MARIETTA, Ohio — A new era for Marietta College men's basketball begins tonight. Veteran head coach Jon VanderWal departed the River City following a legendary run at the helm of the Pioneer program leaving Marietta in search of a new leader. Luckily, that search brought a name that Pioneer fans were already quite familiar with, either by the five years spent with the program or the past 12 years battling Marietta in the OAC. As a result, Andy Bucheit became the 16th head coach of the Marietta College men's basketball program.
 
Bucheit returns to Marietta after a highly successful stint at Heidelberg. In his 12 years at the helm, Bucheit collected 153 wins and helped guide his teams to four straight conference semifinal appearances. In 2021-22, the Student Princes were an at-large selection for the national tournament and, just the year prior, Bucheit earned OAC Coach of the Year honors.
 
Before his success at Heidelberg, he spent five years as an assistant and associate head coach under VanderWal. During his tenure, Bucheit helped the Pioneers improve from "worst to first" in just three years, helping to lead Marietta to a pair of OAC Championships and a Sweet 16 appearance in the Division III tournament. Bucheit's return to the Pioneers was a bit unexpected, but it was an opportunity that he wasted little time in trying to accomplish.
 
"Honestly, we were surprised to have the opportunity to come back to Marietta," said the new Marietta head coach. "We never thought it would happen. Marietta College and the community is a special place. In 25 years in college basketball, I don't think I have seen another place like it. Once you get on campus and meet everyone here, you truly understand it. It's a big reason why we decided to come back."
 
The coach will not be the only new face on the court when the new season begins. The Pioneers lost their five top scorers from last year through graduation or transfer, but Bucheit remedied that situation by bringing over some transfers from his Heidelberg squad. Two of those transfers, senior Elijah Harden (Hermitage, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) and sophomore Jai Guerra-Howard (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain), should make an immediate impact.
 
Harden was the leading scorer for the Student Princes last year and was in the top-6 in the OAC with 15.1 points per game. He sported a 48-percent shooting percentage, tenth place in the conference, and was deadly accurate from three-point range and the free throw line. "Elijah will lead the way," said Bucheit. "He's a highly skilled guard who can make tough shots and draw a lot of attention defensively. He should have a great year as he is one of our most consistent players in the gym everyday working on his skills."
 
Guerra-Howard spent last year coming off the bench for the Student Princes as reserve point guard but played well in every opportunity. Bucheit says that he is positive that Guerra-Howard will use this new location and situation to showcase his skills and become one of the best point guards in the conference. "He's another guy who is in the gym frequently," said Bucheit. "We have been very happy with his ability to create shots for his teammates while also taking on a blue collar identity as a tough nosed defender."
 
The Pioneers will return some familiar faces from last year's team as seniors Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) and Darius Carden (Ooltewah, Tenn./McMinn Central) are expected to be major contributors. Bucheit noted that not only are the two players highly skilled, but they have done a "phenomenal job of accepting all of the changes and building meaningful connections."
 
Singleton made 19 starts last year, on his way to averaging 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Pioneers. Carden was usually the Pioneer "Sixth Man" last year, coming off the bench to provide 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. "We have been so thankful for these guys accepting the coaching staff and following us blindly," said Bucheit. "Working with them every day has been great. They practice hard, compete in every drill, and have a deep desire to bring championship standards back to the college and the community."
 
Last year, despite some early victories, the Pioneers had a tough time navigating through a difficult schedule, finishing with a 5-13 OAC record. With all the changes, Bucheit is still confident that Marietta's winning culture can make a quick comeback, but it has to start with the Pioneers senior leadership. "We need our seniors to show everyone how important every day is," said Bucheit. "How much each practice means to them, each bus ride, each game. This will be their last go around. Everything they do this year will be the last time it happens for them. We need them to show the team how important Marietta College Basketball is to them by showing up every day and doing just that, treating it like it's the last time, because it is."
 
Marietta opens the 2025-26 season on the road at the Ursinus Bear Bash Tip-Off Tournament in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. The Pioneers will play Misericordia University on Friday (Nov. 7) at 5:30 p.m. If they win, they will battle the winner of the Elmira College/Ursinus College matchup on Saturday (Nov. 8) at 3:00 p.m. If they fall on Friday, the Pioneers will play in the consolation game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Following that tournament, the Pioneers will host the 54th annual Shrine Tournament November 14-15 in the Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers will take on La Roche University on Friday at 8 p.m. Manchester and California Lutheran will open the tournament at 6 p.m. The Consolation game tips at 6 p.m. on Saturday followed by the championship game at 8 p.m.
 
Coach Bucheit concluded by saying, "For all the past players, all the fans, and all of our supporters, we will work relentlessly to make you proud."
 
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.