L to R: Jamoni Jones, Jalen Broussard, Chase Kinzinger, Trenton Cooper, Dawson Wood, Scott McNeal.

Dawson Wood, 12, Chase Kinzinger, 13, Trenton Cooper, 11, from Cedar Springs, Jalen Broussard, 12, EGR and Jamoni Jones, 11, East Kentwood, are the first kids to be put in the Gus Macker Hall of Fame.

The celebration weekend began Thursday with the 40th Anniversary Macker Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the “Macker Hacker” golf outing. Both events were at Candlestone Golf Resort in Belding and over 200 people attended the induction ceremony for 10 special honorees, including guests from current and former Macker Tournament stops as far away as San Diego, California.

Known as the Dream Kids, “We wanted to choose somebody reflective of today’s Gus Macker Tournaments while they were still at that age, and these guys are absolute stars on the Dream Court,” Gus said.

“These young players have become part of our family, as they travel from town to town celebrating the 3 on 3 half-court game, with unique nicknames, fun personalities and entertaining fames, they remind us of our neighborhood friends in Lowell 40 years ago.”

Gus has dubbed the kids with the following nicknames and memories.

Dawson Wood (D-Wood) the captain… scored his HOF status on his birthday 2 years ago, with a long range 2-point jumper with time running out to win the championship on the Dream Court… slept with his trophy… his range begins at the city limit sign.

Chase Kinzinger (Milky) – the heart… Lefty is the true competitor on the squad, but is always having fun… can do it all… never count him out, because he always finds a way to win.

Trenton Cooper (TT) – kid dynamite… the strong man in the group… can play any sport… once played with a broken collar bone… ice in his veins.

Jalen Broussard (JT or Owen) the true scorer… is smooth as silk and has incredible quickness… the quiet assassin can get to the rack now.

Jamoni Jones (the Answer) – the young superstar… plays like he is 18 years old… crazy crossover… fun to watch, with more moves than “Ex-Lax”… amazing talent.

These kids feel very fortunate and are honored to receive this recognition and will continue to represent Gus Macker and its family in a positive way on and off the court.

Jalen Broussard of Grand Rapids, Dawson Wood, Trenton Cooper and Chase Kinzinger, all of Cedar Springs, won their second straight Gus Macker tournament, played in Belding on August 6 and 7.
Twelve teams were placed in their bracket. For the second straight time, they finished with a record of 5-0. They won three of their five games by less than three points, with one of their victories coming in sudden death overtime.

Dawson Wood, of Cedar Springs, Trenton Cooper, of Cedar Springs, Scott “Gus Macker” McNeil, Chase Kinzinger, of Cedar Springs, and Jalen Broussard, of Grand Rapids pose with their first place trophies after finishing the Gus Macker tournament in Greenville with a record of 5-0.

Thirteen teams vied for the championship July 16 and 17. A combination of balanced scoring and tenacious defense helped the Cedar team achieve an undefeated record in the 10 and under division. In the semi-final game, they beat a team by a score of 15-1 to advance to finals. There was no let up in the finals. They posed a 15-8 victory to win the tournament.

The team is going to play in Belding on August 6-7 to see if they can keep their winning streak alive.

A Cedar Springs team that played in the 10 years old and younger age bracket took first place in the Gus Macker tournament held in Mount Pleasant Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1.
The team of Dawson Wood, Chase Kinzinger, Trenton Cooper, and Jarrett Hoogerhyde finished with a 4-1 record to win. They had to beat a much taller team from Williamston, who already had beaten twice in the finals.
The first game of the finals was won on a last second shot, giving Cedar Springs a 13-12 victory. In the final game of the tournament, Cedar Springs hustled their way to an 11-9 victory. Not only did they get first place, they also received the sportsmanship medals for being good sports throughout the tournament.