Schedule
Hillsdale (5-1, 0-0 G-MAC) at Grand Valley St. (3-1, 0-0 GLIAC) | 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27 | GVSU Fieldhouse | Allendale, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | GVSU Roster | Hillsdale Stats | GVSU Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Ashton Janowski, Jr, G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (11.5 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1 spg); #4 Charles Woodhams, Sr., G, Otsego, MI/Otsego (14 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.2 apg); #30 Logan Beaston, rFr., G, Tiffin, OH/Columbian (10.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, Sr., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (11 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.5 spg); #35 Eric Radisevic, Sr., F, Brookfield,WI/Central (7 ppg)
 
GVSU: #0 Kaden Brown, So., G, Grand Rapids, MI/Wright St. (11.3 ppg, 1 spg); #3 Mason Docks, Jr., G, East Lansing, MI/Maryland-Baltimore County (9.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 4.8 apg); #4 Jalen Charity, Jr., F, Grand Rapids, MI/Northview (10.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg); #11 William Dunn, Sr., F, Quincy, MI/Youngstown St. (8  ppg, 4.8 rpg); #13 Ethan Alderink, Jr., F, Holland, MI/Holland Christian (10.3 ppg, 5rpg)
 
Scouting the Opposition
GVSU: The talent-rich Lakers are off to a solid start in 2024-25 as GVSU looks to end a six-year NCAA Tournament drought, going 3-1 with a pair of wins over G-MAC contenders in the first three weeks of the season.

Long a prime destination for NCAA DI transfers, GVSU has put together a solid lineup of new and old acquisitions from the portal to help flesh out a formidable rotation.

Returnees Mason Docks (UMBC) and William Dunn (Youngstown St.) at point guard and center play big roles, while new Wright St. transfer Kaden Brown leads the team in scoring with impressive shooting from 3-point range so far.

Two homegrown players, sharpshooter Ethan Alderink and athletic wing Jalen Charity, lead GVSU in minutes and are core building blocks as well. GVSU plays a deep bench, with veterans Trevon Gunter and Trevor Smith Jr. leading a strong second unit.

Although GVSU does have a 100-plus point scoring game this season, the foundation of this Lakers team is a strong defense that's largely held opponents in check so far. That's a testament to both the Lakers' athleticism and the strength of the team's scheme and chemistry with so many veteran players in the lineup.
 
 
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale suffered its first setback over the weekend in a neutral site loss to a tough Winona State squad, but the Chargers have another opportunity for a marquee non-conference win this weekend with a road trip to a strong opponent in GVSU the day before Thanksgiving.

Despite a young squad with only one returning starter in 2023-24, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team put together a solid campaign, winning 18 games and keeping a streak of seven straight top four G-MAC finishes intact.

Now, as the calendar turns from the 2024-25 season, last year's young squad at Hillsdale becomes one of the most veteran teams in the G-MAC, and a serious contender for the G-MAC crown and a potential return trip to the NCAA Tournament after a year's absence.

Entering this winter, the Chargers go from returning only one starter to returning four of five starters, and 11 of 13 players that appeared in at least one game in the 2023-24 season. Leading the way is senior forward Joe Reuter, a two-time All-G-MAC selection who's entering his third year as a starter and one of just three first-team All-G-MAC players from a year ago who are back for the 2024-25 season.

Reuter led Hillsdale in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks last season and should be one of the top players in the conference. He'll be flanked by two more returning double-digit scorers in guards Charles Woodhams, a fifth-year senior, and Ashton Janowski, a junior. Both players came into their own last season as starters and scoring threats and give Hillsdale great toughness and continuity up front.

An area where the Chargers are hoping for major improvement is in the paint. Starting center CJ Yarian returns after a solid first season on the court for Hillsdale, while fellow sophomores Caleb Glaser and Garrett Bolte gained great experience off the bench and will look to continue growing as sophomores. The unit will get a big boost from a healthy Eric Radisevic, who contributed last year but was limited for much of the season by injuries. Now entering 2024-25 fully recovered, Radisevic could make a big impact for the Chargers, who lacked offensive punch from the center position at points in 2023-24 and could jump to another level as a team with better production down low.

Two players who could see their role grow as Hillsdale looks to replace the graduated Samuel Vasiu are sharpshooting sophomore Mikey McCollum and junior point guard Cole McWhinnie, both of whom excelled in substitute roles in 2023-24 and who will compete for more minutes this season.

Additionally, don't count out two players coming off their redshirt years this season. Guard Logan Beaston and post Connor Stonebraker are both skilled offensive players and have the talent to carve out roles of their own on an experienced squad, while further bolstering the Chargers' depth.

Head coach Keven Bradley returns for his second season at the helm after a solid first season, and brings back assistant Evan Morrissey for a second year, while adding Michigan native Travis Schuba to the coaching staff for this campaign as well.

Matchup History

• While the overall series is slanted in Grand Valley State's favor, it's been competitive between the Lakers and Hillsdale since the two teams became founding members of the GLIAC in 1975. GVSU leads overall 44-29, and 14-9 since 2003, but Hillsdale has had its share of wins, and is 4-2 in the last six meetings, including a 76-69 win in Hillsdale last year.

 
Other Notes

• The Chargers were picked to finish second in the G-MAC Preseason Poll released in late October, with four first place votes. Defending champion Kentucky Wesleyan was picked to repeat, while defending G-MAC Tournament champion Walsh was picked to finish third. Since joining the league in 2017-18, Hillsdale has never finished lower than third in the final standings.
• Hillsdale entered the national rankings in the D2CSC poll last week, checking in at 17^th in the nation after a 4-0 start. In addition to the D2CSC poll, Hillsdale also cracked the top 25 in this week's NABC Coaches Poll, ranking 21^st. Hillsdale is one of four teams in the Midwest Region ranked in the NABC poll, including Ferris St. (13^th), Lake Superior St. (22^nd) and G-MAC foe Findlay (25^th), while four more Midwest Region schools were also receiving votes.
• Hillsdale returns four starters from last year's squad, headlined by returning All-G-MAC honoree Joe Reuter. The senior forward is a third-year starter and a two-time All-Conference player who also was named G-MAC Freshman of the Year for the 2021-22 season. Along with high scoring guards Ashton Janowski and Charles Woodhams, Reuter has been a key piece for Hillsdale so far, nearly averaging a double-double while also sitting among the league leaders in assists and steals as well. Reuter also is working his way up the all-time lists statistically at Hillsdale, as his 1,092 career points now ranks 32^nd all time, and he surpassed the 500-rebound milestone this past Saturday against Winona State.
• The Chargers are playing at a high level so far at both ends of the floor, ranking third in the G-MAC at 84.3 points per game, and second in the G-MAC and 20^th in the nation in scoring defense at 64.2 points per game. Hillsdale's 20-points-per-game scoring margin on opponents currently ranks 15th in NCAA DII.
• Hillsdale is known for its excellent 3-point defense, and last year's team was the best the Chargers have had at it since the 3-point line was introduced. Teams shot just 29.3% from deep on Hillsdale last season, the lowest among G-MAC squads and in the top 10 nationally. So far, through six games, Hillsdale is conceding just 28.3% from beyond the arc, which leads the G-MAC by a significant margin and is tied for 38^th in NCAA DII so far.
• The Chargers' strong offensive performance is buoyed by excellent shooting from deep so far in the 2024-25 campaign, as Hillsdale has hit over 50% of 3-point attempts in three of its six games so far and is in the top 50 nationally in made 3-pointers per game with 10 a contest. With a variety of excellent 3-point shooters led by Logan Beaston (19 makes, 40.4%), there's reason to believe Hillsdale's current rate of 38.5% shooting from beyond the arc may be sustainable over the course of the campaign.
• Hillsdale puts a priority on cleaning up the defensive glass, and the Chargers are once again one of the G-MAC's leaders in rebounds conceded, giving up 27 rebounds per game to opponents, the best mark in the G-MAC. A strong rebounding team overall, Hillsdale's 10.8 rebounding margin against opponents is the second-best mark in the G-MAC so far.