The 2022 Kalamazoo College men's basketball team will tip off its season with a road game on Nov. 11 at Manchester. The Hornets will look to improve on their eighth-place finish in the MIAA last season. The team began practice on Oct. 15 and will have an exhibition game against Western Michigan on Nov. 2 before starting the regular season.
Schedule Breakdown
- The Hornets will begin their season with three of the first four games on the road. The home opener will be on Nov. 19 against Oberlin.
- Five of the next seven games will take place in the Anderson Athletic Center. In addition, Kalamazoo ends the 2022 calendar year with a Holiday Classic, with Finlandia and DePauw coming to town on Dec. 21-22.
- The MIAA season begins on Jan. 4 by hosting Alma. The Hornets will play every MIAA team on the road and at home.
- Kalamazoo hosts five of seven MIAA games for the first part of the schedule. It will then flip for the second half.
- The Hornets' final regular season home game and senior day will be on Feb. 11 against Adrian.
- The regular season will conclude on Feb. 18 with a road game at Hope.
Roster Breakdown
- Kalamazoo returns 11 of the 12 players from the young 2021-22 squad. There will also be six new additions to the team to increase the total to 17.
- The lone senior, Addison Atwater, leads the Hornets with five juniors, five sophomores, and six freshmen accompanying him.
Returning Statistical Leaders
- Coming back as the team's top scorer in his second season at Kalamazoo is Ty Horky, who averaged 12.6 points per game. Horky had a 34.6% three-point percentage while also shooting 75.7% from the free throw line.
- Lukas Broadsword was the main contributor down low in his first season with the Hornets. He averaged a team-high 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting the ball at a 55.1% clip for 11.1 points per game.
- Also in his first season of collegiate basketball was DJ Courtney, who averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for Kalamazoo. Courtney had a 37.8% three-point and 76.3% free throw percentage.
- Rounding out the freshmen trio was Josh Decker, who was the team's downtown threat, shooting the ball at a 39.6% clip. Decker averaged 10.0 points per game and led the team with an 87.5% free throw percentage.
Stepping Up
- "Our program welcomed six newcomers this season, all first-year students," said Head Coach Nick Giard. "JJ Stevens and Trey Bolling (who will join the team at the end of the fall quarter around Thanksgiving) both add size and depth to our frontcourt, while Caleb Caul, Dougie Blackwood, Carter Bandemer, and Lucas Hanifan each bring a unique skill set, and many of them will likely make an impact for us this season."
- Coach Giard continued, "Along with our newcomers, we are excited to welcome back junior Bobby Samples, who missed all but four games last season with an injury. Bobby's presence as a leader and floor general was missed last season, but it allowed other players to step up and gain experience, which will help us moving forward."
Head Coach Nick Giard
Coach Giard returns for his fourth season as the head coach for the men's basketball program. During his time, Giard has coached two All-MIAA athletes while also earning the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award the past two seasons. He also had coaching stops at Williams College (2017-19), Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (2015-17), and South Florida (2013-15) before coming to Kalamazoo and after graduating from Michigan State, where he was a walk-on for the men's basketball team.
Quoting Coach Giard
"I'm really excited about our group and this team's potential. We return almost our entire roster, including our top eight scorers from last season. Everyone is motivated to take a big step forward from last year, and our newcomers are buying in. It's been awesome to see the growth our returners made in the weight room and on the court, and our six newcomers add size and depth and have already shown us that they can make an impact this season."