Turns out Hillsdale College can produce more than just classical schoolteachers, lawyers, and (oops) journalists: Three Hillsdale Chargers helped kick off March Madness this week — Oakland’s Jack Gohlke, Colorado State’s Patrick Cartier, and Nevada coach Michael Furlong.
Now a grad student at Oakland, Gohlke made headlines Thursday night for almost single-handedly causing the tournament’s first upset. The guard scored 32 points for Oakland against the University of Kentucky. His skill got him noticed, but Gohlke has emerged as March Madness’s first star and somewhat of an overnight celebrity because of his awesome humility.
“Obviously, we come in, we’re the underdog by all measures, but you just gotta — as a player, you can’t think that way,” he said. “You gotta go out there and think you have the same talent level as them. I know they have draft picks, and I know I’m not going to the NBA, but I know on any given night I can compete with those guys, and our team can. That’s why I say we’re not Cinderella because when we play our A game, we can be the best team on the floor.”
From the Associated Press:
Jack Gohlke has no illusions of going to the NBA. Guys who spend five years in Division II before transferring to a small D-I program with one NCAA Tournament win in its history typically don’t head to the pros.
Don’t mistake that practicality with a lack of belief in his abilities. Or those of his team. Gohlke and his Oakland teammates have felt all season they could hang with anybody on a given night.
Any given night turned into Thursday, when the 6-foot-3 graduate transfer and the commuter school located 30 miles from downtown Detroit showed Kentucky and the country what it takes to win in March.
Confident at the start and cool at the finish, Gohlke made 10 3-pointers and scored a career-high 32 points as the 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies delivered the first true shock of this year’s March Madness, beating the third-seeded Wildcats 80-76.
Hillsdale’s campus newspaper, the Collegian, profiled Gohlke and Cartier — two of the school’s best players before they graduated last year. Their former coach, John Tharp, said both men were “great students, great players, great teammates, and great friends to so many people across campus.” The pair were also roommates and are best friends, Cartier said, adding that “anytime I see him or any other prior teammates see success in their life, it’s a great feeling. Both of us definitely understand how important Hillsdale played in our growth as players and people.”
Cheers to a man who deserves the attention. And, go Chargers.