Hawks reflect on fantastic season

Hocking College men's hed basketball coach Ryan Miley was so happy for his young guys following the Hawks special 2023-24 season that ended on Thursday at the NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship Tournament in Danville, IL.

Hocking, which started the season receiving votes in the NJCAA Division II Top 20 rankings, finished the year 24-8 and advanced to the third round of the National Championship Tournament this week, the first time in school history Hocking has qualified for the National Championship.

The Hawks were co-champions of the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference this season with a 14-2 mark, and the season also included a 12-game winning streak which saw the Hawks go unbeaten from early January to early MArch. Hocking then earned a postseason berth in the Great Lakes District A Tournament in Flint, MI., where the Hawks won the championship with a 82-80 win over 15th ranked Bay College.

Hocking then won its first game this week in the National Tournament, knocking off South Arkansas College, before losing to the tourney's No. 1 seed Davidson-Davie CC, and getting eliminated by the nation's highest scoring team, Pima CC on Thursday.

"We had a great season, just a tough way to end it. The guys made history this year and I'm proud of everything we accomplished," said Miley. "It obviously didnt finish the way we wanted, but once we get over the loss to end the season, we can celebrate all the accomplishments.

Miley also had his own personal accomplishments this season. On January 10, he won his 100th game at Hocking with a victory at Edison State, and then two weeks ago, Miley was named the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. In six seasons at Hocking, Miley has compiled an amazing record of 116-45, a winning percentage of .720.

The Hawks have won 20 or more games in three straight seasons, including winning two of the last three OCCAC championships. Hocking received votes in the final Top 20 regular season rankings after beating three ranked teams this season, while losing three others by a total of seven points.

"I'm happy for the guys and the season we had. We played a tough schedule for a reason, and when they all bought in to what we were doing, we got rolling in January," Miley said. "I am happy for our sophomores and how they came up big this year, and I am excited about our freshmen, and how good they can be."