Niles Boys Hoops Able to Lay Low - for Now - but Climbing Toward Contention
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2024
NILES – Niles isn’t a school you will hear mentioned in conversations about the best boys basketball teams in Michigan.
But Niles head coach Myles Busby, his coaching staff and players prefer living in obscurity on the hardwood. Being an unknown could prove beneficial for Niles at this week's Division 2 District Tournament at Edwardsburg.
Niles is in arguably one of the state's toughest Districts with top-seeded and statewide No. 2-ranked Benton Harbor (20-1) sitting on the other side of the bracket. The Tigers and Vikings are on a collision course to meet in Friday's Final.
The Vikings are fresh off of winning their first Wolverine Conference title since joining the league with the 2021-22 school year. Busby was a sophomore in 2010 the last time Niles (13-1 Wolverine Conference, 17-5 overall) won a league title in the sport, as part of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference.
Two of the Vikings' five losses this winter came to Lakeland Conference co-champs Benton Harbor (47-45) and Niles Brandywine (56-43). Niles' other three losses came to South Bend Clay, Ind. (64-57) and Lansing Everett (53-40). The Everett game was part of the Love and Basketball Showcase hosted by Kalamazoo Loy Norrix on Feb. 3.
Second-place Otsego (60-49) handed Niles its only conference defeat Feb. 2, avenging an earlier-season loss on the Vikings' home floor (62-52).
Busby said his team's 49-41 win over Chicago North Lawndale Charter (Ill.) – on Dec. 16 in the Tri-State Holiday Classic at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac – helped serve as a momentum builder for the remainder of the season.
Following a nine-game winning streak, Niles suffered back-to-back losses to Otsego and Everett before winning four out of its last five contests.
"In between these walls (our school gym) and when we're on the floor, we know how good we can be. We have the best coaching staff in the area. We know our guys put in a lot of work,” Busby said. “For us, it's just challenging our team to work incredibly hard every single day because that's not common and we don't want to be common. You must do the things other teams aren't doing.
"We have several new pieces this year with a lot of young guys. Now we have to focus on hitting our stride at the right time. Those two straight losses helped us get refocused. We don't care about what everyone else thinks about us. No one talks about Niles in the preseason rankings, and that's fine. We try to use that as fuel and strive for more."
Niles is led by senior point guard and three-year varsity letter winner Mike Phillips Jr. Phillips averages 20 points, three assists and four rebounds per game.
"We just try and take things one step at a time. Our goals after winning conference are to win Districts and make a long run in the postseason," Phillips said. "Our seniors strive to lift everyone up. We just need to pick one another up every day when someone gets down on themself. This team is viewed as the underdog by a lot of people. We use that as our motivation. It's important to focus on the mental part of the game each day."
Phillips, who has received interest from college programs at various levels, is shooting 50 percent from the floor, including 43 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
"Every one of our seniors and other players on the team have really bought into fulfilling their individual roles. It helps when you have one of the best players in the area like Mike," Busby said.
Sophomore Brayden Favors, son of varsity assistant head coach Desmond Favors, handles the other guard spot.
"Brayden has a ton of potential. He's not even close to growing into the player he'll be two years from now as a senior,” Busby said. “He really worked hard on his shooting last summer. This summer we will work on building up his strength. He's a well-rounded player who likes to defend.”
Brayden Favors, who lettered on the varsity as a freshman, averages 12.5 points, three assists and four rebounds per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field.
Senior forward Ethan Chambliss is averaging a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with two blocked shots. He is shooting 64 percent from the floor for the Vikings.
"Ethan is a great kid who does well academically. On the court, he has a big heart and takes a beating every night. He's not the biggest guy on the floor, but does all the dirty stuff inside for us," Busby noted.
Sophomore wing Brenden Olsen is another key player. He averages nine points and five boards and is shooting 54 percent from the floor. Busby noted that sophomore Acie Kirtdoll is the future point guard and leader, and senior forward Darris Johnson, III, along with 6-foot-7 freshman post player Donovyn Williams also play vital roles. The final senior on Niles' roster is wing Logan Olsen, who Busby noted for his hustle plays.
"The best kind of teams are led by their players and not the coaches. This is a player-led team, but you have to demand excellence,” Busby said. “This group has done a great job of rallying around one another when someone isn't playing very well and has instilled confidence in each other."
Busby and Desmond Favors both come from families with strong basketball traditions.
Myles' father Mike Busby, also one of the Vikings' current assistant coaches, and his uncle Gerald Busby played on Buchanan's Class C championship team in 1976. Gerald Busby would lead the Bucks to another title two years later as a senior in 1978. James Busby, another uncle, played on Buchanan's 1985 District title squad.
After Niles won its District in Myles Busby's senior season, 2011-12, the Vikings experienced an 11-year drought before capturing the 2023 District crown. That run included an upset of Benton Harbor in the District Semifinal, 65-61.
Grand Rapids South Christian, the eventual Division 2 runner-up, then defeated Niles 72-33 in a Regional Semifinal at Vicksburg.
"When I was in school, we always had to beat Kalamazoo Central to get out of Districts. They always beat us and were usually ranked No. 1 in the state coming into the tournament. It took us four years to finally win a District beating Kalamazoo Central, Mattawan and Kalamazoo Loy Norrix," Myles Busby recalled.
After graduating from Niles, Myles played two years at Mott Community College under Hall of Fame coach Steve Schmidt before transferring to Urbana University, a Division II school in Ohio. He finished his college career at Chadron State College in Nebraska.
Busby returned to his roots serving as a varsity assistant for Niles during the 2019-20 season. He became interim head coach late in the 2020-21 campaign before being awarded the position permanently before the following winter.
"Taking over the program was a tough decision. I had never intended on coming back to Niles, but I wanted to help revive the program and keep the improvement trend going upward," Busby said. "There's no secret recipe after you put your coaching staff together. Once you get kids in your program who are good leaders with great character, you just have to keep working hard each day. It's those traits that we feel are a big key so far to our success. It's not always about how much talent you have."
Busby believes things started heading in a positive direction after his 2022-23 ballclub began the season 2-4. The Vikings were then 6-9 into the beginning of February but finished 15-11.
"At that point, I think we won nine out of our last 10 games and managed to find our rhythm in time to win our District," Myles Busby said.
Niles has enjoyed past success, including reaching the 2000 Class B Semifinals before losing to Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Current Niles athletic director Matt Brawley was a standout senior post player on that Vikings' squad.
Desmond Favors came to Niles from Detroit his sophomore year of high school and began playing for the Vikings his junior year, 2000-01.
"We won Districts my junior year and lost to Grand Rapids South Christian in the state Quarterfinals my senior season," said Favors, who also played collegiately for Lake Michigan College, Northwood University and Indiana University-South Bend – at IUSB for current Notre Dame head coach Micah Schrewsberry.
Favors was an assistant for the Vikings during Busby’s senior season. "I've known Myles for over 20 years, and we're just very familiar with one another. We're always bouncing ideas around and talking basketball," Favors said.
He enjoys being a part of the coaching staff especially with his son Brayden moving through the program now.
"Initially Brayden was a baseball player. He started working on his game the summer between his eighth and ninth grade year. As a freshman he got put up on varsity and did pretty well,” Desmond Favors said. “He spent a lot of time this past offseason working on ballhandling and making plays. For me, it’s fun watching him.”
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) Niles senior forward Ethan Chambliss (23) scores inside against Three Rivers. (2) Niles players and coaches hold up the 2024 Wolverine Conference championship banner after defeating Plainwell last week. (3) From left: Niles assistant boys basketball coach Desmond Favors, Brayden Favors, Mike Phillips Jr., and head coach Myles Busby. (4) Phillips Jr. attempts a 3-pointer this season. (Top photo coach/player photo by Scott Hassinger; banner photo courtesy of the Niles athletic department. Phillips action shot by Jeff Douglas/Leader Publications.)
Kimmerer Sets Sights on Hale Record & More
December 9, 2019
By Chris Dobrowolski
Special for Second Half
HALE — Joseph Kimmerer’s heart swelled with excitement as he raced toward the basket on a fast break.
The freshman point guard appeared to be destined to record his first points with the Hale varsity boys basketball team on a layup. Unfortunately for Kimmerer, a hard-charging player from Posen rattled him just enough to cause Kimmerer to lose focus for a split second.
“There was somebody coming up behind me and a lot bigger at the time,” said Kimmerer. “I was scared of that, and I was excited for my first points and just blew it.”
Kimmerer has not had much trouble scoring since that miss. In fact, points have come in abundance over the past three years. He finished with 14 in that first game against Posen, reached the 1,000-point club midway through last season, and with a career total of 1,228 points stands just one 3-pointer from becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer — surpassing the record set by Chad Brandt in 1992. His first chance to set the record will come tonight against Rogers City.
“It’s going to mean a lot,” said Kimmerer. “All the hard work and teammates who have helped me along the way. Coaches, family, everybody supporting. It’s going to mean a lot.”
Kimmerer’s dad, Joe, has seen Joseph’s scoring prowess up close as the head coach of the Eagles, getting a sideline perspective on his son’s physical and athletic development from being a 3-point marksman as a 5-foot-9 freshman to the complete offensive package now as a 6-foot-2 senior.
“He was a spot-up shooter,” said Joe. “Didn’t like a lot of contact. Always could make free throws but never got to the line much. Now he is a kid that goes to the rim hard, looks for contact, wants contact, wants to go make that three-point play at the free throw line. He’s also gotten to the point where his athleticism and his strength have caught up to the skills he had.”
Joe Kimmerer also understands the magnitude of what his son has done on the basketball court, having been a 1,000-point scorer during his own playing career for Hale as well as a 25-year coaching veteran for Hale’s boys or girls basketball squads since the late 1990s.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Joe said of his son’s pending school scoring record. “But the accomplishment that I think stands out even beyond that is there has never been a player at our school that has played for four straight league championships. We’re at three in a row now. We’ve got a very good opportunity to put our fourth in the book. That accomplishment might stand out more to me, maybe because I’m the coach. To be able to say you won four league championships. That’s a pretty good honor, and he would be the only one who could say that.”
Indeed, the Eagles have had a good run in Joseph’s first three years on the varsity, winning 17, 13 and 18 games, respectively, while capturing three straight North Star League Little Dipper division titles.
Joseph is young for his grade, having turned only 17 on Oct. 10, but he’s always done things earlier than most. He got his introduction to the gymnasium as a 2-year-old while his dad conducted practice. When he got old enough to start playing, Joseph could be found shooting off to the side of the gym as Hale’s high school teams played nearby. By the time he was in fourth grade, he was on the court at Hale’s practices, getting a chance to compete against much older junior varsity or varsity players.
Joseph was ready to suit up for the varsity squad when he got to high school. Joe thought so too, but he erred on the side of caution, not wanting it to appear that favoritism was the reason his son earned a varsity roster spot. So Joseph started the year on the junior varsity.
“I thought I could (play at the varsity level) the whole time,” said Joseph. “I just had to prove myself at JV and get the call up. I just believed.”
Joseph was dazzling in his two games with the JV as overmatched opponents struggled to guard him, making it even more obvious the Eagles’ varsity could use his services.
“I knew going into that season that we needed a shooter,” said Joe. “Someone who could score for us on a kickout. We went into our first two games of the year, and we proved as a varsity team that we needed somebody like that. At the JV level he was doing things in those games that the rest of the players could look at and say, ‘We really need that.’ I look back and I wish I would’ve pulled him up and had him part of the varsity for those two games also, but it was also kind of a stepping stone for him, too, to show the guys. When he came up he was second on our team in scoring as a freshman in a year that we won the league and Districts. It kind of stated for itself right there.”
Joseph averaged 12.1 points per game as a freshman, then saw that grow to 18.6 points per game as a sophomore and 25.5 per outing last year as his game continued to blossom. He also managed to lead the Eagles in rebounding from his guard position last season with 11.9 per game and is in line to set the school’s career record in that category as well if he pulls down 125 boards this winter. He had 275 last season. Defensively, Kimmerer always draws the opponents’ top player regardless of size.
Scoring, though, is where Joseph has really left his mark. He’s done it in an efficient manner, too. Last year he shot 42 percent from beyond the arc, 53 percent from the field and 88 percent from the foul line.
“He has a possibility of being a 30-point-a-game guy,” said Joe. “It’s not because he’s going to take 35 shots. It’s just going to come because that’s his game. His speed, his size — everything has increased over this past summer. I think the game might come a little easier than it has in the past even.”
With that kind of year Joseph could reach the 2,000-point plateau, a feat reached by only 41 players in state history.
Joseph set a career high with 40 points in a game against Mio last year. However, the Thunderbolts have been a thorn in the Eagles’ side the last two postseasons, including handing Hale a 51-49 loss in last year’s District championship game.
“We split with them both years in the regular season, but once it gets District time it just doesn’t go our way,” said Joseph.
Besides being a stellar basketball player, Joseph is also a model citizen and student. He has a 3.8 grade point average, is part of the National Honor Society and can often be found in the gym mentoring kids in the Little Eagles youth program. It’s just Joseph’s way of giving back to a community that has taken a keen interest in the Eagles boys basketball team.
“We’re packing the gym every night,” said Joe. “People in the community who have no connection to the team are traveling to away games. We’ve got people in the stands at scrimmages, and it’s not just because of him. Our team is strong, and people have kind of latched on. They like the brand of basketball we’re playing. (Joseph) involves everybody in it. Guys who are on that (1,000 point) scoring list are making it back to games. They haven’t been back in the gym in 20 or 25 years or longer and they were at his game because they want to see him do it. I feel that’s going to happen here when we go to Rogers City. ... We’re going to get that group of people who really don’t have a connection, other than they played in the past, were on that list, or like basketball. They’re going to be there because of what we’re doing with three straight league championships, and he’s a big part of that.”
PHOTO: Hale’s Joseph Kimmerer poses with the ball he received after scoring his 1,000th career point last season. (Photo courtesy of Sports in Motion.) 
Chris Dobrowolski has covered northern Lower Peninsula sports since 1999 at the Ogemaw County Herald, Alpena News, Traverse City Record-Eagle and currently as sports editor at the Antrim Kalkaska Review since 2016.