The Charger men's basketball team has its first action of the 2022-23 season against an opposing team this Saturday, as Hillsdale meets host and Division I mid-major powerhouse Toledo for an exhibition contest.
Hillsdale is coming off a special 2021-22 season that saw the Chargers break through and capture their first-ever NCAA DII Midwest Regional title and Elite Eight berth. Toledo, meanwhile, has high expectations for this season after back-to-back MAC Regular Season titles and should be a stiff test for the Chargers to figure out where they stand this season.
All exhibition men's basketball games played at the University of Toledo have free admission, so fans are encouraged to attend. The game will not be broadcast as is traditional with exhibition games.
Schedule
Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Toledo (0-0, 0-0 MAC) | 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 | Savage Arena | Toledo, OH
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Toledo Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Toledo Stats
Players to watch*
Hillsdale: #2 Kyle Goessler, Sr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (9.8 ppg, 2.8 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Sr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (9.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg); #5 Cole Nau, Sr, G, Brookfield, WI/Central (4.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 0.7 spg); #30 Noah Applegate, Jr., F, Mishawaka, IN/Penn (2.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, So., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (7.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.6 spg)
Toledo: #32 JT Shumate, Sr., F, Newark, OH/Newark/Walsh University (15 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.3 bpg); #4 Setric Millner Jr., Sr., F, Little Rock, AR/Grand Rapids Christian/Northwest Florida St. College (15 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2 apg); #0 Ra'Heim Moss, So., G, Springfield, OH/Springfield/Spire Institute (8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.2 spg); #10 RayJ Dennis, Jr., G, Plainfield, IL/Oswego East/Boise State (12.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.1 apg); #23 Tyler Cochran, Jr., G, Bolingbrook, IL/Bolingbrook/Ball State (11.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2 spg at Ball State)
*Stats from 2021-22 season
Scouting the Opposition
Toledo has developed into a Mid-American Conference powerhouse under head coach Tod Kowalczyk, having won back-to-back regular season conference championships, along with 11 straight .500 or better seasons. The only plaudit that has eluded the Rockets is a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980, but Toledo is well positioned to make another run at that achievement in 2022-23.
The Rockets return four starters from a 26-win team last season led by two multi-year starters who provide Toledo with arguably the best front-court duo in the MAC in senior forwards JT Shumate and Setric Millner Jr, who are both talented offensive players while also bringing rebounding and toughness.
On the perimeter, the Rockets have a huge hold to fill with the departure of Ryan Rollins, who led Toledo in scoring in 2021-22 and became the Rockets' first NBA Draft pick since 1998 this summer. Although Toledo may not have one player of Rollins' caliber, the Rockets have an excellent point guard in RayJ Dennis to run the offense, and added two guards with significant Division I starting experience in Ball State transfer Tyler Cochran and Cal State Fullerton transfer Dante Maddox, who should both jump right into the rotation for Toledo.
Kowalczyk is in his 13th season at the helm of the Rockets, with a 231-161 record, five MAC West Division titles, three outright MAC titles, and three NIT appearances. He arrived at the Rockets after a successful stint at Division I Green Bay from 2002-10.
Scouting the Chargers
Last season was a dream for Hillsdale, as the Chargers finally broke through at the regional level in the NCAA Tournament, winning three straight games to capture the Midwest Region crown and reach the NCAA DII Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
The challenge in 2022-23 for the Chargers is to remain among the elite in the Midwest Region while replacing several key players in the frontcourt. Hillsdale no longer has the only two-time first team NCAA DII All-American in program history as Patrick Cartier has graduated, and also gone are perennial All-G-MAC forward Austen Yarian and key defensive stopper Tavon Brown.
While those shoes will be tough to fill, Hillsdale still has plenty of talent and experience to draw on as the Chargers look to continue their run of recent success. Hillsdale's entire starting backcourt returns intact and those three seniors – point guard Cole Nau and wings Kyle Goessler and Jack Gohlke – will be critical veteran leaders for the squad while also looking to take on more of the team's scoring load.
Also returning is sophomore forward Joe Reuter, who came on after the Christmas Break to become the Chargers' sixth man, and earn G-MAC Freshman of the Year honors in his first collegiate season. With a potential move into the starting lineup in 2022-23, Reuter could be the breakout player of the season in the G-MAC if he can translate his production in a part-time role in 2021-22 into larger minutes.
In the post, veterans Peter Kalthoff, Noah Applegate and Eric Radisevic will compete for bigger roles with incoming freshmen C.J. Yarian and Garrett Bolte as Hillsdale looks to offset some of the lost production from the graduation of its top three post players from last season.
Additional scoring support off the bench could come from a number of sources – sophomores Charles Woodhams and Sam Vasiu will look to carve out bigger roles, while redshirt freshmen Walt Mattingly and Cole McWhinnie will get their first real crack at playing time as well.
Directing the Chargers for the 16th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 274-144 record. Returning on Hillsdale's bench this year for a third season is associate head coach Keven Bradley, and he will be joined by first-year assistant John Cheng.
Matchup History
- This meeting will mark the sixth time that Hillsdale has opened the season against Toledo, a Division I school just an hour and a half across the Michigan/Ohio Border, in the last decade. The Rockets have won all four previous meetings, most recently a 90-63 win las season, but two of the meetings have been decided by a single point – including a 100-99 two-overtime game in 2014.