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Men's Basketball Preview: Blue Streaks Hope to Ascend Even Further in 2024-25

| By: Aiden Ramsden, Staff Writer
The Blue Streaks have big goals in their final season in the OAC.
After a long offseason, the winter sports season is almost back, meaning the Men's Basketball team will start their journey to the top of Division III basketball. 

Despite a historic 26-3 season – which earned the Blue Streaks both the Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships and a trip to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament – everyone in the locker room is in agreement. The only way from here is up. 

Just recently, the D3hoops.com preseason rankings were released, and for the second straight season John Carroll can be found sitting at #3, proving that the high expectations and hype for this squad are not just coming from inside the program. 

One of the major storylines surrounding this season is that this is John Carroll's final season as a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference. As was announced last school year, the Blue Streaks will be departing the OAC, a conference they have been a member of since 1989. JCU will be joining the North Coast Athletic Conference starting in the 2025 fall season. 

Besides the OAC departure and the high expectations from the fans and media, another large storyline for the Blue Streaks is once again the amount of talent returning from last season. 

John Carroll lost just four players from last year to graduation. The most notable being Luka Eller and Jerry Higgins III. In his final season, Eller played in all 29 games and started the final 18. Eller provided a huge defensive spark and was a large reason why the Blue Streak defense excelled last season. Arguably the biggest loss for the team is Jerry Higgins III. Despite only averaging 4.7 ppg, it was Higgins' leadership and defensive intensity that helped the Blue Streaks to their impressive record. Every time "Uncle Geno" as the rest of the team liked to call him would step on the floor you could tell the intensity the entire team played with would change. 

Besides those two, each main rotational player, and then some is returning as well as the coaching staff bringing in two transfers and a freshman class of eight.

The Starting 5
This season John Carroll is returning four of the five starters from last year's team, with Will Yontek, who started the teams first 11 games last season before an injury and returning in a role off the bench also coming back. 

Luke Chicone and Luke Frazier are returning for their third and final seasons with the Blue Streaks. Last year, the dynamic duo combined for an average of 37.6 ppg. Last season ended with both players getting a long list of awards including Chicone being named an NABC Second Team All American as well as NABC First Team All District honors and Frazier being named to the NABC All District 2nd-Team. "The Lukes" were also both named to the All OAC First Team and the OAC All Tournament Team last season. 

On an individual level, Chicone's court vision and passing is his biggest asset. Last season, Chicone led the team in assists per game with 5.2. Chicone also placed first in the OAC in total assists (152) and was second in assist to turnover ratio with a rating of 3.2. The Mentor native saw an increase in his scoring last season being second on the team in points per game with an impressive 18.7. Chicone also saw a jump in his 3 point percentage, finishing last season with a respectable 36% mark from deep.

His ability on the defensive side of the floor is another aspect of what makes Chicone such a unique talent. Last yea,r he saw a remarkable improvement on the defensive end racking up for more than 2 steals per game. Chicone has once again committed himself to improving his defensive game in the offseason and so far it is looking like he has done just that. 

Chicone has also been recently named to the D3Hoops.com Preseason All-America First Team.

The talent of Luke Frazier is no secret. Last season, Frazier saw improvement in all stat categories with the most notable difference being in blocks, recording 38 last season compared to 12 in his first season with the Blue Streaks and led the team in ppg (18.9), rebounds per game (6.3), and blocks per game (1.4) in his junior campaign. 

Frazier's long and tall build paired with his athleticism and shooting makes him one of the hardest players to guard in all of Division III basketball. This was shown last year as Frazier scored 22 points in the first half of the OAC Championship game against Mount Union, helping propel the Blue Streaks to becoming OAC Champs and himself to OAC All-Tournament Team and Tournament MVP honors. Frazier has recently been named to the D3Hoops.com Preseason All-America 4th Team 

The duo of Chicone and Frazier is once again setting up to help lead this team to another historic season. 

Joining the Preseason All-Americans is fellow senior guard Chase Toppin. The senior captain finished last season with All OAC Second Team honors. For Toppin, his most notable skill is what he does on defense. His 1.6 steals per game were good enough for second on the team, but his speed and ability to prevent his man from getting an open shot off is what makes him stand out the most. His skill on the defensive side of the floor makes him an early candidate for OAC Defensive Player of the Year. 

Toppin's skill on the offensive side of the floor also doesn't get enough credit. Often appearing to take a "back seat" to the prolific scoring of Chicone and Frazier, Toppin has a sneaky good jump shot and his ability to finish at the rim sets him apart from most guards and gives him the opportunity to operate as a point or shooting guard. 

Rounding out the potential starting four are the big guys down low from Saint Ignatius, Henry Raynor and Will Yontek. 

Both bigs – standing at 6'7" – have a large skill set on both sides of the court that is hard to find in today's game. Their ability to block and contest shots down low means that when on the court together they make it nearly impossible for any opposing forward to score. 

Raynor's and Yontek's ability to post up and score just add to the already large skill set this Blue Streak offense carries and their ability to knock down shots around the perimeter make teams think twice before collapsing in the paint on a driving guard. 

Another player in contention for starting minutes is senior big man David Gentry. Coming off the bench in all 29 games, last season Gentry provides a physical presence on both sides, typically requiring a double team whenever he has the ball down low. His physicality on defense makes opposing players think twice before putting up a shot in the paint.

The starting lineup will include five immensely talented athletes who all have the ability to score and defend at all three levels. This paired with the team's depth is what places the Blue & Gold so high in the preseason rankings and why they should stay there throughout the season. 

Talented Depth
John Carroll's starting five is not the only thing that sets them apart in Division III basketball. Their depth off the bench is among the best in the nation and was a huge reason the team was so successful last season and will continue to be a reason why they are this year. 

Coming off the bench is senior guard Omar Abuhamdeh. Not only does he serve as a fan favorite and a spark plug of energy but his lights out shooting ability forces the opposing defenders to know where he is at all times. After taking a step back in the rotation last year, Abuhamdeh is looking to become a main rotational piece again and help the Blue Streaks defend their OAC titles. 

Kasey Hunt, a transfer student from Division II Tiffin University, and junior Sean Collins are likely two players to make an impact for the Blue Streaks off the bench. Both players have the unique ability to stretch the floor as a guard but also hold their own down low with the bigs making them versatile weapons in the second unit. 

Also a big part of the Blue Streak bench unit are sophomores Brandon Rose and Aidan Fitzgerald. Both guards saw rotational time last year as freshmen and have a high basketball IQ which helps them excel on the defensive end of the floor as well as the ability to score in the paint and a three-point shot that commands respect from opponents. 

Another impact returner for John Carroll is senior forward George Wilson. Wilson's leadership off the floor and his high basketball IQ are largely underrated aspects of his and another big reason this group has had a large sum of success. 

Capping off the returners for the Blue & Gold are Devin Burgess and Kyle Irwin. Both players can be categorized as stretch forwards with a knack for finding open shots around the perimeter. 

Highly Skilled Newcomers 
A highlight of the fresh set of new players is sophomore Ryan Ioppollo, a transfer from Division II South Carolina Beaufort. Ioppollo possesses a great shot from outside and sneaky athleticism that could help him make a large impact for the squad this season. 

Joining the team is also a freshman class of eight highly skilled athletes.

Jack Zapolnik and Mike Lamirand are coming to John Carroll fresh off a state championship with Saint Ignatius and are looking to continue their winning ways in University Heights. 

An additional 5 highly talented guards in Tyree Turner, Charlie Tierney, Michael Condoleon, Andrew Taggert, and Peyton Budrys-Rini are all beginning their collegiate careers this year with the Blue Streaks. Rounding out the freshman class is forward Julius Kimbrough.

All eight freshmen are shaping up to be huge parts of the program's future success and have the perfect group of players to learn from this season. 

The Schedule
As always, the Blue Streaks will battle through the OAC gauntlet this year with a target on their backs as reigning undisputed OAC champions. 

The non-conference schedule once again will provide a challenge for the Blue Streaks. The Blue & Gold open the season this weekend with matchups against Albertus Magnus and Penn State Harrisburg in Middletown, PA at the Penn State Harrisburg Tip-Off Classic. 

The Blue Streaks will then return to University Heights for their home opener against SUNY Brockport on November 16 before heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan for matchups against Johns Hopkins and Emory in the Great Lakes Invitational. 

Once again, the marquee non conference matchup will come against #23 ranked Hampden-Sydney. Last season, the two teams met in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center in what was a highly anticipated top-10 matchup. Ultimately, it was Hampden-Sydney that would head home with a 85-67 victory. This season, the two teams meet in the Charlie Cobb Classic at H-SC on December 20.

The Blue Streaks enter the season with high expectations for themselves and it will take everyone in the locker room working together if this team hopes to achieve their goal of being the last ones standing. Be sure to follow along every game at jcusports.com!
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