Schedule
Walsh (15-7, 12-3 G-MAC) at #13/15 Hillsdale (19-3, 12-3 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, Michigan
Lake Erie (12-9, 9-6 G-MAC) at #13/15 Hillsdale (19-3, 12-3 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, Michigan
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Walsh Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Walsh Stats | Lake Erie Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Kyle Goessler, Sr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1 spg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Sr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (13.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Sr, G, Brookfield, WI/Central (6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3 apg, 1.2 spg); #20 Peter Kalthoff, Sr., F, Hillsdale, MI/Hillsdale Academy (13.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, So., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (12.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1 spg)
Walsh: #12 Quentin Toles, So., G, Massillon, OH/Perry (12.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.3 spg); #21 Garrison Keeslar, So., G/F, Green, OH/Green (14.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 6.7 apg, 2.4 spg); #23 Zack Oddo, Fr., G/F, Green, OH/Green (2.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg); #30 Nic Smith, So., F, Cincinnati, OH/Walnut Hills (8.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg); #42 Tim Smith Jr., Jr., F, Cleveland, OH/Lakewood (16.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1 spg)
Lake Erie: #2 PJ Jones, Sr., G, Grove City, OH/Grove City (9.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.7 apg); #4 Jacob Plantz, Jr., G, Genoa, OH/Genoa (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 spg); #23 Jake Leibacher, Fr., G, Castalia, OH/Margaretta (2.9 ppg); #24 Jordan Burge, Jr, G, Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights/Toledo (9.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg); #34 Jonny Manning, So., F/C, Grafton, OH/Midview (13.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.6 bpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Walsh: A year after winning the G-MAC regular season and tournament titles, and earning the top overall seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional, the Cavaliers are back in title contention with another strong squad.
Walsh got off to a slow start in conference play due in part to injuries, but are fully healthy now and firing on all cylinders, entering Thursday's showdown on a five-game winning streak.
The Cavaliers are led by first-team All-G-MAC forward Garrison Keeslar, who's in his third season in a starring role for Walsh, while transfer Tim Smith Jr. has blossomed into a complete post player for the Cavaliers in his second season with the program.
Sophomores Quentin Toles and Nic Smith have also become key players in their second full seasons with Walsh, and the Cavaliers can call on a deep bench, led by Owen Hazelbaker, Milan Square, and Aiden Satterfield to keep momentum when the starters rest.
Walsh is a solid offensive team, but it's a G-MAC leading defense that's conceding just 59.9 points per game that is the real secret to the Cavaliers' success.
Walsh is coached by Jeff Young, the all-time winningest coach in Cavaliers history with 415 entering the season. Young has led Walsh to a 2005 NAIA National title, as well as three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last five seasons.
Lake Erie: After two years of missing the G-MAC Tournament, the Storm look on track to not just be in the field but possibly hosting a first-round game in a banner 2022-23 so far.
Lake Erie returned five players who started at least 13 games last season and that experience, paired with continued player development, has given the Storm a deep and formidable squad. The biggest leap has come from sophomore center Jonny Manning, who looks like a potential first-team All-G-MAC player and an impactful rim protector so far this season.
The healthy return of guard PJ Jones, who missed most of last season with an injury, gives Lake Erie a dependable hand at the point as well, and Toledo transfer Jordan Burge is an athletic threat. Along with its current starters, Lake Erie can bring a couple of dangerous weapons off the bench in Notre Dame College transfer Jordan Burton and former starters Leon Hughes and Caleb Piks. Veteran post player Kevin Peterson plays an important role as well.
The Storm are among the G-MAC's best offensive rebounding teams and protect the paint well with 3.45 blocks per game, led by Manning's strong interior performance.
The Storm are coached by Kyle Conley, who is in his seventh season in charge at Lake Erie. Conley has made the Storm a tough out in the G-MAC during his tenure, guiding Lake Erie to conference tournament appearances three times and a semifinal appearance in 2017-18.
Scouting the Chargers
While this week won't decide the G-MAC title race, the outcomes of this week's games will loom large over the final three weeks of the season as Hillsdale takes on the team currently tied with it atop the league standings in Walsh, and gets a shot at another top five team who defeated it on the road earlier this season in Lake Erie.
Two victories would mean the Chargers control their own destiny heading into a three-game road swing to finish the 2022-23 regular season. A loss or two would mean that Hillsdale likely will need to win out and get help to claim the crown.
The challenge entering 2022-23 for the Chargers was 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 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 are tough to fill, Hillsdale has shown it has plenty of talent and experience to draw on during an impressive start to the 2022-23 campaign. Hillsdale's entire starting backcourt returned intact and those three seniors – point guard Cole Nau and wings Kyle Goessler and Jack Gohlke – have taken on an increased scoring load while also providing key stability and veteran leadership
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 in 2021-22. Now a starter in 2022-23, Reuter has lived up to that potential so far, turning in big performances at both ends of the floor while averaging double figures and leading Hillsdale in rebounding.
In the post, veterans Peter Kalthoff and Eric Radisevic have been just what the Chargers were looking for as an interior tandem, as Hillsdale looks to offset some of the lost production from the graduation of its top three post players from last season. Kalthoff in particular is developing into one of the best post players in the G-MAC and currently leads the Chargers in scoring.
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 this season, 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 293-147 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
- The Chargers celebrate a six-player senior class this Saturday that's been a part of one of the most successful runs in school history, including two G-MAC titles, two NCAA DII Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16 runs, and an Elite Eight berth, with an overall record of 101-33 for their careers. Kyle Goessler, Jack Gohlke, Cole Nau, Peter Kalthoff, Jacob Ngobi and Noah Applegate have left a legacy already, and will look to add to it over their final two months in the blue and white.
- Hillsdale has a 10-9 lead in a back-and-forth series with Walsh, having split last year with the Cavaliers and taking victories in four of their last five meetings. This is the only contest in the 2022-23 regular season between the two top teams in the G-MAC standings. The Chargers also have a 20-3 record over Lake Erie, but the Storm took the only meeting between the two teams so far this season, 67-63, in Painesville, Ohio on Dec. 31.
- Both Hillsdale and Walsh are tied for the G-MAC lead at 12-3 heading into Thursday's contest, making this a crucial game in the league title race. Ashland sits a game back at 11-4 and have already beaten Hillsdale and Walsh once this year, making them very much still a threat to take the crown, and Cedarville sits two games back at 10-5. Lake Erie and Malone are still alive in the race three games back with six losses, but will need chaos in front of them to grab a share. You can find the full standings here.
- After starting the 2022-23 season unranked, Hillsdale was ranked 15th in the nation in the NABC national rankings, and 13th in the most recent D2SIDA poll, making this the third consecutive season Hillsdale has spent time in the national top 25 rankings. Hillsdale has spent 11 straight weeks in the national polls this season.
- Hillsdale has a chance to do something special this Thursday, 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, but Hillsdale can clinch a third-straight 20-win season with a win over Walsh at home. Hillsdale also is looking to make an unprecedented third-straight NCAA Tournament after qualifying in both 2021 and 2022 with a strong finish.
- 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. Six different Chargers have led Hillsdale in scoring in the first 22 games, and four players are averaging 10 or more points per game, with point guard Cole Nau and reserve Charles Woodhams each chipping in over six 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 currently leading the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game and has been named the G-MAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week twice. Radisevic also is chipping in 5.7 points per contest off the bench for the Chargers as a top post substitute.
- Chargers senior Jack Gohlke had a game to remember in an 82-73 loss to Ashland last Thursday, going 10 for 19 from the 3-point line to tie the Chargers' single-game record set by Tim Homan against Saginaw Valley State on Dec. 13, 2007. Gohlke has worked his way into the Chargers' record books as a sharpshooter – his 155 career 3-pointers are the ninth-most all time by a Hillsdale player, and his 69 3-pointers in 2022-23 are one shy of being in the top 10 all-time for single season 3-pointers as well.
- Hillsdale's Kyle Goessler has been reliable at the free throw line throughout his career as a Charger, and his 83.1% percentage from the charity stripe to date ranks seventh all-time in Hillsdale history among men's basketball players with at least 100 made free throws – just ahead of recent program greats Stedman Lowry (82.8%) and Nate Neveau (82.3%).
- 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 22 games, the Chargers are giving up just 61.3 points per game, the second-best scoring defense in the G-MAC and 10th in the nation at the DII level. They're accomplishing that feat by holding opponents to 42.4% shooting from the field, and to a 28.7% mark from 3-point range, the best in the G-MAC and sixt-best in the nation at the NCAA DII level. The Chargers also keep opponents from getting second-chance opportunities by conceding the fewest rebounds per game (30.2) of any team in the G-MAC, and they also take care of the basketball, with a 1.64b assist to turnover ratio, the best in the G-MAC and sixth in the nation.
- 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 293 wins at Hillsdale, Tharp needs just seven victories to become the first Charger men's basketball coach with 300 wins in program history, and he's only four wins away from becoming the 17th active coach at the NCAA DII level to reach 500 wins for his career as well. Both marks aren't a given as Hillsdale has a tough closing stretch to finish the regular season, but it's worth keeping an eye on.