Bowling Green Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Falcons
By Jay George
See how things are shaping up as Bowling Green Basketball enters a new era of basketball with new head coach Todd Simon.
In March of 2023, Bowling Green State University’s athletic director, Derek Van Der Merwe, announced the hiring of new head coach Todd Simon for the men’s basketball program. Simon will be the 18th men’s coach at the university and the successor to Michael Huger who was at the helm for the eight previous seasons.
Under Huger, the program rose to levels that could be compared to former head coaches Dan Dakich and Jim Larranaga in previous eras. In the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons, the team reached its peak going 22-12 and 21-10 respectively. Unfortunately, the next few seasons saw a rapid and unexpected decline after what looked to be a stable and promising regime.
This team, hailing from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), holds some history. The program really saw its peak from the late-40’s through the mid-70’s as far as accolades with a few NCAA Tournament appearances even knocking off Notre Dame in one run. Some great coaches have also come through the program from the aforementioned Dakich and Larranaga to Harold Anderson- a BGSU legend who even had the old basketball arena on campus named after him.
So, with all of that in mind, this program has the chance to reach those levels even in this new age of college athletics. In fact, Bowling Green is diving into this ever-changing landscape today with a new era of athletics entirely. As noted, Derek Van Der Merwe is the school’s newest athletic director taking the role in late 2022. In his time there, the entire department has received a facelift with the hiring of new coaches, an expanding budget and reinvigorating the athletics department. One such development was the rebirth of the official student section, the Falcon Fanatics who look to bring energy and home court advantage to the Stroh Center.
The Falcons lost a substantial portion of their starting and role players including big man Gabe O’Neal, guards Samari Curtis and Leon Ayers, and more. This is natural in this age with a new coaching regime. However, Simon revamped the squad with size and mobility in what should be an offensively driven, but respectably well-rounded team. With a new coach, new support, and a great team, Bowling Green looks to start this new era off right and turn it around from the previous few seasons.