More than just a game: A feature on Kyler VanderJagt

Author’s note:

This is a follow-up story written a little over four years after the original article. The first story was published after Kyler VanderJagt helped the boys varsity basketball team win a District Championship as a freshman. Now four years later, VanderJagt led the team to another District Championship and all the way to a State Semi-Final game.  

To read the original story, click here. 

When the lights went out at the Breslin Center, it marked the end of a chapter in senior Kyler VanderJagt’s storybook. 

While VanderJagt may no longer be a high school basketball player, the impact he made on the program and community will not be forgotten.

“[VanderJagt] is a role model for the community not only on the court, but off the court as well. He’s a positive team player, who motivates his teammates and gets the crowd on their feet,” community member Taylor Trotter said. “He’s bringing the community together and continues to make us proud.”

VanderJagt hit many monumental milestones in his four year varsity career. Scoring over 1,000 career points, committing to Belmont University, being Northview’s first Mr.Basketball runner-up (one of the most prestigious awards a Michigan senior basketball player can receive) and leading a team to its first State Semi-Final game in over 32 years are among the few recent additions to his resume. 

But the success he’s experienced over the last four years didn’t happen overnight, almost 13 years of dedication and support brought him to where he is today.

“He’s accomplished some amazing things, but he’s put so much work in and has spoken about his desire to do those things over time,”  VanderJagt’s mom Maria Opoku-Agyeman said. “That’s where I’ve seen him really thrive, being able to identify what he wants as a person.”

Coming from a family surrounded by former basketball players, VanderJagt was destined to join the tradition, especially because of how active he was when he was younger. 

“We would go to the ER several times because he kept dislocating his elbow because he would jump off the couch or play tackle football,” Opoku-Agyeman said. “Basketball was just a natural thing that our family did so it was one of the first sports he was playing at a young age.”

As the years went on, VanderJagt began playing travel basketball through the Ameatur Athletic Union (AAU,) traveling all over the country for various tournaments and started training religiously with his dad.

“As soon as I got to an age when I started to see a little bit more success through my basketball career and when we started traveling, I spent countless hours with my dad, just us two [training],” VanderJagt said. “Obviously, with me being a kid, I would want to do a lot of ‘kid type things’ but he really pushed me.”

With the amount of time he dedicated, there was never a doubt in VanderJagt’s mind that he wouldn’t want to pursue basketball at a higher level. But, just like every other athlete, there were some low points. 

“There were moments where basketball was definitely a struggle, just with the amount of time I was pouring in, it was exhausting,” VanderJagt said. “I was playing AAU and I was traveling almost every weekend. At this point, I was still a kid, so I was [asking myself], ‘Is this really what I want?’”

In order to regain his footing, VanderJagt took a year off of playing AAU and traveling for basketball during seventh grade and stuck with strictly training and having more free time to be a kid.

“[It] helped me regain my love for the game because at that time, I was really worn out,” VanderJagt said. “I was to the point where I didn’t even want to touch a ball, so being able to take a year off really helped.”

Following his restored love and a new level of seriousness for the game, VanderJagt was seeking new opportunities, including switching to a new school. 

When playing out his options, VanderJagt was between schools like OK-White competitor Grand Rapids Christian and Northview. While both offered great athletic opportunities for him, there was something that gravitated him here.

“When I came to Northview, I felt a lot more of the community side of things, like how nice people were.[The supportiveness from the community] is the big difference for me compared to a lot of other schools,” VanderJagt said. 

The switch was made at the beginning of the 2017/2018 school year and one year later, VanderJagt made the varsity basketball team as a freshman under former head coach Mike Kaputska. 

VanderJagt ended his freshman season with a bang by helping the team win against an undefeated Forest Hills Northern in the 2019 District Finals game by hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game into its first of three overtimes. 

“It was crazy because when I shot it, I double clutched and I was like, ‘Man, this looks a little too good [to be true]’ but then it ended up going in,” VanderJagt said. “Just to think about how much the team trusted me in the game, as a freshman meant a lot.”

But there was a time where VanderJagt almost didn’t stay. After his sophomore year, he was approached by the current #1 prep school for basketball in the country, Sunrise Christian Academy, to come play for them. While it may seem that it’s something that someone shouldn’t let pass by, VanderJagt did.  

“Thinking about [the opportunity], I was like ‘Well I can’t give this up,’” VanderJagt said. “But going back to it, just thinking about my family, what I had gone through here, I couldn’t necessarily just leave [them.]” 

VanderJagt’s family has been some of his biggest supporters and helpers over the years, whether it’s training with his dad, receiving paragraphs from his grandpa about the things he’s done well and things he can work on after games or his mom being a “sports analyst” and pointing out the “little things that make a huge difference.”

“[My mom’s] been watching my game a lot to the point where she knows exactly what I should and shouldn’t be doing,” VanderJagt said. “She is always honest. She’s the humbler: you get praised when it’s needed, but she’s also always going to be the one to critique me and keep me on a ground level.”

VanderJagt has also created a strong relationship with his uncle, Gabe. When he was growing up, Gabe played basketball at Davenport University where VanderJagt would attend games, practices and go to various kid-focused events held by the team. 

“My uncle was a big idol for me at that time. I would hang out with the team all the time and seeing these guys at a high level, I was really inspired by it. I was looking up to these people as Gods almost,” VanderJagt said. 

As the years went on, the relationship the two built never wavered and even grew stronger. 

“Gabe has a very loving heart, he’s always wrapped his arms around [VanderJagt] and he’s been a great role model for him. He’s always been able to give him advice when [VanderJagt] has bad days or just not his normal performance,” Opoku-Agyeman said. “I think their relationship is so special because Gabe makes him feel important and that he’s a priority.” 

During games this season, fans may have caught a glimpse of kids parading around in shirts with ‘VanderJagt’ and the number ‘22’ printed on the back. While this simple act is also special to VanderJagt, the number itself holds a whole meaning of its own in connection with his uncle, as it was his number too.

“What an image he was for me and how influential he was playing there led to me choosing basketball myself,” VanderJagt said. “I chose 22 because of how much I look up to him.”

Now that VanderJagt is older, he’s becoming a similar role-model for his two little brothers. Just as VanderJagt did at his uncle’s games, his brothers could easily be spotted on the court shooting the ball during halftime and after games. 

“There are times where I have to kick them off the court just so I can shoot myself before the game starts again,” VanderJagt said. “It’s a blessing to see how much my uncle was an influence for me and seeing how [my brothers] reflect the same thing with me.”

Over the past four years, VanderJagt has consistently stayed in local news headlines. Updates on his recruitment process, new honors and accomplishments he’s received and comments about how a game went are among topics that are attached to his name online. But for VanderJagt, he believes he’s not the same person people see on the TV or scrolling through a phone.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of people, if they have never talked to me, get nervous to even just approach me, which I don’t really understand,” VanderJagt said. “The media comes out talking about how I’m an athlete, but I’m definitely more than that and I think that once you get to know me or even approach me for the first time, I feel like I have a completely different character.” 

After games, when the cameras were no longer pointed in his direction and the celebration started to die down, VanderJagt would be found surrounded by little kids, all waiting in line to take a picture, having him sign something or even just to give a hug and a congratulations.

“I think that a huge part of the reason why I continued to play basketball is not just because of my own personal benefit, but [because] I love being able to impact others through basketball. Being able to go to a lot of the kids after a game and seeing all of their smiles on their faces is something that means a lot to me,” VanderJagt said. “That’s why I do a lot of the things that I do.”

There is one kid in particular that has taken a special liking to VanderJagt. Trotter’s daughter, Paisley, was recently diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and the past few months haven’t been the easiest, but VanderJagt has found ways to bring light into both of their lives.

“[Paisley’s] found such joy and happiness in cheering for [him], watching him, making posters for him and having her hair done like him,” Trotter said. “The fact that he’s so gentle, patient and kind with her makes my mama heart happy.” 

VanderJagt has also helped Paisley find a newfound passion in basketball.

“After he coached her and made her feel more comfortable, her love for basketball has really blossomed. She was nervous playing with all the boys at first, but [VanderJagt] was patient and was able to bring her out of her shell,” Trotter said.

But Paisley and other little kids aren’t the only ones VanderJagt is giving his time to after games or recognition events. 

“He makes time for people, even after games, or after different things he’s been recognized for. People will [also] send him these messages, and sometimes he doesn’t even know who they are and he’s responding to them with kind words. I’ll ask him who it is and he will be like ‘I don’t know,’ but he still takes the time to write them back a message, that’s just who he is,” Opoku-Agyeman said.

VanderJagt doesn’t only give kind words when he receives praise or attention from others for what he’s accomplished. He’s like that every day. 

“I have had so many people reach out to me and say ‘He’s a role model for my child’ or ‘My son was having a bad day at school and [VanderJagt] saw that and talked to him,’” Opoku-Agyeman said. “He’s incredibly empathetic with people, he treats people right, he listens to people, he’s very mature in his thought process, more than I ever was at his age.” 

Opoku-Agyeman feels as though she can’t take all the credit for who VanderJagt is as a person.

“In conversations we’ve talked about how things that are here today can be gone tomorrow and I think that’s part of [his] story,” Opoku-Agyeman said. “Knowing that nothing is guaranteed in life and [from some of the hardships in life,] I think that [VanderJagt] has a bit of a deeper spirit to him that I can’t take credit for. Through some of his life experiences, I think that some of the unexpected tragedies in life that we’ve been through have shaped who he is.”

As Maya Angelou said it best, ​​“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”