After a record-breaking third year, men’s basketball redshirt junior Patrick Cartier will enter the transfer portal to use his final two years of eligibility while pursuing a Master’s Degree.
“It was probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Cartier said. “In terms of the decision making logical sense, I have a chance to hopefully get a Master’s paid for, especially because I’m a psychology major and basically in psychology, you need to get a Master’s in something to work in that field.”
According to Cartier, he is also looking forward to a new challenge wherever he transfers, and made a decision that he felt was right for him.
“It’s so incredibly hard because nothing happened that made me want to,” Cartier said. “With my relationships with my teammates and Coach Tharp and the rest of the coaching staff, they were some very, very difficult conversations for me, and definitely one of the more emotional times in my life for sure, these past few days.”
Cartier’s teammate and housemate junior Jack Gohlke said Cartier had a conversation with his teammates, followed by talks with his coaches, explaining his decision on Monday night.
“We were all able to have a conversation with him and figure out what he was thinking,” Gohlke said. “I think he absolutely had a good grasp on why he was doing it, so that was good that we were able to get that explanation out of him and understand where he’s coming from.”
“The first reaction is surprise a little bit, and hurt a little bit,” Head Coach John Tharp said. “Then days go by and it’s like anything else, you’ve got to support these guys and the things that they want to get accomplished with their life.
Cartier made his announcement one week removed from a season stuffed with history-making achievements, both individually and for the team as a whole.
The team made its first ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight following its second ever trip to the Sweet Sixteen. The historic run was fueled by Cartier, who averaged 22 points per game on 66% from the field, which ranked tenth and sixth in the nation, respectively. This led to him being named a first-team All-American for the first time in program history.
“I did take on more of a leadership role this year, so just being able to lead the team with Austen and Tavon and the other guys in my class, that experience was something that we talked about and dreamed about,” Cartier said. “This entire season, especially the postseason run we made, is gonna stick with me forever.”
Not only is Cartier a two-time All-American, he also became the second Division II Conference Commissioners Association Midwest Regional Player of the Year in program history. He also owns 20% of the G-MAC Player of the Year awards ever given out, and was named G-MAC Freshman of the Year during his first-year campaign.
Despite only playing three years with the team, Cartier has left a lasting impression on the Hillsdale record books. He will leave the program holding the record for career field goal percentage, with 65.2, four percent higher than Tim Kissman in second. He will also sit at seventh all-time on the career points list, sixth in field-goals made, and ninth in free-throws made. He has started in all 83 games of his Hillsdale career.
“I’m definitely super proud of my time here, it doesn’t really feel real yet that I’m leaving, everything’s going so fast with getting ready to graduate and all that stuff,” Cartier said. “I’ve had a lot of success here, but none of that would be possible without the coaches and all my teammates throughout the years, I’ve got a lot of great memories.”
Gohlke recounts one of his favorite memories from a scrimmage, showcasing how competitive he and Cartier are.
“We’ve spent so much time together over the last four years, we’re super comfortable with each other, but when we get on the court, we’re going at each other,” Gohlke said. “I took a shot, and called a foul, because he hacked me. He claimed he didn’t foul me and we proceeded to have a ten minute argument, balls were thrown across the gym. Everyone was laughing at us while it was going on, but we were totally pissed at each other. At the time we were both super upset about it, but it’s just one of those things that you can look back on and laugh at.”
Tharp said he will miss not just Cartier the player, but Cartier the person.
“Pat helped lead us to three tremendous years, and he’s going to go down as one of the greatest players in the history of Hillsdale College,” Tharp said. “He helped contribute in so many different ways and we’re grateful for his work ethic. He’s a great kid, and that’s what people don’t realize, he’s a great player, we know that, but he’s a great kid. He’s a great person to have around, and those are the things that you miss as much as him as a player.”
