Loudan Hammersmith

By Tim Glon

ADA — The Ohio Northern men’s basketball team was picked to finish second and the women’s basketball team was picked eighth in the 2008-09 Ohio Athletic Conference Coaches' preseason poll on Tuesday.

The Polar Bear men received 71 points and one first place vote in voting conducted by the league’s 10 head coaches.

Capital was picked to finish first for the men with 81 total points and nine first place votes, Wilmington was picked to finish third with 57 points and John Carroll was picked fourth with 54 points.

Chad Bostelman

By Tim Glon

ADA — Former Ohio Northern basketball standout Chad Bostelman is returning to his alma mater to serve as head men’s golf coach and assistant men’s basketball coach.

Bostelman, a 2005 graduate, returns to the Polar Bears after one year as an assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan and two seasons as a graduate assistant at Heidelberg.

Kurtis Brown

ADA - The Ohio Northern men's basketball team will open its 2008-09 season Nov. 21-22 at the Mount Saint Joesph Tournament in Cincinnati.

The Polar Bears, under fourth-year head coach Jeff Coleman, will also play at the DePauw (Ind.) Tournament Nov. 29-30 and at the Surf N' Slam San Diego Tournament Dec. 27-28 at San Diego, Calif.

Northern will open its home schedule Dec. 10 with an Ohio Athletic Conference tilt with Heidelberg at 7:30 pm at the ONU Sports Center.