A strong start and rough finish was the story of the Grand Valley State University men’s basketball team’s season in 2010.

The team began the season 15-2, but injuries and inconsistency stifled their efforts in the second half and the Lakers missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

This year, the Lakers (9-5,5-2 GLIAC) currently sit in second place in the GLIAC North, and have had their fair
share of triumphs and defeats, including Wednesday’s 63-59 loss to Northwood University. Whether it be the 70-67 loss to then-No. 1 ranked Bellarmine University in November or the 70-68 victory over GLIAC favorite Michigan Technological University in December, the team is taking shape as the season progresses.

Part of that shaping, according to junior guard Tony Peters, is that chemistry between teammates has been good throughout the first half of the season.

“I think it’s coming along just fine,” said Peters, who averages 5.5 points per game off the bench. “It is a lot different because of the new faces, but we’ve had plenty of time to practice. We still have a long way to go, but we’ve also come a long way.”

Although the team has had its ups and downs, the infusion of new players has worked itself into a positive. After losing five rotation players from last year’s team, head coach Ric Wesley has worked new players
in smoothly.

“The guys that are returning have really pulled together, and I think we have a pretty good group of veterans that are very close,” Wesley said. “We have good team chemistry, so we might not have quite the luxury
we’ve had in terms of depth and veterans, but at the same time, I think our chemistry and our commitment will be better.”

Those new players range from 6-foot-8, 3-point shooting freshman forward Ben Lanning to junior guard Josh Anderson,the son of former NBA player Nick Anderson. While the team’s offense has struggled this year, those two — plus forwards Tyrone Lee and Ryan Sabin — have also contributed in ways outside of production on the court.

“One big thing that I like about the newcomers is that we all have the same goal: we want to win,” said senior center Nick Wadell. “We all go hard at practice, and we all go at each other at practice and it shows on the
court because we’re all one big family.”

Waddell, who lost almost 30 pounds this offseason, and senior guard James Thomas have carried the offense this season. Along with Waddell’s increased productivity both scoring and rebounding the ball, Thomas’average of 15 points per game paces the team and ranks No. 11 in the GLIAC.

Junior point guard Breland Hogan also returns, and teammates said he has taken on more of a leadership role and is playing as more of a traditional, ball-distributing game.

“We really need him to have a great year for us,” Wesley said. “He’s going on his third year starting, he has worked extremely hard and I think he feels really comfortable in what we do as well as what his role
is – I think he’s really ready to have a great season.”

Hogan has played well for the Lakers, averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and a team-high three assists per
game, teaming with Thomas to form one of the GLIAC’s top backcourt duos.

Coming off a X-X win/loss over Northwood University last night, the Lakers will look to continue the conference season in a home game against No. 18 Hillsdale College on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Arena.