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Men's Basketball 12/1/2021 1:30:00 PM Cameron Weidenthaler, Assistant Media Relations Director

Men's Basketball Starts League Play on West Side

STORYLINES
After a two-week break, the Warriors return to the hardwood for GLIAC play on the road. Wayne State will meet Davenport on Thursday night before staying on the west side and matching up with Grand Valley State on Saturday afternoon. The Green & Gold are looking to give interim head coach a winning record early in his first season leading the program after a 68-66 win over Lewis followed by a 68-62 loss to seventh-ranked Hillsdale.

THE SERIES
The series between Davenport and Wayne State has been even with both sides winning four games. WSU took both meetings last season inside the Matthaei by scores of 86-68 and 88-75. The Green & Gold are 1-2 when playing on the road in the series.

Grand Valley State leads 51-36 in the all-time series against Wayne State. WSU won last season's only meeting, 62-59. Prior to that GVSU had won three of four. The Warriors are 14-27 in Allendale.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Davenport is 3-2 overall with wins over Rockhurst, William Jewell and Great Lakes Christian. The Panthers dropped non-conference games to Upper Iowa and Southwest Minnesota State. Head coach Burt Paddock is in his 14th season at the helm. Chris Rollins leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per night and is the team's top passer with 19 assists. Jarius Stevens in averaging nearly 14 points per contest, while Marcedus Leech, Jr. is pouring in 10 points per game. Jakub Dombek is the team's top rebounder at 8.0 boards per night. As a team, DU is scoring 78.2 points and allowing 71.2 points per game, while shooting 53 percent from the floor, 41 percent from behind the arc and 61 percent at the charity stripe.

Grand Valley State is 5-0 and ranked 13th in the nation. The Lakers topped Florida Southern 76-68 and Saint Leo 68-67 in Florida this past weekend and will host SVSU on Thursday night to open league play. Head coach Ric Wesley is in his 18th season with the program. Jake Van Tubbergen is scoring 19.0 points per game and pulling down over 11 rebounds per night and already is a two-time GLIAC Player of the Week. Jordan Harris is scoring 12.4 points per contest, while Isaac Gassman is at 10.6 points per night. As a team, GVSU is averaging 81.0 points per game and allowing 68.8. The Lakers are shooting 52 percent from the floor, 32 percent from long range and just over 71 percent at the free throw line.

LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State concluded the non-conference portion of its regular-season schedule with a 68-62 loss to visiting Hillsdale on Nov. 20th at the Wayne State Fieldhouse. The Chargers were ranked seventh nationally in the NABC Preseason Coaches Poll. Darian Owens-White had a team-best 13 points, while Mike Robinson and Avery Lewis each chipped in with 10 points. Brailen Neely contributed 10 points and a game-high six assists, while Ray Williams, Jr. grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds.

WAYNE STATE FIELDHOUSE
Wayne State opened its brand new basketball fieldhouse against Michigan in an exhibition contest on Nov. 5th in front of a sold out crowd. The night featured several special moments including a pre-game ceremony that featured basketball alumni (Bob Holmes and Shareta Brown) and coaches (Ron Hammye, David Greer and Carrie Lohr), University president Dr. M. Roy Wilson, and Detroit Pistons Vice Chair Arn Tellem. Halftime featured a performance from Spyder Turner. Several community and University leaders were on hand, including Mayor Mike Duggan and the WSU Board of Governors.

HOME OPENERS
Wayne State is 14-7 in home openers in the past 21 seasons. The Warriors won the first 10 home debuts, but have gone 4-7 since.

1,000-POINT SCORER
Brailen Neely entered this season with 993 career points combined between his time at Oakland and now as a Warrior. With 21 points at Ashland on Nov. 12, he surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, including 795 points for the Green & Gold.

2021 POSTSEASON AWARDS
Last season, Darian Owens-White was a First Team All-Midwest District and a First Team All-GLIAC honoree, while Brailen Neely was a Second Team All-Region and a First Team All-GLIAC selection. Owens-White was the first Wayne State student-athlete to be voted to the NABC All-District First Team since Tony Goins in 1998-99. Avery Lewis earned Second Team All-GLIAC recognition, while being a member of the league's All-Defensive Team.

It was the first time WSU had two First Team All-GLIAC selections since Mike Hollingsworth and Bryan Smothers collected the awards following the 2010-11 season.

NEW SHOT CALLER
Wayne State has a new man in the first chair for the first time since the 2000-01 season in interim head coach E.J. Haralson. This comes after the program's winningest coach David Greer announced his retirement on Nov. 17th.

GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
WSU was predicted to finish second in the GLIAC South Division according to the league's head coaches. The Warriors earned 42 total points and two first-place votes.

Grand Valley State was the picked ahead of WSU with 49 points and nine first-place votes. Michigan Tech (56 points / six first-place votes) and Ferris State (55 points / five first-place votes) were the top-two favorites in the North Division.

DANCING IN MARCH
The Green & Gold played in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in program history a year ago, and for the first time since 2013. Head coach David Greer guided Wayne State to the national tournament on five occasions (2004, 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2021). The last time WSU won a game in the NCAAs was in 2005 when the Warriors topped Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 56-55, in Findlay, Ohio.

GLIAC CHAMPS
The Green & Gold won its eighth GLIAC championship last year and its first outright GLIAC regular-season title since the 1998-99 season. Following that 1998-99 season, WSU topped Saginaw Valley State, Gannon and Michigan Tech to win the tournament title.

LIVE ON WDTK
Kevin Brechmacher will call every Wayne State contest live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM). Fans can also stream the action online at PatriotDetroit.com.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
Every regular season home game, will be available to stream pay-per-view via Warrior All-Access at WSUAthletics.com.

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Players Mentioned

#33 Avery Lewis: F; 6' 6"; Redshirt Junior

#11 Brailen Neely: G; 5' 10"; Redshirt Fifth Year

#14 Darian Owens-White: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior

#10 Mike Robinson: F; 6' 5"; Sophomore

#23 Ray Williams, Jr.: G/F; 6' 5"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#33 Avery Lewis
: 6' 6"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#11 Brailen Neely
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Fifth Year
: G

#14 Darian Owens-White
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#10 Mike Robinson
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: F

#23 Ray Williams, Jr.
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G/F