Not with a whimper: Grinnell fights back to end historic season

The time was 9:34 p.m. on Friday, March 8, and Tolu Johnson `25 had not yet shed a tear. As the team huddled up following their 125-97 defeat against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III (DIII) basketball tournament, faces reddened and chins quivered, but Johnson remained stoic. The senior forward, who had the ball in his hands as the final buzzer sounded on the March 8 game — his last in a Grinnell uniform — did not expect to stay stone-faced for long.

“I’m sure the water works will come at some point,” Johnson said. “But that’s the beauty of basketball. It takes you places that you never imagined, you meet people that you never imagined.” And then, the emotion hit. Johnson’s voice faltered and he paused, but his silence communicated a feeling shared among the squad — this was a special season.

Tolu Johnson (2) and Dillon Gestring (24) hug after a tough loss during NCAA D-III Tournament Game against UW-Platteville on Friday, Mar. 7. (Marc Duebener)

Unlike many of his teammates, Johnson was a walk-on and was not recruited to play basketball. He expressed that he felt little attachment to the team and the game itself initially. Eventually, though, Johnson grew into a reliable and determined asset on the court. His senior year exemplified his progress, as he shot .597 from the floor and averaged 6.0 rebounds per game. 

Regardless of what Johnson or any other player imagined, the atmosphere inside Platteville’s Williams Fieldhouse was noticeably electric. Within the 1700-strong crowd — of which Grinnell fans made up a fraction — Platteville’s energetic student section, full band and dance team set the volume and tone for the game. This would be an uphill battle — and an uphill battle it was, from the opening tip.

The last time a Grinnell team was in the DIII tournament, 24 years ago in 2001, none of the players on the 2024-25 basketball team had been born. David Arseneault Jr. `09, current head men’s basketball coach, would not make his Grinnell debut as a player until half a decade later.

“This was the goal, to go and play an NCAA tournament game, and to share the experiences, to get the road trip with the guys, to go eat dinner last night, to hang out at the hotel afterwards. That’s what I’ll remember, more than anything else,” said guard Jackson Leone `25.

Last year, with one half remaining in the Midwest Conference (MWC) championship game, it seemed Grinnell would comfortably secure the automatic bid to the national tournament and return to the national stage for the first time since that 2001 invitation. The team held a 15-point lead over Illinois College (IC) in the latter’s home gym.

But as the second half began and progressed, the game shifted. Shots stopped falling for the Pioneers, while the opposite happened for IC. Grinnell’s lead diminished, disappeared and almost doubled in IC’s favor by the time the game had ended. Grinnell scored 58 points in the first half compared to IC’s 43 — in the second half, IC outscored Grinnell 65-26 for a final score of 108-84.

Head Coach Dave Arseneault reacts to a referee call during NCAA D-III Tournament Game against UW-Platteville on Friday, Mar. 7. (Marc Duebener)

Grinnell never had a lead to squander in the March 8 game. Four-time DIII national champions UW-Platteville, who are nationally ranked second by D3hoops.com, scored the first points of the game and never looked back.

“I don’t think we realized the level they were until the second half,” said guard Kai Te Huki `27. By halftime, the score was 71-34 in Platteville’s favor, a deficit that would require a miracle to overcome. The miracle never came.

Arseneault described last year’s MWC championship game as a “heartbreak,” but the loss only strengthened his optimism for the season that concluded on Friday. Grinnell might have lost, but the team had proven that they could make it to the championship game. “I think you learn from whatever experience comes at you in life, and I feel like we were in a position to win the Conference tournament this year,” he said.

Arseneault’s quote now appears more like a prophecy. Grinnell looked past the previous championship loss and began to win games in droves this past season. In a year that guard Gabe Garcia `27 described as full of setbacks, including multiple injuries to last year’s national leading scorer in all of NCAA men’s basketball Te Huki, the team prevailed.

Garcia and guard/forward Nick Lundy `27 also suffered injuries in the early phases of the season, and guard Jordan Lee `27 battled a shoulder labrum tear throughout the year. Lee’s play was hampered by his injury, but Te Huki, Garcia and Lundy recovered well, with Lundy shooting an impressive .514 from the floor. The “gritty” team, as described by guard Garcia, were back in the Conference playoffs.

Jordan Lee (4) leans back to shoot a basket during NCAA D-III Tournament Game against UW-Platteville on Friday, Mar. 7. (Marc Duebener)

After beating last year’s champion and rival, IC, in the semifinal, the Pioneers found themselves back in the game that broke their hearts. In the Conference championship, the team had a 23-point lead over Lake Forest College, who secured an upset win against tournament host Monmouth College in the semifinal. Grinnell fans likely suffered flashbacks as Lake Forest all but erased that lead — but this time, the Grinnell team found their form, winning comfortably and securing that coveted automatic bid to the national tournament. 

On Friday, however, the entire team initially struggled. Grinnell shot 29.27 percent in total and 20.00 percent from the three-point line in the first half, a disappointing performance made even worse by Platteville’s astounding 73.53 percent shooting percentage in the same time period. With the game already decided, the second half provided an interesting opportunity for the Pioneers. They were in a game they had always wanted to be in, a game that the seniors would not get the chance to play in again.

Mitch Priest (12) takes in the loss in NCAA D-III Tournament Game against UW-Platteville on Friday, Mar. 7. (Marc Duebener)

And so, the team took to the floor for a “gritty” second half performance, as Garcia put it. Grinnell outscored Platteville 63-54 in the second half, and the team’s shooting percentage improved to 47.73 percent, including 48.00 percent from beyond the arc. Even though the second half performance had no effect on the final score, for Arseneault, it was an admirable effort from a team that had delivered all season long. “They’re just so competitive, and they just play so hard all the time,” he said.

Tolu Johnson (2) fights for a ball and stares down a player during NCAA D-III Tournament Game against UW-Platteville on Friday, Mar. 7. (Marc Duebener)

And so, after 28 games and just under 4 months between their first and last matchups, the winningest season in Grinnell men’s basketball history came to a close. “We will go down in history. We’re going to hang a banner in Darby Gymnasium with 2024-2025 on it. And that’s special,” Leone said. 

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Following a pause, and fighting against the inevitable emotion, Johnson spoke for the final time as a member of the Grinnell men’s basketball team. “This one experience was one for the books. And I’m so happy Coach Dave gave me the opportunity to showcase my abilities, so happy that the team stuck with me even when I didn’t want to be on the team. I don’t know what else to say.”