All-Region Boys Basketball: Dundee's Whitaker is Player of Year
His Dundee teammates always believed in Braiden Whitaker.
Once he started believing in himself, he took his game to another level.
Whitaker was a very good player in his first two seasons with the Dundee’s boys basketball team.
He made the All-Region team last season, averaging 18 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
It’s not easy to improve on those kinds of numbers, but Whitaker did. He capped an outstanding career by averaging 24.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior while shooting a phenomenal 68 percent on two-point shots.
Along the way, Whitaker broke school records for points in a game (44), season (620) and career (1,308).
He has been selected as the Monroe County Region Player of the Year in voting by The Monroe News sports staff.
Dundee coach Jay Haselschwerdt has watched Whitaker blossom during three seasons on the varsity.
“Some of it is a confidence thing,” the coach said. “He was good last year, but he wasn’t dominant. Last year (in the district finals), he took over that game. That was really a springboard for him.
“People had trouble stopping him. He could do whatever he wanted.”
Opposing coaches raved about Whitaker.
Bobby Green, Milan: “The best overall player we faced this year.”
More: Record-setting Whitaker leads Dundee into finals of regional
More: Dundee's Whitaker reaches 1,000 points with school-record 44
Corey Wiley, Jefferson: “Maybe the best overall athlete in the county. Had a monster game against us.”
Nick Abalos, Whiteford: “He was so explosive in transition.”
Kevin Skaggs, Mason: “Ridiculous athlete! Single handedly took over a number of games this year and willed his team to victories.”
Jared Karner, Ida: “One of the best athletes to come through the county in recent times.”
Jordan Bollin, Bedford: “The best player in the Region. Completely dominant in transition. Can get to the rim at will and absurdly disruptive on defense.”
Jason Ruhlig, Airport: “The best athlete in our Region. When headed to the rim, there was not much you were going to do to stop him without fouling.”
Whitaker had to grow into his role of taking charge.
“My sophomore year was my first year on the varsity,” he said. “I was a little scared. I saw myself as a role player. Everyone was telling me that I was the best, but I am not the kind of guy to boost myself up.”
He started this season with 26 points against East Jackson and topped the 20-point mark in six of his first seven games.
“Then I thought, ‘I’ve got this,’” he said. “Once I got my confidence, that made it a lot easier.”
He topped 1,000 points for the season and set a school record with 44 points against Jefferson on Jan. 16.
“My basketball IQ got a lot better,” he said of the difference between his junior and senior seasons. “Playing point guard in AAU really helped me.”
Haselschwerdt gave Whitaker more freedom to handle the ball and create this year.
“He developed his skills a little bit, rather than relying on being a pure athlete,” the coach said. “He likes playing fast.”
Most times, the opponents could not keep up.
He led Dundee to a 21-5 record and its second straight district championship.
“We had a lot of seniors and there is a lot of size in our group,” Whitaker said. “We were hoping to have a good season. I don’t think even coach expected us to have as good a season as we had.”
Whitaker takes pride in his ability to get to the basket.
“Anybody can hit 3s,” he said. “When I am open, I will shoot them, but I usually think I can get a better shot by using by quickness to get past guys, then I have the ability to get a layup or dunk. The team builds off that. I have a lot of shooters around me.”
Whitaker will spend the next few weeks figuring out where is wants to go to college and what sport he wants to play.
He also was an outstanding receiver for Dundee’s football team.
“I think it’s going to be the biggest decision of my life,” he said. “At some point I am going to have to say, ‘Uh-oh, I’ve got to pick now.’ It’s definitely a big decision, but once I make it, I will focus my mind on being the best I can be in that sport.
“I enjoy basketball, but there is the hype and crazy atmosphere in football. … I’ll go where I fit best with the team and the college, where I feel like family.”
The son of Julia Riffle and Marcus Whitaker found a family atmosphere in Dundee when he moved to the area in the seventh grade.
“This community has been very supportive in everything,” he said.
He leads the 2023-24 All-Region Boys Basketball Team. Here are the other members of the team.
Tyler Dafoe. Summerfield, 6-3, junior
Averaged 15 points, 2.5 steals and 2.9 assists a game. “Was asked to guard the other team’s best player every night in addition to carrying a scoring load,” Summerfield coach Phil Schiffler said.
Ian Foster, SMCC, 6-0, junior
Averaged 15 points, 4.1 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. “Ian mentally took that next step to be a really good point guard,” SMCC coach Randy Windham said.
Josh Hill, Whiteford, 6-1, senior
Averaged 10.7 points per game and also led his team in steals and 3-pointers. “It seemed like if we were in a big game, Josh was stepping up with big shots,” Whiteford coach Nick Abalos said.
Jha Jha Hornbeak, Summerfield, 6-0, fresh.
Did it all with averages of 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.6 steals per game. “Jha was the most balanced player on the court almost every night,” Summerfield coach Phil Schiffler said.
Lukas Johnson, Monroe, 6-4, senior
Led his team in scoring (15.3) and assists (3) and was second in rebounding (5). “Lukas was basically unstoppable getting to the basket this year," Monroe coach Larry Middleton said.
Graham Junge, Flat Rock, 6-2, junior
Passed 1,000-career points as a junior, while averaging 18.5 points per game. “Graham is the smartest player I’ve coached in my 34 years as a varsity coach,” Flat Rock coach Rick Smith said.
Kyle Kantola, Huron, 6-2, senior
Racked up 78 steals for an average of 3.3 per game and also led his team in scoring at a 13.6 clip. “Kyle is extremely athletic and gave fits to teams,” Huron coach Ted Tackett said.
Ethan Layton. Dundee, 5-10, senior
Directed Dundee’s attack with averages of 12.1 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. “He was our team leader in every sense of the word,” Dundee coach Jay Haselschwerdt said.
Brett Moore, Airport, 5-11, senior
Averaged 14 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, two steals per game. “He often gave up size, but made up for it with his speed and athleticism,” Airport coach Jason Ruhlig said.
Tim Murphy, Flat Rock, 6-4, senior
Anchored the front line for the Huron League champs with an average of 10 points per game. “He’s a huge reason of our success this year," Flat Rock coach Rick Smith said.
Cooper Nye, Airport, 6-4, senior
The football quarterback was powerful inside, averaging 10.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. “He was a great team leader on and off the court,” Airport coach Jason Ruhlig said.
Trey Oldenburg, Jefferson, 5-10, soph.
Broke the school record with 62 three-pointers and averaged 16.3 points per game. “He will be one of the best players in the county the next two years,” Ida coach Jared Karner said.
AJ Schrader, Ida, 6-1, senior
Showed versatility in leading his team in scoring (17.2), rebounding (6.7), assists (2.6), steals (2.3) and blocked shots. “The guy is a walking basket,” Erie Mason coach Kevin Skaggs said.
Buddy Snodgrass, SMCC, 6-5, senior
Averaged 12.8 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. “Buddy was the focus of every team’s attention and still averaged a double-double for the second year in a row,” SMCC coach Randy Windham said.
Xavier Wise, Mason, 5-10, senior
Drained 71 three-pointers and averaged 12.5 points per game. “Xavier had an amazing year, considering he was coming back from a shoulder operation,” Mason coach Kevin Skaggs said.
SPECIAL MENTION
Players: Rocco Breslin, Flat Rock; Noah Colon, Bedford; Gabe Gelso, Jefferson; Alex Gillum, Flat Rock; Cyrus Goins, Flat Rock; Logan Goodin, Erie Mason; Ish Hakki, Bedford; Brady Hines, SMCC; Lincoln Joerin, Whiteford; Chad Martin, New Boston Huron; Adam Nabozny, Monroe; Odin Nemeth, Flat Rock; Evan Parker, Whiteford; Jackson Raasch, Milan; Lucis Rzepa, Monroe; Teegan Simmons, Monroe; Jacob Towne, Ida; Cooper Worley, State Line Christian; Jackson Zachary, Gibraltar Carlson.
Coaches: Nick Abalos, Whiteford; Jared Karner, Ida; Phil Schiffler, Summerfield; Rick Smith, Flat Rock: Ted Tackett, New Boston Huron; Randy Windham, SMCC.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: All-Region Boys Basketball: Dundee's Whitaker is Player of Year
