BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Bluffton University men's basketball team will have a new head coach on the sideline for the first time since 1989 when the Beavers kick off the 2023-24 season. Head Coach Seth Clark is the new general, taking over for Guy Neal who led Bluffton for 34 years! Clark inherits a squad that returns four of its top five scorers from a team that went 6-19 in 2022-23. He was instrumental in turning Manchester around during his time in Indiana and now he looks to do the same with the Beavers.
Back for year four is two-year starter Michael Stammen (Versailles) who dished out a team-high 93 dimes. His 3.7 APG was 2nd in the Heartland Conference. Bluffton's floor leader, Stammen dropped in 9.3 PPG and his 110 rebounds were 2nd on the team. He hit 56-of-75 at the line (74.7 percent) and his 27 steals were 2nd on the team.
Sophomore Brady Wheeler (Lima/Shawnee) found himself in the starting lineup for game five and he never looked back. Wheeler led the returning Beavers with 11.1 PPG, hitting 60-of-72 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe. He led the team with 30 steals and his 34 assists trailed only Stammen. Wheeler also pulled down 3.0 RPG as a freshman guard.
Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) played over 23 minutes a game as a freshman and he showed the ability to work both inside and out. He scored 5.5 PPG on 47-of-103 shooting (45.6 percent) from field. Another versatile wing who is heading into year two at Bluffton, Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Cincinnati Christian) made huge strides at the end of the season. He was efficient from beyond the arc, going 11-of-22 (50 percent) and netting 4.6 PPG.
Bluffton returns a pair of bigs who combined to play over 30 minutes a night. Junior Connor Martin (Holland/Springfield) led the Beavers with 5.2 RPG to go along with his 4.5 PPG. Sophomore JD Stokes (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) put up 2.9 PPG and 2.5 RPG in his first season of collegiate basketball.
Myles Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Leo), a grad transfer from Elmhurst, won multiple CCIW, one of the top Division III conferences in the country, championships and played in the D3 National championship game in 2022.
The Beavers travel to Heidelberg University for its Tip-Off Tourney on November 10-11 before the home opener with Kalamazoo on Friday, Nov. 17. Bluffton will host the 25th McDonald's Classic on December 29-30. The regular season comes to a close on Friday, Feb. 16, when rival Defiance College makes the 50-mile trek to Allen County for a double dipper with the women.
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