An impressive showing on the road this weekend has the Hillsdale College men's basketball team in a good position early, but the path ahead is about to get tougher.
The Chargers head into this week with two matchups against highly-respected Midwest Regional foes on deck, starting with a team that's a perennial GLIAC and NCAA Tournament contender, Ferris State, in a home opener on Wednesday.
Along with the first home game of the season, Hillsdale is also holding a Toys for Tots drive on Wednesday. Every toy brought to donate to the charity can be exchanged for one complimentary ticket for Wednesday's game.
Schedule
Ferris State (2-0, 0-0 GLIAC) at #7/#3(t) Hillsdale (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
#7/#3(t) Hillsdale (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Wayne State (0-1, 0-0 GLIAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20 | Wayne State Fieldhouse | Detroit, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Ferris St. | Video vs Ferris St. | Tickets vs Ferris St. | Live Stats vs Wayne St. | Webcast vs Wayne St. | Tickets vs Wayne St.
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ferris St. Roster | Wayne St. Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Ferris St. Stats | 2021-22 Wayne St. Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (32.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (6 ppg, 10 rpg, 5.5 apg); #1 Tavon Brown, Jr., F, Columbus, OH/St. Charles Prep (8.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 spg, 1.5 bpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (8.0 ppg, 3.0 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.0 apg)
Ferris St.: #0 Walt Kelser, Sr., G, Southfield, MI/Walled Lake Central, Schoolcraft CC (30.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.0 spg); #5 Logan Ryan, Sr., F, Canton, MI/Canton, Colorado St. (7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg); #10 Dorian Aluyi, Sr., F, Chicago, IL/Lincoln-Way East, Minot St. (10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg); #11 Lee Higgins, G, Sr., Chicago, IL/Plainfield East, Concordia St. Paul (13.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2 apg) ; #24 Jimmy Scholler, G, Fr., Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Central (2.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 9.0 apg, 2.0 spg)
Wayne St.: #11 Brailen Neely, Sr., G, Detroit, MI/Western International, Oakland (21 ppg, 3 apg); #33 Avery Lewis, Jr., F, Ann Arbor, MI/Huron, Saginaw Valley State (18 ppg, 11 rpg, 2 bpg); #23 Ray Williams, So., G/F, Detroit, MI/Edison Academy (4 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 spg); #14 Darian Owens-White, Sr., G, Detroit, MI/River Rouge (3 ppg) #32 Tyree Martin, Jr., F, Chicago, IL/Curie, Missouri Western (2 ppg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ferris State: One of the perennial powerhouses in the Midwest Region and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Champions, the Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from an uncharacteristic down year in 2020-21.
Ferris St. has one of the top players in the Midwest Region and a National Player of the Year candidate in senior guard Walt Kelser, nephew of former Michigan St. legend and Pistons announcer Greg Kelser, who dropped 40 in a win over Drury on Saturday.
The Bulldogs are far from a one-man show, however, as Ferris also has former Division I transfer and big man Logan Ryan to lean on, as well as sophomore wing Ben Davidson. Ferris was active in the transfer portal this offseason and both Lee Higgins (Concordia-St. Paul) and Keymonta Johnson (Illinois-Springfield) have played well so far.
Ferris uses a deep bench and is one of the scariest offensive teams in the Midwest Region, as their 124-point performance against Drury on Saturday attests. The matchup with a Hillsdale team that stakes its reputation on lock-down defense will be one to watch.
The Bulldogs are coached by Andy Bronkema, who's in his ninth season leading the Bulldogs. Bronkema has guided Ferris to six 20-plus win seasons, five GLIAC Championships and the 2017-18 DII National Title in his tenure.
Wayne St.: The Warriors are hoping for big things in 2021-22 after a surprise run to the GLIAC title and a NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
Wayne St. returns one of the most veteran and most talented back-court combinations in the Midwest Region in fifth-year senior guards Brailen Neely and Darian Owens-White, who each earned first-team All-GLIAC honors and combined to average 34.5 points per game last season.
The Warriors also have a monster in the post in junior Avery Lewis, who already has a double-double to his name in Wayne State's season-opening loss to Ashland this past weekend.
To get to the next level, Wayne St. is hoping for a breakout season from sophomore wing Ray Williams. Missouri Western transfer Tyree Martin is also someone the Warriors are high on and hopeful to see contribute in a big way in 2021-22.
The Warriors are coached by David Greer, in his 21st season with the program. During his tenure, Greer has effectively recruited the rich talent base in Detroit and built a program that has made five NCAA Tournament appearances.
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, have moved into the starting lineup to help fill the void, while fellow junior Jack Gohlke, sophomore Noah Applegate and redshirt freshmen Charles Woodhams and Samuel Vasiu, among others, have taken on expanded 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 face off against two more former founding members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that have a long history with Hillsdale this week. Ferris St. leads a series with the Chargers that began in 1975 with a 32-40 record, including five straight wins over Hillsdale. Against Wayne St., the Chargers have been similarly competitive, trailing the Warriors in the series 33-44 entering this Saturday's contest.
- 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 tied for third in the nation, and the Midwest Region's top team overall, in the poll released on Nov. 16 with the first slate of games factored in.
- On Saturday night, junior Patrick Cartier became the 39th player in Hillsdale College men's basketball history to surpass 1,000 points for his career with 30 points in a 83-61 win over Northwood. In his first two seasons, which included G-MAC Freshman of the Year, G-MAC Player of the Year, and consensus All-American honors, Cartier had two 30-plus point games. So far this season, in two contests, he's had 30 or more points in both, including a career-high 34 points in a 75-67 win over Saginaw Valley St. on Friday.
- Continuing a trend for the last several years under coach John Tharp, Hillsdale reached 20 assists as a team in both wins over SVSU and Northwood last weekend. The Chargers have generated assists on over half of their made baskets for multiple seasons in a row, as ball movement and unselfishness continues to be an important part of the foundation of Hillsdale's success offensively.
- 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.