By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
After a tough season-opening stretch of tough non-conference games, the Godwin Heights High School boys basketball team has started its OK-conference Silver schedule with wins over Belding and Wyoming Lee and a tight road loss at Hopkins.
The Wolverines (3-6 overall, 2–1 in conference) will seek to continue its conference roll as the team hosts NorthPointe Christian (3-5, 1-1) Tuesday, Jan. 21, in a WKTV Sports Featured Game, which will be available on cable television and on-demand at WKTVlive.org.
So far this season, Godwin head coach Tyler Whittemore’s team has been led by seniors Cleveland (CJ) Baskin (6.5 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, 3 assists per game) and Milton Brown (5 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg). But the team’s leading scorers are both freshmen, Jakhary Towns (17 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg) and Demarie Thompson (8 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3 rpg).
“Baskin is a versatile player. He will handle the ball for us to initiate the offense, but is also good at slashing to the basket off the ball,” Whittemore said to WKTV. “He … is the only player with stats from last year. The other guys have very little to no varsity experience.”
Of his two freshman starters, Whittemore said Townes is an “explosive scorer from outside … (and) he is a very good shooter from the 3-point line.” While Thompson is “a tough and talented point guard. He has very good court-vision.”
Whittemore praised his other senior starter, Brown, as a “very tough player. He is a smart player that will help everyone around him be more efficient. He can guard multiple positions and will end up on the opposing team’s best player down the stretch.”
And the team other usual starter, junior Martine Bickety (3 ppg, 3rpg) is the “toughest defender we have,” his coach said.
First off the Godwin bench are junior Jamontae Burrell (4 ppg) and sophomore Jordan Norman (4.5 ppg), while junior Ru’Quan Buckley will return from injury in the Tuesday game.
Other players on the team (according to the team’s school webpage) include senior Sa’Viance Morris-Miller and juniors Jacob Horrell, Kyeshaun Hunnicutt and Jadyn Rodriguez.
Last season, the Wolverines were 15-6 overall and won the OK Silver with a 12-0 mark before falling to Grand Rapids South Christian in an opening round playoff game.
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For complete schedules of programs on WKTV channels, see our Weekly On-air Schedule.
