Jan. 6, 2025

Seven-footer Nate Claerbaut emerges as the big man in the middle for Ferris State basketball

Seven-foot center Nate Claerbaut is opening eyes as a big man who has invested the off-season work to emerge as the starting center after playing limited minutes for most of his Ferris State basketball career.

The 230-pound junior center redshirted as a true freshman and played in just 14 games and 13 games the next two seasons, coming into the 2024-25 season.

The offseason between his sophomore and junior seasons would propel him into this winter, a breakthrough college basketball campaign for the former Zeeland East High School standout.

This season, Claerbaut, a Business Administration major, casts an imposing shadow as his playing time is no longer as limited.

"Going into the offseason, after last year, I focused on working to get myself into better shape for this season," said Claerbaut, who scored a season-high 16 points in a 106-47 win over Grace Christian on Nov. 26. "My motor was always a thing for me, and I knew that was where I needed to start to help my team succeed. That was part of my conversation with (Ferris State head men's basketball coach Andy Bronkema). I knew that I had to be able to run the floor and hold my own inside for the team."

Claerbaut has reached double digits in scoring in eight of 13 games this season, having prepared himself to be a factor for the Bulldogs.

"This season, I knew I wanted to contribute in any way I could for this team," he said. "I went from playing not as many minutes last season to now playing more than 20 minutes a game this season."

The hard work is paying off.

It's more than the 22 minutes he is now averaging this season. Claerbaut has started 12 of the team's 13 games this season, averaging 10.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and nearly three blocked shots. Offensively, he is knocking shots down at a beyond-efficient 65.6 percent from the floor.

This winter, the Bulldogs' big men are shouldering the responsibility for inside scoring, rim protection and rebounding. It's a tall task for some tall Bulldogs. In addition to Claerbaut, and 6-foot-6 newcomer Kenny Turner, an Integrated Studies major who is a native of Coral Springs, Florida and prepped at St. Andrews School and played at King University in Bristol, Tennessee, are among those big men working to control the paint.

"’Coach Bronks’ said he wanted to see 20 points and 10 rebounds out of Kenny and me this season – whether it's him, me or both of us," said Claerbaut, who earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 11. "All that matters is that coach wants to see that production out of us. He wants to see us out there working hard and getting the job done inside."

Beyond Claerbaut and Turner, another 6-foot-6 veteran forward, Reece Hazelton, stands strong in the paint. Hazelton, a native of Glen Lake who is seeking a Master Business Administration degree, is having a strong campaign with 8.5 points and more than four rebounds. Mykel Bingham, a 6-foot-8 Grand Rapids native majoring in Integrative Studies, and Deng Reng, at 6-foot-6 forward from Montgomery, Illinois, majoring in Marketing, are also key factors inside defensively for the Bulldogs.

Claerbaut’s twin brother, 6-foot-4 swingman Brandon Claerbaut, has made significant strides in the off-season for the Bulldogs. Brandon, a Finance major, played in 11 games this season for Ferris State, with two starts.

Last winter, the Bulldogs finished 28-8. Ferris State won the GLIAC Tournament and NCAA Division II Midwest Region Tournament championships before advancing to the Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana, where Ferris State fell to Minnesota State University, the eventual NCAA Division II National Champion.

Ferris State is ranked fourth nationally by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and is off to a 12-1 start this season, including 2-0 in the GLIAC.

The Bulldogs return to action in early 2025 with doubleheaders for the nationally ranked men's and women's basketball teams. The Bulldogs host Saginaw Valley State on Thursday, Jan. 3, in Jim Wink Arena, with the women's game starting at 5:30 and the men starting at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldog basketball teams are back at home on Saturday, Jan. 5, against Wayne State University. The women play at 1 p.m. followed by the men at 3 p.m.