Schedule
Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Wayne St. (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC) | 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 | Wayne State Fieldhouse | Detroit, MI
Saginaw Valley St. (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC) at Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Wayne State Roster | SVSU Roster | 2022-23 Hillsdale Stats | 2022-23 Wayne State Stats | 2022-23 SVSU Stats
Players to watch*
Hillsdale: #2 Ashton Janowski, So, G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (2.2 ppg); #4 Charles Woodhams, Jr., G, Otsego, MI/Otsego (6.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg); #14 Walt Mattingly, So., F, Fort Mitchell, KY/Lake Forest (1.3 ppg); #31 CJ Yarian, So., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (redshirted in 2022-23); #33 Joe Reuter, Jr., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (12.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1 spg)
Wayne State: #1 Colin Golson, Jr., Jr., F, Detroit, MI/Ferndale/Eastern Michigan (5 ppg, 3.1 rpg at EMU); #5 Tamario Adley, So., G, Detroit, MI/Warren De La Salle/Macomb CC (11.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg at MCC); #11 Carmelo Harris, So., G, Flint, MI/Beecher (13.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg); #23 Ray Williams, Sr., G/F, Detroit, MI/Edison (9 ppg, 6 rpg); #44 Matt Coffey, So., C, Detroit, MI/King (3.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Saginaw Valley State: #0 Jiovanni Miles, Sr., G, Novi, MI/Macomb CC (8.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg); #1 Freddie McIntosh, Jr, G, Saginaw, MI/Saginaw (16.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.1 spg); #3 Tre Garrett, Sr., G, Saginaw, MI/Bridgeport (14.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2 spg); #4 Kevonne Taylor, So, F, Detroit, MI/Chandler Park (5.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.1 bpg); #23 Ethan Hill, Jr., F, Muskegon, MI/Muskegon (3 ppg)
*Stats from 2022-23 season
Scouting the Opposition
Wayne State: The Warriors are in the middle of a rebuild, bringing back just three of their top seven minutes-getters from an 8-17 squad in 2022-23.
Despite significant losses, Wayne State can lean on a few talented and experienced returners, as senior wing Ray Williams has been a stalwart figure in the Warriors' lineup for three years entering 2023-24, and high-scoring guard Carmelo Harris also returns for Wayne State looking to build on a strong freshman season. Super-sub Kaimen Lennox and promising big man Matt Coffey also got solid experience for the Warriors last year.
The Warriors will look to supplement its returning talent with immediate impact newcomers. Eastern Michigan transfer and forward Colin Golson, Jr. will be a big part of the team's plans, and Wayne State also will lean heavily on a pair of stars from nearby Macomb Community College, Tamario Adley and Kareem Aburashed, to play major roles. True freshmen Jordan Briggs and Hutch Ward also will get a shot at earning a spot in the team's rotation.
Head Coach Bryan Smothers is entering his second season in charge after replacing the long-tenured David Greer. A Wayne State alumnus who was a standout basketball player for the Warriors, Smothers also spent time coaching with the University of Michigan and Niagara University, as well as with Wayne State, before taking charge.
Saginaw Valley State: The Cardinals enter the 2023-24 season coming off a 14-15 campaign in 2022-23 that was a step back from recent heights, but with significant talent returning to make up that lost ground this season.
SVSU returns five players who started 10 or more games last season, including a dynamic and experienced guard trio of Freddie McIntosh, Tre Garrett and Jiovanni Miles. McIntosh and Garrett combined to average 30 points per game last season and will be a potent combination for any opponent to try and deal with.
The Cardinals also return a promising post player in Kevonne Taylor, whose 6-10 frame and athleticism made him an imposing defender at the NCAA DII level. To reach their ceiling, SVSU will need Taylor to become a force at the offensive end as well.
New faces in the transfer portal could help bolster SVSU's depth. Missouri-St. Louis transfer Dylan West could play a big role at the four, and while JuCo transfer Cadin Augustine also has strong size that could make the Cardinals tougher in the paint.
SVSU is coached by Randy Baruth, now in his 12th season leading the Cardinals, with a 91-144 record overall. Baruth graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University and played for the Tigers.
Scouting the Chargers
It's a new era for the Hillsdale College men's basketball team, as new head coach Keven Bradley begins the 2023-24 era with four new starters on the court after the Chargers graduated six seniors from the 2022-23 squad.
But while it is a new beginning for Hillsdale, there's plenty of continuity with the program's recent successes and the foundation built over the past two decades. Before taking the head job this past spring, Bradley spent three seasons as Hillsdale's associate head coach, helping guide the program to a 2020-21 G-MAC title, three 20-plus win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16 appearances, and a 2022 NCAA DII Midwest Regional title and Elite Eight appearance. His background makes him very familiar with the Chargers program and how to keep things rolling.
And while Hillsdale bid farewell to four starters this offseason, several important players return for Bradley in the 2023-24 season, led by the lone starting holdover, junior Joe Reuter, who earned second-team All-G-MAC honors while averaging 12.5 points and six rebounds per game for a 23-win Chargers squad in 2022-23. While Reuter has had a role to play for the Chargers since his first day on campus, this season will be a big chance for the junior to take on a key leadership role with the squad as an upperclassman.
Along with Reuter, Hillsdale also brings back a trio of important substitutes from 2022-23 who look poised to compete for starting roles. Guards Charles Woodhams, a redshirt junior, and Ashton Janowski, a true sophomore, were big in moments off the bench for Hillsdale last season and should see their roles increase in 2023-24, while fellow guards Sam Vasiu and Cole McWhinnie should take on bigger roles as well.
In the paint, Radisevic could step in as the Chargers' post presence after serving as the first big man off the bench in last year's rotation. Redshirt sophomore Walt Mattingly should also see a bigger role, as will redshirt freshmen C.J. Yarian and Garrett Bolte, who will both see their first collegiate action this season.
Hillsdale should also get some quality minutes from a five-player freshman class. Guards Logan Beaston and Mikey McCollum were both proficient scorers at the high school level and could bring some offensive punch, while Caleb Glaser and Connor Stonebraker will get a chance to break into the lineup in the post as well.
A young Chargers squad is looking to keep alive a string of six consecutive seasons with 19 or more wins, a stretch that includes four NCAA Tournament appearances and two G-MAC titles despite tough competition from a league that is rising rapidly in talent and accolades.
Matchup History
- The Chargers are 35-44 all-time against Wayne State, an old GLIAC rival who first played Hillsdale in the 1976-77 season, but Hillsdale is 2-1 since joining the G-MAC, and has won each of the last two meetings. The Chargers are 6-3 against the Warriors in the last decade.
- Similarly, Hillsdale is 42-38 all-time against Saginaw Valley St. in another long-running series against a former conference mate in the GLIAC that dates back to the mid-70s. Hillsdale is 3-1 against the Cardinals since joining the G-MAC in the 2017-18 season, including winning two meetings with SVSU last season.
Other Notes
- The Chargers were picked to finish sixth in the G-MAC Preseason Poll released in late October. Defending G-MAC Tournament Champion Ashland was picked to win the league, and 2022-23 regular season champion Walsh was picked to finish second. Since joining the league in 2017-18, Hillsdale has never finished worse than third in the final G-MAC standings.
- Hillsdale is looking to continue an impressive run of recent success over the last six seasons that includes two G-MAC Championships, four 20-plus win campaigns, four NCAA DII Tournament berths, two Sweet 16 appearances, and a Midwest Regional title and Elite Eight appearance in 2021-22. The Chargers have had 21 or more wins in each of the last three seasons, and made an unprecedented three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
- While Hillsdale graduated four starters and three All-G-MAC players from last season's 23 win team, the Chargers do have significant returning talent, led by junior Joe Reuter. The G-MAC Freshman of the Year in 2021-22 and a second team All-G-MAC honoree in 2022-23, Reuter averaged 12.5 points and six rebounds per game last year as a key player for Hillsdale. With a young squad in 2023-24, the Chargers will lean heavily on his experience and leadership.