Preview: Chargers look to defend home court ahead of key road test at G-MAC leader

Jan 24, 2024

Schedule

Northwood (4-12, 1-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (11-6, 6-4 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI

Hillsdale (11-6, 6-4 G-MAC) at Cedarville (13-5, 7-1 G-MAC) | 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 | Callan Athletic Center | Cedarville, OH

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Projected Starters

Hillsdale: #2 Ashton Janowski, So, G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (9.1 ppg); #4 Charles Woodhams, Jr., G, Otsego, MI/Otsego (14 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.6 apg); #22 Sam Vasiu, Sr., G, Grand Rapids, MI/NorthPointe Christian (7.2 ppg, 1.6 spg); #31 CJ Yarian, So., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (5.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, Jr., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (15.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg)

Northwood: #0 Xavier Bargesser, Jr., F, Grass Lake, MI/Grass Lake/Alma College (3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg); #2 Noah Pruitt, Jr, G, Okemos, MI/Okemos/Mid Michigan CC (2.3 ppg); #5 Jordan Jackson, Jr, G, Grand Rapids, MI/East Kentwood/Wilmington U. (9.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg); #11 Collin Albert, So., G, Cleveland, OH/Lutheran East/St. Clair County CC (18.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3 apg); #20 Quinton Steele II, So., F, Southfield, MI/Birmingham Groves (3.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 bpg)

Cedarville: #0 Chris Rogers, Sr., G, Harrisonburg, VA/Blue Ridge/Trevecca Nazarene (9.8 ppg, 3.1 apg); #1 Jacob Drees, Sr., F, Hilliard, OH/Davidson (7.9 ppg, 9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 bpg); #5 Grant Whisman, Sr., F, Middletown, OH/Madison (7.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg); #12 Ethan Sellars, So., G, Ashland, KY/Paul G. Blazer (10 ppg, 1.2 spg); #32 Jayvon Maughmer, Sr., F, Chillicothe, OH/Chillicothe (20.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3 apg)

Scouting the Opposition

Northwood: After a tough season in 2022-23, Northwood hit the transfer portal hard in the offseason looking for instant impact additions, and turned up multiple useful players. While not immediately impactful, strong performances in the last two weeks have Northwood trending in the right direction.

Four of the top five leading scorers for Northwood are new faces, led by dynamic guard and JuCo transfer Collin Albert, who's scoring 18.1 points a game for the Timberwolves. Serving as Albert's wingmen are D2 transfers Jordan Jackson and Jaylen Hodges, both dynamic and athletic scorers, as well as gifted big man Richard Lowe. Those four are teaming with returning holdovers Anthony Sanders, Quinton Steele II and Will Young II to form a solid core.

It's been a slow build so far for the Timberwolves as they look to build chemistry with so many new faces – but Northwood took one of the top teams in the G-MAC, Trevecca Nazarene, to overtime and beat Findlay for their first G-MAC win in the last two weeks.

Northwood is coached by Lonnie Griffin, who is in his fourth year running the program and his ninth overall with the program after succeeding Jeff Rekeweg before the 2020-21 season. Griffin previously coached at Delta College and also spent time as an assistant at Central Michigan, Alma College and Grand Valley State.

Cedarville: A promising start in 2022-23 came to a disappointing end for the Yellowjackets, and that motivated Cedarville to come back on a mission this season. So far, so good as the Yellowjackets currently lead the G-MAC with a 7-1 record and are one of the top-ranked teams in the Midwest.

Cedarville is stacked top-to-bottom with experienced talent, including four players who've been key members of the rotation for their teams for four-plus years. Leading the way is senior wing Jayvon Maughmer, a dynamic scoring talent and returning first-team All-G-MAC player who is a leading contender for G-MAC Player of the Year so far.

Point guard Chris Rogers and posts Jacob Drees and Grant Whisman are all battle-tested leaders as well for the Yellowjackets, and Cedarville has also gotten great support from its bench, with major contributions from guards Anthony Ruffolo, Kyle Thomas and Timothy Davis.

All that has Cedarville in a great position, but the Yellowjackets must finish the job against a tough closing stretch to claim their first G-MAC crown since 2012-13.

Cedarville is coached by Pat Estepp, who's built a legendary resume in 16 years at Cedarville, including 282 wins, two NCCAA national titles, two conference titles, and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021-22.

Scouting the Chargers

The Hillsdale College Chargers have held their own in a brutal and stacked G-MAC race, staying in the mix for the conference tournament at the halfway mark of the G-MAC schedule with a 6-4 record. With a long road trip looming, Hillsdale will have a chance to decide its own fate over the next month of contests.

While this season does mark a new beginning for Hillsdale, there's plenty of continuity with the program's recent successes and the foundation built over the past two decades. Before taking the head job this past spring, Bradley spent three seasons as Hillsdale's associate head coach, helping guide the program to a 2020-21 G-MAC title, three 20-plus win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16 appearances, and a 2022 NCAA DII Midwest Regional title and Elite Eight appearance. His background makes him very familiar with the Chargers program and how to keep things rolling.

And while Hillsdale bid farewell to four starters this offseason, several important players return for Bradley in the 2023-24 season, led by the lone starting holdover, junior Joe Reuter, who earned second-team All-G-MAC honors while averaging 12.5 points and six rebounds per game for a 23-win Chargers squad in 2022-23. While Reuter has had a role to play for the Chargers since his first day on campus, this season will be a big chance for the junior to take on a key leadership role with the squad as an upperclassman.

Along with Reuter, Hillsdale also brings back a trio of important substitutes from 2022-23 who look poised to compete for starting roles. Guards Charles Woodhams, a redshirt junior, and Ashton Janowski, a true sophomore, were big in moments off the bench for Hillsdale last season and should see their roles increase in 2023-24, while fellow guards Sam Vasiu and Cole McWhinnie should take on bigger roles as well.

In the paint, Radisevic could step in as the Chargers' post presence after serving as the first big man off the bench in last year's rotation. Redshirt sophomore Walt Mattingly should also see a bigger role, as will redshirt freshmen C.J. Yarian and Garrett Bolte, who will both see their first collegiate action this season.

Hillsdale should also get some quality minutes from a five-player freshman class. Guards Logan Beaston and Mikey McCollum were both proficient scorers at the high school level and could bring some offensive punch, while Caleb Glaser and Connor Stonebraker will get a chance to break into the lineup in the post as well.

A young Chargers squad is looking to keep alive a string of six consecutive seasons with 19 or more wins, a stretch that includes four NCAA Tournament appearances and two G-MAC titles despite tough competition from a league that is rising rapidly in talent and accolades.

Matchup History

Hillsdale leads Northwood 51-31 in a long-running series dating back to 1975 and has won six straight, including a 76-51 win at Northwood on Dec. 9 earlier this season.
While Cedarville is currently the top team in the G-MAC, it's Hillsdale who has dominated the series between the two teams, with a 15-1 record all-time and four straight victories in the series, including a sweep of all three meetings in 2022-23. Cedarville's only victory over the Chargers came in a 68-66 thriller on March 4, 2022.

Other Notes

The Chargers were picked to finish sixth in the G-MAC Preseason Poll released in late October. Defending G-MAC Tournament Champion Ashland was picked to win the league, and 2022-23 regular season champion Walsh was picked to finish second. Since joining the league in 2017-18, Hillsdale has never finished worse than third in the final G-MAC standings.
Hillsdale is looking to continue an impressive run of recent success over the last six seasons that includes two G-MAC Championships, four 20-plus win campaigns, four NCAA DII Tournament berths, two Sweet 16 appearances, and a Midwest Regional title and Elite Eight appearance in 2021-22. The Chargers have had 21 or more wins in each of the last three seasons, and made an unprecedented three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
While Hillsdale graduated four starters and three All-G-MAC players from last season's 23 win team, the Chargers do have significant returning talent, led by junior Joe Reuter. The G-MAC Freshman of the Year in 2021-22 and a second team All-G-MAC honoree in 2022-23, Reuter averaged 12.5 points and six rebounds per game last year as a key player for Hillsdale, and is off to an impressive start, averaging over 15 points and six rebounds in 15 games this season. With a young squad in 2023-24, the Chargers will lean heavily on his experience and leadership.
Junior Charles Woodhams made an impact off the bench for the Chargers last season, with six double digit scoring games and a season-high of 18 points against Cedarville on Dec. 1. Now in the starting lineup for the Chargers, he's starting to put up those big numbers on a nightly basis. The Otsego, Michigan native is averaging 14 points per game and scored a career high 26 points in a tight victory over Lake Erie to open conference play on Nov. 30. His 53.1% field goal percentage is stellar for a guard and ranks fifth among all G-MAC players.
Redshirt freshman CJ Yarian put together a special performance in his debut for the Chargers, recording 15 rebounds and eight assists in Hillsdale's 71-65 victory over Wayne State on Friday, Nov. 10. It's the most combined rebounds and assists in a single game by a Charger since Matt Mlynarchek put up 16 rebounds and seven assists against Mercyhurst on Jan. 20, 2003, over 20 years ago. The younger brother of three-time All-G-MAC player Austen Yarian, CJ figures to be an important part of the rotation for the Chargers in 2023-24.
Senior Samuel Vasiu is seeing the first consistent minutes of his career for the Chargers in 2023-24, and he's made a huge impact for Hillsdale at the defensive end. Through 17 games, he's tied for third among all G-MAC players with an impressive 1.6 steals per game.
A consistent theme in the Chargers' success over the last six seasons has been excellent 3-point defense. Through 17 games, Hillsdale once again ranks among the leaders in opponent 3-point percentage in both the G-MAC and nationally, with the Chargers' mark of 30.1% leading the G-MAC and 20th in the nation among all NCAA DII teams. That's helped Hillsdale hold opponents to 64.6 points per game, third in the G-MAC and 11th in the nation as well.