Hall Sisters' Daughters Giving Hartland Next-Generation Boost
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
February 11, 2022
HARTLAND — Hartland girls basketball coach Don Palmer chuckles now when he talks about facing the Hall sisters 30 years ago, when they were at Walled Lake Western and he was at Milford.
“I never could beat them,” he said, recalling facing Valerie, Dianne and Michelle Hall, all of them 6 feet tall or taller. “That in itself was a rarity, and they were so athletic. We played against the Halls when I had some of my best teams (at Milford). We never beat them, and they never cease to remind me of it.”
A little less than 20 years later, Val and Dianne and their families moved to Hartland about the time Palmer was taking over the Eagles program.
“Whitney was in the third or fourth grade,” Dianne Sollom recalled. “He was like, ‘Oh, the Hall girls! I could never beat you guys!’ And I said, ‘I have Whitney and another one coming in. They’ll be playing for you one day.’”
Whitney Sollom played four years for Palmer and is now a sophomore on the University of Michigan basketball team, a second-generation part of the program as Dianne also played for the Wolverines.
Whitney’s younger sister, Lauren, is a senior starter for the Eagles. One of her teammates is her cousin Sarah Rekowski, Val’s daughter.
“I played with my sister and now I’m playing with Sarah,” Lauren Sollom says. “I know my family is out there with me on the court going through the same thing I am. It’s very special to me.”
Lauren, who has signed to play at Saginaw Valley State, is a senior starter, while Sarah is a sophomore.
They are both from a college sports background. Lauren’s father, Ken, was a quarterback at Michigan and Sarah’s father, Stephen, was a defensive tackle for the Wolverines during the 1990s.
Dianne, who graduated from Western in 1989 and played basketball for Michigan State, met her husband when visiting Val at U-M.
“They grew up in it,” Dianne Sollom said. “If I’m not telling them, (Val) is telling them.”
Like their mothers, Lauren and Sarah are tall. Lauren is a 6-3 forward, while Sarah is a 6-2 post player for the Eagles.
Dianne says she’s 6 feet tall, “but I’m as tall as you want me to be,” she jokes. Val, a 1985 Western grad, was 6-4 in her playing days, as was their younger sister, Michelle.
Val played all four years at Michigan, and Dianne three years at Michigan State.
“With my mom being a post player and my being a post, it helps me to know what to do in certain situations, and she gives me pointers,” Sarah said. "She’s always helping me with my game.”
But both moms have their limits.
“We do watch film together,” Val says of her time with Sarah, “but not a lot. I let Coach Palmer handle all that. I know Dianne and Ken have that ongoing conversation and try to help when they can. But you have to back off. A lot of the time they don’t want to hear you at all. You have to give them some time, that 24 hours or whatever.”
Sarah enjoys the physical portion of the game and showed her potential in the season opener, when she had 13 points and eight rebounds. Lauren will get inside for rebounds, but plays mostly on the perimeter, hoisting up 3-pointers, something Sarah hasn’t done yet.
“Coach Palmer has not given her the pass yet,” Lauren pronounced as both giggled.
“Coach Palmer would probably lose his mind,” Sarah said, grinning.
“He definitely would,’ Lauren said, to more laughter.
Sarah played on the JV team as a freshman last season, although her winter was interrupted by 10-day COVID-19 quarantines on a couple of occasions.
“She’s a little behind in her development,” Palmer said of Sarah, “but she really is a talented kid. She’s a big kid who, when she gets a rebound, it really is a rebound. We’re working on her constantly on her footwork.”
Sarah has been alternating with 6-4 senior Kate Jacobs in the post.
“It’s been up and down,” she says, “but I’ve gotten a lot of experience. I’m getting a decent amount of playing time.”
Lauren, meanwhile, is a team captain.
“Lauren’s a team-first player,” Palmer said. “She’s having a great year for us, she’s our leading scorer, leading rebounder and she’s having an MVP kind of year.
“They’re good kids,” Palmer said of the cousins. “They want to win, and they don’t care about how they do it. That’s the thing about this team. They’re all unselfish kids; you know, if they get 15 one night and get two the next and the team won both, they’re fine.”
In addition, Lauren’s fraternal twin brother, Brad, plays for the Hartland boys basketball team and will suit up at Concordia University in Ann Arbor next year, where he will play football.
For now, Lauren and Sarah are enjoying their year of varsity basketball together.
“We talk a lot,” Lauren said. “Basketball brings us together. Practices are fun, and I drive her to school in the morning and home in the evening. That’s good cousin time, family time.”
Speaking of family time, when Dianne (for MSU) and Michelle (U-M) played against each other in college, it was not unheard of for one sister to let the other have the occasional free lane to the basket, or for one to congratulate the other on a good shot while both were on the floor.
Once, castigated for complimenting her sister, Dianne said to her coach, “But she’s my sister!”
Now, Dianne and Val sit in the stands at Hartland games, cheering their daughters on.
“I enjoy watching her play,” Val said. “We’ve been watching Whitney and Lauren since they were young, and Sarah’s coming along. It’s fun to watch the light bulb come on and everything starts clicking. It’s really great when it all comes together for them.”
“I was on the court my entire life,” Dianne said. “I want to sit in the stands and watch my daughter and son. My husband is in the same boat. We’ve done it. We don’t have to shine.”
Hartland has been one of the top teams in the state this season, and the Eagles are looking toward a long run in the MHSAA Tournament, not unlike last year, when they reached the Division 1 quarterfinals.
To do so, the Eagles (14-1) are combining talent with togetherness, with nine seniors, including Lauren Sollom, looking out for themselves and a big sophomore in Sarah Rekowski who could play a key role down the stretch.
“She’s a very hard worker in practice and always has a smile on her face, even when Palmer is yelling at her,” said Lauren, joining her cousin with more giggles in a postgame interview, another shared moment in a season that already has produced memories for a lifetime and a special bond within a bond.
PHOTOS (Top) Dianne Sollom, far left, and Val Rekowski, far right, stand with daughters Lauren Sollom (25) and Sarah Rekowski (34) after a Hartland game. (Middle) Dianne Sollom, second-from-right, takes the opening jump against Canton while playing for Walled Lake Western. (Below) Val Hall (52) gets her hand on a shot while also starring for Walled Lake Western in this Novi-Walled Lake News clipping. (Top photo by Tim Robinson, middle and bottom photos provided by the Sollom and Rekowski families.)
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.)