Next Generation Chargers Make C Final
March 23, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – Carson Meulenberg and Trenton Koole had never played a game of this magnitude before taking the Breslin Center floor Thursday.
But their dads had, and perhaps indirectly that provided them a little experience. At least it seemed like it.
Covenant Christian didn’t seem bothered by any of the usual anxieties teams face when they play during the final weekend for the first time. The Chargers – in an MHSAA Semifinal for the first time since winning Class D in 1994 – got ahead early and never slowed in downing Manton 62-35 to earn a spot in Saturday’s Class C championship game.
Koole’s dad Scott played on that 1994 team that beat Eben Junction Superior Central 79-70 in the championship game. Scott Koole also played with Dave Meulenberg on the 1993 team that beat Muskegon Western Michigan Christian 53-42 to win the Class D title that season as well.
“To just stay calm, keep your composure, play your best,” Carson Meulenberg recalled of the advice his father gave him before Thursday. “Don’t worry about a lot of things. A lot of it is worrying about nothing, so just go play your game.”
And Covenant Christian’s game this season frequently has focused on defense, which was lockdown against the Rangers and will be especially key in Saturday's 4:30 p.m. Final against Flint Beecher.
Koole blocked Manton’s first shot of the game, and Covenant Christian had three blocks during the first five minutes. The Rangers still hung in to trail only 11-7 at the end of the first quarter, but the Chargers (21-5) scored the first 19 points of the second and never led again by fewer than 20.
They held usually sharp-shooting Manton (21-5) to 22 percent success from the floor, including 16 percent from 3-point range.
“Finally,” Calvin Christian coach Tyler Schimmel said. “To be honest, since the first District game, we haven’t played that well. I told the guys before (this) game, you’re due for one, especially defensively.
“This year, we actually have (had games like this). That’s why I kept telling my guys they’re a good team. They’re capable of doing those types of things.”
Koole led Covenant Christian with a game-high 14 points and eight rebounds, and Meulenberg and junior forward Zach Kaptein both had 10 points. Senior guard Benji Kuiper had six points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals, and junior Tyler Cammenga had nine points and seven rebounds.
Manton’s top three scorers this season were juniors and sophomores; junior Jayden Perry led again with 13 points, and junior Hunter Ruell had eight points.
“On film, we knew they were going to be athletic just by watching them,” Manton coach Ryan Hiller said. “Once they started getting offensive boards, and the transition game, and I don’t know how many shots they blocked that first half … through the first five minutes, we saw a trend there, and we had to adapt the things we normally do, and we struggled there.”
Manton was playing in its first Semifinal since 1996. The Rangers had been eliminated in the District Finals the last three seasons, losing those games by a combined seven points.
Covenant Christian is riding a streak of 14 wins in 15 games, and now has some bragging rights at home in addition to Saturday’s opportunity.
“He talks about it all the time to me, brags and says he made it this far,” Koole said of his dad's Finals memories. “Now I can go back to him and tell him I did the same thing.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Covenant Christian’s Benji Kuiper (12) works to get around Manton’s Jayden Perry during Thursday’s Semifinal. (Middle) The Rangers’ Wyatt Baker gets up a shot with the Chargers’ Carson Meulenberg (24) defending.
Past Wildcats Bringing Valuable Experiences Home as Three Rivers' New Hoops Coaches
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
December 2, 2025
THREE RIVERS – Basketball has always been a passion for rookie Three Rivers coaches Drew Bosma and Michael Morrison.
The two former Wildcats aim to bring that same level of energy they exhibited during their playing careers as they embark on their first varsity coaching stints.
Both Bosma and Morrison have brought along a few familiar faces as they begin working to rebuild Three Rivers' strong basketball tradition.
Bosma, a 2009 graduate, replaced long-time mentor Brian Burg as the Wildcats' varsity boys coach, while Morrison has taken the reins of the girls program from Carley Shoesmith.
As a student-athlete at Three Rivers, Bosma excelled in football, basketball, baseball and track & field. He continued his playing career at Alma College and Liberty University before returning home and completing his undergraduate studies in psychology through online courses.
"My psychology background has been useful in my coaching career. The kids you work with have so many different issues they encounter than when I was in school," said Bosma, who is employed in the RV Industry at Grand Design in Elkhart, Ind.
Bosma's early shift works out perfectly with his coaching duties. After 11 seasons as Three Rivers’ JV boys coach, he spent the last two as a varsity assistant at Portage Northern. His immediate goal is to renew enthusiasm within the program.
"My experience with Three Rivers basketball as a player was a very good one. I want to build the culture to the point where people want to be here, the effort isn't questioned and (we) have kids who enjoy the game," Bosma said. "I've had a lot of good mentors in this game. Now that I'm a head coach, I want our players to be able to step onto the court and play freely. Yelling after every mistake they make isn't going to teach them anything. They are going to make mistakes in life, and they have to understand it’s ok to mess up and learn from those mistakes.”
Bosma's additional goals this season are simple ones.
"I want our kids to make it known that we have competed hard in every game with a no-quit attitude. It's a coach’s dream to win every game, but I want to make sure these kids are becoming better people as well as basketball players," Bosma said.
Long-range goals include increasing interest among students to try out for the team. He and his staff have organized the Three Rivers NextGen Boys' Basketball Program for students in kindergarten through eighth grade that will begin in January and focus on building skills and nurturing players who may fill the ranks down the road.
Bosma's coaching philosophy includes being tough on his players while showing that he truly cares about their well-being.
"As a coach I'm going to be hard on you, but these guys know that it’s out of love and concern for them,” he said. “They understand that anything I say to them is meant truthfully, and it comes from the heart. I want them to know they can come and talk to me. I want them to return 10-12 years later and notice the same type of feeling in this program. All of my coaches are either former teammates of mine or guys who played for me.”
Tirrell Hausmanis, a former hoops star at Three Rivers, serves as Bosma's varsity assistant. Brenden Brown is the Wildcats' junior varsity mentor, and alumnus Thomas O'Dell is the freshman coach.
"Having Three Rivers alumni on our coaching staff teaches these kids how important basketball is to our community," Bosma said.
Offensively, Bosma expects the Wildcats to be able to stay in space and use their long wing players and better shooters to their advantage. Among the top returners are junior point guard Brayden Carpenter, 6-foot-6 senior forward Zander Barth (who is committed to Central Michigan for football), and senior forward Carter Langston.
Carpenter averaged 13 points per game as a sophomore, as Three Rivers finished 7-15.
"You can tell there's a different attitude under the new coaching staff. There are lot of guys now who want to put in the extra time and energy to get better,” Carpenter said. “Our communication on the court has improved, and Coach Bosma's system allows us to play freely without worrying about the consequences of making a mistake.”
Three Rivers looks to be more adaptable at the defensive end.
"Defensively I want to change things up all the time. We don't want to just sit back in one zone or play man-to-man, but rather press whenever we can,” Bosma said. “We have a group that has improved its basketball IQ, which allows us to do so much more as coaches. We have good team camaraderie and kids who are going to play for each other. These guys are more excited about getting the win rather than what shows up in the box score.”
Bosma has seven seniors on his roster, but Three Rivers still is a fairly young team in terms of experience.
"We have long and athletic kids and guys who could be pretty good once they build their confidence level. We have great guards and kids who like to defend. Defense has become somewhat of a lost art in high school basketball. We have the tools though to be a successful basketball team," Bosma said.
Morrison, a 2003 Three Rivers graduate who played football, basketball and baseball for the Wildcats, has taken the reins of the girls program. After high school, Morrison attended Ferris State University where he graduated with a psychology degree as well. He is employed as a probation officer for the state.
Morrison has extensive experience coaching basketball. He started out coaching travel basketball in Paw Paw while also coaching high school teams at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Vicksburg and Three Rivers, including the last five years as the JV boys coach under Burg. He also served as an assistant men's coach at Glen Oaks Community College under Mike Elliott.
"Working under Mike taught me so much more about basketball and has made me an even better coach. That time was very beneficial," Morrison said.
Morrison's immediate goal is to provide stability in the girls program.
"These girls have had several coaches in the last few years. I want to provide some stability and help the program grow from the lower levels,” he said. “Obviously you want to win championships, but right now we have to start with attainable goals like finishing over .500, which we haven't done in a while.”
Other goals that Morrison feels are within Three Rivers’ grasp are finishing in the top half of the Wolverine Conference and competing for a District title. The Wildcats were 8-14 last season and tied for sixth in the league.
His philosophy centers around pace and space.
"I want to get up and down the floor and defend. We want to execute an offense in the halfcourt, but also get up and down the floor and get some fastbreaks when we can. We spent the first couple weeks of practice working on executing things the right way," Morrison said.
Senior guard Dani Glass, a second-team all-Wolverine Conference pick last season, returns for her fourth varsity season. Glass, who averaged 12 points per game as a junior, has committed to play at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
"Dani makes us go and is our catalyst for everything we do offensively. We expect more from her this season as she gets ready for the next level," Morrison said.
Sophomore post player Braylee Burg will be another key component for the Wildcats, along with senior defensive specialist Jersey Roehrs.
"I feel I help my team most with my ability to box out and create a lane for my guards along with providing rebounding. I want to work on finishing stronger at the rim this year,” Burg said. “Our coaching staff has us doing fun drills that are getting us ready for the season. We want to get the ball down the floor more effectively and set up our offense."
Morrison is most excited about his team's work ethic.
"We are very excited about this team's potential and are really leaning heavily on our seniors to give us a big great burst of energy and bring everyone else along,” Morrison said. “People are going to see a very well-disciplined group that works hard and together as a team. We are working extremely hard on our communication and shooting as well."
Parker Ellifritz, who ranks among Three Rivers’ all-time leading scorers, serves as Morrison's varsity assistant. Olivia Hancock, whose played on the 2016 Class B championship team at Marshall during her prep days, fills the role of junior varsity coach with Payge Ellifritz, Parker's sister, serving as her assistant.
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Above, the Three Rivers boys basketball coaching staff, from left to right: junior varsity coach Brenden Brown, head varsity coach Drew Bosma, varsity assistant Tirrell Hausmanis and freshman coach Thomas O'Dell. Below, the girls basketball coaching staff, also from left to right: varsity assistant Parker Ellifritz, head varsity coach Michael Morrison and junior varsity coach Olivia Hancock. (Middle) Junior point guard Brayden Carpenter (0) returns for his second varsity season at Three Rivers. (Below) Senior Braylee Burg (52) returns for her second varsity season for Three Rivers. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)