SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team will open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play this week as the team hosts the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and follows with a conference game against the Purdue Northwest Pride on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 3:00 p.m. Both games are set to take place in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
Last Time Out
The Lakers last game took place on Saturday, Nov. 27 as the team hosted the Lewis University Flyers for a nonconference game. With an 88-63 win over the Flyers, the Lakers extended their win streak to four games as the team has posted a perfect 4-0 record to open the 2021-22 season.
Redshirt senior Malek Adams led the Lakers in the win with 17 points in the game as the guard went 6-for-12 from the field and scored a team-leading four three pointers. Adams also posted six assists in the game to rank second on the team. Redshirt senior Caden Ebeling ranked second on the team in points (14) and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Senior C.J. Robinson also had a strong game for the Lakers as he totaled 13 points, including 5-for-6 in free throw attempts. Robinson added five assists in the win and a pair of rebounds. Senior Justin Fischer, who led the team in minutes (32), ranked first among his teammates in rebounds (10) and assists (8) against Lewis.
The Lakers finished the game with a 53.4 shooting percentage, going 31-for-58 in the game. On the other end of the floor, the Flyers went 26-for-55 in the game to total a 47.3 shooting percentage.The Lakers outrebounded the Flyers 30-26 in the game.
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 the first four games of the season, the Lakers have averaged a conference-leading 91.3 points per game on a 50.0 shooting percentage and 31.5 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 four games of the 2021-22 season, five Lakers have averaged double-digit point per game totals. Adams leads the team with 16.0 points per game which ranks eighth in the conference. Ebeling follows with 14.8 points per game while Fischer and Xander Okerlund round out the top three scorers this season as each has averaged 11.0 points per game. Fischer, who is a key piece of Hettinga's team, has compiled a field goal percentage of 57.6% through four games.
In addition to his offensive play, Fischer leads the team in rebounds per game (6.3) as well as defensive rebounds (5.0). The senior guard also tops the conference in assists per game with 7.0. Ebeling ranks second on the team in rebounds per game with 5.3 but leads his teammates in offensive rebounds (2.8).
The Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers
The Rangers are set to open conference play on Thursday night against the Lakers and hold a 2-3 overall record heading into GLIAC competition. Dropping their last three games at the Haribo Tournament, the Rangers will look to gain some conference points. Led by Tray Croft, who averages 22.6 points a game, the Rangers average 72.2 points. Croft currently leads all GLIAC players in points per game as the senior guard has had a strong start to the season. Defensively, Jamar Simpson leads his squad with 7.2 rebounds. The Rangers are coached by Luke Reigel who is in his 17th season in the position.
The Purdue Northwest Pride
The Pride will match up against the Lakers on Saturday afternoon after the team opens its conference schedule on Thursday at Ferris State. Purdue Northwest has totaled a 3-4 overall record through the team's first seven games of the season, which includes a 118-83 win over Calumet College of St. Joseph on Sunday, Nov. 28. The Pride have averaged 81.9 points per game this season as well as a conference-best 42.4 rebounds per game. Purdue Northwest has six players averaging double digits in points per game this season. Senior forward Jyrus Freels has started all seven games for the Pride this season, averaging 12.7 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. PNW is led by fourth-year head coach, Boomer Roberts.
Up Next
The Lakers will continue GLIAC play on the road next weekend as the team travels across the Upper Peninsula to take on Michigan Tech at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9 and Northern Michigan at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.
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