Coach John Ellenwood and the Ashland University Eagles celebrated a milestone recently. Following a win over Tiffin back on Feb. 5, Ellenwood earned his 250th career victory as a head coach.

Aaron Thompson in that game also collected his 1000th rebound in program history.

For Ellenwood, the last few games of the regular season are a defining point for his squad.

“We want to be playing our best basketball toward the end of the season,” he said. “Recently, we’ve been getting in a better groove.”

After an up and down start to the season, Ashland seemed to start hitting their stride after ripping five straight victories at the end of January.

One of the players who got hot during that stretch was redshirt senior guard Bo Furcron.

Furcron, who is in his second season with the Eagles and sixth overall, has liked how the team has gelled throughout the campaign.

“It’s been a good experience,” he noted. “Everybody’s bought into a winning mentality.”

The team is also putting in the effort behind the scenes through practice and film sessions. Sometimes, working on the small pieces can result in big payouts.

Furcron has seen the team’s meticulous efforts come to fruition in workouts and practices.

“We’re locked into the small details and getting better every day,” he said.

However, sometimes the practice and extra details can be challenging to understand.

The 2020-21 season, which resulted in a GLIAC championship for Ashland, had a lot of unknown factors thanks to the pandemic.

But Coach Ellenwood trusted his guys in taking care of business.

“Our guys were proud of what happened last year,” he said. “There was a lot of unknown entering this season, but our guys have responded well through adversity.”

Responding to adversity and a never-say-die mentality have been the themes surrounding the 2021-22 Ashland University Men’s basketball team. Now, as they prepare for their first tournament appearance in the GMAC, the expectations are high to repeat following their first and only GLIAC trophy in 2021.