Ashland University Men's Basketball - Report 9

This Week's Schedule

Thursday, Feb. 10, 5:30 p.m. – No. 22 Grand Valley State (16-5, 11-3 GLIAC) at ASHLAND (11-9, 5-8 GLIAC)

Saturday, Feb. 12, 1 p.m. – Ferris State (16-5, 12-2 GLIAC) at ASHLAND (11-9, 5-8 GLIAC)


Following the Eagles

Television (vs. Grand Valley State): SportsTime Ohio – Marcus Walsh (play-by-play) and Ken Dworznik (analyst); Tape-delay – Friday (1 a.m., 7 a.m., 6 p.m.)

Radio: 1340 WNCO-AM; www.wncoam.com; Ken Carman (play-by-play)

Radio: 88.9 WRDL-FM; Matt Brubaker (play-by-play)

LIVE STATS

A Look at the Eagles

            The Eagles won both of their games last weekend and are winners of three of their last four heading into a difficult homestand against the top two teams in the GLIAC North. Ashland hosts No. 22 Grand Valley State on Thursday evening at Kates Gymnasium. That game will be aired three times on SportsTime Ohio. GVSU will be the third ranked opponent in AU's last four games at Kates Gymnasium. On Saturday, the Eagles will host Ferris State at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs lead the GLIAC North with a 12-2 conference record. This will be AU's only matchup with both schools this season.

The Eagles swept two games last week over GLIAC South foes Ohio Dominican and Tiffin. Ashland earned an 86-77 overtime win over the Panthers on Thursday (Feb. 3) evening. The teams played a tight first half before the Eagles began to pull away in the second stanza. However, a three-pointer at the buzzer by Jake Mochoskay sent the game into overtime. Ashland outscored ODU, 16-7, in the overtime for the win. The Eagles nearly led wire-to-wire against Tiffin on Saturday, coming out with an 81-69 win, which snapped the Dragons' three-game winning streak.

            Ashland was picked to finish fourth in the GLIAC South Division in the GLIAC preseason poll. Senior forward Kale Richardson (Carroll, Ohio/Bloom-Carroll) was named to the preseason All-GLIAC South first team. The Lakers were picked first in the GLIAC North in the preseason and the Bulldogs were picked second in the North. GVSU senior guard Justin Ringler was named to the preseason All-GLIAC North first team and junior guard Alvin Storrs was picked as a preseason second-team player. FSU senior forward Justin Keenan was tabbed as the GLIAC's Preseason Player of the Year and teammate senior Darien Gay was named to the All-GLIAC North second team in the preseason. Keenan is the reigning GLIAC Player of the Year and was a Division II first-team All-American in 2009-10.

Pink Zone

            Ashland University basketball will be in the "Pink Zone," this week. Both the men's and women's basketball teams will be wearing pink warm-up t-shirts to encourage support for breast cancer awareness.  Cancer survivors are invited to the games free of charge and all fans are encouraged to wear pink. T-shirts will be sold at the Thursday and Saturday games.  Short-sleeved t-shirts are $10 and long-sleeved shirts are $15. For more information, contact AU director of sports marketing Rachel Bixler, 419-289-5954.

A GLIAC Honor

             On Monday the GLIAC office announced that AU sophomore guard David Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Florida) was named the GLIAC South's Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 6. He scored 15 points and handed out a career-best seven assists in 43 minutes played in the overtime win over the Panthers. He scored five points in the overtime period. Harris also matched his career high with 22 points in Saturday's win at Tiffin, adding three assists and four steals, playing all 40 minutes. He hit 4-of-5 three-pointers against the Dragons. Harris averaged 18.5 points, five assists and four steals in 41.5 minutes per game last week. He shot 55 percent (11-for-20) from the field last week.

Head Coach John Ellenwood

            John Ellenwood is in his second season guiding the Eagles and has compiled a record of 24-24, including an 14-21 mark in the GLIAC. In 2009-10, Ellenwood's Eagles were 13-15 and qualified for the GLIAC postseason for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Ellenwood won his 50^th career game on Dec. 11 at Lake Erie. His career record is 57-72.

            He was named the Ashland University head coach on April 2, 2009 after three years as the head coach at Division III Thomas More College in Kentucky. While with the Saints, Ellenwood improved the program dramatically. The year before he arrived, Thomas More had just two wins. In his first season, the Saints were 3-23, but improved to 11-16 and 19-9 in the two following years. In his final season, Thomas More won the regular season and conference title in the Presidents' Athletic Conference and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in school history. The 19 wins were the most since the program became a Division III institution. Ellenwood was previously an assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan and Capital.

            Ellenwood played collegiately at the College of Wooster from 1996-2000 and earned All-America honors in his senior season. In his time at Wooster, the Fighting Scots were 96-19 and advanced to the playoffs all four years. Ellenwood is the NCAC career leader in field goal percentage (65 percent) and holds the conference record for most field goals in a game without a missed shot (11).

The Eagle Eye

            Senior forward Kale Richardson (Carroll, Ohio/Bloom-Carroll) is the Eagles' leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game… he is 13^th in the GLIAC in scoring and sixth in rebounding… he has been very efficient on the offensive end, shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 79.5 percent from the line (12^th in the GLIAC)… only three times this season has Richardson missed two free throws in a game… Richardson is second on the team in three-pointers made (23)… he is second on the team with 23 steals and is second with nine blocks… he scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals in AU's overtime win over Ohio Dominican... he shot 8-for-13 from the field in the game… At Tiffin, he was just shy of his fifth double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds… Richardson is the only Eagle to have started every game... he has never missed a game in his AU career, playing and starting all 102 games… Richardson has been named to three straight All-GLIAC teams – the last two as a first-team selection. He was the GLIAC's Freshman of the Year in 2007-08.

Sophomore center Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) is second on the team in scoring (13.1 ppg.) and rebounding (6.4 rpg.)… he is 10^th in the GLIAC in rebounding… Yates is shooting 59.9 percent from the floor, which ranks second in the GLIAC… he was second in the conference last year in field goal percentage… Yates came off the bench for the first time last Thursday, contributing 17 points and five rebounds, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor in 24 effective minutes…on Saturday, the 6-foot-6 center notched his third double-double of the season with 20 points and matched a career high with 11 rebounds against the Dragons... Yates leads the Eagles in free throw attempts (120)… he has 21 assists, seven steals and six blocks for the season.

            Sophomore guard David Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Florida) is third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points and 2.4 assists per game… he leads the team with 48 total assists… Harris handed out 10 assists last week, including a career-best seven against Ohio Dominican last Thursday… he was named the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week for his play last week… he scored a career-high 22 points at Tiffin on Saturday, hitting 4-of-5 three-pointers... Harris had four steals in each game last week and played 41.5 minutes per game… he has started the last 12 games and played major minutes in all but the first five games of the season… in the last 15 games, the 5-foot-5 guard is averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game… he has scored in double figures seven times in that span.

            Freshman guard Jordan Berlin (Wilmington, Ohio) has started the last 11 games for the Eagles… in his last five games, he is averaging 8.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 33.8 minutes per game… Berlin has 41 total assists and is second on the team in that category… he is shooting 40.6 percent (13-for-32) from three-point range this season and has hit 50 percent (8-for-16) in his last five games… he scored nine points in each game last week, shooting 46.1 percent from the floor… Berlin has played in 19 games (12 starts) and is averaging 24.1 minutes per game.

Senior forward Blake Saunders (Hinsdale, Ill./Sonoma State) has played solid basketball of late and earned his first start of the season on Thursday against Ohio Dominican… in 19 minutes, Saunders had five points and pulled down a season-best seven rebounds… Saunders is shooting 55 percent (22-for-40) from the field for the season… he leads the Eagles with 13 blocked shots… hampered a bit by injury, Saunders is averaging 11.1 minutes in 15 games played this season.

Freshman forward Will Evans (Lexington, Ky./Christian Academy) has started the last 10 games for the Eagles… he scored his career high of 11 points at Findlay on Jan. 5… on Saturday at Tiffin, Evans had four points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 26 minutes… Evans is one of four Eagles to have played in all 18 games this season, averaging 15.4 minutes per game.

Senior forward Justin Garris (Ledgewood, Ohio/NJIT) is Ashland's fifth-leading scorer, averaging 6.1 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from the field… last week, Garris averaged six points, six rebounds and two assists.

            Sophomore guard Ronnie Steward (Columbus, Ohio/University of Akron) missed the last two games with injury… he still leads the team in minutes per game with 30.3 and has played at least 25 minutes in each game in which he has appeared… he is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.5 points per game… the transfer from Akron is shooting 83.3 percent (30-for-36) from the line, which is sixth in the GLIAC… he has hit 11 three-pointers this season… Steward has turned the ball over just 25 times in 454 minutes played as AU's lead guard, which comes out to just one per 18.2 minutes played.

Odds and Ends

            The Eagles have shot at least 46 percent from the field 12 times and at least 50 percent in seven of their games. The Eagles have not hit the 50 percent mark in the last six games, their longest stretch of the season… Ashland is 6-1 when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor... The Eagles are shooting 48.9 percent in their wins this season and 42.1 percent in their losses… AU's defense has allowed just seven teams to shoot 45 percent or better from the floor… The Eagles have out-shot (by percentage) their opponents 11 times this season and are 9-2 in those games… For the season, opponents are connecting on 43.5 percent from the floor, which ranks eighth in the GLIAC... The Eagles lead the GLIAC in defending the three-pointer, allowing teams to hit just 31.9 percent from long range… Four players have played in all 20 games and 12 players are averaging at least 10 minutes per game.

Facts and Figures

• Richardson is the only player to have started all 20 games. He has played and started every game (102) in his AU career.
• The Eagles have played in seven games decided by six points or less, going 5-3.
• Richardson is fourth on AU's all-time scoring list with 1,573 points. He passed Mike Kaido last weekend. Richardson is third all-time in rebounding with 705 in his career. He is 29 rebounds behind Greg Emmons (2002-06) for second all-time. Richardson is also fifth all-time in three-pointers made with 155, just one behind Chris Royer and three behind Ricardo Hill for third all-time.
• AU leads the GLIAC in defending the three-pointer, allowing opponents to hit just 31.9 percent from outside.
• Ashland is 7-3 at home this season. In two years under Ellenwood, the Eagles are 17-8 (.680) at Kates Gymnasium.
• One key to the Eagles' sweep last week was their tenacity on the boards. AU combined to out-rebound the Panthers and Dragons, 87-61.
• Ashland has won the rebounding battle in eight games this season. The Eagles are 7-1 in those games.
• Ashland has not blocked a shot since Garris recorded one against Wayne State on Jan. 27. The Eagles have blocked 42 shots this season – 28 have come from Richardson, Yates and Saunders who leads the team with 13 swats.
• Ashland is last in the league in offensive three-point percentage (.325) and is 13^th in the GLIAC in three-pointers made per game (5.4).
• The Eagles opened the season with a 3-0 mark. It was the first time since the 2004-05 season they had won their first three games.
• The Eagles are averaging 9.5 steals per game in their last four.

A Stacked Region

            The GLIAC is widely considered one of the top athletic conferences in Division II for most sports. The GLIAC's sister conference in the Midwest Region, the Great Lakes Valley Conference, is known as a basketball powerhouse. This season is no different for either league. The GLIAC and GLVC contribute six teams in the Top 25 of the National Basketball Coaches Association poll, including three in the Top 6. Midwest Region schools included in the rankings are Bellarmine (No. 2), Findlay (No. 3), Southern Indiana (No. 6), Northern Kentucky (No. 18), Hillsdale (No. 20) and Grand Valley State (No. 22). Also, Indianapolis and Wayne State are listed in the "Others Receiving Votes" category.

Ashland plays a total of five games against schools currently ranked in the Top 25. The Eagles are 1-3 against ranked opponents, including their win over then-No. 21 Wayne State on Jan. 27. The Eagles host their third ranked opponent in their last four games at Kates Gymnasium when No. 22 Grand Valley State visits Thursday.

In the GLIAC

            With their two key wins last week, the Eagles (5-8) are currently ninth overall in the GLIAC with the top eight teams advancing to the conference postseason tournament. AU is a half-game behind Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State (6-8) for eighth place. SVSU owns the tiebreaker over Ashland, via the Cardinals' win over AU on Jan. 20. Northwood is tied with the Eagles at 5-8.

Ashland is fourth in the GLIAC South after passing Tiffin (4-10) last week. Findlay is 12-1 and leads the South Division and the GLIAC overall. Wayne State is 12-2, just a half-game behind the Oilers, and Hillsdale is third at 11-3. Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie round out the South Division.

The North Division is a two-team race that may come down to the season's final game. Ferris State leads the North at 12-2, but Grand Valley State is 11-3. The Bulldogs won the season's first meeting between the schools on Jan. 29, 79-72 in overtime in a game played in Grand Rapids, Mich. Those teams play again in the regular season finale on Feb. 26. Lake Superior State is third in the division at 7-7 with Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State at 6-8.

Ashland vs. Grand Valley State Series Notes

• The Eagles are 11-14 all-time against the Lakers.
• The Eagles have lost three in a row to GVSU and 10 of their last 11.
• Ashland's last win against the Lakers came on Dec. 6, 2008, at Kates Gymnasium. Richardson had 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field. The Eagles trailed by 10 at halftime, but Bret Wackerly's jumper with 3 seconds left lifted AU to the win.
• The Eagles dropped a GLIAC Tournament game to the Lakers, 90-77, in 2006.
• The teams also met in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in AU's last appearance there in 1991. The Eagles triumphed, 82-75.
• The Lakers swept two games last year, winning 72-48 on Dec. 5 in Allendale, Mich., and then beating the Eagles, 69-53, on Jan. 14 at Kates Gymnasium.

In that second game, the Eagles trailed by nine points at halftime and never dug out of the hole, limited by the Lakers' stifling defense, which forced 16 turnovers and held the Eagles to just 40.5 percent shooting. Grand Valley State won the rebounding battle, 29-19. Justin Ringler had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers. Yates scored 17 points and pulled down a team-high five rebounds in that game. He averaged 13 points and eight rebounds against the Lakers last season. He was the only player to average double figure points against GVSU in the two games.

Scouting Grand Valley State

            The Lakers are 16-5 overall and 11-3 in GLIAC play. GVSU has struggled of late, losing two of its last three and three of its last six. The Lakers are coming off a 69-63 overtime win at Lake Superior State last Saturday. They stumbled, 61-59, at Saginaw Valley State last Thursday and fell to Ferris State, 79-72, in overtime on Jan. 29. The Lakers are ranked 22^nd in the latest NABC Coaches Poll.

Senior guard Justin Ringler leads the Lakers in scoring (14.0 ppg.), rebounding (5.8 rpg.) and passing (2.6 apg.). He is also eighth in the GLIAC in steals per game (1.8). Junior guard James Thomas is the Lakers' top marksman, hitting 39 three-pointers this season and shooting 44.3 percent from long range. That figure ranks fourth in the conference. He is second on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game. Junior guard Alvin Storrs is fourth in the GLIAC in steals per game (1.8). He averages 9.1 points per game and shoots 45.9 percent from three-point range. Junior center Nick Waddell is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (58.6 percent) and carries an 8.5 scoring average. Junior guard Wes Trammell shoots 41.3 percent from three-point range and is averaging 8.1 points per game.

            Where the Lakers really make their presence known is on the defensive end. They are not afraid to slow the game down and shrink the number of possessions in the game. They are the top defensive team in the league, allowing just 59.4 points per game, more than five points better than second-best Findlay. GVSU limits opponents to just 38.6 percent shooting from the field and lead the conference in steals per game at 9.0 per game. The Lakers are second in turnover margin (-3.9 per game) and lead the GLIAC in rebounding margin (+6.0 per game). They are efficient offensively as well, ranking third in the circuit in scoring (76.7 ppg.) and three-point percentage (.378).

            Head coach Ric Wesley is in his seventh season on the bench for the Lakers. He has a 169-44 (.793) record in that time and has led the Lakers to the NCAA Tournament for five years running. Wesley's team last year advanced to the second round after beating Findlay in the tournament opener. The Lakers lost to St. Joseph's in the regional semifinals. He led GVSU to its first and only Elite Eight appearance in 2006-07 when the Lakers finished 29-5 and ranked seventh in the country. Prior to his arrival at GVSU, Wesley spent five years as the associate head coach at Southwest Missouri State. He also spent four seasons as an assistant at Lamar University and 14 years at Iowa State. Wesley is a 1980 graduate of Central Michigan.

Ashland vs. Ferris State Series Notes

• The Bulldogs hold a 13-7 all-time series lead over the Eagles and have won eight of the last nine overall.
• Ashland has lost four straight to the Bulldogs, last winning on Jan. 31, 2008 at Kates Gymansium. In his freshman year Richardson had a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards (seven offensive) in the game. He was one of five Eagles to score in double figures.
• The teams have faced off in just one postseason game in their history – that came in the 1997-98 season when the Bulldogs beat the Eagles, 92-81, in the second round of the GLIAC Tournament.
• The Bulldogs beat the Eagles twice last season, 82-72 in Big Rapids, Mich. on Dec. 3, and then 80-69 at Kates Gymnasium on Jan. 16.

In the second of those games last season, the Eagles fell behind 11-0 in the opening minutes and never led in the contest after the Bulldogs led by as many as 26 points early in the second half. The Eagles trimmed the lead to as close as five points, but never got over the hump. Richardson had 15 points and nine rebounds in the loss. In the season series against FSU, Richardson averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Bylynn Hatcher led the Eagles in scoring in the series, averaging 16.0 points per game. Ferris State standout Justin Keenan scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the game at Kates Gymnasium last season.

Scouting Ferris State

            The Bulldogs are 16-5 overall and 12-2 in GLIAC play, which ties them for second overall in the GLIAC. They are the top team in the North Division. Ferris State is riding an eight-game winning streak into the weekend. The 'Dogs have won their last 10 games against Division II opponents, their only loss in the new year coming against Mid-American Conference foe Eastern Michigan, 76-70. FSU won its last two games over Lake Superior State and Saginaw Valley State by a combined five points, and prior to that, beat Grand Valley State, 79-72, in overtime.

The Bulldogs are led by reigning GLIAC Player of the Year and All-American Justin Keenan. The senior forward is the conference leader in points (22.1) and rebounds per game (9.7). His scoring average is 5.2 ppg. better than the second-place player, Hillsdale's Kyle Hunt. He leads the GLIAC in both offensive and defensive rebounding. Keenan is ninth in the league in field goal percentage (.561).

Senior guard Darien Gay does most of the ball-handling for the Bulldogs, ranking sixth in the GLIAC in assists per game (3.9). He is second on the team in scoring (15.0 ppg.) and ranks fifth in the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.4). Senior guard/forward Lou Williams is second on the team in rebounding at 5.9 rebounds per game. He is also the conference's leading shot-blocker, averaging 2.3 swats per game. Senior guard Matt DeHart, averaging 8.8 points per game, is a threat from three-point range, ranking fourth in the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.5), hitting them at a 42.1 percent clip.

Ferris State has the fifth-best offense in the conference, scoring 75.7 points per game, while allowing the sixth-fewest (69.4). The Bulldogs are also dominant on the glass, ranking second in the GLIAC in rebounding margin (+3.6 per game) and third in offensive rebounding (12.6).

            The Bulldogs are under the direction of 11^th-year head coach Bill Sall. He has led FSU to five of the last six GLIAC Tournaments. In 2004-05, the Bulldogs were the runners-up in the NCAA Midwest Region, falling just one game shy of the Elite Eight. Prior to his stint at Ferris State, Sall was an assistant at Hillsdale for four years. Before that, he was an assistant coach at Ferris State and a three-year assistant at his alma mater Calvin College, where he played basketball for the Knights. He is that school's third all-time leading scorer. Sall prepped at Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville, Mich.

On Deck

The Eagles will pack up for their longest road trip of the season, heading to the frigid Michigan Upper Peninsula. AU will battle Michigan Tech in a key GLIAC matchup on Thursday (Feb. 17) at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday (Feb. 19), the Eagles will play at Northern Michigan at 1 p.m.

AU

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