After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004-05 season, the Grand Valley State University men’s basketball team will look to reload with two new recruits for the 2011-12 campaign.

Tyrone Lee and Darius Norman, a pair of wing players, will be attending GVSU in the fall. Norman, a 6-foot-7 forward from Kalamazoo Central, played a key role in the Giants back-to-back state championships.

Lee, another 6-foot-7 forward out of Oakland Community College, will be the third junior college transfer brought in by head coach Ric Wesley in the last two years.

Lee will join junior Tony Peters and another incoming freshman, Ben Lanning of Grandville, to compete for playing time to fill the void left by graduated All-GLIAC forward Justin Ringler. Ringler led the team in points (14.3), rebounds (6.1) and assists (2.6) last season.

Softball Coaches Named Staff of the Year

In a year that saw a young Grand Valley State University softball team come within a win of the Division II Softball Championships, head coach Doug Woods and his coaching staff of Dana Callihan and Jennifer Mackson were named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II National and Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.

GVSU’s offense, which was the best in Division II, carried the Lakers through the regular season thanks to home run power from the dynamic duo of Katie Martin and Miranda Cleary. Martin, a sophomore, was named the Daktronics National Player of the Year, while Cleary, a frehsman, was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

In his 21st year as head coach, Woods has longest tenure of any GVSU head coach and a career record of 727-343-3, and has led the team to the NCAA Tournament in eight of the last 12 years.