East Kentwood Basketball’s Brent Kimbrel Named High School Athlete of the Week

Brent Kimbrel, who captains the unbeaten East Kentwood High School boys' basketball team, is this week's Meijer-97.9 WGRD High School Athlete of the Week.

The 5-foot, 11-inch senior shooting guard has been a prime reason that East Kentwood is 17-0 overall and an Ottawa-Kent Conference Red Division leading 7-0. He is averaging 9.5 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists a game and being the leading three-point shooter for the Falcons.

"The first word that comes to mind for me is his energy's boundless," East Kentwood Coach Jeff Anama said of Kimbrel. "He's in constant motion. "Plus, his attitude is so phenomenal.

"He's about as fun a kid to coach as I've had in 20 years of coaching."

Kimbrel's competitive fire and presence is helping make this a phenomenal season for a balanced and deep East Kentwood contingent, with Marlon Dorsey, Micah Rosser, Darron Ewing and Brandon Fuller among other Falcons stalwarts.

East Kentwood next plays at 6 p.m. EST Friday at home against OK Red rival Rockford. East Kentwood is two games ahead of Hudsonville and three ahead of Rockford in the division.

The Falcons are currently ranked No. 2 in Class A in The Associated Press' weekly poll behind Detroit Western International, with Muskegon third and Forest Hills Central fourth, according to The Grand Rapids Press/MLive Media Group.

During Kimbrel's four years on the varsity, East Kentwood has gone 68-12. He started midway through his freshman year because of some injuries to fellow Falcons and been a varsity starter ever since, Anama said.

Kimbrel "a quiet, humble leader" who "leads more by example," Anama said. "He just knows where he's supposed to be.

"I think that he's been a key for us ... and is a benchmark of what we're capable of."

In addition to basketball, Kimbrel also competes on East Kentwood's two-time defending state champion boys' track and field squad as a high jumper. He won a regional title last year with a 6-foot, 3-inch leap.

The son of Denise Kimbrel, Brandon is a solid student-athlete who "just has a smile on his face all the time," Anama said. "Teachers love him; his teammates love him."

Congrats Brent from Meijer and WGRD as well as Channel 95.7, 100.5 The River, 98.7 WFGR and 1410 AM The Touch.