BEREA, Ohio – The defending Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Champion and No. 22 preseason nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team will look to go back-to-back in 2019-20.
With a record of 70-42 at BW, fifth-year Head Coach Tom Heil will return 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's squad that won the OAC tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division lll National Tournament.
Leading the backcourt is two-time Academic All-OAC guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick). Quiring started all 30 games and averaged a career-best 10.2 points-per-game. He also led the team with 98 assists, good enough for fourth in the OAC.
The other seniors in the backcourt are guards Zach Cebula (Brunswick) and two-time Academic All-OAC Troy Massa (Parma/Normady). Cebula, who shot 38% from beyond the arc, appeared in 30 games, started three, scored a career-high 132 points, marked 10 steals, 19 assists and 47 rebounds. Massa appeared in nine games and recorded three assists and two rebounds.
The duo of senior forwards Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic) and Drew Sova (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) will provide the Yellow Jackets with an offensive-defensive combination in the frontcourt. Colombo, who was named to the OAC All-Tournament team, set multiple career game-highs in points(20), rebounds(12), assists(4), blocks(3), steals(3) and double-doubles(2) last season, including a 10-point 12-rebound performance in the championship game against the University of Mount Union. Sova handled the boards for BW as he grabbed a team-high 228 rebounds, good for third in the OAC. He was fourth in the OAC with 7.6 rebounds-per-game, and also recorded a career-best 184 points last year.
Senior two-time Academic All-OAC forward Jack Lostoski (Uniontown/Lake) will add depth to the frontcourt after scoring a career-high 103 points and snagging a career-high 60 boards. Lostoski also set career game-highs in multiple categories with points(20), rebounds(7), assists(2), blocks(1), steals(1) and threes(6). Rounding out the senior class is Academic All-OAC forward Jake Elbin (Findlay) and forward Alex Nahra (Mayfield).
Adding a scoring punch to the backcourt is junior guard Luke Schaefer (Medina). Schaefer appeared in all 30 games, started 22, averaged a career-best 8.2 ppg on 46% shooting, averaged 1.3 steals-per-game, was second on the squad with 38 steals and fifth with 247 points. The marksman for the Yellow Jackets will be junior guard Matt Dimitrijevs (Broadview Heights/Brecksville Broadview Heights), who shot 44% from deep last season. The junior poured in a career-high 20 points against Bethany (W. Va.) College and on two separate occasions made six threes.
Filling out the upperclassmen backcourt are juniors Benjamin Geschke (Medina) and Logan Newman (Canton/St. Thomas Aquinas). Geschke missed most of last year due to an injury and Newman appeared in seven games, scored four points and grabbed three rebounds. Junior forward Quinton Farren (Seven Hills/Normady) will add depth to the post.
Sophomore guard Shane Zalba (Mentor) appeared in 14 games last season and scored 16 points with eight assists and three steals. Sophomore forward Terell Hicks (Cuyahoga Falls/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) was not on the team last year but will look to provide valuable minutes to the frontcourt.
The incoming freshman of Samson Albert (Akron/Revere), Anthony Mazzeo (North Canton) Jake Snyder (Akron/Archbishop Hoban), Luke Coyne (Rocky River), Lian Levesque (Berea/Berea-Midpark) and Jack Simmons (Wadsworth) will add competition and depth to the BW lineup.
The Yellow Jackets open the season at home against Bethany (W. Va.) College on Tuesday November 12 at 7 p.m in Ursprung Gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets will open OAC play at home against Marietta on Tuesday November 26 at 7 p.m.
