By RICHIE HALL
There were many reasons why choosing to play basketball at Western Michigan University was an easy decision for Hamilton Heights star Gus Etchison.
It’s a Division I school in the competitive Mid-American Conference. It’s not too far away from home. The coaches offered Etchison immediate playing time. All of those are valid reasons, but they were overshadowed by the biggest one of all: It had the personal approval of Tony Etchison.
After the Etchison family visited Western Michigan, Tony told his son how much he liked it.
“I had his blessing to go there,” said Gus. “That made a big difference.”
In October, Tony Etchison lost his life in a farming accident. Tony may not be here physically anymore, but there is no doubt that he is still here. He continues to be an influence on Gus, not just in basketball, but off the court as well.
“I want to be like him and carry myself like he carried himself on and off the court,” said Gus Etchison.
Gus made the announcement that he had committed to Western Michigan Friday evening in a Twitter video. In that video, he said he wanted to continue his father’s legacy. Tony also played Division I basketball, at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. The video featured a clip of Tony Etchison during one of his college games.
“They incorporated that into a tape of me, which was pretty cool,” said Gus Etchison.
Western Michigan made it clear to Gus that he would be welcomed with open arms by the Broncos. The team told Etchison that he was “a No. 1 guy” and would be the point guard once he walked on to the floor.
“It made me feel wanted,” said Etchison, who just finished his junior year at Heights.
TRANSITION PERIOD
Western Michigan is going through a transition period at the moment, as its longtime coach Steve Hawkins was recently let go. Hawkins had coached the Broncos for 17 seasons, including two appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Longtime assistant Clayton Bates is now the head coach for WMU. Etchison pointed out that Bates had been his main recruiter, and was still doing so even after moving into the head coaching position.
“He recruited me pretty much the whole time,” said Etchison.
Hamilton Heights coach Chad Ballenger also went up to Western Michigan with Gus and his mother Toby during the season. Ballenger could also tell right away how much the Broncos wanted to up there.
“It was just a really good visit,” said Ballenger. “They really showed how much they wanted Gus to be a part of them. With Tony getting to go up there and being high on his list, that meant a lot to Gus.”
Ballenger said that WMU’s style of play will suit Etchison well, since Bates is going to a four-guard offense.
“He’s going to an offense that’s going to suit Gus,” said Ballenger. “Gus is going to be a point guard in college. That was also appealing that he’s going to go into a style that fits him, let Gus play to his strengths.”
Pete Smith, the veteran basketball coach, has been a family friend of the Etchisons for many years. In fact, Etchison was the ball boy for the Guerin Catholic team that Smith coached to a state championship in 2012. He also attended the Golden Eagles’ summer basketball camps from first through eighth grade, and his grandfather John Stretch was Smith’s scorekeeper when Smith was a coach at GC; Smith said Stretch is a “dear friend” of his.
“He’s been a family friend for 20 or 30 years,” Etchison said of Smith. “I’ve been around him ever since I was born.”’
WHY WAIT?
Smith also fully encouraged Gus to accept Western Michigan’s offer. He told the family, why wait to see if someone else needs a guard like Etchison when there’s a school only three and a half hours away that already wants him.
“It’s a great situation for Gus to grow as a young man, get a solid education, and also have an opportunity to play basketball on a team due to make the NCAA tournament sometime in his career there,” said Smith. “Now he can completely focus on doing whatever Coach Ballenger needs him to do to help their team win next season, knowing he’s playing for the goals of his team, not trying to impress coaches to offer him a scholarship.”
Of course, if anyone wasn’t impressed with Etchison’s play in his junior season, they weren’t paying attention. Etchison shined for the Huskies last year, even while dealing with the grief of losing his father.
The emotions were raw on Nov. 27, the day Heights hosted Lebanon in its season-opening game. But Etchison, with all eyes on him, channeled that into a remarkable performance by scoring 41 points. The Huskies won the game 71-69 in overtime on a Hudson Hochstedler putback.
“I know before the game I was really upset,” said Etchison. “I just wanted to take over and play for him. I just wanted to win that game so badly.”
Ballenger said that he watched that season-opening game the other night. “Just from an emotional standpoint, man, it was really hard,” he said.
“With Gus’ situation, we were more worried about his emotional status and things like that,” said Ballenger. “I wanted it for him so bad.”
After Hochstedler made the winning shot and were jumping and down celebrating, Ballenger ran on to the court.
“It was this outpouring of emotion and I wanted it for the kids, wanted it for Gus,” said Ballenger. He said it was the first time in their young lives that many of those players had lost someone close to them.
“Tony, he coached those kids in junior basketball and was around,” said Ballenger.
Gus would go on to average 24.9 points per game during that season. That included a 56-point performance in the Huskies’ Dec. 10 game with Mount Vernon, one of the toughest teams on Heights’ schedule. Etchison isn’t sure where that performance came from, but remembers a feeling of confidence as the game went on.
“Honestly, that game, I felt like my dad was there with me,” said Etchison. “It was fun. We lost, which was tough, but Mount Vernon’s a really good school and great team.”
Heights finished last season 16-9, losing a tough game in the sectional championship to Delta 42-41. It was one of two basketball-related disappointments for Etchison this spring. The other was when he was left off of the Indiana Junior All-Stars team, a likely shock to anyone who had watched him play this season.
“I’m obviously disappointed I didn’t make the team, but it gave me more motivation to come out and work harder,” said Etchison, who also said he thinks he got more publicity after not making the team, rather than if he had made it.
“I know I have the abilities to do it,” said Etchison.
LOOKING FORWARD
Etchison is also looking to lead the Huskies to another winning season. And there’s a player Gus is looking forward to playing with next season: Younger brother Tillman Etchison, who will be a freshman for the Huskies.
Gus said his younger brother is 5-10, 5-11 – “I think he’s getting my dad’s height,” he said – and is already a big kid. Gus continued his scouting report by saying Tillman can shoot and handle the ball really well.
“He plays pretty good defense, too,” said Gus. “He should help out a lot next year.”
Gus also said that there will be other young players coming on to the Huskies team, and that some players in his class will step up as well.
“I think we’re going to be really good next year,” said Etchison.
Then after that, Etchison will be heading up to Kalamazoo to play for the Broncos. Western Michigan is already a special place to Gus because of the presence of his father. And while they have to wait one more year to have Gus on their court, the Broncos have already made it clear that the Etchisons are part of the family.
“The coaches are really close They’re especially close with my mom. They reach out to her the same as they reach out to me. When I went there, it felt like family to me,” said Gus.
Gus Etchison (far left, bottom row) was a ballboy for the Guerin Catholic boys basketball team during its 2011-12 state championship season. Also pictured behind Gus is his grandfather John Stretch, the scorekeeper for the Golden Eagles and a longtime friend of coach Pete Smith. (Photo provided)