Mishawaka, Ind. --- The new recruiting class for the 2022-23 season includes transfers from NCAA Division one and Junior College.
 
Deacon Heath, a six-foot Graduate Student from Banner Elk, North Carolina transferred from UNC Asheville.

There he averaged 3.2 ppg as a freshman and voted team leader his Junior and Senior years, while earning All-Academic honors throughout his tenure.

Deacon looks forward to being apart of the winning culture that Bethel has built, "I am excited to play at Bethel, because of the winning tradition and culture the staff has implemented within the program."
 
Drew Lutz is a local from Granger, Ind., and a graduate of Penn High School before going to play guard at Incarnate Word in Texas.
 
At Penn, Lutz scored 1,000 points and averaged 20 per game with nine assists per game his senior season.
 
With Incarnate Word Lutz was a top 10 in free throw percentage in a single season in the Southland Conference.
 
He averaged 12.5 points per game and 4.6 assists per game his freshman season.
 
Lutz looks forward to playing in the program he grew up watching, "What drove me to Bethel was growing up watching all the great bethel teams and wanting to be a part of something special like that. Definitely saw that vision with the pieces we have on the team and the confidence the coaches give me when I go out and play. Being closer to family and my amazing girlfriend has been such a blessing being able to spend quality time with them."
 
Jordan Okonji is a six-foot-eight Junior from London, England who transferred from Temple College in Texas.
 
In high school Okonji led his club team to the London Youth Games Championship while setting the single season block record.
 
At Temple College he was top three in the NTJCAC for the 2021-22 season and helped Temple qualify for the Region five post-season tournament.
 
Okonji was drawn to the family environment of Bethel, "The family emphasized environment created at bethel by Coach Polsgrove and Drabyn is what really attracted me to the program. This meant a lot to me as an international student."
Alonas Peciulis is a six-foot-six Freshman from London, England who attended Baylor School in Tennessee.
 
He was a three-time All-region team selection and was awarded All-state honors his senior year. Peciulis also led the Illinois Wolves to a UAA championship. For Peciulis he saw Bethel as a place to grow his faith, "I chose bethel because it is a place where I can grow my relationship with Christ and I knew from my first visit on campus that my these guys were going to be more than just teammates but family. I'm excited about the season to come and making memories."
 
Chikara Tanaka is a six-foot-three Freshman from Yokohama, Japan coming from Veritas National Prep in California.
 
In high school he also played for IMG Academy in Florida and was a Geico National Champion.
 
Tanaka is the youngest player to be on the Japanese national team and was a Japan All-star MVP.
 
He is looking forward to his chance to play with the Pilots, "I am looking forward to being a Bethel Pilots and getting better day by day!"
 
The last member of the recruiting class of 2022 is Tanguy Touze, a six-foot-three sophomore from Paris, France.
 
Touze transferred from Jacksonville State in Alabama where he was a part of the 21-win team that not only won the ASUN conference but made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
He played one season in the French NM1 League where he averaged 4.3 points per game, 1.2 assists per game and 2.2 blocks per game.
 
Touze saw the vision head coach Steve Drabyn has put in place and attracted Touze to Bethel, "I am very excited to get to work at Bethel, I really connected to the vision of basketball Coach Drabyn and Coach Polsgrove have and I think Bethel can be a great place for me to grow as a player and a man."