Men’s basketball to open 2020-21 season with Monday road game at Miami (Ohio)

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Despite having a roster that includes no seniors for the second straight season, the Defiance College men's basketball team heads into the unpredictable, coronavirus-affected 2020-21 campaign with high hopes as sixth-year head coach Scott Cutter returns nine players and welcomes the same number of newcomers. His young, but somewhat experienced 2020-21 squad includes two juniors, eight sophomores and eight freshmen.

"We are excited about our team this season," Cutter said. "We have a lot of players back that have experience, and we're hoping that reflects on the court. Our sophomores and juniors have played a lot of minutes as young players, and we feel like it's a talented group that has set the tone for our program."

Headlining Defiance's list of returnees are 6-foot-2 junior guard Marell Jordan and 6-foot-5 junior forward Tyler Andrew. Combined, Jordan and Andrew have played in 98-of-100 games with 73 starts over the past two seasons, averaging 55.5 minutes, nearly 26 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Each player has career numbers of more than 1200 minutes, 600 points, 200 field goals made, 200 boards and 45 three-pointers made.

Jordan enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign by being named Second Team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference last year. While topping the Yellow Jackets in scoring (14.8 points per game), total points (356), field goals made (138), steals (38), steals per contest (1.6) and tying for the team lead in field goal percentage (52.3, 138 of 264), he also averaged 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists an outing. Jordan, originally from Chicago, Illinois, but who graduated from Lafayette (Indiana) Jefferson High School, shot 42.6 percent (29 of 68) from three-point range and 83.6 percent (51 of 61) at the free throw line in 2019-20.

A starter in all 25 games a season ago, Andrew averaged 12.5 points and a team-best 4.9 boards per game as a sophomore. Andrew, from Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, led DC in total rebounds (122) and defensive rebounds (98) while shooting 49.8 percent (120 of 241) from the floor, 34.3 percent (23 of 67) from behind the three-point arc and 84.5 percent (49 of 58) at the foul line.

Three sophomores who saw plenty of action last year but will be counted on for more production in 2020-21 are 6-foot-3 guard Jack Kolar, 6-foot guard Avonte Jones and 6-foot-6 forward/center Chase Glock. All three players were on the court in every contest as freshmen.

Kolar, out of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, started 16 times last season, averaging 8.2 points and 3.0 boards in 23.4 minutes a contest. He paced the squad by making 58 three-point field goals and shot 88.9 percent (16 of 18) at the free throw line. Kolar finished at 38.7 percent (58 of 150) from three-point territory and scored in double digits on 10 occasions.

Jones made one start his freshman year and averaged 5.3 points in 18.6 minutes per game. He led Defiance with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio (41 assists, 19 turnovers) and reached double figures in scoring seven times. Jones is from Columbus, Ohio, and Pickerington Central High School.

Stryker High School product Chase Glock also started once and put together averages of 5.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.0 blocked shots and 12.7 minutes an outing as a freshman. The Yellow Jackets' leader in blocked shots with 24 a season ago, Glock shot 49.5 percent (51 of 103) on field goals, including 37.5 percent (18 of 48) from behind the three-point line.

"Tyler and Marell have had very good careers through their first two years, so we are obviously expecting big things from them," Cutter said. "We also felt like Jack, Avonte and Chase had very good freshman seasons, and are ready to make that jump to becoming major contributors as sophomores. We also have other returning players that are competing for playing roles every day, as it has been very competitive in practice."

Other returnees for DC include 5-foot-9 sophomore guard Jabryis Heidelburg (Fremont, Ohio/Ross High School), 5-foot-11 guard Jerome Johnson (Warner Robins, Georgia/IMG Academy), 6-foot-7 forward/center Brandon Barber (Lansing, Michigan/DeWitt High School) and 5-foot-9 guard Grant Johnson (Waynesville, Ohio/Waynesville High School).

Along with the veterans are nine new players, including eight freshmen and a sophomore transfer. Dillon McCullough, a 6-foot-3 guard out of Lewisburg, Ohio, and Tri-County North High School, has playing experience at NAIA Goshen College and is joined by 6-foot guard DJ Alexander (Toledo, Ohio/Maumee Valley Country Day School); 6-foot guard Cameron Awls (Sylvania, Ohio/Toledo Central Catholic High School); 6-foot-4 forward Ethan Dewese (Bowling Green, Ohio/Rossford High School); 6-foot-2 guard Andre Edwards (Columbus, Ohio/Pickerington Central); 6-foot guard Noah Keifer (Bowling Green, Ohio/Otsego High School); 6-foot-1 guard Easton Lewis (Dayton, Ohio/Tecumseh High School); 6-foot-4 guard Dan Luers (Lebanon, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick High School); and 6-foot guard Jared Piercefield (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton High School).

"As far as the incoming guys, we couldn't be more excited. There are a number of them in competition for major roles," Cutter said. "They have really hit the ground running as they are an extremely hard-working group, and they have been off the charts academically, and fitting in to the culture we are building. They have picked up on things quickly, and getting better every day."

Defiance proved to be one of the top shooting and scoring teams in the HCAC last year. Within the conference, the Yellow Jackets ranked second in free throw percentage (77.3), second in three-point field goals made per game (8.8), third in total three-pointers made (220) and third in points a contest (76.2).

Cutter believes this season's team will again be strong offensively.

"I feel like we are a tough team to guard because we have players that are capable of attacking you in different ways," Cutter said. "We are balanced with the ability to drive in and create plays, score through our post players, and we have some players that can shoot it from three very well."

Cutter has not yet decided who will be in DC's starting lineup as the season begins, but Andrew, Jordan and Kolar started the majority of games a year ago.

"As far as labeling positions and playing time, we are still figuring that out," Cutter said. "I expect that the five returners that I mentioned will be able to work and earn playing roles based on what I've seen. There is intense competition going on right now for who will land some of these roles with other returners and incoming players. Also, competition will still be ongoing as we progress through the season and evaluate the players after every game and every practice."

Last year, Defiance got out to a great start to its 2019-20 campaign, going 6-0 and winning seven of the first eight contests. That feat may be difficult to repeat as the Yellow Jackets' ever-changing 2020-21 schedule currently includes five road games against NCAA Division I competition among the opening seven.

"We have seven games scheduled, five with Division I opponents, one with a top 10 NAIA team in the nation, and one against Adrian, which was a Division III NCAA Tournament team last season and won the [Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association]. No question it will help prepare us for our conference games in January and February. The speed of those games and playing against top competition like this will help our players progress and improve. When you play the teams that are on our schedule, your margin for error is tiny, so we will learn a lot and it will help us continue to grow into the team we'd like to become."

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affecting collegiate squads at all levels across the country, Cutter wanted his group to get as many opportunities to play as possible before HCAC play starts in January.

"We are excited about our non-conference schedule," Cutter said. "First, we are excited we have a non-conference schedule at all considering the current situation."

DC opens the upcoming campaign at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on Monday, Nov. 30 and then plays at another Mid-American Conference member, Bowling Green State University, three days later. Defiance hosts Adrian College in its only home game before the New Year on Dec. 5 before traveling to face the Horizon League's Purdue University Fort Wayne in back-to-back contests the following week (Dec. 12-13). The Yellow Jackets conclude the month at Marian University in Indianapolis (Dec. 15) and with another trip to Bowling Green (Dec. 18).

The HCAC slate, which is expected to run from mid-January through February, has yet to be finalized but should be announced soon.

"In the HCAC, as always, it will be highly competitive. On paper, a lot of teams have a bunch of returning players," Cutter said. "I think a lot of coaches would say that Transylvania will have high expectations as they won the conference and have the majority of their roster intact, but as we have always found out, it will be a battle throughout, and anybody can beat anybody on a given night."

The year of 2020 has been quite different than any other most people have ever experienced. DC was able to complete its 2019-20 season unlike some other squads, finishing 11-14 overall and 6-12 in the conference (tied for seventh), which came after three-win campaigns the two previous years. Getting ready for 2020-21, however, has been challenging and the schedule may continue to change.

"I am really proud of how our team has handled the current situation. It is still a young group, but they are mature," Cutter said. "They have done a tremendous job with their classes so far, and they have worked hard and rolled with the punches that have been thrown at them.

"What I have shared with our guys is that this is an opportunity for everyone involved, myself included, to learn patience, to adjust on the fly, and handle adversity in the correct manner when it comes our way. We are just staying focused, working hard and controlling the things we can, and trying as hard as we can to not let the things we can't control affect us. We can't wait to get out on the court, and I am extremely excited I get to coach this team this season!"

2020-21 Defiance College Men's Basketball Roster

2020-21 Defiance College Men's Basketball Schedule (tentative)