Hillsdale College senior basketball players Tim Dezelski and Brandon Pritzl had career years for the Chargers. Both were officially recognized as some of the GLIAC’s best earlier this month, as Dezelski was awarded First Team All-GLIAC and Pritzl was named to the GLIAC’s All-Defensive Team for the second time in his career.
To say Dezelski deserved a First-Team All-GLIAC spot is an understatement. Dezelski became the first player in Charger basketball history and the only NCAA Division II player this year to record 600 points, 250 rebounds, and 100 assists in the same season. He ranked third in the GLIAC in scoring at 23.3 points per game and converted the most field goals (229) of anyone in the GLIAC.
“It is a great honor to be First Team All-GLIAC,” Dezelski said in an e-mail. “This award is more of a reflection of how great our coaching staff and program is. I couldn’t have done it without my coaches and teammates and I owe them a lot.”
Dezelski was also recently named to the First-Team All-Region by Daktronics and as a result is now eligible for All-American consideration.
“It’s always an honor to receive an award like All-Defensive Team,” Pritzl said in an email, “but really I was just a small part of a great defensive team. Playing defense is something I hated playing before college but found passion for when I came to Hillsdale. Coach Tharp takes great pride in being a great defensive team, so that is something I learned to love while playing here.”
Pritzl had 19 steals and four blocks on the year, but his defensive presence went beyond just the numbers. His long wingspan and high basketball IQ helped him effectively defend the guard positions throughout games as he led Hillsdale in becoming the second best defensive team in the GLIAC, giving up an average of just 66.1 points per game.
“For me, my final year was all about enjoying every minute on the floor with my teammates,” Pritzl added. “Winning awards is cool, but I was especially happy to know that I tried doing whatever I could to help our team win games.”
Dezelski, Pritzl, and the four other graduating seniors will be greatly missed next season by the Chargers.
