Hiram Terriers men’s basketball coach Taylor Roth said he knew the pieces were already in place when he took over the program before the 2020-21 season. It’s taken a few years, but Hiram is ready to capture a winning season for the first time in Roth’s tenure and perhaps a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
“It was just going to take some time between where we were at results wise and then just coming through COVID and everything else,” said the four-year coach. “It was going to take some work, but I think we are starting to see the fruits of our labor and we have a really good group this year that people are going to enjoy watching.”
In Roth’s first three seasons, the Terriers have been held back by inexperience and size, but the roster is the most balanced as it has ever been, with five seniors, four juniors, seven sophomores and seven freshmen.
“We have a lot of guys back that have been in the program, and we have added a very good freshman class that has been able to learn and grow and not be thrown right into the fire so we have some experience,” he added. “I like our class breakdown right now. We have some young guys but also some guys who have been around.”
The Terriers return three varsity starters in junior forward Ivan Yang, sophomore point guard Dushawn Hill and junior guard Trent Jakacki.
The 6-foot-1 Jakacki returns after averaging 14.1 points and shooting .407 on three-pointers last year.
“Trent is an outstanding student, he is an incredibly hard worker and is all of the things we embody when we look for in recruiting,” said Roth. “He is an all-conference level player and started last year as a sophomore, it was his first year really playing at this level and he got a lot of good experience and had some really big games and I think he is ready to make another jump.”
Yang, a 6-foot-6 forward, will pace Hiram’s paint game, having tallied 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot the ball at a .478 clip from the outside in the 2022-23 season.
“Ivan is just a tremendous rebounder and has a great nose for the ball,” Roth added. “He can really shoot the ball and is really going to be an issue for opponents and Ivan is an interior guy and can play inside and out.”
With Jakacki playing the wing and Yang patrolling the paint, the 6-foot-2 Hill will assume ball-handling responsibilities after posting 8.2 points per game last year.
“Dushawn is a competitive kid and understands how to win and we expect him to take over a lot of the primary ball-handling duties this year at point guard,” said Roth. “He is just a very high IQ player and is a leader and can really help us stay organized and get the ball to the right places.”
According to Roth, senior forward Levi MacAdam is also expected to be a starter this year, having missed most of last season after tearing his ACL.
Roth said the fifth starting spot will be a rotation between sophomore guards Noah Adams and Manuel Devora Violan.
“When we need a little more physicality and scoring, we will go to Noah and if we need more ball-handling or playmaking, that would be probably be Manuel,” Roth said “He did not play a lot as a freshman, he had foot surgery early on and that slowed him down but he is really dynamic with the ball in his hands and is one of our best defenders.”
In addition to having depth this season, Roth said the Terriers plan to frustrate their opponent by playing at a quicker pace to get easier buckets and force more turnovers.
Having depth and experience will be huge for a Terriers squad that competes in a loaded North Coast Athletic Conference, home of nationally ranked Division III powerhouse and reigning conference champion Wabash, and other elite opponents like Wooster and Dennison.
The NCAC’s depth showed last year when the team with the worst overall record, Kenyon, still posted an undefeated conference record.
“There is no night off but that is why you come to Hiram and want to play in this conference,” Roth said. “You want to play against the best and like we said, we recruit high achievers and high achievers want these challenges so we are excited for it and cannot wait to get that league play started.”
Roth said he believes Hiram matches up well against most of its opponents, fielding a roster that has nine players standing at 6-foot-5 or higher.
One thing that has been an issue for us is the size factor, we have gotten overwhelmed inside,” he acknowledged. “Size plus experience are the two things we did not have, so it is really hard to compete when you do not have those things. But this year we will have those things and it will help us go a long way.”
After hosting Geneva College in the season opener on Wednesday evening, the Terriers will travel to Newark, NJ to compete in the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic beginning on Friday at 7 p.m.
