Notebook: GR Christian coach a hall of famer in Germany
Grand Rapids Christian boys basketball coach Eric Taylor flew to Bonn, Germany, this week to be inducted into the Telekom Basket Bonn basketball hall of fame. He played for the team in the early 1990s. (Courtesy photo of Eric Taylor).
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Eric Taylor wasn’t on the sidelines when his team played on Tuesday at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament.
But the Grand Rapids Christian boys basketball coach had a good reason.
He was in Germany.
Taylor flew to Bonn, Germany, where he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame for Bundesliga basketball team Telekom Basket Bonn.
“It was an amazing experience to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of Telekom Baskets in Bonn,” Taylor said. “The cool part it was televised and witnessed in front of almost 20,000 people.”
Taylor played for the team from 1993-95. He also played for teams in Austria, England, Finland, Sweden and Poland.
He graduated from Wyoming Park High School before playing at Oakland University. He’s been the boys basketball coach at Grand Rapids Christian since 2018. He’s also in the Oakland sports hall of fame.
Taylor’s son, Braylon Taylor, is a junior point guard on his Grand Rapids Christian team. So it was tough to miss the team’s game on Tuesday.
“it was tough to miss the game against Paw Paw,” he said. “I hated not being there for my team. You feel like you’re letting them down. My team is an extension of my family and they’re important to me.”
NOTEBOOK
BYRON CENTER: Easton Wychers will not play this season after an injury to his knee from the football season. The senior guard would have been a starter for the Bulldogs.
EAST GRAND RAPIDS: The Pioneers begin the season playing their first seven games on the road. They don’t play their first home game until Jan. 6 when it hosts Forest Hills Central. And then they play the following three on the road. So EGR plays 10 of its first 11 games on the road.
FOREST HILLS CENTRAL; Marcus Bult is the new freshman coach for the Rangers. Bult played four years at Calvin University before graduating in 2024.
FOREST HILLS CENTRAL; Freshman Kellen Paul scored a career-high 31 points on seven 3-pointers in a win over Allendale in the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament.
GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL: Durral Brooks and his older brother Jorden Brooks were in the stands to watch Catholic play Byron Center on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament. They were home on break from playing at Central Michigan University. Durral Brooks is the 2024 Michigan Mr. Basketball winner.
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN: Duane Washington Jr., who played at Christian, had 10 3-pointers and 48 points for his Partizan Mozzart Bet team in Belgrade, Serbia on Christmas Day. The 48 points is a record in the ABA. Washington has also played 78 games in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns.
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN: Senior guard Carl Thompson pulled his hamstring in the first quarter of a game against Northview on Dec. 19. He would miss the next game against Paw Paw on Dec. 22.
HOLLAND CHRISTIAN: Former Unity Christian and Calvin University basketball standout Tom Snikkers is the new JV coach for the Maroons this season.
NORTHVIEW: Brayden Williams missed the first game of the season while the MHSAA was dealing with his paperwork. The junior guard transferred from Wyoming High School. He’s cleared to play now.
ROCKFORD: Josh Bascom continues to sit on the bench in a walking boot. The sophomore forward has yet to play this year and is still dealing with an ankle injury. He had surgery on it in the summer.
SOUTH CHRISTIAN: Sophomore Brody Shilts is still nursing an injury from the football season. The guard, who plays quarterback and defensive back for football, plans to play in January.
SOUTH CHRISTIAN: The Sailors had an alumni game on Saturday, Dec. 27. Playing were David Kool, the 2006 Michigan Mr. Basketball, Jake DeHaan (now a quarterback at Toledo) and Jake DeHaan (now a wide receiver at GVSU).
ZEELAND EAST: Former Zeeland East teammates played against each other on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Central Michigan's 6-foot-10 Nate Claerbaut and Olivet's 6-foot-9 Conner Schipper. CMU won 85-65. Claerbaut had 31 points, 12 rebounds. Schipper had 16 points, 7 rebounds.