Schedule
#12/13 Hillsdale (21-3, 14-3 G-MAC) at Malone (14-8, 9-7 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16 | Osborne Hall | Canton, Ohio
#12/13 Hillsdale (21-3, 14-3 G-MAC) at Ashland (16-8, 12-4 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 | Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, Ohio
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Malone Roster | Ashland Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Malone Stats | Ashland Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Kyle Goessler, Sr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (11.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.4 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Sr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (13.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Sr, G, Brookfield, WI/Central (6.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg); #20 Peter Kalthoff, Sr., F, Hillsdale, MI/Hillsdale Academy (13.4 ppg, 7 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, So., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (12.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1 spg)
Malone: #1 Bo Myers, Sr., F, Rockbridge, OH/Logan (17.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.2 apg); #5 Levi Seiler, Sr., F, Wauseon, OH/Wauseon (12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg); #13 Simon Blair, Jr., G, Greenwich, OH/South Central (9.9 ppg, 2.5 apg); #20 Justin Miller, Sr., G/F, East Liverpool, OH/Wellsville/Tiffin (19.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.6 spg); #33 Erwin Gutic, Sr., C, Sarajevo, Bosnia/Wesley Christian, KY (2.1 ppg)
Ashland: #1 Brandon Haraway, Sr., G, Norwalk, OH/Norwalk (15.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.8 apg); #10 Simon Wheeler, Fr., G, Detroit, MI/Phoenix Prep (10.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.6 spg); #23 James Manns, Sr., F, Columbus, OH/Kingston Prep/Wright State (9.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg); #33 Ethan Conley, Sr., G, Dayton, OH/Franklin Monroe (7.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg); #35 Victor Searls, Jr., C, Hilliard, OH/St. Charles (12.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Malone: A legitimate G-MAC title contender the last time Hillsdale saw them in early January, the Pioneers have fallen out of the race since due to the absence of starting center Elijah Hinton, who's missed the last four games and whose status for Thursday's contest is uncertain.
But while Malone is no longer in the title race, the Pioneers still remain an extremely dangerous foe, especially at home, thanks to arguably the best one-two punch offensively in the G-MAC in Bo Myers and Justin Miller.
The pair have taken a step forward in 2022-23 and become the key pieces in one of the G-MAC's best offenses, combining to average 37.4 points per game, while the top two players off the bench for Malone last season, Simon Blair and Levi Seiler, have stepped into the starting lineup without missing a beat.
First-year players Terrance Broughton, Caleb Conard and Brady Moore provide the bench depth for Malone, which leads the G-MAC in rebounds per game and is second in the conference in scoring offense.
The Pioneers are coached by Casey Kaufman, now in his eighth season in charge. Kaufman has posted winning records in each of the last six seasons with the Pioneers, and led Malone to its first-ever G-MAC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021.
Ashland: A solid program year-in and year-out, the Eagles are once again in the G-MAC title hunt a year after finishing third in their inaugural season in the conference.
Ashland lost four starters off of last year's squad but has reloaded quickly around returning first-team All-G-MAC guard Brandon Haraway.
The Eagles have benefited from strong play from newcomers, as Wright State transfer James Manns, redshirt freshman Maceo Williams and true freshman Simon Wheeler have all been extremely important to the team's success with strong play at both ends of the court. But internal development has also been key -- junior center Victor Searls has been one of the Eagles' best players after barely seeing the court last year, and senior Ethan Conley also has stepped forward in a much bigger role this year.
While many faces are new or in different roles, Ashland's identity remains the same -- the Eagles are an athletic, gritty, physical bunch that play great defense at one end of the floor and grind teams down offensively at the other end.
Ashland is coached by John Ellenwood, now in his 14th season with the Eagles, with a 237-149 record at Ashland. During his tenure, the Eagles have made three NCAA DII Tournament appearances and won their first-ever conference regular season and tournament championships at the NCAA DII level.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale enters the final two weeks of the season controlling their own destiny in the G-MAC title race, but with a treacherous road to travel to reach their goal.
The Chargers could lock up a share of the title and the top seed in the G-MAC Tournament this week with two victories, but will have to do it by beating two of the most talented teams in the conference in two of the toughest road environments the G-MAC has to offer.
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 295-147 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
- Already the winningest head coach in Hillsdale College history, John Tharp could reach a special milestone this weekend. Tharp enters this week at 498 victories for his career, and two road victories would make him just the 17th active coach at the NCAA DII level to reach 500 victories for his career. Tharp is also closing in on another milestone, needing just five victories to become the first Charger men's basketball coach with 300 wins in program history, a possibility as the Chargers look to close out the season strong.
- Hillsdale has a 12-6 edge in the all-time series against Malone, including a 76-70 victory at home over the Pioneers this season on Jan. 7, but Malone has been tough at home – four of their six wins in the series have come in Canton. The Chargers also have a narrow 24-21 lead over Ashland in their all-time series, but the Eagles closed the gap with an 82-73 victory in Hillsdale on Feb. 2.
- Thanks to a big win over Walsh at home last Thursday, the Chargers sit alone atop the G-MAC standings at 14-3 with three games remaining. Walsh is a game back at 13-4, and Ashland sits a game and a half behind at 12-4. At 10-6, Cedarville could still grab a share of the title if they win out, the Chargers lose out, and they get help elsewhere, but the Yellow Jackets cannot pass Hillsdale for the top seed in the G-MAC Tourney as the Chargers hold the tiebreaker. You can find the full standings here.
- After starting the 2022-23 season unranked, Hillsdale was ranked 13th in the nation in the NABC national rankings, and 12th 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 12 straight weeks in the national polls this season.
- Hillsdale did something it hasn't done in over 40 years last week, going over 20 wins with two victories. It's the first time the Chargers have had three consecutive 20-win seasons in the NCAA DII era, and the first 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, 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 24 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 13.4 points per game and has been named the G-MAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week three times, most recently this past week. Radisevic also is chipping in 5.5 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 160 career 3-pointers are the ninth-most all time by a Hillsdale player, and his 74 3-pointers in 2022-23 are tied for sixth all time with Jerry Tharp (90-91) and Stedman Lowry (15-16)
- Hillsdale's Kyle Goessler has been reliable at the free throw line throughout his career as a Charger, and his 83.5% 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 24 games, the Chargers are giving up just 61 points per game, the second-best scoring defense in the G-MAC and eighth in the nation at the DII level. They're accomplishing that feat by holding opponents to 42.1% shooting from the field, and to a 28.7% mark from 3-point range, the best in the G-MAC and second-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 (29.7) of any team in the G-MAC, and they also take care of the basketball, with a 1.59 assist to turnover ratio, the best in the G-MAC and sixth in the nation.