GLIAC Men’s Basketball Preview
Bay City, Mich. -- Each year, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference takes yet another step toward proving to the nation that it is the home to some of the best NCAA Division II men's college basketball in the nation.
As the 2008-09 GLIAC season begins, the conference again boasts programs ranked among the nation's best. The University of Findlay had the top-ranked team men's basketball team in the NCAA Division II Bulletin poll and was picked in the No. 2 spot by The Sporting News. The Oilers, picked to finish first in the South Division in the league's preseason media poll, are expected to be led this winter by senior forward Josh Bostic who was picked as the 2008-09 GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year coming off a banner season during which he averaged 13.8 points, six rebounds and 2.7 assists.
As tough as Findlay is, however, the Oilers can expect to have plenty of competition. Grand Valley State University was hard hit by the graduations of several key members of an accomplished senior class that took Laker men's basketball to unprecedented national heights the last two college basketball seasons. As for this season, Grand Valley was picked first in the North Division in the 2008-09 GLIAC Preseason Men's Basketball Media Poll. Among the many teams lurking in the shadows, with hopes of spring upsets, are the likes of Michigan Tech and Hillsdale. Both the Huskies and Chargers, picked second in the North Division and South Division respectively, return solid teams that have gained experience.
In the North, Lake Superior State is hoping to challenge for supremacy this season while Saginaw Valley State, Ferris State and Northern Michigan hope to surprise this winter with revamped rosters and optimistic mindsets.
In the South, Ashland hopes to be in the mix while new South Division addition Northwood will fight for position along with Wayne State and league newcomer Tiffin.
Here's a preview of teams in their projected order of finish according to the 2008-09 GLIAC Preseason Men's Basketball Media Poll:
North Division
1. Grand Valley State
Overview: The Lakers enjoyed a brilliant season last winter with a 36-1 record. GVSU won its second straight NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship and its second consecutive Elite Eight appearance. This year, the Lakers begin a new chapter with a host of highly-touted newcomers eager to keep GVSU basketball among the elite in the GLIAC, the region and the nation. Senior forward Pete Trammell returns for Grand Valley in a leadership role on and off the court. Trammell will have help from another forward that benefited from experience gained last year, sophomore Justin Ringler. Perhaps the biggest off-season news for the Laker was the addition of a pair of highly-touted University of Michigan transfers, forward K'Len Morris and point guard Jerret Smith.
Coach: Ric Wesley is in his fifth season as the head men's basketball coach at Grand Valley State University.
Coach Wesley: "We're looking forward to the season and it's going to be a little bit of a changing of the guard for us this year. We have nine new players. We're expecting Pete Trammell to be our leader this season, but it's going to take a while in the beginning for us to get our chemistry together and to get it going."
2007-08 Record: 36-1 overall, 18-0 GLIAC
2. Michigan Tech
Overview: Long-time head coach Kevin Luke has a history of putting together solid teams and this season should be no different for his Huskies. One of the main reasons Tech has for optimism this winter is the return of senior guard Robby Springborn, who led the Huskies in scoring at 12.8 points per game en route to earning second-team All-GLIAC honors. Sean Geary is a steady hand returning at the point guard position to run the show while Fedrik Bowe and Georgio Holt help solidify the front court.
Coaching: Kevin Luke is entering his 15th season as the head men's basketball coach at Michigan Tech University.
Coach Luke: "I like our leadership and I feel that our chemistry is the best that it has been in years. Our strength is probably going to be our depth and our ability to defend."
2007-08 Record: 13-14 overall, 8-10 GLIAC
3. Lake Superior State
Overview: The Lakers hope to continue their climb toward the top of the North Division standings. A big part of that climb has rested on the broad shoulders of senior center Ryan Kuhl, a four-year starter who averaged 14 points and 6.6 rebounds last season. Guard Tim VanOudheusden, a 6-foot-4 senior, is one of the top returning scorers (14.5 points per game last season) for Lake Superior along with junior guard Scott Perkins, who averaged 10.9 points as a sophomore last season. Lake State has a solid all-around team that is particularly dangerous on good shooting nights from the perimeter.
Coaching: Steve Hettinga is entering his second season as the 13th head men's basketball coach in the 60-year history of men's basketball at Lake Superior State University.
Coach Hettinga: "Our guys have put in a lot of time to work hard and to get better and we think that is going to pay off for us. We're looking forward to the start of the season."
2007-08 Record: 12-16 overall, 8-10 GLIAC
4. Saginaw Valley State
Overview: The Cardinals return a team with a lot of offensive firepower led by senior guard Lawrence Ross, who averaged 16.4 points last season to go along with 6.2 rebounds. Senior guard Dante Williams, who averaged 13.7 points last winter, brings additional scoring to the backcourt for Saginaw Valley this season. Ross and Williams give the Cardinals two of the best perimeter players in the conference that make SVSU tough to defend when the duo is on top of its game.
Coach: Frankie Smith is entering his second season as the head men's basketball coach at Saginaw Valley State University.
Coach Smith: "We're very excited about our team. We have a total of 11 new people coming in and we're expecting our leader to be Lawrence Ross this season. We're looking for big contributions from Dante Williams and Greg Foster is a nice addition to our team at point guard out of Indianapolis."
2007-08 Record: 12-14 overall, 7-11 GLIAC
5. Ferris State University
Overview: The Bulldogs gained valuable experience last season with a roster loaded with freshmen. Last year's freshmen are now this year's sophomores. That class of second-year players for Ferris includes 6-foot-6 post player Justin Keenan, who had a banner rookie campaign as he averaged 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. Ferris also welcomes some solid newcomers including junior forward Verdell Billingsley, sophomore Austin Randel and freshman point guard Dontae Molden to the mix.
Coaching: Bill Sall is entering his seventh season as the head men's basketball coach at Ferris State University.
Coach Sall: "I am happy with the progress of our young players from last season. Our young guys have put in a lot of work to make improvements coming into this season. We have Justin Keenan who has earned some accolades and has put in some hard work and three transfers who will play significant minutes."
2007-08 Record: 10-19 overall, 5-13 GLIAC
6. Northern Michigan
Overview: Looking to bounce back this season, the Wildcats hope a solid combination of returning players combined with talented newcomers that long-time head coach Dean Ellis is hopeful will create strong chemistry. The top returning scorer for Northern Michigan is senior guard Tyler Kazmierkoski, who played in and started all 27 games a year ago for the Wildcats. Kazmierkoski averaged 13 points and 4.6 rebounds during the 2007-08 campaign.
Coaching: Dean Ellis is entering his 23rd season as the head men's basketball coach at Northern Michigan University.
Coach Ellis: "We're excited that we have 16 home games this season and we're definitely looking forward to having that advantage of being on our home court that many times."
2007-08 Record: 7-20 overall, 6-12 GLIAC
South Division
1. Findlay
Overview: The Oilers are being billed as not only one of the premier teams in the GLIAC, but one of the top squads in all of Division II. One of the primary reasons for the good vibes coming out of Findlay, Ohio is due in no small part to the return of 6-foot-5 senior forward Josh Bostic, who averaged 13.8 points, six rebounds and 2.7 assists last season for Findlay. Bostic was named a first-team All-American by the National Association of basketball Coaches in addition to being a first-team All-Great Lakes Region choice and first-team All-GLIAC pick during his junior campaign. The Oilers were ranked No. 1 in the first NABC poll of the year coming off a 28-5 season. Lee Roberts is a factor in the paint while Marcus Parker and Tyler Evans form a dynamite backcourt.
Coaching: Ron Niekamp is in his 24th season as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Findlay.
Coach Niekamp: "We're excited about the starters we have coming back in Bostic, the Oilers also return another talented senior forward in Morgan Lewis, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds last season.
2007-08 Record: 28-5 overall, 14-3 GLIAC
2. Hillsdale
Overall: Senior center Tony Gugino, at 6-foot-9, returns as one of the top big men in the GLIAC. A year ago, the Chargers' center finished as the top scorer in the league at 19.3 points per contest as he went on to earn second-team all-region and All-GLIAC Second Team honors. In all, Hillsdale welcomes back four starters from a team that finished 14-14 a year ago. Guards Keith MacKenzie, Travis Worst and Evan Steward bring leadership and scoring to the backcourt for the Chargers.
Coaching: John Tharp returns for his second season on the bench as the head men's basketball coach at Hillsdale College.
Coach Tharp: "I'm feeling great going into my second season as head coach. This is such a good league and such a well-rounded league. We are definitely further along in our development right now than we were at this time last year. We're excited."
2007-08 Record: 14-14 overall, 7-10 GLIAC
3. Ashland
Overview: The Eagles ended last season (2007-08) with a lot to feel good about as they looked ahead. One of the biggest reasons Ashland had that good feeling was the emergence of 6-foot-8, 250-pound Kale Richardson who averaged 16 points and 7.2 rebounds en route to being named the 2007-08 GLIAC Freshman of the Year. To help loosen things up in the paint, Ashland welcomes back Bret Wacklerly, a senior guard who averaged 14.8 points last season, in addition to 6-foot-6 senior forward Tyler Rosenberger, who put up 8.2 points and grabbed 4.9 rebounds per contest as a junior.
Coaching: Roger Lyons, one of the veterans of the GLIAC coaching fraternity, is entering his 16th season as the head men's basketball coach at Ashland University.
Coach Lyons: "We have three starters back for us in Bret Wacklerly, Tyler Rosenberger and Kale Richardson, who was freshman of the year. We also have three other guys who could make significant impacts for us this season."
2007-08 Record: 13-15 overall, 7-10 GLIAC
4. Northwood
Overview: The Timberwolves welcome back an experienced group of players led by one of the most explosive three-man backcourts in seniors Aaron Simpson, Antonio Harrison and Mark Barnes. Not many teams have three talented perimeter scorers of that caliber in the same backcourt. To complement that trio, Northwood has added some new players to solidify the paint and control the boards a little better for the upcoming season as the Timberwolves shift from the North Division to the South Division.
Coaching: Bob Taylor, another of the highly-experienced mentors in the GLIAC, is entering his 12th season as the head men's basketball coach at Northwood University.
Coach Taylor: "We're looking forward to this season and we're quietly optimistic. We have some good athletes returning to our team and we're excited to get going."
2007-08 Record: 11-16 overall, 6-12 GLIAC
5. Wayne State
Overview: This year's squad will be the new-look Warriors with 10 new players added to the Wayne roster to complement returning veterans Bryan Smothers, Larry Edwards and Jerry Oden. Of the 10 WSU newcomers, however, two are Division I transfers as Wayne has added Shane Lawal from Oakland University and Justin Sample from the University of Detroit to its lineup. Those new veterans along with six freshmen might mean an early adjustment period as chemistry comes together, but Wayne has a history of sending competitive, well-coached teams onto the hardwood.
Coaching: David Greer is entering his seventh season as head men's basketball coach at Wayne State University.
Coach Greer: "We'll have great expectations this season. We have some pretty good athletes with some new guys coming in who we expect to step in and contribute."
2007-08 Record: 10-16 overall, 4-13 GLIAC
6. Tiffin
Overview: This is the first official year for Tiffin to compete in the GLIAC in men's basketball after facing several future rivals as part of their schedule from last season from which the Dragons finished 3-24. Tiffin returns a pair of strong players from last year's team including 6-foot-2 junior guard Alex Strok, who led the team in scoring at 14.8 per contest, and 5-foot-7 sophomore guard Brian Scott, who averaged 11.2 points last season. Being new to the league creates a major challenge, but the Dragons made a wise move last year by playing so many future conference opponents to get a feel for the GLIAC basketball experience.
Coaching: Rodney Martin is in his third season as the head men's basketball coach at Tiffin University.
Coach Martin: "We're going to work and fight to
be up to the standards of competing in the GLIAC this season. We
still have a lot to learn and a lot to live up to, but we're going
to keep working."
2007-08 Record: 3-24 overall
