SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team is set to compete in three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) games this week. The Lakers will travel to Detroit, Mich. to take on the Wayne State Warriors on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. and will follow with a trip to University Center, Mich. for a conference game against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29. The stretch will wrap up on Monday, Jan. 31 as the Lakers take on the Davenport Panthers in Grand Rapids, Mich. at 2:30 p.m. in a game that was rescheduled from Jan. 13.
Last Time Out
The Lakers are coming off their 10th win of the season after posting a 78-53 win over Northwood on Saturday, Jan. 22 at home. With the victory over the Timberwolves, Lake Superior State snapped a two-game losing streak, which was the first time all season that the team recorded consecutive losses. Following last week's games against Northwood and Ferris State, the Lakers have totaled a 10-5 overall record and a 5-4 mark in GLIAC competition.
The Lakers opened the week of conference games with a road game at Ferris State, and fell to the Bulldogs by a final score of 95-80. Redshirt senior Malek Adams finished the game with 19 points to lead his teammates against the Bulldogs while David Wren ranked second on the Lakers with 16 points. Senior Justin Fischer rounded out the team's top three scorers as he finished the night with 13 points.
In Saturday's victory over the Timberwolves, the Lakers saw 11 different players record points with five players posting nine or more points in the all-around effort. Senior forward Kemon Bassett led the team with 14 points while also adding four rebounds, six assists, and three steals in the game. Fischer ranked second among his teammates with 13 points in the win as he went 5-for-6 in field goals while also recording four rebounds and three assists. Freshman Tyson Edmondson rounded out the team's double-digit scorers as the freshman posted 11 points in the game as a result of his stellar three point shooting.
The Lakers
The Lakers are led by Steve Hettinga, the all-time winningest coach in Laker Basketball history, who enters his 15th season in the role. Assistant coach Ted Stowe returns for his fifth season in the role on Hettinga's staff while assistant coach Hugh Clarke joins the staff for his first season. Through 15 games this season, the Lakers have averaged 79.9 points per game, which ranks third in the GLIAC, on a 46.5 shooting percentage and 31.3 rebounds per game.
Lake Superior State will be led by a strong senior class which includes returners Kemon Bassett, Malek Adams, C.J. Robinson, David Wren, Justin Fischer and transfer Caden Ebeling, who joins the Lakers after a solid career at Albion College. Hettinga will look to this group's leadership on-and-off the court this season. Bassett, who was recently named to the All-GLIAC North Preseason Team.
For their play during the 2020-21 season, junior forward Kemon Bassett was named First Team All-GLIAC, redshirt senior guard Malek Adams was named Second Team All-GLIAC and junior guard C.J. Robinson was named to the All-GLIAC Defensive Team.
Lake Superior State will also be returning a junior class of Dan Few and Xander Okerlund as well as sophomores Blake Cassidy and Andy Soma.
Hettinga's squad will welcome a large freshman class this season with seven student-athletes joining the Lakers. The freshman class includes three players from Ann Arbor Huron High School (Tyson Edmondson, Kingsley Perkins and Devin Womack) who will look to build on their chemistry and success from their high school careers at the collegiate level. The remaining first-year players include Drew Hess, a 6-2 guard from Oscoda, Mich., Ben Patrick, a 6-2 guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., Kendall Smith, a 6-8 forward from Muskegon, Mich., and Hunter Soper, a 6-6 forward/guard from Lexington, Mich.
Leading the Lakers
Through the first 15 games of the 2021-22 season, four Lakers have averaged double-digit point per game totals. Adams leads the team with 19.2 points per game which is second-best in the conference. In addition, Adams' 48.8 shooting percentage ranks in the top twenty among all GLIAC players who have played in at least 60% of their team's games this season. Bassett ranks second among his teammates in points per game with 14.9. Ebeling follows with 14.8 points per game while Xander Okerlund (10.4) rounds out the team's double-digit scorers. Justin Fischer (9.7 ppg) is just outside the double-digit mark this season for the Lakers. Fischer's 55.7% shooting percentage ranks 8th overall in the conference.
Freshman Tyson Edmondson's 55.6 shooting percentage from three this season leads all GLIAC players.
In addition to his offensive play, Fischer (5.3) ranks first on the team in rebounds. Fischer, who is averaging 30.1 minutes on the floor per game, ranks first on the Lakers and in the conference in assists per game with 5.3. Adams ranks fifth among all GLIAC players in assists per game (4.1) and leads the conference in steals per game (2.1).
The Wayne State Warriors
The Wayne State Warriors have combined for a 2-11 overall record this season through 13 games played, which includes a 1-9 record in GLIAC competition. Earlier this month, the Warriors played the Lakers in Sault Ste. Marie with the Lakers winning by a final score of 73-63. Through 13 games this season, Wayne State averages 63.9 points per game on a 39.9 shooting percentage while adding 39.0 rebounds per game. The Warriors have four players this season who are averaging 11 or more points per game this season, led by senior guard Brailen Neely who leads the team with 15.8 points per game. Neely heads into the weekend ranking eighth in the conference in points per game this season. Junior forward Avery Lewis (14.4 ppg), senior guard Antonio Marshall (12.0 ppg) and senior guard Darian Owens-White (11.5 ppg) have combined to drive the team's offense. Lewis also leads the team in rebounds with 8.1 per game. The Warriors are led by interim head coach E.J. Haralson, who took over the head coaching role earlier this season.
The Saginaw Valley State Cardinals
The Saginaw Valley State Cardinals have totaled a 12-6 overall record through 18 games this season and hold a 6-4 mark in conference play. The Cardinals are coming off a weekend split against Purdue Northwest and Parkside, with SVSU posting a 77-73 win over Parkside on Saturday, Jan. 22. Earlier this month, the Cardinals dropped a 99-87 game to the Lakers in Sault Ste. Marie. The Cardinals have averaged 80.9 points per game this season on a 46.8 shooting percentage while also averaging 37.0 rebounds per game. Darnell Hoskins Jr. (15.4 ppg), Tyler Witz (12.3 ppg) and Maurice Bennett (10.4 ppg) round out the team's double digit scorers. Witz' 6.9 rebounds per game leads the Cardinals. SVSU is led by Randy Baruth, who is in his 10th season as head coach of the Cardinals.
The Davenport Panthers
The Davenport University Panthers have combined for an 8-6 overall record this season through 14 games played, which includes a 4-3 record in GLIAC competition. The Panthers are coming off of an 87-72 road win over Grand Valley on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Through 14 games played, Davenport averages 76.7 points per game on a 47.7 shooting percentage while adding 35.5 rebounds per game. The Panthers are led by the trio of senior guard Chris Rollins, senior guard Jarrin Randall, and freshman guard Marcedus Leech Jr. Rollins leads the team with 14.4 points per game this year, which ranks tied for 12th in the conference. Randall ranks second on the Panthers with 13.8 points per game and Leech Jr. rounds out the team's top three scorers with an average of 11.9 points per game. Sophomore forward Jakub Dombek ranks first among his teammates in rebounds per game (7.3). The Panthers are led by head coach Burt Paddock, who is in the midst of his 14th season in the role at Davenport.
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