The wait is over -- this weekend, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team is officially back in action.
Coming off of one of the best seasons in program history, the Chargers are ranked in the NABC Division II Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time at the DII level, coming in at seventh in the nation in that poll to open the season, and fifth in the country in the D2SIDA poll.
Yet, as Hillsdale knows well, preseason rankings mean little once competition gets underway. The Chargers started the 2020-21 season unranked and yet finished the season as one of the final 16 teams still playing in the NCAA Tournament, ahead of several squads ranked ahead of them at the start of the season.
If Hillsdale is going to finish the season where it starts in the rankings, it's going to have to earn its ranking on the floor. That starts with a road trip to two old rivals from Hillsdale's GLIAC days. On paper, Hillsdale should be heavily favored against two teams that finished the 2020-21 season well below .500. But both Saginaw Valley St. and Northwood are extremely experienced and have added transfers and freshmen to the mix that will make them both significantly more dangerous than a glance at last year's stats would show.
Schedule
#7 Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Saginaw Valley State (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC) | 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12 | James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena | University Center, MI
#7 Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Northwood (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC) | 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 | Bennett Sports Center | Midland, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs SVSU | Webcast (Pay-per-view) vs SVSU | Tickets vs SVSU | Live Stats vs Northwood | Webcast (Pay-per-view) vs Northwood | Tickets vs Northwood
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | SVSU Roster | Northwood Roster | 2020-21 Hillsdale Stats | 2020-21 SVSU Stats | 2020-21 Northwood Stats
Players to watch
Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (16.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg in 2020-21); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (11.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 apg in 2020-21); #1 Tavon Brown, Jr., F, Columbus, OH/St. Charles Prep (7.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 bpg in 2020-21); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (5.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.9 apg in 2020-21); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.5 apg in 2020-21)
SVSU: #13 Delano Smith, Sr., G, Novi, Michigan/Davenport University (16.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg in 2020-21); #0 Darnell Hoskins Jr., Sr., G, Dayton, OH/Victory Rock Prep (9.3 ppg in 2020-21); #1 Freddie McIntosh, Fr., G, Saginaw, MI/Saginaw (5 ppg in 2020-21); #4 Tyrik Singh, Jr., F, San Fernando, Trinidad/McCook Community College (3.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg in 2020-21); #44 Tyler Witz, Sr., F, Clearwater, FL/North Dakota St. University (Division I grad transfer)
Northwood: #11 Jack Ammerman, Sr., G, Ann Arbor, MI/Skyline (16.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg in 2020-21); #1 Evan Lowden, Sr., G, Avon, IN/Avon, Danville CC (12.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.2 apg in 2020-21); #4 Maurion Scott, So., G, Chicago, IL/Homewood-Flossmor (9.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.7 spg in 2020-21); #2 Quentin Richardson, So., G, Cleveland, OH/Holy Name (6 ppg, 2.4 rpg in 2020-21); #20 Jean Pierre Frederick, Jr., F/C, Vieux-Fort, St. Lucia/Vieux Fort Comprehensive, State College of Florida (5.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg in 2020-21)
Scouting the Opposition
SVSU: The Cardinals stumbled to a 5-12 mark in the 2020-21 season, but are hoping to make significant improvements this season with four of their top six contributors returning.
SVSU has a significant hole to fill with the departure of leading scorer Myles Belyeu as a transfer, but return several key pieces from what was a strong back-court last year, including high-scoring Davenport transfer Delano Smith, a second-team All-GLIAC player, spark-plug guard Darnell Hoskins Jr., and freshman Freddie McIntosh, who impressed off the bench last year and will see a bigger role this season.
The Cardinals also bring back junior forward Tyrik Singh in the paint and will look for more from him offensively this season now that he's acclimated to the Division II level.
A handful of new faces could also change the dynamic for SVSU, led by senior post Tyler Witz, who transferred from North Dakota St. University and should start right away. The Cardinals also hope for big things from JUCO transfer wing Maurice Barnett, who could be a key piece off the bench from early on.
SVSU is coached by Randy Baruth, now in his 10th season with the Cardinals. He's had success during his time at SVSU, including two 20-win seasons and the program's only NCAA DII Elite Eight appearance in 2015-16.
Northwood: The Timberwolves went 6-12 in 2020-21, but have big plans for a move up the standings in their final season in the G-MAC with nearly every player of consequence returning from last year.
Northwood uses a four-guard starting lineup led by senior Jack Ammerman, a second-team All-GLIAC player last season and the team's leading scorer. Guards Evan Lowden and Maurion Scott also provide offensive punch, while Trevor Davis handles the team's point guard duties.
Two big questions for the Timberwolves entering the 2021-22 season – can Northwood get more out of its post players, led by Jean Pierre Frederick, offensively? And what can a group of young players, led by sophomore Quentin Richardson, who was promising off the bench in 2020-21, add to the Timberwolves' lineup?
The Timberwolves averaged just 66.6 points per game and gave up 71 points per game in 2020-21. With so many returners, Northwood will have to make a leap at either the offensive or defensive end of the floor to accomplish their goals in the 2021-22 season.
Northwood is coached by Lonnie Griffin, who's entering his second season in charge of the Timberwolves after six seasons as an assistant in Midland.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale is looking to build off of one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2020-21, a campaign that saw the Chargers repeat as G-MAC regular season champions, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and reach the Atlantic Regional Final round, with a 21-3 final record.
Three starters return for the Chargers, led by G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year and consensus All-American Patrick Cartier. A 20.5 point per game scorer whose efficient offense consistently draws double-teams in the paint, Cartier has the perfect running mate in fellow first team All-G-MAC forward Austen Yarian, whose versatility and outside shooting touch causes significant matchup issues of his own for opposing defenses.
Also back is junior forward Tavon Brown, whose defense, rebounding and energy were critical to the team's success last season, and who could have another breakout year as his offensive game continues to mature.
The Chargers have big holes to fill with the loss of second team All-G-MAC guards Connor Hill and Davis Larson. Replacing the production and especially the leadership of that back-court will be a significant determining factor in Hillsdale's success in 2021. Two top subs from 2020-21, juniors Cole Nau and Kyle Goessler, are expected to help fill the void, but they'll have to fight for their starting spots as several players, including fellow junior Jack Gohlke and redshirt freshmen Charles Woodhams and Samuel Vasiu, among others, push for bigger roles.
Directing the Chargers for the 15th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 251-136 record. Returning as assistants on Hillsdale's bench this year are associate head coach Keven Bradley, assistant coach Eric Weiss, and assistant coach David Choi.
Other Notes
- The Chargers have a long history with both of this weekend's opponents as all three are former founding members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Hillsdale holds a narrow 39-38 edge over Saginaw Valley St. in a series that began in 1975, though the two teams haven't met since 2018. The Chargers have been a little more dominant against the Timberwolves, with a 46-31 record since 1975. This will be the first meeting between Hillsdale and Northwood since the Chargers left the GLIAC in 2016, though the two teams will see each other more frequently in the future, as Northwood makes the move to the G-MAC beginning next fall.
- Hillsdale was picked as the favorite to win the G-MAC crown for the third consecutive year in the conference's Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, though by only a single vote over conference newcomer Ashland, which made the NCAA Tournament in its final year in the GLIAC last season. 2020-21 G-MAC runner-up Findlay was picked third and 2020-21 G-MAC Tournament champion Malone was picked in fourth.
- The Chargers occupy a lofty spot in the preseason NCAA Division II national rankings after bringing 12 letter-winners back from a Sweet 16 team in 2020-21. Hillsdale was ranked seventh in the nation in the NABC Coaches Preseason Poll, and second in the Midwest Region. The Sports Information Directors who vote in the D2SIDA poll were even higher on the Chargers, picking them fifth in the nation, and the Midwest Region's top team overall. It's the first time in the history of the NABC poll that the Chargers have been ranked to start the season.
- In the 121-year history of Hillsdale College men's basketball, there are just 38 players who've scored 1,000 points in their career. That club should get two new members this season. Junior Patrick Cartier has 943 points and needs just 67 to reach the milestone, while senior Austen Yarian is at 886 points and will be close behind.
- Cartier already has a school record to his name, as his 64.7% career field goal percentage is the best in program history by over three full percentage points. He's one of just four players in Charger men's basketball history to win a conference Player of the Year award, joining Ted Hauptman (1981-82), Dave Springer (1983-84) and Kyle Cooper (2015-16), one of just four players to earn NCAA Division II All-American honors, joining Brad Guinane (2012), Tim Dezelski (2014) and Cooper (2016), and the only player of those four to receive All-American honors from both the NABC and the D2CCA.
- While it's a long road to get there, Hillsdale has the opportunity to chase unprecedented accomplishments in the program's history this year. The Chargers will be in contention for a third-straight G-MAC title, something that's never been done in the history of the program. The Chargers also will be looking for their seventh NCAA Division II tournament appearance in school history, and their first back-to-back appearance since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams made it in consecutive years.