Basketball Season Set to Begin November 1

The Edison State Community College men's and women's basketball teams will return to the court on Wednesday, November 1. Both teams have been working hard in preparation of the upcoming season.

Head Coach Tim McMahon leads the Lady Chargers for the 10^th season, bringing over three decades of coaching expertise to the program. McMahon began his coaching career at Lehman and Botkins High School. At Botkins, he advanced to the assistant varsity coach for the girls' basketball team, where he helped lead the team to two S.C.A.L. League Championships and the title of Regional Runners-up. McMahon led the Lady Chargers to conference titles in 2020 and 2022. The team also advanced to the NJCAA National Championship tournament in 2022.

"We're happy and very excited to get this season started," McMahon said. "We have six sophomores coming back from our 17-10 season last year. The seven incoming freshmen are a very talented group, and the coaching staff can't wait to see them in action. We believe this year's team will be very competitive in the conference."

The Lady Chargers will face the Community College of Beaver County on their home court in the first game of the season on November 1. On Friday, November 3, the team will travel for the Roadrunner Classic, where they'll face Southwestern Michigan.

Joining McMahon is Doug Martin as the assistant coach. Martin has over 30 years of coaching experience; this is his seventh year as Edison State's assistant women's basketball coach. Previously the varsity girls' basketball coach at Anna High School, he helped lead the Lady Rockets to a State Championship in 2011, State Runner-up in 2012, and State Championship in 2013.

Leading the men's basketball team for the sixth year is Head Coach Kyle Vanover, who has over 20 years of coaching experience. Under Vanover's leadership, the Chargers have a combined record of 75-44 overall and 31-25 in the conference. The 2021–22 team produced a record for most wins in a single season with 25, best home record of 18-0, and best finish in school history. They were a Region 12 Runner-up, and Vanover was named the OCCAC Co-Coach of the Year. He's coached two NJCAA All-Americans: 2nd Team Lacey Watson in 2018–19 and 3rd Team Ibrahima Athie in 2021–22.

The men's team is looking to get back to winning after a 13-16 losing season last year, putting in a great amount of work in the classroom and the gym any free chance they get. The Chargers are planning to use their length, athleticism, and experience to make it tough on their opponents this season. Vanover believes the experience of the team will be the biggest key to success.

"This is the first season I've witnessed the team chemistry this good this early," said Vanover. "We're returning with a core group of guys who have a lot of experience and are receiving attention from four-year institutions already, as well as an abundance of talent and experience coming in as freshmen."

The Chargers will return to the court with five sophomores and 11 freshmen.

Key returning players include Jesse Dixon, a 6'4" shooting guard who started 26 of 28 games last season, averaged 16.3 points a game, and made 87 three-pointers; Devonte Curry, a 6'4" combo guard and NJCAA Academic All-American who started 20 of 28 games last season, averaging 13.1 points a game with 59 three-pointers; Caleb Iheukwu, a 6'5" guard who started 10 of the 12 games he played in the second half of the 2022–23 season, averaging 12.8 points; and Mouhamed Sidibe, a 6'5" forward who played the second half of last season, averaging 6.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Incoming freshmen Vanover sees making a big impact include Ronald Smith, a 6'3" point guard who played at Flyght Academy Prep last season; Jo Burke, a 6'8" forward coming from Randolph Southern High School in Indiana; Daviyon McDonald, a 6'8" forward who transferred from Victoria Community College in Texas and played high school ball at Dublin Jerome High School in Columbus, Ohio; and Sean Caldwell, a 6'2" guard who played at Dohn Prep last season and played high school ball at Gamble Montessori in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"Don't get wrapped up in only looking at the players highlighted, though," Vanover said. "We have more guys who can and will step up when called upon. It will take our whole team, coaching staff, and fan base to make this season a success. We look forward to seeing Charger Nation in the stands this year cheering us on!"

After the Chargers face the Community College of Beaver County at home on November 1, they'll host The Tip Off Classic Tournament on Thursday, November 2, when they'll challenge Parkland College, and Saturday, November 4, when they compete with Mid Michigan College. Their first away game will be against Oakland Community College on Friday, November 10.

Assistant coaches Craig Maschino, Matt Gross, and Mark Eustache join Vanover in leading the men's team. Maschino is returning for his fifth year as an assistant coach and brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to the program. Gross has a decade of coaching experience, five of which are at an elevated AAU level.

Edison State's basketball teams compete in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) and are Division II members of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Visit athletics.edisonohio.edu for the latest news, upcoming games, and complete rosters.