GLIAC Men's Basketball Media Day Webpage
There's a lot of "new" around the Hillsdale College men's basketball program. A new season with a lot of new players playing in a new division, playing in a new arena. But one constant has been the Chargers' ability to string together one winning season after another under the guidance of head coach John Tharp. The goals remain the same as the curtain rises on the 2014-15 campaign.
The conference coaches picked the Chargers to finish in fourth place in the upcoming season. Junior forward Kyle Cooper was named to the preseason All-GLIAC North Division Second Team. Click on the link at the top of this release to view the complete all-conference preseason package.
One of the "old" Hillsdale will have to replace is the unprecedented production of forward Tim Dezelski, who graduated following the 2013-14 season. He became the first player in school history, and the only player in NCAA Division II to compile 600 points, 250 rebounds and 100 assists. Those are a lot of numbers, and though one player isn't likely to replace them, the Chargers hope a combination of experienced returners and talented newcomers can help get the job done.
Cooper and Zach Miller are returning starters who know the team's system and have proven themselves in clutch situations in the past. Cooper has a complete offensive game, complete with athleticism, outside shooting and versatility. He can score from anywhere on the floor in half-court sets, and is expected to be the centerpiece of the team's offense.
Miller is a quick point guard with superior passing and penetration skills. He received much of the crunch-time minutes in games last year, and has also eestablished himself as a leader on the court.
Seniors Cody Smith and Darius Ware also return to reinforce the backcourt. Smith enters his fourth year in the regular playing rotation and has ideal combo guard skills. Ware missed last season due to injury, but is back and will lend his explosiveness and mid-range shooting back to the Chargers.
Juniors Jason Pretzer and Rhett Smith return to lead the team's front court players. Both figure to see increased roles on the court compared to last year. Sophomore Nick Archer also showed improvement a year ago and will see minutes in the paint for the Chargers. Junior guard Garrett Jones is the prototypical gym rat who can shoot from anywhere on the court. Senior guard Michael Furlong and senior forward Ian Sheldon add depth and toughness to the lineup.
Redshirt-freshman guard Stedman Lowry also steps into the rotation this year for the first time. He's a deadly shooter who could thrive in the team's motion offense.
This year's Chargers feature a big freshman class, and several of those players may be asked to fill big roles on the team in their first seasons. The class is led by forwards Gordon Behr, Jack Cordes and Nick Czarnowski, and guards Nate Neveau and Jonathan Wilkinson. Twin brothers Christos and Steve Giannakopoulos hail from Athens, Greece and both are first-rate shooters.
Hillsdale moves into the GLIAC North Division this season, which means the team will play established programs like Michigan Tech, Northwood and Grand Valley State twice each, while playing their traditional South Division rivals like Ashland and Findlay just once during the regular season.
Renovations on what is now known as Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena are now complete, and the team has a brand-new locker room, team meeting room and game court to play in. Hillsdale went 12-1 at home last year, in what was truthfully, an unfinished project. Now, with a VIP section and seat-back chairs on the south end, and blue pull-out bleachers with awhite "H" on the north end, the Chargers have a new, but true, home court to defend this year.