Ohio Wesleyan University | Battling Bishop Athletics

2008-09 Season Preview

[ Kyle Holliday ] Last year, Ohio Wesleyan had its most successful season since the 1987-88 Battling Bishops won the NCAA Division III championship.

Head coach Mike DeWitt guided the Bishops to the NCAA Division III “Sweet 16” in 2007-08, winning the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament along the way, and finished with a 22-8 record. The Battling Bishops swept the season series against Wittenberg, marking the first time since the 1949-50 season that an Ohio Wesleyan team had accomplished that feat.

DeWitt must replace 4 starters, including a pair of first-team All-NCAC selections, from that team, but that doesn’t mean that the Bishops are relegated to “rebuilding” status.

“You don’t replace what we’ve lost in terms of personnel and pick up right where we left off,” DeWitt said, “but I think by the end of the year, we have a chance to be a pretty good team.”

Senior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert), an important cog of the Bishops’ 2008 tournament run, leads the 7 returning lettermen from last year’s squad. Holliday averaged 12.3 points per game on the way to second-team all-conference honors last year. He ranked 16th in the league in scoring and was fourth in field goal percentage (.547) and tied for ninth in steals (1.43/game).

“Holliday certainly was a huge factor in our tournament success last year, and we look for him to continue at that level of play,” DeWitt said.

[ Kyle Miller ] Senior wing Kyle Miller (Delaware/Hayes) should move into the spot opposite Holliday. Miller turned in some clutch performances during the stretch run last season and finished with averages of 5.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He tied for ninth in the NCAC in steals (1.43/game).

Senior Mitch Noggle (Dublin/Coffman) returns as one of the Bishops’ best sharpshooters and sophomore Dillon McBride (Medina), an athletic 6-5 presence, looks to increase his role.

Senior Ryan Willis (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) and sophomore Spencer Meads (Nashua, N.H./Bishop Guertin) also return at the wing positions.

Newcomers looking to contribute are freshman Tim Brady (Dublin/Jerome), an honorable mention all-state and first-team all-district pick in high school; freshman Jake Dodd (Lorain/Open Door Christian), an all-county pick in high school; freshman Clark McMahon (Circleville), an all-county selection in high school; and freshman Matt Stuczynski (Strongsville/Padua Franciscan), an all-conference pick in high school.

“The depth and talent at the wing positions is one of our strengths as we go into this year,” DeWitt said.

Junior Brent Pleiman (Russia) is Ohio Wesleyan’s top returning post player, with sophomore Andrew Martin (New Albany) seeking to win the other starting position.

Pleiman was a reliable reserve last year, averaging 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in his first season of college basketball.

Martin saw action in 14 games, averaging 2.1 points per contest.

“Pleiman and Martin have a year of experience in learning our system and what it takes to play at this level,” DeWitt said. “I’m confident that they’ll step up to meet that challenge.”

Freshman Pat Pellerite (Olmsted Falls), a conference Most Valuable Player and first-team all-conference choice in high school, and freshman Stefan Njomo (Purcellville, Va./Blue Ridge) will have opportunities to contribute immediately.

[ Rob Gardiner ] Junior Rob Gardiner (Dublin/Coffman), who performed capably in a reserve role the last 2 seasons, moves into the starting point guard spot. Gardiner averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 assists per game last year.

Sophomore Mike Schwartz (Upper Arlington) also will see time at the point guard spot.

“I have a lot of confidence in Gardiner, and Schwartz is an up-and-coming player who will provide some quality minutes as well,” DeWitt said.

Sophomore Brady McCaffrey (Alpharetta, Ga./Marist) also returns, and freshman Tyler Hall (Caledonia/River Valley), an honorable mention all-state and first-team all-district choice in high school, will be heard from.

Ohio Wesleyan opens the season at the Lee Pfund Classic, facing a field that also includes Wheaton, another 2008 NCAA Division III “Sweet 16” team, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and Staten Island.

The Bishops then host one day of the OWU/Kenyon Classic, facing Albion and Marietta over Thanksgiving weekend, before visiting Capital, another 2008 NCAA tournament team.

Ohio Wesleyan opens its NCAC schedule on the road at defending champion Wooster, still another 2008 NCAA tournament team, before facing up-and-coming Kenyon and Heartland Conference title contender Defiance. The Bill Sudeck Holiday Tournament, featuring Case Reserve, Manchester and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, rounds out of the non-conference schedule. Further highlighting the NCAC schedule are a pair of dates against 2006 national runner-up Wittenberg and traditionally-tough foes in Wabash and Allegheny.