Holland Reporter

The Grand Valley State men's basketball team is preparing to kick off their regular season at home this weekend, facing Walsh and Ashland. The Lakers will play against Walsh on Friday, November 8, at 2:00 PM, followed by a game against Ashland on Sunday, November 10, at 1:00 PM.

Cornell Mann, entering his third season as head coach for GVSU, has guided the Lakers to a 34-27 record over his first two seasons. Last season, the team reached the GLIAC tournament championship. This year, GVSU returns six of their top eight scorers from last season. Among them are All-GLIAC performers Ethan Alderink and William Dunn. Alderink averaged 11.5 points per game with a shooting percentage of 48.5% from the field, while Dunn averaged 11.2 points per game with shooting percentages of 48.8% from the field and 46% from three-point range.

Point guards Mason Docks and Trevor Smith Jr., who earned All-GLIAC defensive honors last season, are also returning. Docks averaged ten points per game and led the team with 35 steals. Smith Jr. led in assists with 102 and was third in steals with 31. Jalen Charity is another returning player who appeared in all games last season.

Walsh had a successful previous season with a record of 24-6, winning the GMAC tournament championship and securing an NCAA tournament berth. The Cavaliers bring back two of their top three scorers including Kobe Mitchell who averaged 16.8 points per game last season.

Ashland finished last season with a record of 17-11 and managed to defeat GVSU in their opener last year by one point (62-61). Although they lost their top three scorers from last year, Maceo Williams returns after scoring an average of 14.5 points per game.

Both games will be available for streaming on FloSports and can be listened to live on Thunder Country radio station at frequency 107.3 FM.