November marks the start of college basketball season, but it's also a time to look towards the more distant future, as National Signing Day also falls on the calendar at this time of year.
So, while the Hillsdale College men's basketball team kicks off the 2025-26 campaign, at the same time, it's also secured national letters of intent from three players who will join the 2026-27 squad next fall.

Cole Albers (Minster, Ohio/Minster), Leland Berg (Kalamazoo, Michigan/Hackett Catholic) and Cade Dirkse (Oostburg, Wisconsin/Oostburg) represent talented reinforcements at the guard, wing and forward positions who will help the Chargers compete for championships in the years to come.

"We are very excited about adding Cade, Cole and Leland to our Hillsdale program," said Hillsdale College head coach Keven Bradley. "All three student-athletes epitomize what we look for in recruits on and off the court.

"In addition to being great students that emphasize academics and have great family support, they are all winners and have been very successful throughout their high school careers. All three of these student-athletes help make our program better and we look forward to supporting and following them throughout their senior year of high school basketball."     

Albers is a rugged and tough post presence from Minster, Ohio near the Indiana border. At 6-foot-8, Albers brings prototypical size for his position, and, as a two-sport athlete who stars in football as well as basketball for the Wildcats, also possesses the physicality and athleticism to make an impact at the next level. A three-year varsity starter for Minster, Albers has earned three straight All-Midwest Conference honors while helping the Wildcats build from a 3-20 team as a freshman to a 16-win squad with an OHSAA District Final appearance as a junior in 2024-25.

An All-Ohio honorable mention player as a junior, Albers currently ranks top five all-time in Minster history in field goal percentage (57.97), rebounds (581) and blocks (122) with his full senior season to play, and has led the Midwest Conference in blocks in each of his three varsity seasons. A standout player on the travel circuit for Ohio Buckets, Albers is currently ranked as the 36^th-best prospect in the state of Ohio according to Prep Hoops.

"Cole is an extremely skilled post player, who has a great feel for the game," Bradley said. "His unselfishness and passing ability really stood out to our staff early in the evaluation process, along with his ability to play with his back to the basket."

Berg is a multi-talented wing player from Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, a small catholic school with a long history of athletic success. A 6-foot-5 player with good size for his position, Berg made massive strides as a sophomore to catch the attention of college coaches, and broke out in a big way as a junior, earning first-team All-Southwestern Conference honors and All-Tournament Team honors in the Michigan Catholic School Tournament. He also hit the game-winning shot in the Irish's stunning 56-55 upset of defending MHSAA Division 3 state champion Niles Brandywine on Jan. 4, 2025.

Along with his success at Hackett, Berg also averaged 15 points and eight rebounds while starring on the Grassroots AAU circuit this past summer. He heads into his senior season as a rising talent among state of Michigan prep players.

"Adding Leland to the program is a great addition," Bradley said. "He is a long, skilled wing that has a good feel on how to play without the basketball in his hands.

"He has a great work ethic that will help prepare him for Hillsdale."

Last but certainly not least is Dirkse, a 6-2 guard from north of Milwaukee who could be the next in a long line of extremely successful floor generals for Hillsdale who are from Wisconsin. A starter every year of high school so far at Oostburg and a two-sport athlete who also excels in soccer, Dirkse has earned All-Conference honors in every season he's played, has twice been named the Big East Conference Player of the Year, and was honorable mention All-Wisconsin as a junior, leading the Flying Dutchman to a 20-7 record while averaging 22.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

Dirkse also has excelled on the travel circuit, helping Chapman North advance to the NY2LA Championship during summer ball, and he's also the 26^th-ranked prospect in the state of Wisconsin according to Prep Hoops entering his senior season.

"We are really excited about adding Cade to our program," Bradley said. "He is an incredibly completive point guard who constantly brings out the best in himself and his teammates.

"He makes everyone around him better and doesn't back down from challenges."

Photos are courtesy of the athletes. From left: Albers, Berg, Dirkse