The dog days of summer have officially arrived. And while there are no varsity sports going on right now at Grand Valley State, it is the perfect time to look toward the future and feature some of the newcomers that could contribute for the GVSU 2018-2019 basketball team.

When it comes to fresh faces for GVSU, Demetrius Lake should be able to make an impact right away. The 5-foot-11-inch guard has an ability to score the ball, as well as play tenacious defense, being a pest for opposing guards all over the court.

From the minute he was officially signed in November, Lake has been working hard to train for the upcoming season and saying he is excited to start playing basketball again is an understatement.

“We got a great group of guys and a great coaching staff, and we’ll be well rounded this year with a lot of talent on both the offensive and defensive end,” Lake said. “I’m pretty excited to see what we’re going to do this upcoming season.”

Previously playing four years of varsity basketball for Holland High School, Lake is a bit of a local legend in West Michigan. The prolific scorer averaged 36.2 points per game in high school, scoring more than 2,000 points at Holland.

A first team all-state honoree, the three-time Holland Basketball player of the year ranks 32nd all-time in scoring in Michigan high school basketball history. Lake forced defenses to smother him as soon as he crossed half court, as he hit 230 three-pointers in high school, placing him 11th all-time among Michigan high schoolers.

Lake has put a lot of time into the sport he loves, as he spent the majority of his childhood playing AAU basketball. He credits all that time playing AAU for making him the player he is today.

“Playing AAU all those years really got me ready to play basketball at the Division II level,” Lake said. “The competitiveness I played with and played against in AAU really prepared me for this.”

Lake graduated in 2017 and spent last season playing at Schoolcraft Community College, where he averaged 17.6 points per game, shooting 44 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.

After the 2017-2018 academic year ended, Lake moved into GVSU where he has been practicing the game he loves while lifting every day and watching film of GVSU games, staying committed and getting a chance to bond with his teammates here in Allendale.

“I like these guys a lot,” Lake said. “We see each other every day, we’re always working out together and cracking jokes. It’s been feeling more like a brotherhood here so far.”

Lake is excited to reunite with his former AAU teammate and fellow Holland native Jake Van Tubbergen at GVSU. They have the same killer mindset when it comes to the game, and Lake knows they can do great things together in Allendale.

“We started playing together on the West Michigan Lakers, playing as sixth graders on the seventh and eighth grade team,” Lake said. “I played against him a lot in high school, since Holland and West Ottawa are big rivals. Now we get the chance to reunite and showcase our talents, and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Although scoring was obviously Lake’s specialty in high school, he believes his energy and improvement on the defensive end can be his main contribution to this team.

“I play really wild defense, and it helps energize the guys around me.” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot better at talking on defense, and that talking will help me become a better player and help contribute at a Division II level.”

Lake has been taking classes with his teammates all summer, but outside of the classroom, Lake’s main focus this offseason has been getting stronger and adding muscle to prepare himself for the season.

“I’ve been adding more weight to my frame because there’s a lot of good, strong guards in the GLIAC,” Lake said. “I want to improve on my ability to create for my teammates as well, but I’ve been mostly focused in transforming my body and getting stronger this offseason.

Anyone who has seen Demetrius Lake play the game knows that he never stops working hard. That drive and persistence got him to where he is today, and he looks to keep working hard at GVSU, doing whatever he can to help this team succeed along the way.

“It’s not always about talent, hard work really does pay off,” Lake said. “It’s all about being the first one to the gym and the last one to leave. I’ve been that guy, and I’ve just been dedicating myself to the game.”