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John Carroll University Athletics

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Jackson Sartain

2021-22 Winter Preview: Men’s Basketball Seeks First OAC Championship Since 2018

| By: Logan Potosky, Staff Writer
Jackson Sartain is one of JCU's top returning players.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The John Carroll University Men's Basketball team heads into the 2021-22 season seeking its first Ohio Athletic Conference Championship since the 2017-18 season. This year, the team was voted fourth in the OAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Last season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, John Carroll went 4-4, with all eight games against OAC opponents, and fell to Ohio Northern University in the OAC Tournament Quarterfinals in an 80-79 defeat.

The Blue Streaks are led by Head Coach Pete Moran '08, who is entering his fifth season as the team's head coach. He holds a 61-33 career record, including a 25-6 record in the 2017-18 season, which resulted in a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. After this past shortened season, Moran is looking focused on what this full-length season has in store.

"We're focused on our first game, we're focused on our progression," Moran said. "We're excited about the talent we have coming back, and we're also extremely excited about the youth that we have coming."

The Blue & Gold have a very young team this season, as the roster has only three seniors and one graduate student. That one graduate student, guard Jackson Sartain, led the team with 19.8 points per game last season. He is also the OAC's all-time leader in career three-pointers made (320), and the active NCAA Division III career leader in both three-pointers made and attempted (689), three-point percentage (.466), and three-pointers per game (3.40). Sartain was also named First Team All-OAC for 2021, as well as 2020-21 All-Great Lakes Region. His coach is grateful to have him back for one more season at JCU.

"It's exciting to have Jackson Sartain back." Moran said. "Him and I have had a lot of battles together. He's a dynamic player. What makes Jackson so special is that he continues to work at his craft."

The three returning seniors are guard Hugh Brown, who averaged 5.5 points per game off the bench last season, forward PJ Flannery, a great veteran off the bench, and Owen O'Toole, who has been a two-time Academic All-OAC selection.

John Carroll also returns two starters from last season, in the form of junior guard Eric Hanna, and junior forward Mason Trubisky. In his first season as a starter, Hanna averaged 12.6 points per game for the Blue Streaks, which was second on the team, along with 3.4 rebounds and two assists per game. Trubisky, the tallest returning player for JCU at 6-foot-5, looks to be a two-way threat for the Blue and Gold, as he averaged 10.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game last season. Trubisky also shot 38.5% from three-point range, making 10 threes last season.

In terms of role players, junior guard William Wallace returns after playing in seven of eight games last season, all off the bench. He averaged 3.9 points, 2.4 assists, and one steal per game for the Blue Streaks, and was named Academic All-OAC for the 2020-21 season. Also, sophomore guard Connor O'Toole started a game last season, and averaged just under three points and three assists in the three games he played in.

But there is some new, young talent to be on the lookout for as well. Freshman forward/center David Gentry looks to be a force on the interior, coming off the bench, as he is the tallest player on the roster at 6-foot-6. Sophomore guard Chase Toppin, who Moran calls, "very explosive," is a transfer from Lake Erie College, and is likely to be a threat on the perimeter. Another young guard to keep in mind is Omar Abuhamdeh, a freshman from North Royalton, Ohio.

The Blue and Gold look to have a very versatile team this season, with multiple players changing positions.

"Connor O'Toole, in the two weeks that he played last year, was our point guard. Now, we've moved him to our four-man." Moran said. "Mason Trubisky was playing our two spot last year, and he's now our five-man. We have a lot of guys playing new positions."

John Carroll looks to replace two starters from last season, big men Emmett Chambers, who averaged 7.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season, and Luke Hippler, who averaged seven points, 5.1 rebounds, one steal, and 1.4 blocks per game last season. But Hippler hasn't moved far from the team, as he is serving as the team's graduate assistant this season. Moran knows that he will be a tremendous help in the development of his young team.

"Luke's been a part of championship teams, so I think he knows what it takes to compete in the OAC." Moran said. "I think Luke brings a dynamic where he can work with some of these young guys and reiterate to them what it takes to be successful."

The team has one goal in mind this season.

"Our end-all goal is to win the OAC Championship." Moran said. "Marietta has a sensational team. Mount Union has elevated their program over the last couple of years. But we're John Carroll. We're always going to fight."

While the team faces a tough OAC schedule this season, including D3hoops.com third-ranked Marietta twice, Moran only has one game circled on his calendar: the first one.

All in all, Coach Moran is eager to get this season started.

"We have an extremely young team, a very unselfish team, a team that put in a lot of work after last season," he said. "We're excited about the direction in which we're going, and their progression is going to be exciting to watch this season."

The Blue Streaks open their season against Keuka College on Friday, November 12th at 8:00 PM at the Hilbert College Classic in Hamburg, New York.

John Carroll does not open OAC play until Saturday, December 4 at 4:00 PM, when they face Muskingum University on the road.
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