Men's Basketball News

By Tim Glon

ADA — The Ohio Northern men’s basketball team was picked to finish third in the 2009-10 Ohio Athletic Conference Coaches' preseason poll on Wednesday.

The Polar Bear men received 58 points in voting conducted by the league’s 10 head coaches.

No. 2-ranked John Carroll was picked to finish first for the men with 81 total points and nine first place votes, Wilmington was picked to finish second with 62 points and Capital was picked tied with ONU for third with 58 votes and the final first place vote.

Kyle Meyer

By Tim Glon

| Box Score |

KENT -- Ohio Northern men's basketball team opened the John Rhodes era with an impressive performance in a 75-66 loss at at NCAA Division I foe Kent State in an exhibition contest Monday evening at KSU's Mac Center.

Senior All-Conference returners Kyle Meyer and Ezra Bradshaw both had fine games for the Polar Bears.

By Tim Glon

| 2009-10 Schedule |

ADA — The John Rhodes era will get underway on Nov. 15, 2009, when the Ohio Northern men's basketball team plays host to Hanover (Ind.) in a rare Sunday afternoon contest at the ONU Sports Center.

The Polar Bears will then travel to the Wheaton (Ill.) Classic Nov. 20-21, where they will face McMurry (Ill.) in the first round.

John Rhodes

By Tim Glon

ADA — John Rhodes has been named the head men’s basketball coach at Ohio Northern University.

Rhodes comes to Ohio Northern after a 1-year stint as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Northeastern University and brings 13 years of coaching experience and eight years of experience playing professional basketball to the Polar Bears.

Jake Cannan

By Tim Glon

ADA — Ohio Northern senior post Jake Cannan (Dublin/Coffman) was named Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference in men’s basketball for 2008-09 in voting conducted by the league’s 10 faculty advisors.

Cannan, a pharmacy major, earned Academic All-OAC and Honorable Mention All-Conference honors as a junior last winter.

This season, Cannan ranked fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.6 points per game. He was second in rebounding at 5.0 ppg and led the squad in blocked shots with 20 and in field goal shooting percentage at .582.

Jeff Coleman

By Tim Glon

ADA — Jeff Coleman announced Monday afternoon that he is stepping down as head men’s basketball coach at Ohio Northern University.

Coleman has been at ONU 17 years, including the last four as head men’s basketball coach.

He is also an assistant professor in the health, physical education and sport science department, a position he will retain until the end of ONU's academic year in May.

Kyle Meyer

By Tim Glon

ADA -- Ohio Northern junior Kyle Meyer, senior Kurtis Brown and junior Ezra Bradshaw were named All-Ohio Athletic Conference in men's basketball for 2008-09 in voting conducted by the league's 10 head coaches.

Meyer was a First Team All-OAC honoree, while Brown and Bradshaw were Honorable Mention selections.

Meyer is now a two-time All-OAC pick, earning Honorable Mention kudos as a sophomore last winter.

Kyle Meyer

By Tim Glon

| Box Score | 

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- Ohio Northern saw its Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament run come to an end in the semifinal round as No. 11-ranked Capital knocked off ONU 63-58 Friday night at John Carroll's DeCarlo Varsity Center.

The third-seeded Polar Bears end their season with an 18-9 record, while the second-seeded Crusaders advance to the finals with a 24-3 mark.

By Tim Glon

ADA — Twenty one Ada Elementary School fourth graders in Susan Stuart's reading class successfully completed the Reading with Coach Coleman program in 2009.

Ohio Northern head men's basketball coach Jeff Coleman and three of his players met with the students to administer the program. Through Reading with Coach Coleman, students are encouraged to earn 75 points by passing Reading Counts quizzes.

Kyle Meyer

By Patrick Massara

| Box Score | Tournament Site |

ADA – The Ohio Northern men’s basketball team defeated Marietta 62-52 Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament at the ONU Sports Center.

The Polar Bears improve to 18-8 overall while the Pioneers finish their season at 12-14 overall.