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October 30, 2008

GVSU and Findlay Men’s Basketball Teams Tabbed by Media to Win 2008-09 GLIAC Divisional Titles,Coaches Name Findlay’s Bostic GLIAC Preseason Player of The Year

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BAY CITY, Mich. -- The head men's basketball coaches of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) chose University of Findlay senior forward Josh Bostic as the league's preseason "Player of the Year."

Selected members of the media and the GLIAC's Sports Information Directors were asked to choose the Conference's Basketball Preseason Polls. The 30-member group tabbed Grand Valley State University and the University of Findlay to win the league's North and South Division titles, respectively.

Grand Valley State, which received 29 of the 30 possible first-place votes, coming off a record-setting 2007-08 season in which the Lakers finished with a 36-1 record, the first No. 1 ranking in school history and a berth in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. GVSU won a Great Lakes Regional Championship and its third consecutive GLIAC North Division title. The Lakers ranked first in the nation in scoring defense (54.3 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (36.3 percent) last season. They were second in the nation in scoring margin, out-scoring opponents by 20.2 points per game. GVSU won 36 consecutive games and held 15 consecutive teams under 60 points.

 

 

Findlay finished last year ranked seventh in the nation with a 28-5 record. The Oilers advanced to the finals of the GLIAC Tournament and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament before being knocked off by then undefeated Grand Valley State University in both contests. This season, the Oilers will welcome all five starters back as well as a host of younger players who earned valuable playing time last season. Findlay also returns 75.8 points of their 78.7 points per game averaged last year. The Oilers also have the added expectations that come with being ranked high in two separate polls to begin the season. Findlay was picked as the top team in the NCAA Division II Bulletin poll and is ranked second by the Sporting News.

Joining Bostic on the preseason All-GLIAC South Division Team are: senior forward Mark Barnes of Northwood University; senior center Tony Gugino of Hillsdale College; senior forward Morgan Lewis of Findlay; and sophomore forward Kale Richardson of Ashland University.

The 2008-09 preseason All-GLIAC North Division Team includes: sophomore forward Justin Keenan of Ferris State University; senior center Ryan Kuhl of Lake Superior State University; senior guard Lawrence Ross of Saginaw Valley State University; senior guard Robby Springborn of Michigan Technological University; and senior forward Pete Trammell of Grand Valley State.

Senior Josh Bostic (Columbus, Ohio/Westland) returns to the Oilers' frontcourt after averaging 13.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season. The 6-5 forward was named first team all-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as well as first team all-Great Lakes Region and first team all-GLIAC. Bostic, who scored a team-high 457 points last year, has been selected as the NCAA Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year in the nation and was also selected as a preseason All-American by the Sporting News.

 

 

Northwood junior forward Mark Barnes (Saginaw, Mich./Alma College) nearly averaged a double-double last season, finishing the year at 13.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He finished the season with 11 double-doubles while ranking second in the conference in rebounding. Barnes led NU in rebounding in 20 of 28 games as well as leading the team in scoring 10 times. His rebounding average was the highest for a Northwood player in 11 seasons and he was the first NU player in four seasons to earn All-GLIAC honors.

 

 

Senior center Tony Gugino (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) returns for his fourth season as a starter for the Hillsdale College men's basketball team, fresh off his best season. Gugino led the GLIAC in scoring average last season (19.3 ppg) and was named Second-Team All-GLIAC as well as Second-Team All-Region. He scored more points last season than he had in his first two seasons combined. Gugino was the first Charger to score more than 40 points in a game in more than a decade on Feb. 2, when he scored 41 vs. Wayne State. Gugino ranked among the GLIAC leaders in rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage. He needs 27 blocked shots this season to become Hillsdale's all-time leader in that category. Gugino was named honorable mention preseason All-American by Street & Smith's Basketball Magazine.

 

Findlay senior Morgan Lewis (Painesville, Ohio/Harvey) is coming off of his junior season in which he was named second team All-GLIAC after averaging 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The 6-4 forward also hit 60.9 percent (168-of-276) of his field goal attempts and led the team in scoring ten times during the year.

 

 

 

A year ago, Ashland sophomore Kale Richardson (Carroll, Ohio/Bloom Carroll) became the second player in the program's history to be the GLIAC freshman of the year. The 6-8, 250-pound forward averaged 16.0 ppg., and 7.2 rpg. Richardson was sixth in the GLIAC in free throw percentage (.806), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.439), eighth in scoring and rebounding and ninth in blocked shots (0.79 bpg.).

 

 

 

Sophomore forward Justin Keenan (Grand Rapids, Mich./Ottawa Hills) is one of eight letterwinners and four starters to return for Ferris State this season. Keenan is the Bulldogs' top returning scorer (15.9 ppg.) and rebounder (6.9 rpg.) from last season when he claimed team Most Valuable Player Award honors in his initial collegiate season. The 6-6 Keenan tallied 24 double-figure scoring performances in 27 contests last season, including eight games with 20 points or more. Keenan ranked ninth in scoring along with 10th in rebounding among GLIAC leaders last year.

 

 

Senior center Ryan Kuhl (Rochester, Mich./Adams) has led LSSU in scoring during two of the past three seasons and has been the Lakers' top rebounder for three straight years. He earned All-GLIAC North Division First Team honors as a sophomore and was named to the second team as a junior. The four-year starter finished 18th in the GLIAC in scoring last year, averaging 14.0 points per game, and was 11th in rebounding at 6.6 rebounds per game. He has 1,129 career points and career averages of 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

 

 

Senior forward Lawrence Ross (Battle Creek, Mich./Miami University) returns for his third and final season as a Saginaw Valley starter. Ross was selected Second Team All-GLIAC and started in 25 games for the Cardinals his junior season. He ranked third in the GLIAC in minutes played with 38.5 minutes per contest. He ranked second on the team in scoring with a 16.4 per game average. Ross pulled down a season total of 152 rebounds for an average of 6.2 per contest and led the Cardinals in scoring in 11-of-25 games with a season high of 26.

 

 

Michigan Tech senior guard Robby Springborn (Fond du Lac, Wis./UW-Green Bay) was an All-GLIAC Second Team pick a year ago after leading the Huskies in scoring at 12.8 points per game. He tallied 17 games in double figures in scoring including seven 20+ point outings.

 

 

 

 

Senior forward and three-year starter Pete Trammell (Jenison, Mich.) is the lone returning starter among six returning letterwinners for GVSU. Trammell is the Lakers' leading returning scorer after averaging 10.2 points per game last season. He also chipped in 3.5 rebounds and shot at a .492 clip.

 

 
2008-09 Men's Basketball Preseason All-GLIAC Team      
Player of the Year      
Josh Bostic UF Sr. F
North Division      
Name School Yr. Pos.
Justin Keenan FSU So. F
Ryan Kuhl LSSU Sr. C
Lawrence Ross SVSU Sr. G/F
Robby Springborn MTU Sr. G
Pete Trammel GVSU Sr. F
South Division      
Name School Yr. Pos.
Mark Barnes NU Sr. F
Josh Bostic UF Sr. F
Tony Gugino HC Sr. C
Morgan Lewis UF Sr. F
Kale Richardson AU So. F

 

The 2009 GLIAC Men's Basketball Championship quarterfinals will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 3 on campus sites with the semifinals and final being held on Friday, Mar. 6 and Saturday, Mar. 7 at the site of the highest remaining seed.