March 21, 2022
For the last time, welcome back Jacket fans!
Unfortunately, our historic season has finally come to an end as we fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Hillsdale. The game was almost poetic, with us having a slow start and then storming back in the second half to almost complete the comeback, but this time we unfortunately fell short.
This season had so many awesome memories and we are so thankful to God for the ride that we have been on. This also marks the end for five of us seniors, but although there were some tears, more than anything we are just so thankful for the time we all shared together these past four-to-five years.
Thank you to the fans for all of your amazing support this season and thank you to anyone who followed along with the blogs this year as well. I hope that everyone goes out and supports the team even more next year!
For the last time, thank you for reading and I hope everyone has a blessed week!
Go Jackets!
March 8, 2022
Welcome back Jackets fans!
Well, quite a bit has happened since the last blog! To start off, we need to talk about the G-MAC Tournament. We came into the tournament as the #6 seed and took on #3 seed Ashland first. We came out of the gate aggressive and fast and took a double-digit halftime lead. The second half was more back and forth, but we ended up pulling away and won 70-55.
That win allowed us to advance to the semifinals where we took on the #2 seed Hillsdale Chargers. Cedarville had never beaten Hillsdale in our history, so we knew what it would take to pull off the upset. We started the game off similarly to how we did at Ashland and took a double-digit halftime lead. Hillsdale came storming back in the second half and ended up taking the lead late. After some big shots and defensive stands, the game was tied 66-66 with five seconds remaining. That’s when Branden Maughmer stole an inbounds pass, went the length of the court, and scored the game winning layup to send us to the G-MAC Championship game.
In the G-MAC finals we took on #1 seed Walsh. Unfortunately, we looked a bit gassed from the previous games, and fell behind early. Although it was back and forth during the second half, Walsh pulled away and we fell in the championship game. This led to a long wait to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night, where we would find out if we made the NCAA II Tournament or not. Everyone was sick to their stomach all day, but it was worth it. We were selected for an at-large bid as the #6 seed to play in Cedarville’s first-ever NCAA Tournament! The team has been elated ever since and cannot wait to represent Cedarville on such a big stage!
We will have a rematch with Hillsdale at noon on Friday in the first round! Thank you so much for your support! We hope we still have some March magic left in us!
Go Jackets!
March 1, 2022
Welcome back Jacket fans!
The final week of the regular season had two huge games for the team as we traveled to Malone and Walsh. Our first of the two games was against Malone, a team who has had our number recently, in a big time match up that had big tournament seeding implications. Both teams traded blows for the first 10 minutes of the first half until we made a big run and went into the locker room with a double-digit halftime lead! Quinton Green and Jayvon Maughmer had huge first halves. In the second half it was more of the same, with most teams exchanging runs, but after some big-time shots by Conner TenHove, we were able to outlast the Pioneers 74-66!
We then traveled right back up to Canton on Saturday to take on the league leading Walsh Cavaliers! Unfortunately, a slow start led to a double digit halftime deficit that we just couldn’t overcome in the second half and we ended up dropping the game 72-60.
After the results of this last week’s games, we earned the #6 seed in the G-MAC Tournament and will play at #3 seed Ashland today at 7 PM in the Quarterfinals. It’s now all about focusing on one day at a time and survive and advance.
Thank you for all the continued support! Go Jackets!
February 22, 2022
Welcome back Jacket Fans!
The season is quickly winding down with this week being the last week of the regular season! I can’t believe it’s already here! I want to thank everyone who came out to Senior Day on Saturday, you made it so special for us seniors! Around 1,500 people is a really crazy number of people and we felt so much love we appreciate it so much. For anyone who couldn’t make the game, we had a great back and forth contest with Ohio Dominican. ODU took the lead late, but we finished the game with four straight defensive stops and converted on offense as we ended up winning 70-64!
We have a huge week this week as we travel to Malone (Thurs., 7:30 PM) and Walsh (Sat., 3 PM) this week that will have huge seeding implications for next week’s Great Midwest Conference Tournament! If we don’t get to host another home game this year, we want to just thank everyone for making Callan the best environment in the entire G-MAC! I’m not sure there’s many places in D2 in the country that had a bigger home court advantage than us this year!
Thank you for reading!
Go Jackets!
February 17, 2022
Welcome back Jackets Fans!
I apologize for the longer lapse in between the blogs (may or may not have been my fault) but quite a bit has happened since the last post! Last week we had a very busy week, playing Lake Erie back-to-back and finishing off the week with Wilberforce at home. Unfortunately, the Lake Erie games didn’t fall our way and we dropped both of them. Even though we were disappointed, we were able to get some extra rest at the end of the week in preparation for Wilberforce. Although we came out slow, we eventually found our rhythm and pulled out an 83-62 win over the Bulldogs. Senior Quinton Green was terrific dropping a team leading 27 points!
Moving on to this past Wednesday we took on Ohio Dominican for our first of our back-to-back games. The game was even to start with both sides feeling one another out a bit, but a late run in the first half gave us a double-digit lead going into halftime. The second half started similarly to the first, and we again found our rhythm and were able to pull away, winning the game 80- 64. Conner TenHove had a huge game for us dropping 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Our next game is Saturday, which is our final home game of the regular season and Senior Day against ODU! We hope everyone can come out and support this amazing senior class! Five 1,000-point scorers is something really special and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of everyone for our program!
The season is winding down so quickly it’s hard to believe! Thank you everyone for your support and hope to see you Saturday!
Go Jackets!
February 6, 2022
Welcome back Jacket fans!
I hope this blog finds everyone well, and hopefully everyone enjoyed their unexpected short week last week! Although we may have gotten a bit of a break from classes, the men’s basketball team was still busy as ever. Three game weeks can be a grind, but I am really excited and proud of how everyone played this week.
In my last blog I mentioned we beat Findlay on Monday, then two days later we welcomed Kentucky Wesleyan for another big game. We came out of the gate hot again, shooting lights out from the perimeter, but more importantly we were very locked in defensively. Quinton Green had a huge night scoring 21 points, but everyone got involved in a great showing as we took the game 83-51!
We were very happy with our performance, but we had to flush it quickly and get focused for our next game on Saturday against Trevecca. The last time we played the Trojans, we lost in Nashville, and we’ve had a bad taste in our mouth since then and we were excited to get a chance to remedy that game. We didn’t start out as fast as we have in previous games but made some adjustments and led by double digits at halftime. In the second half, we found some rhythm and were able to extend our lead with contributions from all throughout the roster. We finished strong and won the game 91-68.
We have another huge three game week coming up as we take on Lake Erie at home Monday, travel to Lake Erie on Wednesday, and finally play Wilberforce at home on Saturday.
Thank you again for the terrific support!
Go Jackets!
February 2, 2022
Welcome back Jacket Fans!
It was another busy week for the men’s basketball team. To begin with we traveled to Hillsdale on Saturday to take on the Chargers in a big game at the top of the G-MAC. Unfortunately, another slow start plagued us and we fell behind by double digits early in the first half. We finally found some rhythm in the second half but it was too little too late and we fell 85-71.
We weren’t happy with our performance on Saturday, and after some adjustments Sunday afternoon, we felt ready to get back on track on Monday against Findlay. We knew we had to be at our best as Findlay was as hot as anyone winning eight straight games. We came out of the gate hot, and sophomore Grant Whisman was ON FIRE hitting three after three. The team kept on the hot shooting in the second half as we took the game 89-57.
We have another huge week this week as we take on Kentucky Wesleyan at home (weather permitting) on Thursday and Trevecca on Saturday at home. If the weather allows it, we hope to see everyone make it out for these big games!
Stay safe and go Jackets!
January 26, 2022
Welcome back Jackets fans!
It was a busy week last week as we had another two game slate on Thursday and Saturday! Starting with our Thursday match up with Tiffin, it was a battle. Tiffin came out shooting the lights out and got out to an early lead, but we were able to cut it before the half. In the second half each team traded blows and the game went down to the wire, but after some big plays on the defensive end and some clutch free throws we were able to secure a 81-77 win! Kollin Van Horn was terrific again leading us in scoring with 16, but it was a balanced effort across the board offensively.
We then turned around just two days later and made the trip to Ashland to take on the Eagles. Ashland came out hot from the three point line and we struggled in the first half offensively. We got down big early and although we did fight back in the second half and cut the lead, it wasn’t enough for us as we fell 77-60. We are currently 10-7 overall and 6-4 in G-MAC play.
Our next game is Saturday at Hillsdale and then followed by three home games the next week:
+ Monday, Jan. 31 vs. Findlay [7:45 PM]
+ Thursday, Feb. 3 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan [7:45 PM]
+ Saturday, Feb. 5 vs. Trevecca [4:15 PM]
We hope to see you all there!
Thank you for your continued support! Go Jackets!!
January 17, 2022
Welcome back Jackets Fans!
I hope everyone had a great past week! It was another busy one for the men’s basketball team as we took on two great teams in Walsh and Malone. First, on Thursday, we took on Walsh who was in sole possession of first place in the G-MAC. It was a great game that included multiple lead changes (and maybe the best crowd that I have  experienced in my four years) but we eventually were able to pull away with a huge 76-73 win. Seniors Branden Maughmer and Conner TenHove were huge in the effort.
But, we didn’t have much time to celebrate as we welcomed the defending conference champions Malone to town on Saturday. It was another great game that saw the lead change multiple times, but we came up just short losing 74-70. Senior Kollin Van Horn led the way with 19 points, including surpassing 1,000 points for his career. Although we couldn’t close out the game like we hoped to, we know that if we make the adjustments that we need to that we can play with anyone.
I want to thank everyone who came out for both games last week. It’s such a huge advantage when we have an environment as great as we did! We hope to see a similar crowd this Thursday against Tiffin (7:45 PM)! We will also travel to Ashland on Saturday for a huge road game at 3 PM.
Thank you for reading!
Go Jackets!
January 11, 2022
Welcome back Jacket Fans!
I hope everyone has had a great start to their semester! Last week was a slow one for the men’s team as we had our only game of the week rescheduled on Saturday after the Lake Erie Storm had a COVID outbreak. Since we heard the news, we have just been practicing and preparing for the MASSIVE week that we have ahead of us.
On Thursday we finally play at home again as we host Walsh (6:30 pm) who is currently first in the G-MAC standings. On Saturday we host Malone (4:15 pm) who is just ahead of us in second place.
Now that students have returned, we hope to have a big turnout for both of these big-time games and can’t wait to finally play in front of our students again!
I hope everyone stays safe and healthy as we start this semester!
Go Jackets!
January 4, 2022
Hi Jackets Fans!
I hope everyone has had a great start to 2022! It feels like an eternity since the last update since so much has gone on, so I’ll do my best to recap everyone as to what has happened the past few weeks!
At the end of December, we traveled down to Florida to play a couple games against Saint Leo and Florida Southern and enjoy some beautiful weather. We got to even go to Universal Studios for a day which was an absolute blast with the team. After that we had a couple days to relax and prepare for our games.
Our first game against Saint Leo was an absolute battle. The lead changed multiple times down the stretch, and even though it was a 2+ possession game with under a minute left, we fought all the way back leading to an insane three point shot by Branden Maughmer (who returned about two weeks early from a broken hand; no big deal) to send the game to overtime. Once we got to overtime the team made a big run right out of the gate and we ended up winning 96-93 in OT.
Although it was a huge win, we didn’t have any time to celebrate as the next day we took on a very talented Florida Southern. After a slow start the team played great, jumping out to a solid advantage at halftime. We were able to sustain that lead and win 82-73. We are all very happy about how the trip went as going 2-0 against those talented teams isn’t an easy thing to do.
Once we got back from a week long break, we traveled to Trevecca to play on New Year’s Day, but unfortunately, we really struggled offensively and dropped the game 60-54, despite Junior Jacob Drees’ effort scoring 14 points. After a day of traveling, we took on a very talented Kentucky Wesleyan team in Owensboro, Kentucky. It was a back-and-forth contest in the first half with both teams feeling each other out. Sophomore Grant Whisman exploded for 14 first half points to keep it a one-point game at the half. In the second half it was more of the same as the lead changed multiple times until we eventually pulled away to secure a huge 72-65 win! Sophomore Jayvon Maughmer was huge scoring 18 points and knocking down four threes.
With the new semester coming up we can’t wait to see more fans in the stands soon! Thank you for reading!
Go Jackets!
December 14, 2021
Welcome back Jacket Fans!
I hope everyone is doing well and all my fellow students finished their semester off strong! The team had another busy week playing two games without senior guard Branden Maughmer who is dealing with a hand injury. Although this Branden is a huge part of our team, we understood that we have a ton of talent and embraced the next man up mentality. We started this challenge off by traveling to Findlay to take on the Oilers. The game was back and forth but we were able to pull out a huge W at the end 68-66. Senior forward Conner TenHove and center Kollin Van Horn were awesome in the win!
Two days later we welcomed a #15 Hillsdale team and gave them everything they could handle, before falling just short 58-57. Although it wasn’t the result that we wanted, the guys really competed and we are proud of the fight we showed. Next up are two games in Florida before Christmas which we can’t wait for!
Thank you again for all the support, and I hope everyone is enjoying their break!
Go Jackets!
December 7, 2021
Hi Jacket Fans!
It was another busy week for the Men’s Basketball Team as the semester is quickly coming to a close! Last Thursday we traveled to Tiffin to begin G-MAC play against a very talented Dragons team, where we were able to pick up a huge road win, 87-76! We were really happy about the win because we know that road wins in our conference never come easy. We trailed at halftime and came out and played a great second half highlighted by the great play of senior guard Branden Maughmer, who had 28 points. Senior forward Quinton Green scored all 16 of his points in the second half and senior forward Isaiah Speelman (that’s me!) and Kollin Van Horn added 15 and 14 points apiece.
We didn’t have much time to celebrate the win as two days later we took on Ashland at home. Ashland is a very talented team who plays extremely hard, and we knew we would have to be at our best to pull out the win. Fortunately, Branden Maughmer plays for us, and he led us to a 74-71 win. Branden dropped 27 points and 10 rebounds and was recently named the G-MAC Player of the Week for his amazing play the past two games.
This upcoming week is a big one as we travel to Findlay on Thursday (7:30 PM) and host Hillsdale on Saturday (4:15 PM). We are looking forward to competing against both those teams before traveling to Florida to play two games the following week. We are so excited for the opportunities we have in front of us and I hope finals are going well for everyone!
Thank you again for reading! Go Jackets!
November 29, 2021
Hey Jacket Fans!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed some great food with loved ones! The team just got back on campus Saturday afternoon from a five-day break, and we are right back into the grind.
With G-MAC play opening up this Thursday as we travel to Tiffin, everyone is excited to be back together and continuing to get better every day! We will play four conference games over the next two weeks, two of which will be at home, before we head down to Florida for a couple games in the Sunshine State before Christmas!
Thank you everyone for your continued support, and I can’t wait to see you all at our next home game!
P.S. I know finals are coming up, so we won’t judge you if you bring your books to the game!
Go Jackets!
November 22, 2021
Hi Jacket Fans!
It feels like eternity since the last time I wrote a blog, but that’s just because of how busy we have been! We just finished off our third game in five days and it feels like we live on a bus at this point!
So, here’s a recap of what went on this week. We started on last Thursday as we traveled to Indianapolis to take on UIndy, where we were able to grind out a hard-fought win 73-64. Quinton Green led all scorers with 27, but everyone made key plays to pull out a huge road dub!
We then traveled up to Michigan the next day to prepare to play Grand Valley State on Saturday. We got down early but cut the lead down to as much as four before eventually dropping one to a talented GVSU team. We didn’t have time to sulk though as we had to hit the road to head back home and prepare for a great Southern Indiana team for our home opener on Monday. And we responded in a great way, defeating the Eagles 101-88 in an absolute track meet of a game! So many guys played great games and made huge plays, and senior guard Branden Maughmer led the scoring with 26!
It’s been a long week but the boys spirits are high and our goal is to just keep getting better every time we step on the court. We thank everyone for their support and I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving break!
Go Jackets!
-Isaiah Speelman
November 16, 2021
Hi Jacket Fans!
It was a very busy weekend for the men’s team as we played #6 Truman State and Quincy in back-to-back days. Unfortunately, we dropped both of them but showed a lot of fight. Senior center Kollin Van Horn couldn’t play in either game as he sprained his ankle earlier in the week, and junior forward Jacob Drees sprained his ankle earlier into the first game. Despite these injuries we were able to battle against Truman and Quincy, and we believe we have a lot of good things to build off of, as well as some things that we know we need to work on.
The good news is that we have a chance to turn the page quickly as we have a very busy schedule coming up this week. On Thursday we travel to the University of Indianapolis to take on the Greyhounds (7:30 PM), Saturday we travel to Grand Valley State (5 PM), and next Monday we have our home opener against Southern Indiana (7 PM). Although this is a gauntlet of great teams, the team is all excited to have the opportunity to compete against the best and prove ourselves!
Thank you for all of your support and we can’t wait to play in front of our fans at home soon!
Go Jackets!
- Isaiah Speelman
November 9, 2021
Hi Yellow Jacket Fans!
My name is Isaiah Speelman and I will be writing the men’s basketball Blog this year! I’m a senior marketing major from Hilliard, Ohio. I’m excited to carry on the legacy of great writers that the men’s basketball team have had over the years!
Coming off of what can only be described as the weirdest season of basketball I’ve ever been a part of, the team is ready for, hopefully, a new and normal year. We were able to have a somewhat normal post season and off season in the spring and summer and now are finishing up the preseason this week! To say that the team is excited is an understatement.
Although we return a ton of familiar faces, we also have added some new pieces as well!
Tytist Dean is a graduate transfer from Liberty University who is going to add some much-needed depth and production to our back court. We also added three freshmen this year as well.
Braden Grant is a wing with great size from Beavercreek, Ohio who is giving us great energy in the front court.
Brayden Sipple is a guard from Blanchester, Ohio who led the state in scoring in his junior AND senior year. And finally,
Timmy Davis is a freshman guard from Germany who adds a ton of shooting and energy as well! We also have some great new additions in the coaching staff in assistants
James Cooper and
Eric Chisholm. All of these additions plus our returning players has all of us very excited for what we can accomplish this year!
This preseason has been busy as we have had multiple exhibitions and have been really getting after it in practice. Our coaching staff has been working hard to get us ready for this upcoming season and practices have been very energetic and competitive. Our first two games are this upcoming weekend as we travel to Illinois to play Top 10 opponent Truman State on Friday, and then Saturday against Quincy. We cannot wait to be back on the court!
Thank you for reading and can’t wait to talk soon! Go Jackets!
- Isaiah
Isaiah Speelman is a 6-foot-5 senior forward from Hilliard, Ohio. He is in his fourth season with the Yellow Jackets and is a Dean's List student as a marketing major.
