Let the Women's and Men's Basketball Games Begin!

Basketball season started this month! The Cougars have been busy with scrimmages held at other schools, but the next one will be right here at the Texas Township Campus on Saturday, Oct. 29! The women play at 1 p.m., and the men at 3 p.m. The players look forward to seeing you! Home games are free. Visit athletics.kvcc.edu for the full schedule.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College's women's basketball players are looking forward to a great season ahead. This year's team is loaded with experience and new talent. We have a strong returning five, led by former co-captains, Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Player and Freshman of the Year Abigail Long and LaNeshia Burse, All-Conference Honorable Mention.

The Lady Cougars are also excited about our recruiting class led by transfer student MCCAA Second Team All-Conference Hannah Vallier from Lake Michigan College. The team has a slew of skilled freshmen from various surrounding high schools, including Taylor Rickli from Paw Paw, Cali Miller from Otsego and Tayanna Townsell from Kalamazoo Central, plus a dynamic dual-sport duo from Portage Central, Lexi Lee and Carly Boughton.

"Our goal this year is to be the most disciplined team in our conference and compete day in and day out," said Head Coach Felicia Thomas. "We look forward to being a defensive force with grit, aggression and speed, as well as having a fun and exciting offensive style of team basketball."

The Cougar men's basketball team is coming off a 22-9 and 13-5 season, in which they lost the conference championship on a last-second shot, but are optimistic they can battle as contenders again this season.

The team returns with six players possessing starting experience, including first team All-Region wing Myles Johnson, Honorable Mention All-Conference point guard Kobe Clark, JJ Bushu, Justin Davis and Parker Ellifritz.

"Along with a solid core of experience, the Cougars also return with more experienced players who played quality minutes along with a few redshirts," said Head Coach Jim Horn. "Andre Whiteside and Riley Scofield came off the bench and were very productive, and Jakson Dentler and Baylee Shafer were redshirts but will make huge contributions to the team this year."

The Cougars have a talented incoming class led by All-Stater's Ramere Draper from Wyoming High School, Ashton Atwater from Otsego High School and Jaylin Fox from South Haven High School. Draper is a 6'4" do-it all guard who will make an immediate impact in the program, and Atwater is a 6'0" combo guard who is a two-way player ready to make his mark at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Fox was recruited to play football out of high school, but has turned his talents to the hardwood to showcase his abilities.

To round out the class of '22, Josh Wilson and Tavaz Lawler-Showers will bring depth to an already talented back court. Both can score and distribute the ball at a high level. The roster also features Gerald Crawford, Caleb Johnson, DeShawn Leslie-Tinsley and Mehki Bloodworth.