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Future Set, Livers Aims for 'Giant' Finish
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
November 15, 2016
KALAMAZOO — Letters, text messages and phone calls every single day.
That might sound like a typical teenager, but Isaiah Livers was overwhelmed by all of the above during his junior year at Kalamazoo Central High School.
After committing to University of Michigan on Aug. 7, Livers has already noticed that this basketball preseason is much less stressful.
“Last year, I’d get out of practice and there would be like 10 messages (from coaches), at least, a day,” the 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward said. “Then there’d be a phone call or two.
“Then I’d have to answer their messages, I’d have to call them back one by one. You have to find the time, manage your time, know when to call them back, not to be disrespectful.”
Livers received scholarship offers from more than 25 colleges, but was contacted by a ton more.
“If you don’t like the school, let them know you’re not interested,” he said of whittling down the list. “Sorry, but thanks for recruiting me.”
He’s not the only one whose cell phone was blowing up.
His father, Morris Livers, also was inundated with calls, especially after his son started playing in the Elite Youth Basketball League last May.
“That’s when it got crazy,” his dad said. “After that, my phone died all the time because it rang all the time. Colleges calling, leaving voice mails, dropping offers.”
Once Isaiah committed to Michigan, “I was so happy when it came to that,” his dad said. “I was in my (Gordon Water Systems) work truck and I was like, ‘I’m about tired of all these coaches calling my phone.’”
Navigating the process
Livers honed his court skills at a young age.
His dad, who played basketball at South Haven High School, was working out with his older son, Brandon, when 7-year-old Isaiah started soaking up the instruction.
But it wasn’t until Livers was a freshman that basketball became serious business.
“That’s when the height came,” Morris Livers said. “To me, that’s the X factor. In ninth grade he grew at least six inches, it seemed, overnight. He was at least 6-4, 6-6.”
Central Arkansas was the first college to contact the Livers — when Isaiah was a freshman.
“I remember because it’s the school Scottie Pippen went to,” said Morris Livers, a diehard Chicago Bulls fan.
Most college coaches contacted K-Central coach Ramsey Nichols, Livers’ father or AAU coach Damon Allison before contacting the then-junior.
“They’d tell me, ‘This school is looking at you; they think you’re a great player,’” Livers said.
Having been through the college recruiting process himself when he played basketball at Benton Harbor High School, Nichols tries to help his players navigate it.
“I know it can be a hassle for them,” said Nichols, who also played at University of Detroit. “So I try to reassure them that it’s just a process, not to get too caught up in it; to make sure you keep things in perspective and to focus on what we need to do.
“It’s a relief to a certain extent when you sign early. You don’t have to worry about where you’re going. You can truly concentrate on winning a state championship with your team or whatever the goals you’ve set for yourself.”
Nichols said the college coaches already knew what Livers brought to the game but they were interested in more than just the athletics side.
“The first thing a lot ask is what kind of a kid he is,” Nichols said. “They ask about his character first. Of course, they are also going to ask how he is academically.
“They see that he can play basketball very well. But those are more important questions, how is he off the court and in the classroom.”
After committing, “It was probably the biggest relief,” Livers said. “I went out to eat and got congratulated. It felt really good.”
Not everyone was that happy about it.
“The (other players) got on me because they said ‘Dang, you committed. That means there’s no more schools flying in here to watch,’” he said, laughing.
“Last year, we had an open gym. (A college coach) walked in and one of my friends said, ‘I like that college; let me work hard.’”
Tasks at hand
Livers, who has played varsity all four years, averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game last season as Kalamazoo Central finished 18-4 and won the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East title.
“This year he’ll be a captain, being one of the elder statesmen now instead of being one of the younger guys,” Nichols said. “I think he’s stepping into that role now pretty well.
“He’s more vocal now. A lot of the things we go through, he runs it, like some of the drills. He’ll lead guys through, pull the young guys through.”
Senior teammate Jeremiah Vincent said Livers helps his teammates shine as well.
“He can score, rebound, pass,” said Vincent, who hopes to play Division III college ball at Hope or Kalamazoo College. “He’s facilitates the ball real well.
“Once he gets going, he opens up for everybody else so it’s really nice to have him on the team. He’s definitely a really good team player.”
Last season, the Maroon Giants made it to the MHSAA Regional Semifinals before losing to Lansing Everett.
This season, “Everyone’s gonna have to dig deep,” Livers said. “We started off great last year. We were feeling like, ‘We’ve got this.’ I think what we did is we went to our mind and said we’ve got this game already.
“I know that’s what happened. I could see it in the faces when we went to the locker room. This year, we’re not taking anyone for granted. We’re gonna play to the best of our abilities.”
It’s impossible to not dream about the future. Nichols, who coached Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler at Benton Harbor, said Livers has NBA potential.
“It’s obvious he has the ability to play on the next biggest stage by signing to play at the University of Michigan,” he said. “He has worked hard here and improved every year.
“If he continues to put in the hours to develop and hone his skills at the college level, I feel he may get an opportunity to play at the highest level.
“I don't know if he realizes how good he can be. I believe his best years as a basketball player are ahead of him. More importantly, Isaiah is a character guy who is a great teammate and committed to winning. He has done things the right way, so good things are going to follow him.”
And first up is the potential for an excellent high school senior season. This winter before each tipoff, Livers said he will be able to concentrate more on the game that night.
“Last year, pregame you ask yourself, ‘Why are these schools recruiting me; what are they looking for?’” he said.
“But when it comes game time, I think about playing my game. Biggest thing for me is winning. I don’t like losing.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kalamazoo Central's Isaiah Livers dunks against Portage Central. (Middle) Livers follows through on a jumpshot. (Below) Clockwise, from top left: Isaiah Livers, Morris Livers, Jeremiah Vincent, Ramsey Nichols. (Action photos by Herbert Todd; head shots by Pam Shebest.)
!["The Barn" served as the longtime home of Ewen-Trout Creek athletics.](/sites/default/files/2023-02/230207_ETC_2H.jpg)
Ewen-Trout Creek Grad Rekindles Memories of 'The Barn' in 8-Part Docu-Series
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
February 7, 2023
It was known as “The Barn.” And it was home to the 1972 Class D boys basketball champion, the 1973 Class D girls basketball champion and the 1982 Class D boys basketball runners-up.
The Upper Peninsula’s all-time winningest female basketball coach coached at The Barn, as did the Upper Peninsula’s all-time winningest male basketball coach. And when Ewen-Trout Creek advanced to the 2022 Division 4 Final, its roster was littered with names from E-TC’s past:
► Leading scorer Jaden Borseth’s dad played on the 1995 team that advanced to the Class D Regional Final.
► Kelsey Jilek’s dad played on the 1992 team.
► Brendan Polkky’s dad is currently an assistant coach for E-TC and played on the 1991 team that also advanced to the Class D Regional Final.
► Caden Besonen’s dad Dave starred on the 1982 state runner-up team. Caden’s uncle Brad is the E-TC head coach. And Brad’s dad, Bryan, played on the 1972 championship team.
The Barn hosted its final E-TC game in 1998 and is now owned by Gary Fors, who also played on the 1972 title team. It’s now a community gym of sorts, and many members of the 2022 team worked out there growing up.
E-TC grad Kristin Ojaniemi – an award-winning documentary film maker and photographer, and the TV producer and host of “Discovering” for 906 Outdoors – is taking a look at the history of “The Barn” as well as its ties to the 2022 team in an eight-part series called “Born in the Barn.” The first two parts are complete, and the entire series will be available to view at KristinOjaniemi.com.
I had a chance to ask Ojaniemi about the project and why it’s so special to so many people.
Kristin, how did you come up with the idea to document the history of The Barn?
The idea to document the history of The Barn and E-TC basketball developed over time. Five years ago I had a conversation with Dan Truckey of the Beaumier Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University, and when I told him where I went to high school, we got on the topic of basketball and how E-TC was a powerhouse and that "there must be something in the water" here. Fast forward to 2021, and I saw on Facebook some photos of the inside of The Barn and all the newspapers Gary Fors had lined the walls with, sort of like a museum. February of 2022 I realized it was 50 years since the 1972 boys state championship and 40 years since the 1982 state runner-up seasons. I like anniversaries in history and thought it would be the perfect time to do some sort of documentary. Originally my focus was Gary and The Barn and more of the 70s and 80s boys and girls seasons, but once the 2022 boys started advancing in the tournament, that obviously changed.
What did the 2022 team’s run to the Finals mean to the players from the ’72 and ’82 teams?
The 2022 run meant a lot to the players of '72 and '82 because many of those boys are sons, grandsons, great-nephews of those guys. Bryan Besonen of the '72 team is coach Brad Besonen's father. Many of them traveled to every tournament game, and watching the 2022 season brought back memories of their glory days. They're definitely very proud of the 2022 team and the tradition that E-TC has continued through the years. Watching them watch those games was just as fun as watching the court. The 2022 team's run to the Finals meant a lot to the whole community. So many others traveled all the way to Lansing to cheer them on, and there is just a ton of pride in this team. I went to the banner unveiling a few weeks ago, and it was a huge crowd at the game to watch those few seconds of history being made.
What is your history with The Barn?
I graduated from Ewen-Trout Creek in 2000. We were in the "new" school then, but I spent four years – seventh-10th grade – in the "old" school, which had so much more character than the new one! I did play basketball seventh-10th – junior high and junior varsity. I was a benchwarmer most of those years. I loved the game but didn't spend any time offseason playing or practicing like others. I was also a cheerleader those years too, and if you look closely at one of the newspaper photos from the last game in the Barn, I'm in the background. Ha ha! This was back when girls basketball was in the fall and boys in the winter, so you could do both. As others in the documentary mention, The Barn was also where you hung out at lunch, and gym class was in there, and homecoming activities. Filming in there brought back a lot of memories.
What did Nancy Osier (U.P.’s winningest female basketball coach) and Tom Caudill (U.P.’s winningest male basketball coach) think made The Barn such a difficult place for opposing teams to play?
Thinking back to Nancy and Tom's interviews, I think the difficulty for other teams really boiled down to the atmosphere and the E-TC fans and that intimidation factor. E-TC had the ultimate homecourt advantage in The Barn, and their players spent hours upon hours practicing on that floor. And the school's history and tradition of rarely losing a home game is also intimidating.
There’s obviously a lot of family ties from the 2022 team to earlier teams – and it was the 50th anniversary of the ’72 win – did they feel more pressure along the way because of that?
I think the 2022 boys had this feeling that they wanted to one-up their grandfathers/fathers. I think it was Kelsey Jilek that told his grandfather, George Hardes (1972), that they had one more game in their schedule so they could potentially have a better record if they won all their games. But none of them came out and mentioned that the anniversary put pressure on them, but I’m sure it was there. They set out to win it all from the beginning and put the work in, and it paid off. There are a lot of parallels in these winning seasons.
When will the next part of the series be released?
Part 3, I should have done by the end of February. Part 3 focuses on the 1973 girls state champs; 1973 was the first year there was a state final for girls basketball after Title IX, and E-TC won the Class D title. And then I plan to release each part every two months with the final, Part 8, done by the end of 2023. This is just a fun hobby/personal project, I guess you'd say, so I only have so much time to dedicate to it after all my "real" work.
(PHOTOS of "The Barn" courtesy of Kristin Ojaniemi.)