Standing 6-foot-7 as a sophomore, Spokane center Ridge Kipper is hopeful he has another growth spurt in him. His father, Patrick, is 6-8.
“I don't know if I'll grow as tall as him or be taller,” Ridge said. “I was 6-3 in eighth grade and grew to 6-6 for my freshman year and then grew an inch this year and got to 6-7.”
As an underclassmen who is starting to establish himself at the varsity level, Kipper is ahead of his father's pace. Ridge feels fortunate for the chance to be working toward fulfilling his potential, particularly since his father had to be a quick study during his one season playing for Spokane 25 years ago.
“My Dad played his senior year only,” Ridge said. "He had to work a lot growing up, so he didn't really have the time to play. He wanted to play, but couldn't. When he did play, he did really good.
“He's doing all he can now to get me to games and practices every day,” Ridge added. “He knows what it feels like to not play.”
Kipper enjoyed his best game to date by scoring seven points in Spokane’s loss to Mansfield on Tuesday.
“I thought he was great,” teammate Ethan Newell said. “Ridge has potential. He's going to be good over the years.”
“He only started playing halfway through his eighth-grade year and then he had a thumb injury,” coach Newt Starrett said. "He's still pretty green. We’ve been trying to get him more and more (playing) time. That's what he needs to build his skills and build his confidence. He’s in the weight room getting stronger. I think things are going to come along for him.”
Kipper’s breakout night actually began during the jayvee game, when he scored 11 points in a half. Per MSHSAA rules, a player can log a maximum of six quarters of playing time a night spread over jayvee and varsity games.
Kipper appreciates the chance to gain reps on the jayvee level.
“It gives me confidence when I do good in the jayvee game,” he said. “Tonight, I took the shots I wouldn't normally have shot at the beginning of the year.”
“We've been telling him on the jayvee he should be dominating those guys because he’s so tall and strong,’ Starrett said. “We tell him, ‘If you post up and get the ball, you can just turn around and put it in.' Tonight, he started to catch on.”
One area Kipper feels he needs to improve on is receiving passes while he’s posted up in the paint and has a defender on his back.
“I need to catch the ball, that's been a problem for me,” he said. “I go in spells where I just can't catch the ball for some reason. When I can't catch it, it makes (my teammates) not want to pass the ball to me.”
Kipper’s emergence could fill a void for Spokane, after the graduation of center JD Tate from last season’s team. Tate patrolled the pain for four years for Spokane and became a member of the Owls’ 1,000-point club.
Naturally Kipper draws comparisons to Tate.
"I hear that every day," Kipper said. "I'm kind of trying to fill his spot. Since he’s left, that's given me a reason to try harder and pushed me a lot. Without a big man, it's hard to get boards.”
