Plymouth hoops team looks to turn last year’s close L’s into W’s
Plymouth senior Zerry Rue elevates to the rim during a practice last week.
Although it finished last in the eight-team KLAA West Division last season, Plymouth’s boys basketball team may have led the state in at least one intriguing category: high drama.
Six of the Wildcats’ 21 games stretched to overtime, with Plymouth dropping five of those extra-session thrillers.
With its two most-impactful players returning for the 2025-26 season, hopes are high heading into Head Coach Darien Bynum’s second season.
“We played every team in the conference close in at least one game last season, so we were really close to having a much better record,” said Bynum, the Dean of Students at Pioneer Middle School. “Two of our overtime losses were against Salem — and we were right there with Novi, losing by seven. It’s just a matter of hitting some clutch baskets down the stretch, which I’m confident we’re capable of doing this season.”
Wildcats respond to coaching
One thing is certain about this year’s group of Wildcats: They listen to direction.
“Our first scrimmage (Nov. 22) at Northville, we kind of got punched in the mouth a little by North Farmington and we didn’t respond well,” Bynum recounted.
“I got on them a little bit before the next scrimmage against Redford Thurston and they went out and grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the first few minutes, which set the tone for the rest of the day. It’s all about effort and execution.”
Bynum will be counting heavily this season on senior Zerry Rue, who torched the nets for 37 points in one of the OT setbacks to Salem, and junior Chayse Calvin, who not only can take even the best defenders to the rack with crafty drives, but takes great pride in his defense as well.
Two best players return
Rue’s stellar junior season earned him All-KLAA first team honors, while Calvin was selected as an honorable mention honoree following his sophomore year.
Rue averaged 18 points and eight rebounds as a junior — numbers that should be elevated this winter.
“Zerry is a naturally gifted player who is a good shooter, but would rather take the ball to the basket,” Bynum said. “He’s a hard guy to guard.
“Chayse gets downhill toward the basket in a hurry. What I like about Chayse is he’s very defensive-minded.”
Hornbacher, twins bring toughness, versatility
While the Wildcats’ starting line-up could be shuffled throughout the upcoming campaign, senior Max Hornbacher and sophomore twin brothers Noah and Eli Bravo are expected to play significant minutes, along with junior Preston Sholler.
“Max is a likely starter; he’s tough and athletic,” Bynum said. “He’s a relentless rebounder who brings a level of toughness we need.
“The Bravo twins started in most of our scrimmages. They’re both 6-2 or 6-3, and can do a lot of different things — shoot, rebound, pass and go inside. Preston is a combo guard who can really knock down threes. He’ll benefit from Zerry and Chayse getting a lot of attention from the defense. He can also handle the ball well, so he’ll take pressure off Chayse in that regard.”
Plymouth’s version of ‘The Microwave’
Plymouth’s X-factor player is senior captain Abdul Hammad, who would probably be the Wildcats’ representative in a KLAA 3-point contest.
“Abdul is a lights-out shooter,” Bynum raved. “When he gets it going, he’s hard to take out of the game. The role he’s best suited for is giving us a spark off the bench. He’s one of those kids who’s hustling from the first minute of practice to the last. He never takes a play off, which is a coach’s dream.”
Bynum spoke highly of senior guard Sajan Amin, who added some off-season bulk thanks to countless hours in the weightroom.
“We need a big year from Saj,” Bynum emphasized. “He can shoot and he has a nice little floater in the lane.”
After playing minimal minutes on varsity last year, the roles of seniors Isaiah Hooks and Kenny Holdridge are expected to expand in their final season of high school hoops.
“Isaiah is a good rebounder and really good passer, too,” Bynum said. “He’ll help a lot in our transition game.
“Kenny’s biggest strength is probably knocking down shots. Neither of them have a lot of experience from last season, so we need them to catch up fast.”
Bynum also said Justin Haywood and Melvin Stanley have attributes that can help Plymouth win games this season.
“Our No. 1 strength is our speed … we’re faster than a lot of teams,” he elaborated. “We’re one of the smaller teams in the conference, so we need to get out in transition. Running a half-court offense with our lack of size might be a struggle at times against bigger teams.
“We’re going to look to press teams and get after them on defense. If we can shoot a decent percentage from three, we’ll be fine.”
Plymouth debuts Tuesday, Dec. 2,
