CLEVELAND — How do I know Todd Simon did a pretty good job in his first year as the basketball coach at Bowling Green?
With it now official that neither Toledo (1980) nor the Falcons (1968) will be going to the NCAA tournament, the Great March Drought of Northwest Ohio turned 100 years old Friday night, and I did not hear a single fan wish him a happy birthday.
Even after Bowling Green’s 73-60 loss to Kent State in the MAC tourney semifinals, you might say his approval rating remains roughly equal to that of free cake.
That’s because these Falcons accomplished two things much more important than just going from 20 losses a year ago to 20 wins this season.
They made Bowling Green basketball fun again, and they inspired hope it will be more fun in the future.
“I feel like this year meant a lot,” forward Rashaun Agee said, “starting BGSU up again and letting people know we’re not here just to be in the MAC. We’re here.”
No, the season did not come stock with a storybook ending.
Bowling Green lost to a Kent State team that couldn’t miss, whether it was Giovanni Santiago splashing in an end-of-the-shot-clock dagger or Jalen Sullinger letting fly one contested 27-footer after another. The Golden Flashes were so hot that they missed more free throws (seven) than they did 3-pointers, hitting 12 of 18 shots from beyond the arc.
“Some of those, you’ve just got to shrug and say, ‘Hey, it’s just your day,’” Simon said.
And realize it may not be yours.
Agee, the all-league bruiser inside, picked up two quick fouls, and the Falcons did not have the horsepower to overcome an early double-digit deficit, missing just about everything outside a 15-foot radius. They were 4 of 20 on 3s. So it goes.
But the season will go down as a success just the same.
A team that brought in 10 new scholarship players battled injuries and misfitting pieces but never effort, playing hard and tough and together, winning as many MAC regular-season and tournament games (11) as the Falcons did the previous two seasons.
Count me intrigued to see where BG goes from here.
At his previous stops, Simon was known for his run-and-gun teams that lit up the scoreboard. Southern Utah last season ranked among the top 20 nationally in points per game (79.1) and tempo.
That wasn’t these Falcons at all, who have a lot of good pieces — including playmaking virtuoso Marcus Hill — but few to stretch the floor. Their best shooter? Seven-footer Jason Spurgin, who went from hitting one 3 for Simon at Southern Utah last season to hitting a team-high 35.8 percent of his deep balls this year. As a team, BG was 340th nationally in 3-point percentage (29.5).
“There's no secret that we didn't shoot it well enough this year,” Simon said. “We have an offense that's built on spacing and attacking and transition, and we maximized a lot of what we could do.”
Give him another year to add shooters, and a coach who was successful as it was adapting to his personnel should be even better in his comfort zone. We’ll also see if the Falcons can keep their core together.
Fans at the home finale were a little surprised when — in addition to guard Da’Shawn Phillip — Agee, Spurgin, Trey Thomas, and Sam Towns were all honored on senior day, receiving their commemorative framed jersey and everything.
Surprised, because they have eligibility remaining.
Keep Hill — a first-team all-league junior who is expected back — and a few of his veteran teammates in the fold, and BG should be one of the top teams in the MAC next year.
I asked Agee and Spurgin about their plans. Both left the door open for a return to Bowling Green.
“There’s conversations to be had in the future,” Spurgin said. “It’s a great place to play. There’s a reason I transferred to Bowling Green and stayed with coach [Simon]. There’s reasons to stay and … yeah.”
“I haven't really made any decisions,” Agee said, “but this is a great place to play and I love playing for coach.”
Simon, naturally, hopes they return.
“I do know that they love Bowling Green and they love playing for Bowling Green,” Simon said of the four seniors with one season of eligibility left. “That's the best that we can do and we’ll see where the chips may fall.”
Either way, though, BG is indeed here.
And if Simon’s first season is any indication, a good thing is about to get even better. The end Friday sure felt a lot like the beginning.
First Published March 16, 2024, 2:31 a.m.
