player_id='987270' first='Kaden' last='Brown'] (Wright State commit) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1112374' first='Durral' last='Brooks']. Catholic Central's [player_tooltip player_id='1223505' first='Carter' last='Meerman'] figures to have a larger role this season following the departure of the 2022 class. Rockford returns several key pieces from a team that won the OK Red outright a season ago. Ram senior [player_tooltip player_id='1431590' first='Caden' last='Pokorzynski'] will be the focal piece of the Rockford offense this season, coming off a junior year where he averaged 13 points per game. Also keep an eye out for the Ram's frontcourt players [player_tooltip player_id='1431851' first='Joey' last='Pitsch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='986581' first='Charlie' last='Deutsch'], who can both score in a number of ways. Expect Rockford to try to limit the number of possessions in this one and avoid getting in a track meet with the Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->