On Friday, Nov. 8, the GVSU men’s basketball team will kick off their season in an opener against Walsh University.
Coming into this season, the team has welcomed new coaching staff, and a few pivotal changes have been made to the roaster. The Lakers have been preparing through exhibition matches. Transitioning from last season, they were 16-15 with 2,363 total points scored, 1,136 rebounds and 208 steals.
Last season, assistant coach Lawrence “J.R.” Wallace coached his tenth and final season with the Lakers. During Wallace’s tenure at GVSU, he contributed greatly to the team’s development. Under Wallace’s coaching, GVSU consistently made it to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament. In 2019, the team won the conference championship, becoming the first seven seed team in GLIAC history to win the title.
Wallace recently made the move to Reeths-Puffer High School as head coach. Following his departure, Sterling Johnson stepped into the assistant coach position this season. Coach Johnson brings an array of experience to the table for the Lakers, as well as a fresh perspective. Johnson has experience being a graduate assistant for Virginia Tech’s men’s basketball team, and was also an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Northwood University. Johnson is no stranger to the dynamics within GLIAC, as he formerly played basketball at Saginaw Valley State University. Johnson knows the challenges that student athletes face, both on and off the court.
“This year, we bring back ten returners, which is always a good thing in basketball, especially in today’s climate,” said Johnson. “One of the biggest challenges I look forward to enduring is our ability to handle adversity. I’m excited to see how we’ll grow collectively throughout the season. Thankfully, I am very optimistic about the outcome.”
On top of the staffing change, former forward Marius Grazulis graduated from the roster. In March 2024, Grazulis was honored as GLIAC offensive player of the week, as well as being part of All-GLIAC First Team honors. Through multiple double-doubles and consistency in both rebounding and scoring, he was reliable and a key asset to the team.
Additionally, there were three Division I transfers to the team, including forward William Dunn from Youngstown State, point guard Mason Docks from Baltimore County’s University of Maryland and forward Kohen Thompson from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
With an altered roster, the Lakers have begun finding their footing during their preseason exhibition games. The team had their first exhibition game on Oct. 19 against the University of Toledo. The Lakers put up a fight and the score was close, however, Toledo ended up taking the win 71-76. Dunn led the team, scoring 13 points.
Their next exhibition game took place in Lincoln, Nebraska against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Lakers fell to Nebraska 53-73. Docks put up seven points in tandem with Kaden Brown, who scored an additional six points.
The final exhibition game was on Oct. 30 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Lakers fought hard against Purdue, but lost to the Division I school 41-99. During this game, Docks led the Lakers in scoring seven points and three assists.
Through these exhibition games, the team has begun to hone in on their abilities, and learn their biggest strengths in preparation for their first game of the season.
