BOWLING GREEN — For a vast majority of the 2023-24 season, Bowling Green State University’s men’s basketball team has turned its own expectations into a reality.
No matter the circumstances or challenges, the Falcons have left the court after a game with a “W” more often than not.
“My whole thing is, if we schedule 32 games, I want to win 32 games. I don’t like to say ‘Oh golly, I’d like to win 20,’” first-year BGSU coach Todd Simon said. “To me, in my brain, the way I work, it’s like ‘OK, I just said it’s OK to lose 12.’
“I don’t wake up and say ‘I’m OK with losing this one.’ I want to win every single one of them.”
The stats speak for themselves for a BGSU program off to its best start in more than 20 years. The Falcons’ 14-4 overall record is their best through 18 games since the 2001-02 campaign when they had the same mark, and they have already flown past last season’s win total (11).
BGSU’s 5-1 record in the Mid-American Conference is its best through six league games since the 2020-21 season. Simon is just the second coach in program history to start MAC play 5-1 in their first season (Bill Fitch in 1967-68).
Twelve of BGSU’s past 13 games have been victories. Their lone loss during that span was at MAC unbeaten Akron in which the Falcons led for the first 28 minutes.
And with each win, the talk around town keeps growing.
“I think the buzz is getting around a little bit. I think it’s like, ‘It’s OK to come back,’” said Simon, who turned around Southern Utah in his seven seasons with the Thunderbirds before taking over at BGSU.
“This is a good group, and we have spectacular human beings. They’re personable, they’re great classmates, you see them at every sporting event, and it’s not one or two; it’s all of them. They’re great with kids, they love kids, they’re interactive. Even if we weren’t winning, this is a group that’s worth to get behind. But the winning makes it a lot better.”
BGSU’s hot start can be attributed to a variety of factors. The roster filled with transfers includes a blossoming superstar in Marcus Hill, strong frontcourt presence with 6-foot-8 senior forward Rashaun Agee and 7-foot senior Jason Spurgin, and numerous complementary guards who have embraced their roles, either offensively, defensively, or as role players off the bench.
Game after game, Hill has continued to stand out. In Saturday’s 84-79 home win against Western Michigan, the 6-4 junior guard scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the final two minutes in helping the Falcons turn a one-point lead into a comfortable victory.
Hill, who is second in the MAC in scoring (20.7 points per game) and has seven games of at least 26 points, has appeared to make a seamless transition from the National Junior College Athletic Association to NCAA Division I basketball. The 2022-23 NJCAA All-American at Southern Union State has also earned two MAC player of the week awards so far this season.
“A lot of times, that transition from junior college to Division I is a big leap, and a lot of times, it might take a year,” Simon said. “We sat down in the spring and summer and said, ‘Look, this ain’t going to be fair, but if you want to be this guy that we think you can be, we’ve got to speed up your process.’
“That’s not always going to be roses every day. You’re going to have to get extra time in, and he embraces film. He works harder than many guards I’ve ever had that have gone on to play this game for a long time. He changed his shot in the summer, he’s embraced every coachable aspect possible, and you’re seeing the results. His best basketball is still ahead of him.”
BGSU had a couple of added sparks in the Western Michigan win — its fourth MAC victory by five points or fewer — with DaJion Humphrey and EJay Greer’s performances off the bench.
Humphrey, a 6-4 senior guard and junior college transfer, as well, was critical defensively in helping BGSU turn an early 16-3 deficit into a 39-31 halftime lead. He had 13 points (third highest of the year) and a season-best three steals.
Greer, a long and athletic 6-8 freshman guard, had a career-high 12 points with two steals and two assists in just seven minutes. He scored or assisted on 11 straight BGSU points in helping the Falcons take their biggest lead, 62-46, midway through the second half.
“They were very big because the fact of, we weren’t really getting going, couldn’t figure out their defense,” Hill said. “So with them coming in, seeing what we didn’t see, they brought a lot of energy, especially DaJion and EJay hitting shots. That’s what we needed.”
Greer, the lone true freshman on the roster, became the 11th BGSU player to score in double digits this season. His play off the bench, along with Humphrey and sophomore guard P.J. Edwards, has been key recently for a BGSU team that has battled injuries all season.
Greer said there is a little bit of pressure to perform well with limited players, but has been able to build confidence with each practice and game.
“I try to play with the same type of confidence every game, so just coming out there and showing people what I can do defensively and offensively,” he said. “I just stay poised.”
BGSU will face arguably its toughest week of the season so far when the Falcons host defending MAC tournament champion Kent State (9-9, 2-4) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Stroh Center, then travel to three-time defending MAC regular season champion and rival Toledo (11-7, 5-1) on Saturday. The Falcons and Rockets are both one game back of Akron (6-0) in the league standings.
“Going against us in practice, we’re all good. So I feel like we’d be prepared for Kent State and Toledo and those guys,” Hill said. “Our coaching staff is very helpful to get us there and know all this stuff.”
First Published January 22, 2024, 7:05 p.m.
