SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team will return home this weekend for a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) games against the Grand Valley State Lakers and the Davenport Panthers. Lake Superior State will host the GVSU Lakers on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and will match up against the Panthers on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 3:00 p.m. in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Last Time Out
The Lakers are coming off a three-game conference road trip last weekend after playing games against Wayne State, Saginaw Valley State and Davenport. Lake Superior State posted a 1-2 record over the weekend with the team responding to consecutive losses with a 74-67 win at Davenport on Monday afternoon. Heading into the weekend series, the Lakers have totaled an 11-7 overall record and a 6-6 mark in GLIAC competition.
The Lakers opened the stretch of games with a 68-60 loss at Wayne State on Thursday, Jan. 27. LSSU had three players post double-digit point totals in the game, led by redshirt senior Malek Adams who finished the game with 16 points. Senior C.J. Robinson ranked second on the team with 14 points in the game while senior Kemon Bassett rounded out the team's top three scorers as he posted 12 points in the game. The Lakers followed with a 79-67 loss to the SVSU Cardinals on Saturday night. Lake Superior was led by freshman Tyson Edmondson, who scored a career-high 16 points against the Cardinals. The freshman went 4-for-7 from the field which included a team-best three three-pointers.
In Monday afternoon's game against the Panthers, the Lakers responded with a 74-67 road win. Adams and Bassett were tied for the team lead in points against the Panthers with each player posting 16 points in the win. Edmondson rounded out the team's top three scorers in the game as the freshman finished the contest with 13 points.
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 18 games this season, the Lakers have averaged 77.8 points per game, which ranks fourth in the GLIAC, on a 45.8 shooting percentage and 32.2 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 18 games of the 2021-22 season, four Lakers have averaged double-digit point per game totals. Adams leads the team with 18.4 points per game which is third-best in the conference. Ebeling follows with 14.8 points per game while Bassett ranks third among his teammates in points per game with 14.1 in 10 games played this season. Xander Okerlund (10.4) rounds out the team's double-digit scorers.
Justin Fischer, who averages 8.7 points per game this season, has totaled a 55.2 shooting percentage which is ninth-best in the GLIAC. Edmondson, who has posted double-digit point totals in three of the team's last four games, leads the conference with a 52.9 shooting percentage from three.
Fischer, Ebeling and freshman Kingsley Perkins are tied for the team-lead in rebounds with 5.3. Fischer also leads the team in assists per game with 4.8, which is third-best in the GLIAC. Adams' 2.0 steals per game tops the conference.
The Grand Valley State Lakers
The Grand Valley State Lakers have totaled a 13-5 overall record through 18 games this season and hold a 7-4 mark in conference play. Earlier this season, GVSU earned an 82-59 victory over Lake Superior State on Saturday, Jan. 15. Grand Valley has averaged 78.2 points per game this season on a 47.8 shooting percentage while also averaging 38.7 rebounds per game. The GVSU Lakers is led by senior forward Jake Van Tubbergen, who ranks fifth in the conference with 17.4 points per game this season. Van Tubbergen's 59.7 shooting percentage is good for fourth place in the GLIAC while his 10.3 rebounds per game leads the conference. Senior guard Christian Negron ranks second on the team with 11.6 points per game and his 65.9 shooting percentage is second-best in the GLIAC. Senior guard Jordan Harris rounds out the team's top three scorers as he averages 11.1 points per game. Grand Valley is coached by Ric Wesley, who is in his 18th season in the role for the Lakers.
The Davenport Panthers
The Davenport University Panthers have combined for a 9-8 overall record this season through 17 games played, which includes a 5-5 record in GLIAC competition. The Panthers hosted the Lakers in their most recent game, as the team posted a 74-67 loss to Lake State on Monday, Jan. 31 afternoon. Through 17 games played, Davenport averages 76.4 points per game on a 47.3 shooting percentage while adding 34.9 rebounds per game. The Panthers have four players who are averaging double-digit point totals this season: senior guard Jarrin Randall, senior guard Chris Rollins, freshman guard Marcedus Leech Jr., and senior guard Jairus Stevens. Randall leads the team with 14.1 points per game this year, which ranks 11th in the conference. Rollins ranks second on the Panthers with 13.6 points per game while Leech Jr. (12.4 ppg) and Stevens (10.2 ppg) round out the team's top four scorers. Sophomore forward Jakub Dombek ranks first among his teammates in rebounds per game (6.9). 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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