College of DuPage basketball saw many successes last season, with the men’s and women’s teams taking home the Division III Region 4 championship title. Starting this season, COD basketball moved up to Division II and faces new opportunities and challenges.

The women’s team is playing its second season in the era of head women’s basketball coach Abby Talley. With one NJCAA Region 4 Division III championship win already under her belt and as reigning NJCAA Region 4 Division III Coach of the Year, Talley said she’s ready for this change.

“It’s like they don’t want me to be comfortable in my position,” Talley said. “They just want to keep giving me these challenges. It’s exciting; I’m excited for the movement. I feel like I finally caught my breath at the end of last season, and then boom we’re making another change. It’s an adjustment for sure. Scheduling-wise it’s not very different, but for the postseason it’s going to look a lot different. The D2 level in Region 4 is really good. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m excited for this challenge.”

Head men’s basketball coach Joe Kuhn saw the same success last season, also taking the Region 4 Championship and NJCAA Region 4 Division III Coach of the Year. The NJCAA Hall of Famer led the men’s team to the Great Lakes District Championship win and a sixth-place finish at the national level. Kuhn reflected on his time as an assistant coach and looks forward to his first season as a head coach at the Division II level.

“This will be the first time in the junior college ranks that I’ve been a head coach at the Division II level,” Kuhn said. “Way back I was an assistant coach at Joliet Junior College, and we were Division II at that point; as was DuPage. Then DuPage, Joliet, Harper and Rock Valley all went Division III. It’s nice because I think we’re a Division II region. We have very few Division III teams. We’re mostly Division II, and being a program with the tradition that we have, I think that’s where we should be.”

Assistant coach Eric Garcia helped both the men’s and women’s teams find success last season. He said that moving up to Division II will further develop COD basketball and prepare these athletes for the next level.

“I think it’s a good opportunity,” Garcia said. “Students go to junior college because they need to get ready to go to the next level. I think moving up divisions in junior college gets them a chance to play against that type of talent they might see at the next level. It’s definitely going to be more challenging, but it’s a good opportunity to play against top talent.”

Sophomore guard Sierra Gibson was a key player on the women’s team last season and remains a starting player for the Chaparrals this season. She said this change brings about better competition against other teams and will make COD women’s basketball stronger.

“It’s definitely better competition,” Gibson said. “We’re playing more ranked teams, and we’ll play a lot of those top-20 teams. We have a good group as well this year, so I think we can really take it to them. [Minnesota West C&T College] was the national runner-up last season, and we were holding them [when we played them]. It’s good competition that’s going to make us better.”

Gibson said men’s and women’s basketball proved they belong at the Division II level with the success both teams had last season.

“I really take pride in our team,” Gibson said. “Last year we accomplished so much that the program hadn’t done in however many years. We have new coaches, new teams, new everything. Nobody believed in us. Even last year coming out on top and making it as far as we did when nobody believed in us was super huge. People think it’s a fluke. Now that we’re moved up to D2 we’re competing with the best of the best. We just got to prove ourselves even more.”

Freshman forward Alecio Bonner made his COD basketball debut this season and traveled with the team last year. He said the team’s success from last season made an impression and is going to motivate the team to play in Division II.

“I didn’t play last year, but I feel like the team had a really good season,” Bonner said. “It was coach Kuhn’s first year there, as well as a whole new roster. Winning a regional championship, as well as making it to sixth place in New York [at the national championship] had a big impact on the program. It was a big statement. We said, ‘We’re here.’ I feel like moving up we have a target on our back, and I think it’s good for us.”

Kuhn said the athletes will benefit from moving up a division by gaining confidence from the better opportunities.

“There’s a little bit of a pride factor,” Kuhn said. “I think as an athlete and competitor you want to play at the highest level you can play at. I think the Division II level provides a greater scope of recruitment for them because they’re playing at a higher level. That’s important for them.”

Talley echoed that sentiment.

“It’s a sense of pride,” Talley said. “We had a lot of success last year at the Division III level, but now we feel that they have the ability to thrive at the Division II level. That’s a compliment. With these athletes coming in; for a coach to think that they’re ready to compete at the Division II level, that should also be a compliment. Now it’s time for us to rise to the challenge.”

The men’s team currently holds a 5-3 record on their season, and the women’s team sits with a record of 3-7. To follow their respective seasons, visit gochapsgo.com.