'You have to build a foundation': Ashland University men's basketball sets up for success

It might look like a rebuilding season, but don’t tell that to Ashland University men’s basketball coach John Ellenwood.

Consider these numbers:

∎ The Eagles enter the 2022-23 season with just two players who have seen significant playing time for AU.

∎ 12 players from last season’s team that went 18-10 and qualified for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament are gone — seven graduated, two scholarship players transferred, two walk-ons transferred and one player decided to give up basketball

∎ Seven freshmen and two transfer players are new to the Eagles.

“I don’t want to label it a rebuilding year but a lot of people from the outside would probably look at it that way,” said Ellenwood, who is in his 14th season leading the Eagles. “The other day we had a scrimmage and literally most of the timeouts I’m looking at four or five new players. They haven’t played a lot of minutes or played at all for us.

“We have a very inexperienced team. They’re very talented but they’re learning a lot of new things.”

Ashland's top returning player is 6-3 senior guard Brandon Haraway, who starts the season with 1,083 career points. In 2021-22, Haraway was a first-team All-G-MAC performer after putting up 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

He shot 46.7 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from 3-point range, and 72.5 percent from the free-throw line.

The only other player with significant experience is 6-3 senior guard Ethan Conley. As a junior, Conley played in 27 games with three starts, averaging 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds.

As a sophomore, he played in 21 games with four starts, scoring a career-best 6.9 points per game. As a freshman, he played in 27 games with one start, averaging 4.8 points.

“I expect them to lead the way, to hold the compass, so speak, on how things are done here,” Ellenwood said. “It’s my program but it’s their team. I want to make sure they lay the foundation from what has already been accomplished here over the last decade. It’s been steady success, and that’s something we want to keep going.”

Other expected starters when the Eagles take the court for the first game Nov. 11 against Illinois-Springfield in a Midwest Regional Crossover event at Wisconsin-Parkside include 5-11 freshman point guard Simon Wheeler III from Detroit; 6-7 forward James Manns, a graduate transfer from Division I Wright State; and a slimmed down 6-9 junior center Vic Searls.

Wheeler started his high school career in Michigan, then played at Bella Vista Prep and PHHoenix Prep, both in Arizona.

Manns played in 66 career games with the Raiders after a prep career at Columbus Walnut Ridge, where he helped his team to a Division II state tournament final four appearance.

Searls has seen limited time in two seasons with AU, playing in 18 games. But a loss of 45 pounds in the offseason has him ready to contribute to the 2022-23 Eagles as a capable big man.

Working to build trust, and how quickly the Eagles can become a cohesive unit, will be the keys early.

“We had a weird spring because we didn’t have a lot of the guys who are here,” Ellenwood said. “We really can’t do anything with them over the summer either, other than get them to camp and get them to know each other. That’s pretty much the first part. You have to build a foundation.

“Then you’re trying to get them from, ‘I like playing with this guy' — you might not even know his name, to by the time our first game hits, it’s, 'I will do anything I can to make sure this guy knows I have his back.’ That’s a big building process in a short amount of time, but that’s the issue we’re dealing with with a lot of new guys.”

Players expected to be in the rotation off the bench include 6-7 redshirt freshman forward Maceo Williams, 5-10 freshman guard Derrick “Doogie” James (Canal Winchester), 6-6 sophomore wing Stefan Stanic, 6-3  redshirt sophomore wing Jaret Griffith (transfer from Division I Stetson with three years of eligibility), and 6-5 freshman wing Aden Gregory (Grafton Midview).

“I think all those guys are going to be in the mix,” Ellenwood said. “We’re working on a rotation. The nice thing is we have a lot of players that I think can be in a rotation. Years past we’ve had six or seven, sometimes eight. I’d like to play more.”

Ashland’s inexperienced roster will be tested early. A game against host Wisconsin-Parkside in the regional crossover follows the opener. The Eagles return from Kenosha to meet Gannon in their home opener Nov. 15.

Games against East-West University and Ferris State follow in the Ferris State Thanksgiving Classic before the G-MAC portion of the schedule begins with a road game against Findlay, then home games against Walsh and Northwood.

“We have probably the toughest start to a season schedule I’ve ever had here,” Ellenwood said. “Fortunately, that’s a product of us being pretty damn good over the past few years.

“That is going to educate us more than anything else. You’re hoping for the best there but we’re also not worried as much about wins and losses. It’s about making sure we’re consistent in our effort in order to be successful in those games.”

Ellenwood expects Findlay and Walsh to be at the top of the league this season. Walsh is the preseason favorite with 11 first-place votes in the poll of league coaches. Findlay, with one first-place vote, was ranked second with Hillsdale third.

The Eagles were the No. 4 pick.

“Our league is very, very good at men’s basketball,” Ellenwood said. “You have to be ready to go every single game. It’s just a lot of little things for it to come together for us. We have to function as a unit … and there is a trust factor we have to have in order for this to grow. The X’s and O’s are great but if they don’t want to play for each other, then it’s really hard to compete.

“I always tell our guys we always have the talent to win the games. By the end of the year we should not be freshmen anymore. That’s our goal. As a team, hey, let’s see if we’re going to be very competitive by the end of the year and you wanna do that sooner rather than later.”

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland looks for continued success under coach John Ellenwood