NATE AARDEMA/Contributed Photo
Whitehall basketball star Isaac Love poses with his parents while celebrating his signing with Spring Arbor University last week. Love’s parents both attended the school.
WHITEHALL — To hear Whitehall boys basketball coach Nate Aardema speak of his senior captain and star, Isaac Love, is to hear someone who is extremely impressed with his player’s off-court accomplishments at least as much as his on-court victories.
“Isaac is self-motivated,” Aardema said. “(Vikings’ wrestling coach) Cliff Sandee always says you can’t be great at anything if you’re not good at everything. He’s a good student, a good athlete, a good son, a good brother, a good friend. That’s what allows him to be good at basketball.”
Those qualities have enabled Love to further his basketball career beyond high school, as he signed with Spring Arbor University of the NAIA recently.
The move is one driven by family. Love’s father, Troy, in addition to being a former head coach of the Vikings’ hoopsters, was a 1,000-point scorer in just two seasons at Spring Arbor while finishing his bachelor’s degree there following two years at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He ranks 36th on the school’s all-time scoring list. Love’s mother also attended Spring Arbor. In addition, Love has a cousin, Brandon Baum, on the Spring Arbor coaching staff.
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