DeMotte Christian Knights

It’s almost time for the return of Indiana high school boys basketball. The DeMotte Christian Knights are back in action in less than a week, opening the season at Hebron on Tuesday, 11/26. The 2024-25 season represents a fresh start for DMC basketball in more ways than one. First, the program lost six seniors from last season’s MWC and sectional champion squad. It will be a new-look Knights team that takes the floor in Hebron on Tuesday. In fact, there will be zero seniors on this year’s roster, which puts the program in the unique position of bringing the same team for back-to-back seasons. Still, this season comes with some expectations. DMC brings back all-conference guard Tony Bos, who led last year’s team in assists and blocks, and came in second in scoring. There’s no question Bos will lead the Knights offensively and defensively. He’s a creative playmaker with the ball in his hands and can score at all three levels. On the defensive side he contributes both perimeter acumen and rim protection at 6’6”. Another key returner will be junior guard Tanyon Bakker, who was one of the team’s best three-point shooters last season as a sophomore. Bakker can heat up quickly and score in bunches– he’s expected to make a jump on the offensive end. Bakker is also a dynamo defensively, bringing high-energy ball pressure and giving opposing guards fits. The only other Knight that contributed real varsity minutes last season is another junior guard, Titus Terpstra. He was the leading scorer on last year’s JV team and should contribute in a variety of ways this year, attacking the basket with his athleticism and locking down opponents on the other end. Other Knights to keep an eye on: Junior forward Gerrit Bos will be a trusted playmaker and glue guy. Ben Eisses will be a three-point shooting threat. Forward Nolan Peterson will accept a variety of difficult defensive assignments and crash the glass. Junior forward Joah Bultema is a scoring threat, especially around the basket. The other story of the offseason was the IHSAA’s sectional realignment. After topping host Kouts in last year’s sectional title, DeMotte Christian has been moved south. Because of the increased size of 1A in 2024-25, various schools have been reclassed (North Judson, Westville, Bowman Academy, Pioneer, and North Newton). The Knights will compete in Sectional 50, accompanied by Caston, North Newton, North White, Pioneer, South Newton, Tri-County, and West Central. Six of the eight schools in the sectional are also Midwest Conference members, with the exceptions of Caston and Pioneer. With this change, the Knights hope to compete for yet another sectional title. Tri-County is the defending champion of Sectional 50. Fans may remember the Knights 60-40 victory over the Cavaliers in January on the way to their Midwest Conference title. Meanwhile, Bowman Academy and Marquette Catholic will join Kouts, Morgan Township, and others in Sectional 49. Time will tell, but Knights fans are hoping this will prove to be a favorable draw for DMC. This season also marks the start of the Knights Midwest Conference title defense. Last season DMC finished 6-1 in the conference with a tough early season loss at North Newton. The campaign was highlighted by the aforementioned drubbing of Tri-County and a seventeen point comeback at home over then-undefeated Faith Christian. Tri-County and Faith will no doubt be contenders again. Frontier and West Central are also young up-and-coming teams to watch. It’s an exciting time for DeMotte Christian basketball. Ethan McCammack is entering his third season as head coach, and he’s already brought the team some real success. With the nature of this year’s young team, there is a lot of uncertainty about the upcoming season, but whatever this year holds, the future is bright at DMC. The Knights will play a scrimmage on the road against Midwest rival South Newton on Friday evening at 5:30, and officially open their season at Hebron on the 26th– JV at 5:30 and varsity at 7:00. Go Knights!