Todd Simon enters his third season as the BGSU men’s basketball head coach with the start of a new season right around the corner.
It has been seven long months since the Falcons have taken the hardwood. Several new players have arrived, and a handful of familiar faces are back and ready for the new season to tip off on Monday, Nov. 3 in the Stroh Center against Texas State.
Before the new season begins, a look back at last season and what happened during the offseason is due.
Last Season
Last season, the Orange and Brown finished with an overall record of 14-18 and a conference record of 8-10.
A step in the wrong direction for the Falcons after a 20-win season in 2023-24. However, the Falcons were marred by a slew of season-ending injuries.
Sam Towns and Youssef Khayat, both starters, were injured during non-conference play and did not return that season. Trey Thomas started in 26 games before having a season-ending injury. Finally, Javontae Campbell had a cast on his left hand for most of the season and then had a cast on his right hand to end the season, finishing the year playing with two broken hands.
BGSU started Mid-American Conference (MAC) play slowly, going 2-8 in the first month of conference play. This slump was a glaring spot on the Falcons’ season, especially with the five-game losing streak attached to it with losses to Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Toledo, Kent State and Central Michigan.
The Falcons would turn it around after their biggest win of the season, a one-point win over Toledo in Savage Arena.
Bowling Green would falter in the final game of the season with a trip to the MAC tournament on the line. They would fall to Western Michigan, but make it to the tournament thanks to a Northern Illinois double-overtime win over Central Michigan.
Although they did make it to the MAC tournament, they did so as the eighth seed. But the postseason berth was not long for Bowling Green as they were bounced in the first round by Akron with a final score of 96-67. Akron would go on to win the entire MAC tournament last season, becoming the back-to-back MAC champions, becoming the fifth team in MAC history to do so.
Offseason Recap
Sticking with a common theme in today’s college athletics, the Falcons lost several players to the transfer portal, with many Falcon players finding a new home in the offseason.
Some of the key losses for the Orange and Brown include:
Khayat was a non-transfer portal loss as he left Bowling Green to return to his hometown of Beirut, Lebanon, to play in the Lebanese Basketball League.
Signing a professional contract to play with Sagesse Sports Club was something that the Falcons did not see coming, as the team had already announced he was returning. The move also happened late in the offseason window, on July 25.
Johnson became a fan favorite for the Falcons last season, after a season averaging 16.0 points per game while shooting 43% from the field and breaking the BGSU single season record in free throw percentage (89%), Johnson entered the transfer portal shortly after the MAC tournament.
Johnson found his new home in Kansas State, as he officially announced the transfer on May 21, 2025.
After missing two straight seasons due to back-to-back knee injuries, Felt finally found his way back onto the court and spent one season with the Orange and Brown before transferring to Temple in the offseason.
Felt’s 6-foot-10 frame helped him become one of the best shot blockers in the MAC, tallying 46 blocks, which was the most in the MAC in 32 games played.
Felt rejoins former Falcons head coach Michael Huger, who is an associate head coach with the Temple Owls.
Butler was one of the primary starters of last year’s team, starting in 20 games before hitting the portal in the offseason. Butler averaged 13.2 points per game.
Unlike other players, Butler has not committed to a team yet.
Exacte was one of only four players for BGSU to play in all 32 games last season. He now takes his talents to Drake.
Although Humphrey only played in 20 games last season, he had a major impact from behind the arc as he shot a career high of 38.9%. Humphrey announced his transfer to Samford University, but unfortunately announced on his Instagram page that he tore his Achilles.
Green appeared in 30 games with the Falcons and averaged 15.8 minutes per game. This season, Green will suit up for the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
The former assistant coach has spent three seasons with the Falcons before joining Weave as an agent and being a part of player representation.
New Additions
Once again, Bowling Green has added 10 new players to its roster in the offseason—the new players for the Falcons include:
A 6-foot-5 senior guard who spent three seasons at Colorado, Ruffin appeared in 75 games for the Buffaloes, shooting 31.5% from the 3-point line, fourth on the team, last season.
Ruffin scored 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting and 4-of-5 from deep against Dayton in a 90-59 loss in the last exhibition game of the season.
Kimbrough previously played at the junior college (JUCO) level, playing at Highland last season. The 6-foot guard averaged 18.6 points per game, shooting 47.9% from the field, and dished out 181 total assists (15th in the NJCAA).
Kimbrough was named to NJCAA Division 1 All-America Honorable Mention as a result of his efforts last season.
One of three freshmen on the Falcons, Leach was ranked as the sixth-best player in all of Ohio by 247 Sports. The 6-foot-2 guard from Toledo, Ohio, averaged 21.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game in 24 games during his senior year of high school.
Leach joins the Falcons squad with a familiar face to him and Bowling Green, with former Bowling Green player/coach Anthony Stacey joining the assistant coaching staff, who coached Leach at Whitmer High School.
“A big one. He knows a lot. He’s a former player, so he helps us with all the little things. Even small details about scoring or rebounding,” senior forward Sam Towns said. “He’s been there before, so having someone like that in your corner makes a huge difference.”
Shackelford, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard who previously played for Flagler, played in 28 games, averaged 15.8 points per game, leading the team, with 4.0 rebounds per contest, while shooting 49.0% from the field, 45.3% from beyond the arc and 78.1% from the charity stripe.
Shackelford was named the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and earned All-Conference Third Team honors.
Shackelford has impressed coaches this offseason with his development.
“I think Joe has been really good. His attention to detail and his desire to want to be better is something that’s really special about him. I think he’s continuing to grow and improve,” associate head coach Lourawls Nairn Jr. said. “I think if he keeps that same mindset, he’s going to be one heck of a ball player.”
A 6-foot-8 forward from North Carolina, Wol spent last season at Eastern Kentucky, played in 32 games for the Colonels, while making 20 starts, scoring 8.9 points per game, and hitting the double-digit scoring mark in 13 of those games.
Wol was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Sixth Man of the Year after his strong season before taking his talents to Bowling Green.
A walk-on freshman from Flint, Michigan, Dedivanaj earned All-League honors playing at Powers Catholic in high school and helped lead the team to a 22-5 record, their best record in 20 years.
The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
The third and final freshman on the Bowling Green roster, Karel played high school at his hometown Bryon Center, hitting the 1,000-point mark and was named the third-best player and the best power forward in Michigan by Prep Hoops.
The 6-foot-9 forward was named to the Second and Third Team All-State in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
Another player from JUCO, Goins, a 6-foot-9 junior forward from Knoxville, Tennessee, played for Walters State in the past year, averaging 15.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, shooting 53.4% from the field and 42.7% from 3-point range.
Goins totaled nine 20-point games last season and was named to the All-TCCAA First Team.
A 6-foot-10 forward, who played at Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), Glover was named the 2024-25 Great Lakes Defensive Player of the Year and was named to All-Defensive Honors.
During his time playing at UMSL, Glover totaled 521 rebounds and 116 blocks in two seasons and led the league in blocked shots (67) last season.
On his sixth team in his collegiate career, Thomas joins the Falcons after a season at Florida State, playing in 32 games and shooting 42.2% from the field.
The 6-foot-7 senior guard recorded 33 steals last season, averaging 1.0 per game.
Although there have been plenty of new faces added to the roster, the team has developed chemistry before the start of the season, which was a bit of a problem at times last year.
“We were very intentional about bringing in the right people and creating experiences to accelerate that chemistry,” Simon said. “Being intentional with that has been really helpful, and this group has bonded very quickly.”
Team’s Strengths
When thinking about the strengths of the newfound Falcons team, two words immediately come to mind: speed and defense.
“The practice is intense. We like to bump; we like to hit. We play super-fast. Coach expects a lot out of us,” said Kimbrough. “Everybody’s dealing with a few things, but we like to bump. We like to hit. Recovery ain’t nothing but a thing.”
Bowling Green has also focused on their passing after ranking dead last in assists per game in the MAC last season.
“The ability to share the ball has been a real strength. The basketball IQ of this group is strong — they look for each other, make plays for each other, and play with a team-first mentality. That understanding of five-on-five winning basketball has been great for us,” Simon said. “We’re also more versatile because of their IQ and maturity. This group has picked things up quickly, allowing us to accelerate our progress.
As always, rebounding has been a major emphasis by Simon and the coaching staff. However, they have added size this season to help in that department, with 10 of the 17 players standing at 6-foot-5 or taller, including six at 6-foot-9 or taller.
“Rebounding is a cornerstone of who we are. Even last year, when we were undersized, we were still top 50–60 in defensive rebound percentage. This year, with our added positional size, we hope to go from good to great,” Simon said. “If we can do that, it’ll help trigger our fast break and allow us to play at a higher pace.”
There was also an offseason emphasis by the coaching staff on building a deeper roster after an injury-plagued season last year.
“There’s no doubt we’re much deeper. Last year, we were struggling to run full practices at times. Now we feel confident about playing ten guys. It’s hard to play more than that, but we plan to rotate ten to keep everyone fresh,” Simon said. “It’s a good problem to have — figuring out how to play ten instead of figuring out how to fill a team.”
The team also believes they are loaded on defense, which was a strength of the unit last season.
“I feel like we have five guys who could all compete for MAC Defensive Player of the Year. That’s huge. Our physicality and how we compete every day,” Campbell said. “Defensively, I think it’s going to be special this year.”
Key Dates
Bowling Green’s non-conference schedule begins when they tip off their season, taking on Texas State on Nov. 3 in the first half of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. The second part of the challenge will take place on Feb. 3 against a yet to be announced Sun Belt team.
Some of the key non-conference matchups include a trip to the John M. Belk Arena to take on Davidson on Nov. 15, with tip-off at 6 p.m.
The Falcons will also compete in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, taking on both Bucknell (Nov. 24) and Virginia Military Institute (Nov. 26).
The last game of the non-conference will take place at the Stroh Center on Dec. 16, with the Falcons taking on Chicago State.
Bowling Green’s MAC schedule begins earlier this year, starting on Dec. 20, facing off against Ohio at the Convocation Center.
On Jan. 9, the Falcons will face the Akron Zips in a rematch of the MAC Tournament quarterfinals at the Stroh Center. Bowling Green takes on the newest member of the MAC, UMass, at the Mullens Center, on Jan. 3, with a 2 p.m. tip off.
“It’s definitely a different setup. There’s probably no team in the country that starts conference play with the five opponents we do. We’ll be tested quickly against some of the top teams in the league,” Simon said. “We need to use non-conference play to get ready so we can hit the ground running and be a factor in the league championship race.”
Of course, the dates everyone is waiting for, the Orange and Brown will face the Toledo Rockets on Jan. 24 at the Savage Arena and Feb. 14 at the Stroh Center in the two-part Battle of I-75.
Bowling Green will conclude their regular season on March 6, facing off against Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti.
Team Expectations
Bowling Green has their eyes on winning the MAC Championship.
“I feel like this team has everything it takes to win the MAC,” Towns said. “If we don’t, I think we’ll have sold ourselves short.”
The Falcons will first need to win a game in the conference tournament, which they were unable to do against Akron, as BG was hampered by injuries.
“Coming up short last year was rough, but it’s been motivating. We’ve stayed with it, grinding every day, and that’s made this year feel great already,” Campbell said.
A major boost for Bowling Green going into this season has been the health of Towns and Campbell. The improvement of both players has heightened the team’s expectations.
“I think both of those guys are much better players than last year. I mean, Sam’s playing really, really well right now, doing a lot of things. His communication is at an all-time high, and it’s great for our team,” Nairn said. “Javontae is obviously healthy. He had a whole summer of workout work on his game, and so he’s been phenomenal. I think those two guys have definitely taken steps in the right direction as far as what we need for them for this program.”
A conference tournament championship would mean an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1968, which would end one of the longest droughts in the country.
“We came up short last year because of injuries, and we had big expectations for that team. But I think this year we’ve got just as good of a chance, if not better. For returners like me and Javontae, it’s on us to lead the new guys and help them understand the BGSU culture we have here.”
