SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State (LSSU) men's basketball team has been selected to finish seventh with 35 points in the 2023 GLIAC preseason poll, as voted on by the coaches on Tuesday.

"We're excited for the season," said Head Coach Steve Hettinga. "We are kind of redefining ourselves, going back to some old school stuff that we have done in the past. We certainly hope to be a hard-nosed, gritty team that people can back with our style of play and toughness."

The Lakers enter the season with a vastly different dynamic than a year ago after the departures of First Team All-GLIAC performers Caden Ebeling and Kemon Bassett as well as three-time GLIAC All-Defensive Team honoree C.J. Robinson due to graduation. LSSU will be looking to key returners such as Xander Okerlund (Empire, Mich.), Tyson Edmondson (Ypsilanti, Mich.), Andy Soma (Traverse City, Mich.), and Kingsley Perkins (Ypsilanti, Mich.) to step up into a larger role, and they will also be seeking an emergence from their six newcomers as well.

"Certainly not being able to lean on veteran guys that have been through the tough wars in our conference battles, it's definitely been a change," said Hettinga. "It's been a good thing for some of our returners that have been around for a few years. Those guys that have been here have picked up the slack so to speak and are trying to bring the young and new players along."

The Lakers add four freshmen in Nino Carter-Smith (Warren, Mich.), Adam Harakow (Edmonton, Alb.), Faruq Balarabe (London, U.K.), and Omar Suleiman (Canton, Mich.) as well as a pair of transfers in Peter Nwoke (Lagos, Nigeria) and Marcus Harris (Brimley, Mich.).

"You never know with freshmen," said Hettinga. "We are excited about them for sure, and we are hoping that one or two of them rise to the top."

The Lakers will have to become road warriors early on in their season, only playing two games inside the friendly confines of Bud Cooper Gymnasium prior to the turn of the calendar year, but they will be hoping that the challenging nonconference slate will help prepare them for success within the GLIAC.

"I hope that we can define who we are," said Hettinga. "I'm hoping after those first few games before we play [Eastern Michigan], a DI game, I hope that we have an identity of how we're going to play, and I hope that we can grow and bond as a team."

LSSU is set to open their season on Friday, Nov. 10 in Painesville, Ohio when they take on the Lake Erie Storm in the first of two games at the Lake Erie Crossover.