Sons of former Michigan State basketball stars paving own path at East Lansing High School
East Lansing junior Cam Hutson catches the ball near the basket, fakes one way, goes the other and powers the ball into the basket.
Hey, that looks familiar.
Sophomore teammate KJ Torbert has the ball on the perimeter, begins to drive, and pulls up. He twists and turns his body before hitting a shot as he falls away from the basket.
Where have we seen that before?
If the way Hutson and Torbert play seems at all familiar, well, that is only natural — Hutson and Torbert are sons of former Michigan State basketball standouts.
Cam Hutson is the son of Andre Hutson, 45, the unsung hero of the 2000 NCAA championship team.
KJ Torbert is the son of Kelvin Torbert, 40, the winner of the 2001 Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award from Flint Northwestern, who also starred for the Spartans.
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Cam Hutson and KJ Torbert are standouts on the East Lansing High team that is among the top three teams in the state, largely on the shoulders of these two underclassmen.
KJ is averaging 18 points a game and Cam 17 as the Trojans march toward March and, hopefully, a spot in Division 1’s final four at the Breslin Center, where their fathers performed so admirably for the Spartans.
Although the two of them are just beginning to establish their reputations on a state-wide basis, both have been involved in the family business — basketball — for years.
“My dad signed me up for the little YMCA league when I was 3 or 4 years old,” said Cam. “Then I started AAU in second grade. I really wasn’t anything special when I was little. I kept working to get where I am now.”
KJ gave the exact same answer on how he became involved in basketball.
“My dad got me started in the YMCA league when I was 3 or 4,” KJ said.
So far Cam has offers from Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Robert Morris and Toledo.
And then there is the chance of attending his father’s alma mater.
“I don’t want to say I 100% want to go to Michigan State,” Cam said. “But if they offered and they were interested, I would be interested back. I just want to go to the place that’s the best fit for me.”
KJ, meanwhile, doesn’t think MSU would be the best fit for him, but it isn’t because he doesn’t like the Spartans.
“It’s one of my choices, but I don’t want to go there,” he said. “I don’t want to follow my dad. I want to go somewhere else.”
Having a parent who won a national championship can wear on an offspring, who is constantly reminded about his father’s exploits.
But Cam has discovered a way to take his father’s achievements and make them work for him.
“I wouldn’t say I’m tired of hearing about it, but I’d just say that I’m pretty used to it at this point,” he said. “I use it as motivation and to understand who he is and understand what I’m around, the importance of the town and the knowledge that I have around me.”
Through this, he learned his father was a terrific defensive player, despite being an undersized post player at 6-7. Andre completely outplayed every opposing center he faced in the 2000 NCAA tournament (except Florida’s Udonis Haslem, who finally retired from the NBA after last season).
Outscoring opposing centers was a big boost for the Spartans along the tournament trail.
“My dad was a former and really good basketball player who knows a lot about the game,” Cam said. “And he won a lot of big things and made a lot of big things.”
A national title can overwhelm a youngster trying to make his way in the game today. But Andre rarely brings up his playing days and does not have “One Shining Moment” as his ringtone.
“Obviously he loved that moment, but I don’t think he goes back to it all that often,” Cam said. “He does occasionally, but I think he tries to have me focus more on myself than on him.”
The elder Torbert, who works at United Wholesale Mortgage, was one of the best players in the country when he was at Flint Northwestern and hopes it can serve as motivation for his son.
“Dad brings up all the awards he won,” KJ said. “Like Mr. Basketball, like he was the face of Flint basketball back then, a McDonald’s All-American back then. He brings it up sometimes so where I can make the same kind of achievements that he did.”
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Both of the youngsters were first exposed to basketball when their father were playing professionally overseas and they found themselves in the gym on a daily basis.
“I think it was more than he grew up around it,” Kelvin said. “Whether he was walking around dribbling the ball by himself or just shooting by himself. It was just natural getting attracted to it and learning to play.”
As they grew older, their fathers took an active role in their development.
“He was a really good teacher,” Cam said of his father. “He was always just trying to make me better. He made me go through tough times, but he also understood what I was going through. He was always just right there, making sure I did all of the right things. He’s a good teacher.”
Since his son was always one of the taller players, Andre, who owns and operates Quest Basketball in the Lansing area, made sure Cam wasn’t limited to growing up and being stuck playing inside.
“He knew the game is changing,” Cam said. “He didn’t really want me to be a post player like he was. But he also had me working on my post game, but also had me working on my jump shot and making sure I had guard skills.”
Cam has a sweet 3-point shot and is an excellent perimeter-scoring threat.
KJ had guard skills from the get-go and they were refined by his father, in familiar surroundings.
“He always asks me if I want to work out and we always go to the Breslin Center,” he said. “We work out at the practice gym all the time, working on ball-handling, shooting, footwork, everything.”
Ray Mitchell is East Lansing’s coach and he has known KJ and Cam for several years as they've progressed through AAU ball.
He is impressed with Cam’s vast understanding of the game.
“He’s our backbone because he knows everything,” Mitchell said. “He knows the inside out of all our plays offensively and defensively. I can see him maturing. It seems like each game he is getting better. I believe he’s going to be a high major.”
“The way he’s been shooting the ball the last month has been incredible.”
Like his father, KJ scores in a variety of ways, some of which are completely unorthodox and seem to defy gravity.
“He makes some shots that other kids simply can’t make,” Mitchell said. “Even his teammates are like: ‘How did he make that?’ With his off-balance finishes, it’s like he’s running away from the basket, but his touch is so soft, it amazes the coaches.”
Coaches today will tell you that their No. 1 problem is dealing with parents, most of whom have unrealistic expectations of their kids. Parents today watch a few games on TV and are sure they know more than the coach.
Kelvin and Andre do know more than the coaches, but you would never know it by watching them watch their kids play.
“They leave me alone,” Mitchell said. “They’ve coached their kids up so much I don’t have to coach their kids that much. They know the game and they let me coach. There’s been no conversations, no phone calls. None of that stuff; I love it. They’re like the best parents. They don’t give me any flack or anything.”
The two former Spartans do not sit in the stands and yell at the coaches, the officials, or their kids. They know their place.
“I’ve coached both those kids when they were little so I’ve done my job, I’ve done my part,” Andre said, sitting in the bleachers. “Now I can sit back and be a parent and watch them play.
“I know parents. When you deal with it, you don’t want to be that person. And I don’t need to be. I trust our coaches. It’s easy to coach up here.”
Like Andre, Kelvin also coached his son so he understands the ins and outs of coaching. He prefers being a parent.
“It’s our turn to be parents and we back off and let him coach,” Kelvin said. “We don’t try to invade on his coaching or try to change anything he’s trying to do.
”One thing I’ve learned, I’ve never blamed a coach for anything. All you can do I earn your playing time and once you get on the floor it’s up to you to deal with it.”
While they are more than happy to stay out of Mitchell’s way, both Kelvin and Cam do give feedback on their son’s performances.
“After every game every night I kind of go through and give him his report,” Kelvin said. “I think I’m the only one that can really tell him, even when he scores 30, the bad things. I always try to start off with that — give him a couple of bad things and tell him all the good things.
“The good thing about him is he listens, he wants to be better, wants to be great. So that’s the easiest part of it.”
Andre takes the exact opposite approach when it comes to reviewing his son’s play.
“I know the last thing you want to hear is what you did wrong,” Andre said. “I try to be positive with him and we correct mistakes later. He’s receptive to criticism, but I also try to be easy with it, not to drop the hammer on him every time.”
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As they grew up, KJ and Cam would play one-on-one against their fathers. Naturally, the fathers won those early games, but eventually, as the sons drastically improved, the games suddenly stopped.
Andre wants no part of his son these days.
“We used to play all the time,” Cam said, “but he says he has back issues now. He doesn’t really want to play anymore.”
Kelvin is at least trying to put up a brave front for his son.
“He always says he can beat me,” KJ said, “but I don’t think so.”
Deep down, Kelvin agrees with KJ, although he doesn’t want to admit he would lose a game of one-on-one.
“A couple of years ago I’d say I’d win,” Kelvin said. “But right now we’re not going to play because I’m out of shape. Let’s say Dad is going to forfeit, but I’m going to talk a good game.”
Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him @mickmccabe1. Order his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” right now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sons of former MSU basketball stars paving own path at East Lansing HS
