Chargers picked to finish third in G-MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

For the Hillsdale College men's basketball team, the past two seasons have been among the best in the 120-plus year history of the program.

A combined record of 44-11, a G-MAC regular season title, two NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16 berths, and the program's first ever NCAA DII Midwest Regional title and Elite Eight appearance have helped the Chargers reach heights they've rarely ever seen as a team.

Entering the 2022-23 season, the Chargers are hoping to keep this impressive run of success going by authoring another season to remember.

Hillsdale was identified among the contenders for the G-MAC crown in the conference's Preseason Coaches Poll, released this afternoon. The Chargers were picked to finish third, behind defending champion Walsh in first and perennial contender Findlay in second. You can find the full poll below.

Hillsdale has significant losses to overcome, as the program's first-ever consensus first-team All-American at the NCAA DII level, Patrick Cartier, has graduated, as have two All-G-MAC talents and multi-year contributors in Austen Yarian and Tavon Brown who combined with Cartier to give the Chargers one of the most formidable post presences in the Midwest Region.

But while the Chargers have a lot to replace, they also return a significant amount of talent as well. Hillsdale's entire starting backcourt – rock-solid point guard Cole Nau and sharpshooters Kyle Goessler and Jack Gohlke – returns to build off of last season's success. Gohlke came on strong in the back half of the season, making the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament team, and will provide dependable scoring punch for the Chargers.

Along with those three starters, Hillsdale also returns the G-MAC Freshman of the Year, Joe Reuter. A 6-5 forward with a versatile game, Reuter should slot into the starting lineup and see his role expand considerably in the 2022-23 season after getting a year under his belt.

In the paint, there are increased opportunities for a variety of players who've contributed off the bench for the Chargers the last few seasons. Junior Noah Applegate, senior Peter Kalthoff and sophomore Eric Radisevic will all have the opportunity to take on a bigger role for Hillsdale, as will redshirt freshman Walt Mattingly, who could be a breakout player after spending his first season with the Chargers building up strength. On the wing, sophomores Charles Woodhams and Sam Vasiu both could push into the rotation entering their third year in Hillsdale's program.

A four-player freshman class will provide key reinforcements for the Chargers. Of particular interest for Hillsdale is 6-foot-10 center C.J. Yarian, the younger brother of Austen, whose size and skill at a position where Hillsdale doesn't have experienced starters returning could create an opportunity for early playing time if he adjusts to the college game quickly. Forward Garrett Bolte and guards Ashton Janowski and Jacob Meyer round out a strong class for the future of the program.

Hillsdale will battle for the G-MAC title with preseason favorite Walsh, which returns four starters from a team that won the conference crown a year ago, and Findlay, which also has several key players back from a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year.

While those three should be the top squads, there could be multiple surprise teams in the mix as reloading rosters quickly is easier than ever in the transfer portal era. Ashland, Malone, Cedarville and Kentucky Wesleyan are among teams that could make a big push with the right additions in the offseason.

Hillsdale will find out where it stands quickly, as the Chargers open with an exhibition contest against Division I Toledo on Oct. 22, then heads to Florida to play in the Small College Basketball Tip-off Classic against potential top 25 teams Dallas Baptist and Valdosta State on Nov. 5 and 6, the start of a solid non-conference schedule that should prepare Hillsdale well for G-MAC play beginning in December.

You can find the full schedule here. Tickets are on sale at hillsdale.universitytickets.com as well.