Preview: Charger men face critical road week for G-MAC title hopes

Feb 08, 2022

While nothing will be decided over the next seven days, it's a critical week for the Hillsdale College men's basketball team's hopes of a third-straight G-MAC title, nonetheless.

At 10-4 in conference play, the Chargers hit the road for three straight G-MAC contests, two of which come against the two teams ahead of Hillsdale in the G-MAC standings at 10-3, Malone and Walsh.

A 3-0 or 2-1 record over the stretch keeps Hillsdale's title hopes alive, and potentially puts them in a position to control their own destiny with three G-MAC games to play, depending on other results around the conference this weekend. An 0-3 or 1-2 record, particularly with losses to the Pioneers and Cavaliers, likely knocks the Chargers out of the running entirely.

You can follow along with the drama at our streaming video links below, or purchase tickets to see the Chargers in action in person as well.

Schedule

Hillsdale (15-5, 10-4 G-MAC) at Malone (15-5, 10-3 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10 | Osborne Hall | Canton, OH

Hillsdale (15-5, 10-4 G-MAC) at Walsh (14-5, 10-3 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 | Cecchini Center | North Canton, OH

Hillsdale (15-5, 10-4 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (10-9, 4-8 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15 | Osborne Center | Painesville, OH

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Additional Info

Projected Starters

Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (22.4 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.4 apg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (9.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.8 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Jr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (8.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (8.5 ppg, 3 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (4.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3 apg)

Malone: #1 Marcus Ernst, Sr., F, Ashtabula, OH/Edgewood (12.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.5 apg); #5 Jaret Majestic, Sr., G, Malvern, OH/Malvern (11.8 ppg, 2.5 apg); #12 Bo Myers, Jr., F, Rockbridge, OH/Rockbridge (16.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.2 spg); #14 Bryce Butler, Sr., G, Cincinnati, OH/Clark Montessori/Alderson Broaddus (17.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg); #30 Levi Seiler, Jr., F, Wauseon, OH/Wauseon (7.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 spg)

Walsh: #1 Tim Smith Jr., So., F, Cleveland, OH/Lakewood (10.6 ppg, 5.8 rpgg); #2 Milan Square, rFr., G/F, Youngstown, OH/Valley Christian (7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg); #3 Darryl Straughter, Sr., G, Canton, OH/McKinley (14.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.8 apg); #12 Caleb Canter, Sr., F, Cincinnati, OH/Moeller (10.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg); #21 Garrison Keeslar, Fr., G/F, Green, OH/Green (15.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.5 spg)

Lake Erie: #11 Jordan Burton, So., G, Toledo, OH/Notre Dame College (14.3 ppg, 4.4 apg, 1.2 spg); #12 Caleb Piks, Fr., F, Mentor, OH/Mentor (7.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg); #15 Leon Hughes, Jr., F, Toledo, OH/Whitmer (7.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg); #21 Kevin Peterson, Jr., F, Cleveland, OH/Padua (9.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.4 apg); #34 Jonny Manning, Fr., F/C, Grafton, OH/Midview (10.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg)

Scouting the Opposition

Malone: The 2021 G-MAC Tournament champions are firmly in contention for the 2021-22 regular season title with a lineup that's virtually identical to last year's championship squad.

All three of Malone's first-team All-G-MAC players from last season return – point guard Bryce Butler, wing Bo Myers, and center Marcus Ernst – as do starters Jaret Majestic and Levi Seiler, as well as super-sub Justin Miller.

The Pioneers lead the G-MAC in scoring by over five points a game (81.4) and are tied atop the G-MAC standings with Walsh, who beat them 90-84 to snap a five game Pioneer winning streak. Malone leans heavily on its top six players, but does have a couple of additional subs who see regular playing time in Eli Ramsey and Elijah Blair.

The Pioneers are coached by Casey Kaufman, who is entering his seventh year in charge of the Malone program. Under Kaufman, Malone has made five straight G-MAC tournament appearances, including a tourney championship in 2020-21 that led to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Walsh: A perennial title contender in the G-MAC, the Cavaliers had a disappointing year by their standards in 2020-21 but still finished fifth in the league, and are back to being a title contender in 2021-22 after a win over Malone on Saturday moved them into a first-place tie in the league standings.

The Cavaliers run through senior guard Darryl Straughter, a two-time first-team All-G-MAC player, but are in a better position this season thanks to significant improvements from returnees Caleb Canter and Garrison Keeslar. Keeslar in particular has grown into an All-Conference caliber player in his second season, playing at a high level at both ends of the court.

Walsh also was active in the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in California (PA) transfer Tim Smith and West Liberty transfer Owen Hazelbaker. Both players have been a key part of the rotation so far and made an impact in the post, an area where the Cavaliers struggled to get consistent play in 2020-21.

Leading the Cavaliers for the 18^th consecutive season is Jeff Young, the all-time winningest coach in Walsh history who just surpassed the 400-win mark for his career earlier this season. Since joining the G-MAC in 2017, Young has led Walsh to four straight winning seasons and the only two NCAA Tournament berths in program history.

Lake Erie: The Storm sit in the bottom half of the G-MAC, but have been more competitive than their 4-8 record suggests, with several near upsets of top teams in the conference and a win over G-MAC tourney contender Cedarville this past Monday.

A big factor in the improvement of Lake Erie this season has been the addition of high-scoring combo-guard Jordan Burton from Notre Dame College, giving the team offensive punch from the perimeter it lacked in 2020-21. Jonny Manning and Caleb Piks have also made big strides offensively in their second seasons at Lake Erie.

The Storm have a deep bench that includes two players who started for Lake Erie last season, Jacob Plantz and Jackson Burdyshaw, who are both playing well in reserve roles. Improved offensive output has been critical for Lake Erie, who were at the bottom of the league last year but sit seventh this season with 71.7 points per game so far.

The Storm are coached by Kyle Conley, who has a 51-55 record entering his fifth 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 in three of his four seasons and a semifinal appearance in 2017-18.

Scouting the Chargers

A tough loss to rival Findlay on Saturday stings but doesn't change the bigger picture for Hillsdale, which sits a game behind Malone and Walsh in the G-MAC standings with a chance to move into a tie for first place with road victories this week.

The Chargers are looking to build off of one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2020-21, a campaign that saw Hillsdale 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 high-volume 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.

Three top subs from 2020-21, juniors Cole Nau, Kyle Goessler and Jack Gohlke, have moved into the starting lineup to help fill the void left by the departures of second-team All-G-MAC honorees Connor Hill and Davis Larson, while sophomore Noah Applegate and freshman Joe Reuter, among others, have taken on expanded roles off the bench.

The Chargers have been dominant defensively so far, giving up 63.9 points per game, second lowest in the G-MAC and 14^th in the nation in Division II. Continuing to play tough defense and improving offensively will be key to Hillsdale's hopes of a big run in 2022.

Directing the Chargers for the 15^th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 266-141 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 hold an 11-5 lead in its all-time series against Malone, and have won six of their last seven against the Pioneers, including an 81-70 victory at home this season on Jan. 8. Hillsdale is tied with Walsh 9-9 in an extremely competitive series after the Cavaliers broke a three-game losing streak to the Chargers with a 76-52 victory on Jan. 6. Meanwhile, the Chargers are 18-2 all-time against Lake Erie and have won four straight against the Storm, including sweeping the season series in 2020-21. Lake Erie's last win against Hillsdale came in a 53-52 final on Feb. 16, 2019.
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. Currently, the Chargers are 10-4 in G-MAC play, sitting in second place, a half-game back of G-MAC co-leaders Malone and Walsh.
The 2020-21 G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year, Patrick Cartier, continues to excel on the court in his junior season. Cartier was recently named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List, has scored 17 or more points in 18 of Hillsdale's 20 games so far, and is currently first in the G-MAC and 10^th in the nation at the DII level in points per game with 22.4. His 63.6 field goal percentage is 9^th in DII, and he is Hillsdale's career leader in the stat by over three full percentage points. On Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, the junior also became the 39^th player in Hillsdale College men's basketball history to surpass 1,000 points for his career with 30 points in an 83-61 win over Northwood. He's currently 20^th all-time in Hillsdale history with 1,391 points
In six starts since moving into the lineup on Jan. 15, junior Jack Gohlke has hit double figures four times, including two 25-point performances. Twice Gohlke has hit seven 3-pointers in a game in that stretch, the most by a Charger in a single game since Stedman Lowry hit seven 3-pointers in an 82-72 road win over Cedarville on Jan. 20, 2018. The junior currently leads the G-MAC in 3-point percentage with 45.4 percent shooting beyond the arc.
Senior Austen Yarian joined Cartier on the list of Charger players to surpass 1,000 points for his career, becoming the 40^th with 11 points against Northwood on Dec. 20. The 2020-21 first-team All-G-MAC player now has 1,070 for his career, good for 34^th all time and, with 700 rebounds, is also closing in on breaking into the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in that stat as well.
Hillsdale's team identity under John Tharp is well-known, and it starts with defense – the Chargers are second in the G-MAC in scoring defense and are 14^th in the nation in DII at 63.9 points per game. Unselfishness and taking care of the ball are also core tenets of the Hillsdale style of play, and the Chargers also lead the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67) and in assists per game (17.7). Hillsdale's assist-to-turnover ratio is the fourth best of any team in Division II, and its 17.7 assists per game ranks 11^th among all teams in the country at the DII level.
Charger freshman Joe Reuter has carved out an early role off the bench for Hillsdale in his first season on campus, and had a huge game on Saturday, Jan. 8 against Malone, scoring 21 points on 10 of 12 shooting. It's the first time a true freshman has led the Chargers in scoring since teammate Austen Yarian scored 19 points in a 77-61 win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 27, 2018 and the most points by a true freshman since Andrew Taylor scored 24 in a 75-71 loss to Ashland on Feb. 1, 2007. Reuter enters this weekend having scored in double figures in five straight contests, including 17 in a home win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 20.
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.