Depth and experience could mean big things College of Wooster in 2022-23
NCAA Div. III’s winningest team of the 2000s may be the deepest it has been in recent years, and the Fighting Scots are seeking to reclaim the North Coast Athletic Conference championship and author another March to remember. Tough competition with up to nine games against teams ranked or receiving votes in the preseason D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll will challenge The College of Wooster men’s basketball team, but with four starters returning, the Scots are more than armed with the tools to succeed.
Wooster’s keys to success start down low, where the Scots feature a very formidable and deep post group, led by returning All-NCAC senior Turner Kurt, who ranked second on the team with 14.2 points per game a season ago. Rising junior, and returning starter, Elijah Meredith possesses one of the top all-around scoring arsenals in the NCAC, and junior Nick Everett emerged as a strong complement to the starting duo down the stretch with 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per night over the final three weeks of the 2021-22 season.
“Turner, Elijah, and Nick are a big part of our program,” summed up third-year head coach Doug Cline, who was a star post player for the Scots in the 1990s. “They were a big reason for our success last year. They did not play a lot on the inside prior to getting here, and they bought in and really improved. A lot of teams don’t have size, have post players, and emphasize post play. That is a big part of our program. We are very fortunate to have multiple guys who can catch the ball in the post, go one-on-one and score, and make the right decisions if the opposition doubles down. We’re lucky to have these guys.”
First-year EJ Kapihe, a first-team all-state honoree, is one of the latest additions to the talented post group who will be counted on to buy into the low-post development emphasis, while senior JG Gillard and junior Eric Mudd already know what that work entails. First-years Jonathan Diederich and Jaiden Cox-Holloway are two more additions to the forward line with good length.
Physicality from the posts was a major point of emphasis leading up to the season, per Cline. Despite being a strong rebounding team - evidenced by a top-25 national ranking in rebounding margin and the top mark within the NCAC - the Scots getting “pushed and not being the more physical team,” cost the Scots in some of the close games last year, according to Cline.
At guard, rising sophomore Jamir Billings gave the Scots an immediate elite-level point player at both ends of the floor, evidenced by a single-season program record 84 steals and 164 assists, the second-most in program history. His continued improvement is a “big key to the season,” according to Cline.
“Jamir is a very talented player and was a big part of our success,” added Cline. “There are still things he has to work on to improve as a player, which will improve our team. He has very quick hands and is very good with getting deflections. He was two assists away from the school record, but had too many turnovers. He’d be the first to admit that. His assist-to-turnover ratio being better is a big key to this season.”
Fifth-year senior Najee Hardaway is Wooster’s fourth returning starter and is one of the program’s most versatile players, thanks to a combination of strength and athleticism that lends itself to one of the top all-around offensive skillsets on the team and the ability to guard one through five on the defensive end.
“Even though Najee is one of our most experienced players, he continues to develop his overall game,” emphasized Cline. “He is working on being a more consistent offensive rebounder and improving his ability to move without the ball. We are expecting good things out of Najee on the floor and as one of the leaders of our team.”
Juniors Carter Warstler and JJ Cline round out the returnees from last year’s rotation. The athletic Warstler possesses game-changing defensive abilities. Cline is someone who the Scots can utilize in multiple positions, whether that be on the wing, or matched up against the oppositions’ four man.
“Establishing the depth,” “who is going to play the backup roles to the four returning starters,” and who “will be the other starter,” are things still being evaluated by the coaching staff. There are plenty of candidates across the board with numerous veteran guys, including juniors Mitch Heilman, Jake Hoffman, and Brennan South, who all saw action last year. In fact, all the depth could give Wooster a leg up against other teams with the Scots being able to both dictate matchups and match up with what the opposition is doing at different stages within the same game.
Other newcomers to the program include sophomore Jayden Prince, a transfer from Case Western Reserve University, and first-years Isaiah Johnson, Isaac Roeder, and Vinni Veikalas.
Wooster’s season starts with the program’s annual Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic on Friday, Nov. 18 when the Scots square off with Mount Aloysius College at 8 p.m. following the opening game between Randolph College and Ohio Northern University. A home game with seventh-ranked University of Mount Union is set for 6 p.m. on Nov. 23, then NCAC play starts for the preseason conference favorite on Nov. 30 at home against Hiram College at 7:15 p.m.
Following two road conference games, Wooster welcomes 11th-ranked University of Rochester to Timken Gymnasium for a 2:15 p.m. game on Dec. 10, then heads to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, to host the Steve Moore Sunshine Shootout Dec. 19-20. The E.M. “Mose” Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic, one of small college basketball’s oldest tournaments, takes place Dec. 29-30 at Timken Gymnasium, and the field includes Albion College, Carnegie Mellon University, and Heidelberg University this year.
Wooster resumes conference play on Jan. 4 with a 7 p.m. game at home against Oberlin College. Other key dates include the 125th all-time Wooster-Wittenberg game on Jan. 14 at Pam Evans Smith Arena and the regular-season finale at home against Wabash College on Feb. 18.
“You are going to be challenged every game in the NCAC,” shared Cline. Everyone has good players. The league keeps getting better and better every year. I think the league will come down to the end. We have a very good non-conference schedule that will hopefully prepare us for the NCAC.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College of Wooster brings high hopes into 2022-23 season
