Loaded with Experience, Depth, Red Devils Eager to Meet High Expectations

EUREKA – The Eureka men's basketball team is heading into the 2021-22 season ranked No. 1 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll.

For the first time since joining the league in 2006, the Red Devils are the team with the target on their back, and that adds a new twist to head coach Chip Wilde's practice talking points.

"A lot of times this time of year, I'll tell my guys 'Let's prove them wrong,'" Wilde said the day before the first game of his 15th season as head coach. "This year, I'm telling them to go out and prove them right."

Wilde says rankings never have a big impact on the season. They're fun to talk about for a couple days after they're released, but then you have to prove it on the court.

"I thought it was a great compliment for some of our older, returning players that have raised the bar for our program," Wilde said. "I feel good for them. I feel good about our team, but we've got a long way to go, because it's November 4."

On Friday, Nov. 5, the Red Devils will open a season of great expectations with a tough non-conference matchup against Cornell College on their home floor of Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena. Tip-off of Game 1 is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Rams bring back their top four players from a squad that split a home-and-home series with the Red Devils during the COVID-19 spring season. They pulled away from EC for a 96-71 win at their home court, but when the Rams came to Eureka, the Red Devils pulled off a dramatic comeback in the final minutes to pull off a 71-70 victory.

"For a year that was so messed up, it was quite a bright spot, and the way our year ended, it probably ended up being one of the highlights of the year," Wilde said.

Last spring, you may remember, the Red Devils were on track to take home the league title and go into the SLIAC Tournament as the favorites. However, COVID-19 protocols intervened, ending Eureka's season early when the team held an 8-3 record on the season and a 5-1 mark in SLIAC play.

This season, Eureka returns the bulk of that squad. Second Team All-SLIAC guard Chris Daniels and Third Team All-SLIAC and All-Defensive Team center Jaedon Banks graduated, but the 2021-22 brings back a slew of starters and reserves who played key roles.

First Team All-SLIAC guard Ian Milsteadt led the legaue in scoring last season with 24.7 points per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field. This will be his third season with the Red Devils, and he's primed for his best campaign yet.

Jalen Hosea enters his senior year as a third-year starting point guard and four-year contributor. Since coming off the bench for the 2018-19 SLIAC Tournament championship team, he has become one of the best ball handlers and defensive guards in the league.

J'Len Crawford, a 6-4 guard/forward, took a leap last spring, going from a role player who played 10 minutes per game to a key player in the Red Devils' rotation, contributing 11.6 points while playing 25 energetic minutes per game. He twice knocked down five 3s in a game and finished with 23 points or more.

Charlie McKinty, a 6-4 junior forward who transferred in from Illinois College last year, started every game last season, scoring nine points or more four times.

Jordan Brooks, a senior guard who transferred in from Lincoln Land Community College, added 5.5 points per game in 16.5 minutes per game in his first season as Red Devil last year.

At guard, the team also returns junior Austyn Ellison, who rejoins the Red Devils after taking a year off following a promising freshman season in maroon and gold.

The newcomer primed to make the biggest splash this season is junior transfer Logan Dorethy, a big man who has already thrived in the SLIAC. A 6-7 forward/center, he was the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year and a Third Team All-SLIAC honoree as a freshman and a Second Team All-SLIAC honoree as a sophomore at MacMurray. Following MacMurray's closure, he transferred to Hannibal LaGrange and was the team's second leading scorer with 13 points per game.

Dorethy and 6-6 sophomore Lane Thompson will be the ones stepping in for the 6-9 Banks in the post.

The Red Devils will also benefit from the return of junior forward Andrew Gonzalez, who is recovering from an injury and will be back in action in a few weeks. One of the first players off the bench last year, he hit double figures four times and secured the game-sealing rebounder in the memorable win over Cornell.   

Another player adding depth and experience will be another former MacMurray player in senior Peyton McCubbin.

Wilde says that gives you a good place to start. Then, in addition to Dorethy, Eureka welcomes a large group of newcomers with a mix of promising freshmen and a few transfers who have a season or two under their belt.

The former category features Max Rotman (Toronto, Canada/IMG Academy), TJ Myers (Canton, Ill./Canton) and Sam DeJesus (Delavan, Ill./Delavan), while the latter includes Zach Briggs (Decatur, Ill./Decatur MacArthur/Lincoln Land), David Hill (Elgin, Ill./St. Edwards Catholic/Elgin Community College) and Blake Castonguay (Watseka, Ill./Watseka/Illinois College).

"I feel good about it," Wilde said. "I like our guys. I think they're good kids. I think they're working hard and doing all the right things, but we haven't been tested yet. We haven't had our weaknesses exposed."

Friday night will be the team's first home game with fans in 622 days.

"The energy, you can't simulate it," Wilde said. "Our home crowd has always been good and our home court has great acoustics for a home basketball game, so there's no doubt about it. It should give us a great lift."