Heartland Conference Pre-season Coaches Poll
BLUFFTON, Ohio - With Bluffton's top five scorers returning after a trip to the Heartland Conference semi-finals, the men's basketball team is excited as the 2019-20 campaign is rapidly approaching. The Beavers surprised the pundits with a 4th-place finish in the conference after coming in 7th when the pre-season poll was released. Head Coach Guy Neal wrapped up 30 years at the helm and he is now looking forward to season 31 when the Beavers hit the hardwood in 2019-20!
Program pillars Justis Dowdy and Jared Wentling were outstanding leaders during their four years at Bluffton, overcoming injuries and adversity while demonstrating what it is to be a Beaver. They passed the mantle to Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath) who earned Second Team All-Heartland Conference honors after leading the Beavers with 15.7 PPG and 6.6 RPG, both 3rd in the conference. Renner went for a career-high 32 points twice in the span of a week, the only 30+ point games by a Beaver last season and he stands 48th all-time with 781 career points, just over 200 from eclipsing 1,000 markers.
Junior Dezman Brown (Elyria) was a menace on both ends of the court, claiming the first-ever Heartland Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2018-19 while putting up 9.2 PPG! Brown matched up against the most prolific scorers in the conference on a nightly basis and made his presence felt from tip to buzzer. He averaged a team-high 35.4 minutes per game, including over 36 minutes a night in conference play. Rounding out Bluffton's returning backcourt is Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) who bucketed 11.3 PPG (2nd on the team) and ripped down 4.7 RPG (3rd on the team) as a freshman. Junior Ronnie James (Cleveland/Benedictine) doled out 22 assists in just 11 minutes per game before an injury ended his 2018-19 season.
Talented bigs Aaron Rich (Greenville) and Isaiah Taylor (Yellow Springs) went for 10.5 and 9.3 PPG, respectively. They combined for 10 boards a game and blocked 19 shots apiece. Coach Neal expects Taylor, who was an Honorable Mention All-HCAC selection as a junior, to be even more productive during his final campaign. Taylor's 60.0 FG percentage in conference play was 6th in the conference and he was also outstanding at the line, going 47-of-57 for 82.5 percent on his free throws.
The Bluffton defense was spectacular in 2018-19, allowing just 65.8 PPG (2nd HCAC) on 43.1 shooting (3rd HCAC) from the field. Free throw shooting was a point of emphasis for the Beavers last season as Bluffton led the HCAC with 76.3 percent (286-of-375) at the line. Bluffton's +2.1 margin on the boards was 2nd in the conference.
Bluffton returns to Westminster College for the Buzz Ridl Classic when the 2019-20 season tips on Friday, No. 15. The home opener is slated for Saturday, Nov. 23, when Heidelberg comes to town. Bluffton is back in the Sommer Center on Wednesday, Dec. 4, as Mount St. Joseph kicks off Heartland Conference play with a trip up Interstate 75. The annual McDonald's Holiday Tournament is slated for Dec. 28-29, setting up two months of Heartland Conference play that will wrap up on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Transylvania University. Rival Defiance College makes the short trip to Bluffton on Wednesday, Feb. 19, when the Beavers celebrate Senior Night on Copeland Court.
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