Schedule
#6/7 Hillsdale (9-0, 2-0 G-MAC) at Ohio Dominican (2-5, 0-2 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 | Alumni Hall | Columbus, Ohio
Follow/Watch
Live Stats, Video and Ticket Links
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | ODU Roster | Hillsdale Stats | ODU Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Kyle Goessler, Sr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (10.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Sr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (13.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Sr, G, Brookfield, WI/Central (7.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.2 spg); #20 Peter Kalthoff, Sr., F, Hillsdale, MI/Hillsdale Academy (11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1 bpg); #33 Joe Reuter, So., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (11.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3 apg)
Ohio Dominican: #3 Jarius Jones, rFr., G, Gahanna, OH/Lincoln (10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg); #10 Zach Szul, Jr., G, Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne (11.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg, 1.3 spg); #12 Sean Marks, Sr., G, Delaware, OH/Olentangy (5 ppg); #20 Nate Webb, Jr., F, Lafayette, IN/Central Catholic/Franklin U. (4 ppg, 4 rpg); #24 Caleb Laurich, Fr., F, Akron, OH/Copley (4.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ohio Dominican: The Panthers are still searching for a winning formula after back-to-back seasons on the outside looking in of the G-MAC Tournament and the departure of All-G-MAC player Alek West.
Despite the loss of West and a 2-5 start, the cupboard isn't bare at ODU, as the Panthers return two experienced double-digit scorers in guards Sean Marks and Zach Szul, the 2020-21 G-MAC Freshman of the Year.
Added to those two veterans are redshirt freshman guard Jarius Jones, who's off to an impressive start in his first season on the court, and West Georgia transfer Keshawn Heard, who's played in just three games so far but put up solid numbers when he's been on the floor, as well as freshman Caleb Laurich.
A consistent problem for ODU has been scoring offense – the Panthers rank 10th in the G-MAC at 61.6 points per game and have broken 70 points in regulation against a NCAA DII team just once this year. Getting Marks on track and getting more out of the bench will be crucial if the Panthers hope to make a turnaround.
ODU is coached by Kelly Winter, now in his fourth season leading the program. Prior to taking the top job, Winter was an assistant for the Panthers for five seasons. A former player at NCAA DIII Capital University, Winter also spent time as an assistant at Illinois Wesleyan prior to arriving at ODU.
Scouting the Chargers
The Chargers are off to a 9-0 start, the team's best record to open the season since 2010-11. Hillsdale has displayed impressive balance so far that should serve them well as the Chargers enter the challenging grind of the conference schedule.
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 and Eric Radisevic have looked solid in bigger roles as Hillsdale looks to offset some of the lost production from the graduation of its top three post players from last season.
On top of balanced scoring from its starters, the Chargers bench is beginning to perform at a high level as well. Sophomore Charles Woodhams has three double-figure scoring outings in his last six games, all off the bench, giving Hillsdale credible depth. Noah Applegate and Ashton Janowski are also part of the bench rotation for the Chargers.
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 283-144 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.
Other Notes
- Hillsdale has a 17-5 series lead on Ohio Dominican since both teams began playing every year in 2011, and has five straight wins in the series, but prior to that the Panthers had won four of five meetings in a stretch from 2018 to 2020. Hillsdale won both meetings last season between the two teams.
- After starting the 2022-23 season unranked, Hillsdale was sixth in the nation in the most recent D2SIDA poll, and seventh in the NABC national rankings, making this the third consecutive season Hillsdale has spent time in the national top 25 rankings. The Chargers also are currently the top-ranked team in the Midwest in the D2SIDA regional poll, receiving all five first-place votes.
- Hillsdale has a chance to do something special this year, coming into the season off of back-to-back 20-plus win campaigns. The Chargers have never had three consecutive 20-win seasons in the NCAA DII era, and not since a stretch of four straight from 1977-81 in its NAIA era. Hillsdale also is looking to make an unprecedented third-straight NCAA Tournament after qualifying in both 2021 and 2022.
- The Chargers have won 19 or more games in five consecutive seasons, but it's been over a decade since Hillsdale has opened the season 9-0. The last time was in 2010-11, when Hillsdale jumped out to a 13-0 start behind high scoring wings Brent Eaton and Brad Guinane, as well as steady point guard Tyler Gerber. Those 13 straight wins to begin the season are a program record, but this year's squad will look to chase that mark with the program's third-best start ever so far.
- In dealing with the graduation of All-American center Patrick Cartier, the Chargers have replaced one of the best players in program history with impressive offensive balance. Five different Chargers have led Hillsdale in scoring in the first seven games, and four players are averaging 10 or more points per game, with point guard Cole Nau and sixth man Charles Woodhams each chipping in over seven points a game as well. The ability to get significant scoring punch from all five positions is helping the Chargers pose real problems for defenses so far in the 2022-23 season.
- Centers Peter Kalthoff and Eric Radisevic barely saw the court before this season, with just a combined 179 minutes played in the last three years, but have done an admirable job filling the void in the middle left by Cartier. Kalthoff is averaging 11.3 points per game and had back-to-back double-doubles entering this weekend, while Radisevic is chipping in 6.2 points per contest off the bench for the Chargers. Both players should only continue improving with more playing time as the season goes on.
- Senior Jack Gohlke has caught fire over the last three weeks, leading Hillsdale in scoring four consecutive games while also notching career highs in points (26) and 3-pointers made (8) against Northern Michigan on Nov. 20. The senior currently ranks ninth in the G-MAC in points per game (13.8) and leads the league in 3-pointers per game (3.2) and total 3-pointers (29) while ranking fourth in 3-point shooting percentage (.397).
- Over 16 years, there are certain hallmarks that successful Charger basketball teams have in common under head coach John Tharp, and the 2022-23 squad is no different. Through seven games, the Chargers are giving up just 58.3 points per game, the top defense in the G-MAC and seventh in the nation at the DII level. They're accomplishing that feat by holding opponents to 39.7% shooting from the field, tied for the best mark in the G-MAC, and to an incredible 23.4% mark from 3-point range, also the top in the G-MAC and the second-best in the nation. The Chargers also limit opponent possessions by taking care of the ball, posting a solid 1.58 assist to turnover ratio so far this season.
- Already the winningest head coach in Hillsdale College history, Tharp is fast approaching two major career milestones that he could potentially reach this season if the Chargers have another special year. At 283 wins at Hillsdale, Tharp needs just 17 victories to become the first Charger men's basketball coach with 300 wins in program history, and he's only 14 wins away from becoming the 20th active coach at the NCAA DII level to reach 500 wins for his career as well. Although neither mark will be easy to reach, it's something worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses, especially as Hillsdale has gotten off to a strong start.