The Hillsdale College men's basketball team made some big moves late in the signing period ahead of the 2022-23 season, bolstering an already strong class with two talented additions.
Forward Garrett Bolte (Chicago, IL/Hinsdale South) and guard Jacob Meyer (Pemberville, OH/Eastwood) both signed their letters of intent in the spring to join the Chargers for the upcoming season, bringing Hillsdale to four recruits in the Class of 2026.
An All-State level player in basketball-mad Illinois, Bolte was a star in the post for Hinsdale South, a Class 3A school playing in the rugged West Suburban League in metro Chicago. Bolte earned All-West Suburban League honors in both 2021 and 2022, and was named IHSA All-State, as well as an All-Area player by the Daily Herald and My Suburban Life as a senior in 2022. The forward nearly averaged a double-double in his final season, putting up 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a senior after helping lead the Hornets to West Suburban -- Gold Division titles in both 2019-20 and 2020-21. His size, athleticism rebounding acumen and two-way versatility are welcome additions to the Hillsdale College roster for the upcoming season.
On the AAU circuit, Bolte represented Breakaway Basketball, and he comes to Hillsdale College as a standout in the classroom as well, having finished high school on the dean's list in all eight semesters, as well as recognition as an AP Scholar and a Green Halo Scholar.
Meyer, meanwhile, is an athletic wing who helped lift Eastwood to new heights as a program during his time in high school. Over four years on the varsity, Meyer helped the Eagles go from a sub-.500 team in 2018-19 to Northern Buckeye Conference champions in 2021-22, tying a school record for wins with 21 and reaching the Sweet 16 round of the OHSAA Division III playoffs. A three-time all-conference and all-district player, Meyer averaged 19 points and eight rebounds as a senior to help key the Eagles' run, earning Northern Buckeye Conference and District VII Player of the Year honors, as well as Northwest Ohio Co-Player of the Year honors and Third Team All-Ohio honors. Meyer finished his high school career with 1,175 points and 600 rebounds. Meyer's ability to score in multiple ways and contribute as a rebounder from the wing make him a promising prospect at the collegiate level.
In club basketball, Meyer played for Maumee Bay Turf and Athlete Headquarters, and the guard also stood out in the classroom in high school, earning the District VII Academic Award, the OHSBCA Scholarship and the Franklin B. Walter Wood County Scholarship, as well as serving as Valedictorian for the Eastwood High Class of 2022.
Bolte and Meyer join Ashton Janowski (Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee) and CJ Yarian (Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius), who signed earlier in the school year, to make up the Chargers' Class of 2026. Janowski, a 6-2 guard with impressive shooting touch, was a critical part of back-to-back WIAA Division 2 championships for Pewaukee over the past two seasons, while Yarian, a 6-10 post player capable of controlling the paint at both ends of the floor, was a three-year varsity player at Cleveland St. Ignatius, standing out in one of the toughest conferences in Ohio high school basketball and helping the Wildcats to the OHSAA Division I state semifinals as a junior in 2020-21.
Those four players will join a veteran squad looking to continue a run of impressive recent success for the Chargers in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and at the NCAA Midwest Regional level. Hillsdale returns its starting backcourt of seniors Cole Nau, Jack Gohlke and Kyle Goessler intact from a squad that won the program's first NCAA Division II regional title and reached the Elite Eight round in 2021-22,. 2021-22 G-MAC Freshman of the Year Joe Reuter, the league's top player off the bench last season, is back as well for Hillsdale and figures to play an increased role.
The Chargers enter the 2022-23 season having won 19 or more games for five consecutive seasons, and posting a winning record in seven consecutive seasons, along with two G-MAC titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances in that stretch.
Photos courtesy of the athletes. From Left: Garrett Bolte, Jacob Meyer