Kids vie for spots on basketball "feeder" team

Fourteen-year-old Alex Whiteside is a newcomer to the rich tradition of St. Charles West High School basketball. And, he's hoping he's on the right track to becoming a part of it.

The Jefferson Middle School student is a center/forward on the eighth-grader "feeder" team. For years, the school district has had sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade select teams preparing players for the West high school basketball program.

Alex said, "West has a huge reputation in basketball. I moved into the district just two years ago. So far the experience has been all good."

St. Charles West High School had a third-place finish in last year's Missouri state basketball championships. The team has won state titles in the past.

They've also turned out players who went on to success in college ball. Probably, the best-known players were the Robertson brothers. Ryan was a star guard at University of Kansas and Troy was a swingman at Saint Louis University.

St. Charles West won the Missouri state title in 1995 when the Robertson boys played.

The current coach of the eighth-grade "feeder" team is Ryan Kiernan. He's a West graduate who was a guard on the Missouri Tigers basketball team for three years.

After graduating in 2003, Kiernan took a job with a hotel supply company and lives in St. Charles.

He also accepted West Coach Terry Hollander's request to coach this year's eighth-grade team. Thus, he's back at his alma mater to help new players fit into the West tradition.

Kiernan said, "The district has had 'feeder' teams for years. In the last few years, I've seen a lot of other schools do the same."

He said he uses some of the same plays and drills Coach Hollander uses in high school.

Fourteen-year-old Brad Heckman has lived in St. Charles all his life. He's grown up with the West tradition. "My dad, Rich, played for Coach Hollander," he said.

One other player on the eighth-grade team is also a relative newcomer. But, he certainly comes from a basketball background.

Kramer Soderberg is the son of Brad Soderberg, currently the head basketball coach at Saint Louis University. Prior to coming to SLU, Brad Soderberg was an assistant and head coach at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Fourteen-year-old Kramer already is getting a taste of West basketball. Because of an injury to one of the West guards, Kramer has been practicing with the varsity, although he can't dress for games.

He didn't get into organized ball until the fourth grade. "Before that, I just played with my dad," he said.

Kramer is a point guard now and he said an injury actually helped his game. "I broke my right arm when I was in fifth grade. That helped me strengthen my ball handling with my left," he said.

He said his best experience in basketball happened when he was in Madison.

"The last year my dad was an assistant at Wisconsin, the Badgers went to the NCAA Final Four. I got to ride with the team and go to all the games," Kramer said.

Now that his father is at SLU, Kramer also hangs out with the college players. He sits behind the bench at all Billikens' games at the Savvis Center. "I learn lots from talking to the players and watching what they do," he said.

Kramer is now an eighth-grader at St. Cletus Catholic School. But, he plans to attend St. Charles West High School. He said the school's basketball tradition is a "big factor" in that decision.

As for college, he said, "I'd like to play for my dad."

Alex Whiteside and Brad Heckman aren't sure basketball is in their college sports futures.

Alex thinks his college sports focus will be track and field and cross-country running. He has had success with middle and longer-distance races. "Besides, there are a whole lot more basketball players than there are runners," he added.

Brad thinks his best chance for college sports is in baseball. He's a pitcher and plays in the infield. "Playing baseball in college has been my hope since I was very young," he said.

But, the boys' immediate sports goals are to work hard this season so they can have a role in extending St. Charles West's basketball tradition in the next four years.