By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The only time he had been to Massachusetts was during a car ride through the state to Vermont.
Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.) was headed north from home in Indiana a few years ago when he got a quick peek at the Bay State.
"That was the only time I had been to New England," said Halbleib. "I could barely even point out where Massachusetts was on a map before that."
Little did Halbleib know that he would one day be returning to Massachusetts, this time as a graduate student.
After earning a degree in physics from Purdue University where he was on the national championship club basketball team, Halbleib wanted to pursue a Master's degree in business administration and play varsity basketball.
In 2022, he contacted roughly 50 Division 1-3 college basketball programs around the country, but only two expressed serious interest -- and both were located in Massachusetts.
Halbleib's choice was Bridgewater State University, which figured to offer more playing time than Stonehill College.
The 6-foot-9 center has made the most of his two seasons with the Bears, averaging 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots in 45 games.
Halbleib will play his final regular-season home game at the Tinsley Center on Saturday at 2 p.m. when BSU hosts Fitchburg State University.
He is a long way from Indiana, but Halbleib has felt right at home at Bridgewater State since arriving for the fall semester in September 2022.
"I really liked the feel and the vibe of it," said Halbleib. "When I first got here, you could tell it was a little more homey and a little more down to earth. You felt more of a personal connection. I have noticed that over my time here.
"Going to a big school like Purdue where there's 40,000 undergraduates, you kind of start to feel like a number at the end of the day."
Halbleib, who minored in astronomy as an undergraduate, joined the Purdue club basketball team during his time on the West Lafayette, Ind., campus. He started playing as a sophomore in 2019-20, but the season was cut short because of COVID, and the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020-21 season.
During his only full season with the club squad, Halbleib helped Purdue win the National Club Basketball Association championship. He had 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a 53-48 national title game victory over Notre Dame in 2022.
"I still believe that was one of the best teams I've played for," said Halbleib. "We were very well rounded. Some guys had played Division 3. The level of competition varies, but at the top, it was very competitive and we could have beaten a lot of D-3 teams.
"My dad and I go back and forth all the time, who would win, Bridgewater or my club team. It's a close debate. I think we definitely could have competed and had a lot of success at the D-3 level."
After graduating from Purdue, Halbleib wanted to find a way to keep on playing and made the long-distance connection with BSU. Mike Donovan, the Bears' long-time assistant coach who retired prior to this season, got things going with Halbleib.
"When I heard about him, I said, 'He's 6-9? Won a club championship? Who's this kid?,'" said BSU coach Matt McLaughlin. "I remember watching the film on him. We were like yeah, let's bring him up. It was history from there.
"We had a nice visit with him and coach Donovan. As soon as he walked on the floor, we not only got older with maturity overnight because we were a young team, and we got bigger and we got better. He was a huge piece."
During the 2022-23 season, Halbleib made an instant impact, averaging 14.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.6 steals.
He was named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and made the all-conference first team. Halbleib also made the D3hoops.com All-Region 1 second team.
He was third nationally in Division 3 and first in the MASCAC, shooting 68.2 percent from the field, and was first in the conference in blocks, second in double-doubles with 12 and third in rebounding.
This season, Halbleib is averaging 12.3 points on 59 percent shooting, 10.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.4 blocks in 19 games. He again leads the MASCAC in field goal percentage and is second in rebounding and tied for second in blocks. Halbleib is also in the top 25 nationally in blocked shots (18th) and rebounds (24th). As a team, the Bears are fourth in all of Division III in assists (19.2 apg) and fifth in rebounding (45.5 rpg).
"He's been great," said McLaughlin, whose team leads the MASCAC at 8-2 and has won six straight games. "You have an older guy that comes in who's had experience as a player-coach on the club side. It's very helpful.
"He's arguably our best passer the way he sees the floor. He changes everybody's shot. He's so tough on the glass. He's a staple in the paint and holds down the fort."
After sitting out his senior year at the University High School of Indiana and playing less than two seasons of club basketball at Purdue, it was an adjustment for Halbleib to play a full year at BSU last winter.
But he quickly made a difference in the middle of the Bears' lineup, helping them go 18-8. BSU is on a late-season roll this year with the conference tournament fast approaching.
"It's been great," said Halbleib. "It's been different being a little bit older and playing at the college level, being a 'rookie' at 22 or 23 years old.
"I have always enjoyed playing the more team style. I enjoyed the transition back to that at this level. I definitely had to get in a little better shape, take care of my body and work on the small details. I proved to myself I could play at this level, which is what I was going for at the beginning of the year."
Halbleib said he will explore the possibility of playing in Australia or Europe after finishing his Master's degree requirements.
He is thankful that Bridgewater State offered him a chance to play and puruse a graduate degree after finishing up at Purdue.
"I think this has been one of the greatest opportunities I've been given in my life," said Halbleib. "To be able to continue my education and play basketball here has been really fantastic.
"The community has been great. Bridgewater is an awesome place. Being here for these two years has been phenomenal. I've really enjoyed it and am grateful for it."