SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team will host Westminster College, a Division II program from Salt Lake City, Utah, this weekend for a pair of nonconference games in the Ronald "Bud" Cooper Gymnasium. The first game is set for a 5:00 p.m. start on Friday, Nov. 19 and the series will wrap up on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 3:00 p.m.
2020-21 Recap
Last season, the Lakers played a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the abbreviated schedule, the Lakers combined for an 8-11 record, which led the team to an eighth place finish in the GLIAC. LSSU averaged 73.8 points per game on a 45.4 field goal percentage. The team finished the season with 34.6 three-point percentage, and averaged 32.4 rebounds per game during the 19 game season.
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.
Preparing for the New Season
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.
The Lakers 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 was recently named to the All-GLIAC North Preseason 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.
Last Game Recap
The Lakers return to action following two weeks since the team's last game, an exhibition on Nov. 5 at Oakland University. Lake Superior State held their own against the Division I program but fell by a final score of 91-81 to the Golden Grizzlies.
Redshirt senior Malek Adams, who will be a key contributor for the Lakers this season, led the team with 23 points as he went 8-for-15 in the game which included a team-leading seven threes. Adams also posted a team-best eight assists in the game for the Lakers. Junior Xander Okerlund also had a solid performance against the Golden Grizzlies, recording 20 points. Like Adams, Okerlund had a strong game from behind the arc, going 6-for-11 in three pointers.
Redshirt senior Caden Ebeling, who joined the Lakers following a great career at Albion College, has proved to be an important piece to Hetttinga's lineup through the first two exhibition games of the season. Ebeling registered 16 points against the Golden Grizzlies and 14 points in the team's first exhibition game against Alma.
The Lakers finished the game against Oakland with a 47.0 shooting percentage and a 44.7 percent mark from three.
Scouting the Griffins
Westminster College, a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), has totaled a 1-1 record to open the season. The Griffins dropped their first game of the season by a final score of 71-67 to Western New Mexico University on Friday, Nov. 12 and followed with a 69-68 win over Texas Permian Basin on Saturday night.
The Griffins are coming off a 9-10 overall record during the 2020-21 season, with all 19 contests being conference games. Last season, Westminster posted its best conference finish since becoming eligible for postseason play and ended the season with three wins in five games. The team is coached by Norm Parrish, who is in his seventh season in the role at Westminster.
Through two games this season, the Griffins have three players who are averaging 12 or more points per game. Senior guard Jarrett Jordan leads the team with 15.0 points per game while freshman guard Donaval Avila (12.5 ppg) and senior forward Yusuf Mohamed (12.0 ppg) round out the top three scorers on the Griffins.
Up Next
Following the pair of games against the Griffins this weekend, the Lakers will take on the Finlandia Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 23 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in the Bud Cooper.
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