Patrick Cartier, a junior forward on the Hillsdale College men's basketball team, had a season to remember a year ago as a sophomore, earning G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year and consensus All-American honors.
But even after those lofty accomplishments a year ago, Cartier appears to have taken another step forward as a player as the 2021-22 season kicked off this past weekend.
Cartier was named the G-MAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon after leading the Chargers to two road wins over Midwest Regional foes, Saginaw Valley State (75-67) on Friday, and Northwood (83-61) on Saturday.
The junior from Brookfield, Wisconsin was sensational in both games, scoring a career-high 34 points on 15 of 20 shooting from the floor on Friday, and adding another 30-point game and five rebounds against the Timberwolves on Saturday. Before this week, Cartier had just two 30-plus point games in his career, with one coming in double overtime.
During the two contests, Cartier displayed his trademark efficient finishing around the basket that made him the 2020-21 G-MAC scoring leader and an All-American caliber player, shooting 70.3 percent from the floor. But he also showcased increased shooting range, hitting two of three 3-point attempts, and maintained his efficiency over a higher workload and volume offensively.
All that spells trouble for future opponents of the Chargers, who are ranked seventh in the nation in the NABC poll and fifth in the D2SIDA poll. They must now account for an even more fully-realized offensive version of a player that was already widely regarded as one of the best in the Midwest.
Cartier also became just the 39th player in Hillsdale men's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points, and one of the fastest to do so with at least nearly two full seasons remaining in his career. As long as he stays healthy, Cartier is on track to finish his career as one of Hillsdale's all-time greats in program history.
Hillsdale is in action on Wednesday next in a showdown with one of the other top teams in the region, undefeated Ferris State, for the Chargers' home opener at 7 p.m.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22