FINALLY PLAYING: After the longest offseason in program history, dealing with positive COVID-19 tests and the required quarantine periods, and working with a makeshift schedule that is likely to change by the minute on some days, the Ashland University men's basketball team will suit up for GLIAC play for the first time this week.
MOVING THINGS AROUND: The Eagles – along with just about every college athletic team in the country – have dealt with unpredictable routines for months and this week saw additional schedule changes. Because of restrictive COVID-19 protocols in Michigan, Ashland's games against Ferris State this week were moved from Big Rapids to Kates Gymnasium. It will almost certainly not be the last time the Eagles will have to adjust on the fly, so to speak, as each team week will bring regular COVID-19 tests that could force postponements and cancellations.
LAST LOOK AT LAST GAME: Ashland was originally slated to play just a conference schedule this season, but added a Dec. 17 game against then-No. 21 Mercyhurst that week which the Eagles lost, 73-59, in Erie, Pa. Mercyhurst, which had coincidentally beaten Ferris State twice the week prior, forced 13 turnovers in the first half as the Eagles were not able to fully dig out of a 17-point deficit. Ashland cut it to four early in the second half, but an 11-0 run by the Lakers put the game out of reach.
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT: Senior transfer guard Bo Furcron saw his first action in an AU uniform and was impressive in 35 minutes. He scored 16 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. The 6-foot-5 Romulus, Mich. native is a transfer from Division I Florida International and previously played at nearby Walsh University. He is a graduate of Elyria High School outside Cleveland.
RETURNING FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Head coach John Ellenwood and the Eagles will turn to reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year Brandon Haraway to continue hiis development into one of the top perimeter players in the league. Haraway averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season and got off to an excellent start to this season with his performace against Mercyhurst. He scored a game-high 17 points and collected seven rebounds, one shy of a career-high.
SHARPSHOOTER: Fellow returning sophomore, wing Ethan Conley, unleashed his shot from last season much like he displayed early last season when he started the first few week's as the nation's leading 3-point threat. Conley scored 14 points in 29 minutes off the bench and went 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Last season, Conley hit 18 triples in his first six collegiate games and finished the season shooting 42 percent from long distance.
TOP DEFENSE: The reputation has been built and it is the foundation of the AU men's basketball program. The Eagles will defend. In the last six years under Ellenwood in which they have averaged 20.5 wins per season, the Eagles have ranked in the top 30 in the nation in scoring defense. Last season, the Eagles were 24th in points per game allowed. That will be a staple of this year's team as well.
HANDS OFF: The Eagles play that defense without sending their opponents to the free throw line. In the last three seasons, Ashland has ranked sixth, first and third in Division II in fewest personal fouls committed per game. In the season opener, Mercyhurst went to the line just four times as the Eagles committed just eight fouls in the game. Ashland was hurt by Mercyhurst's threat from long range as the Lakers shot 12-26 (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
SERIES VS. FERRIS: The Eagles will face off with the Bulldogs for the final time as GLIAC opponents this week as Ashland is in its final season before a move to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Ashland is 11-25 all-time against the Bulldogs, but the Eagles have wonn three of the last four contests, including the last two at Kates Gymnasium. In last season's 65-53 win at home, the Eagles had five scorers in double figures with now-sophomore CJ Karsatos scoring a career-high 12 points in the absense of All-GLIAC standout Drew Noble. AU held the 'Dogs to just 36 percent shooting in the game.
TWO-TIME ALL-GLIAC: This season sees the return of two-time All-GLIAC second team and GLIAC All-Defensive team standout Aaron Thompson. The 6-foot-4 Thompson led the GLIAC in rebounding in 2018-19 and averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season while shooting 54 percent from the field. He also hit 15 3-pointers. For his career, Thompson has 852 points and 669 rebounds.
SHOT DEVELOPMENT: Senior forward Derek Koch worked on his game last offseason and developed a long-range shot that he can deploy as a weapon out of the pick-and-pop and high-post areas. Koch was second on the team with 37 3-pointers last season, hitting them at a 36 percent clip. He had made just 24 triples in his first season with the Eagles after transferring from Bowling Green State. The West Salem, Ohio native led the Eagles with 20 points in their defeat to Grand Valley State in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament last season. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior.
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