Oilers bring back plenty of experience this season

FINDLAY – Following a 24-4 season a year ago, many may expected the University of Findlay to have a depleted roster going into this season. Luckily for the Oilers, that is not the case. The Oilers -- who are 2-0 and will host Ferris State at 7 p.m. tonight -- return 14 players from last season's squad, including redshirt freshmen. UF lost just two rotation players in forward Will Aljancic and guard Ben Morrison. Despite losing in the opening round of the Greater Midwest Athletic Conference tournament and failing to earn an NCAA tournament bid, the Oilers appear hungrier than ever. The Oilers will once again use a deep roster, substituting often and usually implementing a platoon swap and subbing out all five. This plan worked to perfection last year, allowing for fresh legs every couple of minutes as the Oilers wore opponents out early with their movement offense and trap defense. Findlay's new philosophies on both sides of the ball caught the G-MAC off guard, as the Oilers went 17-3 and won the G-MAC regular-season crown. Using quick passes and a high volume of 3-pointers, Findlay jumped ahead early in a lot of games and cruised to a victory."I think the gameplan's gonna be similar," Oilers coach Charlie Ernst said. "From an offensive standpoint, we're gonna be a lot better as we go on."Defensively, it was the Oilers' brand-new press that took teams by surprise. The Oilers guarded full-court on nearly every single possession, making it harder and harder as the game went on for opposing guards to get down the floor without getting trapped and committing a turnover. Findlay forced almost nine turnovers a night, and scored 19 points per game off of those mistakes. UF outscored opponents by an average of 12.9 points, thanks in large part to its newfound defensive intensity. Returning so many players is a good problem to have for Findlay, as it allows Ernst to rely on a variety of different options. Ernst doesn't use starters and reserves, hence the rapid substitutions. Returning leaders for the Oilers will be guard Anthony Johnson, wing Mason Brandt, and big man Jagger Landers. Johnson, the Oilers' lead facilitator, was near the top of all of Division II basketball last season in assist-to-turnover ratio, and averaged 8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Brandt, a 6-foot-4 dunking machine, showcased his"3+D" abilities as a junior, knocking down outside shots and defending opposing teams' wing scorers. Brandt averaged 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and shot 46-percent from the field and 32-percent from deep. Landers started every game at center for the Oilers, posting 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds while spacing the floor with a 35-percent 3-point percentage on 36 makes. "We have the confidence on the court to take control, speak up, all that good stuff," Brandt said."We don't have designated leaders on the team. We might have captains, but everybody on the team is allowed, and should speak up, whenever they feel a certain type of way. Especially with the group that we have, because everybody's been here for a couple years."Seniors Mekhi Elmore and Max Roth and graduate student Josh Thorbahn will also be key members of the Oilers lineup. Elmore, in just his second season as an Oiler after transferring last season, will be a score-first guard capable of making 3s and blowing by defenders. Roth, a combo guard with springs for legs, is one of the more dynamic players on the Oilers when he gets hot, able to jump out of the gym for highlight slams and blocks, while also connecting from beyond the arc and being a calming facilitator for the second unit. Thorbahn, a sharpshooting Swiss-army knife that has been with the Oilers since the 2021-2022 season, averaged nearly six points per game on 44-percent from downtown as a dependable veteran swingman. Other returning members of Findlay's lineup from last year include redshirt junior Jake Bishop and UF's star-studded sophomore class of Alex Kendall, Steele Meister, and Ian Ioppolo. Bishop, who burst onto the scene as a sophomore averaging 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists with 30 made triples, is a lights-out combo guard with a hard-nosed defensive mindset. Kendall and Ioppolo are both forwards and combine to be a tough 1-2 punch. Kendall is more of a traditional big, blocking shots and corralling rebounds, but can also shoot from the outside and score in bunches. Ioppolo, who can guard anyone from the point guard to the center, averaged nine points as a freshman and had the most three-point makes (50) on the best percentage (46%) at six-foot-seven. The wildcard of Findlay's entire lineup is Steele Meister. Standing at six-foot-four and weighing 240 pounds, Meister has transformed his body since arriving on Findlay's campus a year ago. Meister is all muscle and speed, able to bully smaller players and outrun bigger ones. Meister doesn't really slot into any one positional group for the Oilers, and spends time at pretty much every spot on the floor. Meister averaged 5.3 points and three rebounds, nailing 37 percent of his long-range attempts."It makes it very easy," Brandt said. "Just knowing that we have so many guys that can go, somebody is bound to have a good night. Obviously, we're not relying solely on that guy when it does happen, I truly believe in doing the little things even when it's not your night. But it definitely makes it easy to know that somebody is gonna have a good night. We've just gotta feed them and feed off of them when that happens."Newcomers looking to carve out spots in Ernst's rotations include senior Luke Denbow and sophomores Jayson Levis and Javonte Hill. Denbow and Levis both missed last season with injuries for the Oilers. Denbow arrived via transfer from Anderson University in South Carolina, where he averaged 12.5 points across two seasons and 40 starts. Levis is a former first-team All-Ohio member from Brook Park, who averaged 15 points and five assists as a senior at Lutheran West High School. Both players are six-foot guards able to handle the ball and shoot from beyond the arc.Entering his first season on the active Oilers roster is Findlay High alum Javonte Hill. Hill is 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds, a slender wing with premier scoring ability. Hill averaged 18 points a game his senior year as a Trojan, along with five rebounds and three steals. Hill's thin frame pairs with a very long wingspan and terrific defensive instincts, as he projects as a high-impact player right away for the Oilers. Hill will miss the start of the season due to injury, but should be back by the end of 2025 and will be a key member of UF's gameplan. "We just play really hard," Brandt said. "We tried to do that last year, and every guy knows that their spot is not guaranteed. We have 13 legit guys that can go. Every practice, everybody knows that your spot's not guaranteed. You have to play hard to earn your spot, and when you get your moment, make the most of it.""I think it's been easier," Brandt continued. "Especially since last year we started this system, and it was with basically every guy that we have here this year. I feel like it's been easier. We kind of just picked up where we left off. We made some small adjustments, but every guy is very close off the court, which helps tremendously in the locker room, and on the court obviously. I feel like it's definitely helped us. We were good last year, but I feel like we can be great this year." FINDLAY OILERS ROSTER0 G Jayson Levis 101 G Luke Denbow 122 F Mason Brandt 123 G Mekhi Elmore 124 G Max Roth 125 F Steele Meister 1010 F Jagger Landers 1211 F Javonte Hill 1012 G Anthony Johnson 1113 F Jake Gerken 914 F Josh Thorbahn GS21 F Jake Morrison 1122 F Alex Kendall 1024 Dominic Francis 930 G Jose Luna 933 G Jake Bishop 1140 F Ian Ioppolo 10