By If there is one thing that the end of a collegiate sports season means, it is the roster changes, starting with the inevitable seniors graduating, and moving on in their lives.
This year is no different for Carroll College’s men’s basketball team: the end of the season marks the end of the road for seniors Brendan Temple, a forward from Castle Rock, Colorado, majoring in Marketing, and Jonny Hillman, a guard from Post Falls, Idaho, double majoring in Accounting and Financial Planning.
Both student-athletes have had a tremendous impact on Carroll basketball throughout the years, being pivotal pieces and playing big roles since they first arrived on the team in 2019. Their accomplishments include being team captains, winning a Frontier Conference Championship, an National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Regional championship, a trip to the Elite 8 in the NAIA National Tournament, and Frontier All-Conference selections on the court, to numerous Academic All-Conferences awards, Academic All-District and Dean List selections off the court.
Temple’s presence on the paint, fighting for rebounds, and his elite finishes around the rim have been on display since his freshman year when he started in most games, but he began to have a bigger role and impact on the team as a sophomore and on. This season, he averaged 12.0 points per game while shooting 54.5% on field goals, and grabbing 7.6 rebounds per game. Throughout his career, he’s averaged 8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while maintaining a 3.78 cumulative GPA.
“My Carroll experience was extremely rewarding,” said Temple. “For everything I learned on the basketball court, I learned way more from it. Some things I learned from Carroll that I will carry on for the rest of my life are how to act like a professional, how to work on a team, and be detail-oriented.”
Hillman will always be remembered by the Saints’ fans for his incredible effort and hustle on the court, always diving on the floor for every loose ball and putting his body on the line for the team. He averaged 14.3 points per game while shooting 41.1% for three this year and averaged 3.7 assists per game. Throughout his four years, he averaged 6.5 points per game and 1.8 assists per game, while maintaining a 3.93 cumulative GPA
“Carroll has been a great experience for me in sports, as well as academics and social life,” said Hillman. “I’ve had the opportunity of playing for one of the nation’s top NAIA basketball programs and has been very challenging but fun at the same time. This will translate into a great work ethic after college and has taught me how to diligently balance my time. Lastly, Carroll has given me life-long friendships and memories that I will cherish forever.”
Both players will be remembered both on and off the court, as they left the men’s basketball program a better place than when they got here.
