Ben Murphy
Contributing Writer 

(Photo provided – Coach Kyren Kemp is happy to be back in Potterville.)

The head coaching gig for the Potterville boys basketball team has been a bit of a revolving door in recent years. Kyren Kemp is in his first year leading the Vikings, and he is their third different coach in the last three years. 

“That’s going to be tough on any program,” Kemp said. 

The coach is hoping though, that the way he does things can start to make a difference.

“(We have) different expectations and higher standards than most of them were accustomed to,” Kemp said. “We had success early, have been faced with a lot of adversity since then but the light at the end of the tunnel is bright. We’re being transformational instead of transactional in our leadership. It’s heading in the right direction.” 

The Vikings are 4-13 overall this season (as of February. 4). They began the season with three straight wins: 70-67 over Eaton Rapids, 68-59 over Lansing Christian, and 57-45 over Dansville. Since that time, they’ve added one more victory –  when they topped Saranac 69-46 in the middle of January. They’ve run through a tough stretch of games, but Kemp believes his group is still getting to where they need to be. 

“Handling adversity (is key),” he said. “We’ve struggled and lost more than a fair share of games because of it. There’s a mental toughness that we have to display, and we are working every day to get there. (We’re showing them) that nothing is given; if you want something you have to earn it, take it and protect it. To be winners you have to do the things that winners do. It’s a sacrifice that’s not for everybody. Standards must be upheld, no one person, no one coach, no one player is bigger than the program. That’s how we will be successful.”

The coach mentioned a few players that have helped through things in what has been a bit of a transitional year.

“Tooker Harris is amazing kid and great leader,” Kemp said. “He is what I call the ‘puppy’ of the team being only a sophomore. He leads by example and always makes sure guys are in the right spot. Andrew Morales leads the way as our starting point guard, which I’m very transparent in saying is the hardest position to play for me. He has taken his bumps and hard conversations and really matured in that role over the season. Blake Collern is the most unselfish and hardest working player we have. He’s versatile simply because he’s willing to be. He never knows how many minutes he’ll play or what he’ll be asked to do but he is going to do it 100-percent and never complains. These guys are examples of exactly what we want our program to be.”

The coach is hoping that by learning through their adversity this season, they can end the year on a high note.

“We want to finish the season strong while creating a solid foundation. I think a lot of the people on the outside have counted us out, but there’s a lot of belief in this program and a lot of hunger,” Kemp said. “We want to be clicking on all cylinders leading into district play and make our run.”

From there, the coach is banking on building a program that churns out productive teams year after year.

“The future is bright here, but greatness won’t happen overnight,” Kemp said. “You have to go through the dark to appreciate the light. We are building over here, and I am proud of the young men I have here and happy to be back in Potterville.”