Over four weeks into the BHSU men’s basketball season, head coach Ryan Thompson and his squad struggles to find traction on
the court.
Following the Jacket’s most recent competitions, a loss in Denver, Colo. to Regis University and a conference win over the
University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS), they now sit at No. 11 in the RMAC Conference with a 3-5 overall record.
This early in the season, the Yellow Jackets are already one loss away from matching their overall loss record from the previous
season, during which the team made a Final Four run in both the RMAC Conference Championship and the NCAA DII Championship.
“Well, we started 2-3 in the 2021-22 [season] and we ended up winning conference and making it to the [NCAA] Final Four,” Thompson said. “It’s not abnormal for us to struggle early in the year. Part of that is our style of play and having a motion offense
that takes a little while to get a great feel for. It’s not unexpected for me that we’re struggling a little bit early in the year.”
Last season, the Jackets started their season off with a 13-game win streak, and, despite losing the semifinal round in the RMAC
Championship, the Jacket squad battled to the NCAA DII Final Four before being eliminated. However, last season the team was led by fourth-year senior Joel.
Scott, who was awarded the 2022- 23 D2CCA National Play of the Year, NABC & D2CCA All-American, RMAC Player of the Year and
a number of other accolades. Scott, in his final season with BHSU, scored 805 points, made 335 rebounds, 51 assists and had a field goal percentage over 60%.
Scott is also the all-time leading scorer in BH history with 2,457 points and holds the single-season scoring record. He now plays
basketball for Colorado State University as a graduate student after entering the transfer portal.
“I don’t think anyone can replace the National Player of the Year,” Thompson said. “Joel did a lot for our program, but we’ve had
success before Joel and we’ll have success after Joel. We’re moving on, and I know that we can play good basketball with the guys we
have on our team. That’s really where our focus is.”
In Scott’s absence, fifth-year senior Matthew Ragsdale has become the Jacket’s standout player. Ragsdale is shooting over 50%
from the field, averaging 20 points a game and leading the team with 145 points so far.
Ragsdale transferred to BHSU in the 2022 off-season. “Ragsdale is playing at a really high level right now,” Thompson said. “We have some other guys that have shown moments of playing at a high level as well. We’re just looking for some guys to be more consistent and separate themselves from others.”
Despite a slow start and the loss of one of their key players, the Jacket’s confidence has not waned.
“I think there isn’t a goal we have that isn’t still attainable,” Thompson said. “What will be important for us is to not listen to the outside noise, to not get shocked by some early failures in the season and to just focus on getting better each day. I think if we stay the course and we’re able to do that, we’re going to have a really good year.”
BHSU will have the chance to bump their conference record over the .500 mark Dec. 8-9 when they take on Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSUD) and Colorado School of Mines at home.