Men’s Basketball Ranked Third in GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team was ranked third in the 2020-21 GLIAC North Division Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll as announced by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) on Wednesday, Dec. 16. 

The Lakers received 40 points, which included one first place vote to earn the third spot in the rankings. Ferris State received 60 points (10 first place votes) to finish first in the poll with Michigan Tech ranking second with 50 votes (one first place vote). Northern Michigan (28), Parkside (24) and Purdue Northwest (14) round out the North Division Poll. 

Senior Malek Adams was named to the 2020-21 GLIAC Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team for the North Division. Adams was a First Team All-GLIAC honoree as a junior in 2018-19 and missed the 2019-20 season with a knee injury.

The Lake Superior State men’s basketball team is primed for a strong return in 2021 as the team returns with a game against Wayne State on Friday, Jan. 8. Following a 12-16 overall record during the 2019-20 season, the Lakers will look to improve their record and challenge for a spot at the top of the GLIAC standings. The Lakers are led by Head Coach Steve Hettinga, the all-time winningest coach in LSSU men’s basketball program history, who enters his 14th season in the role this year.

The Lakers graduated a small but impactful class at the end of the 2019-20 season, highlighted by the departure of Montrece Collins, a First Team All-GLIAC player for the team last year. The Lakers also lost Jackson Schrameyer and Cody Ley, who were important to the team as leaders both on and off the court. This year’s group of seniors include Malek Adams, Brandon Allen and Sam Cornett.

One key addition to this year’s Lakers roster is the return of Malek Adams to the lineup. Adams, who was named First Team All-Conference as a junior in 2018-19, was out for the entire 2019-20 season due to a knee injury. As a junior, Adams averaged 16.0 points per game with a 49.0 shooting percentage and a 40.9 percentage from outside the circle.

Among the other key returners for the Lakers this season are junior guard C.J. Robinson, sophomore guard Nigel Colvin, and junior guard Justin Fischer. Robinson is the only returning player to have started all 28 games for the Lakers last season and ranked second on the team in assists (87). Colvin, who was a top freshman in the GLIAC last season, had the most points among all returning players on the Lakers last season with 307 and 11.0 points per game. Fischer led the team last season with a 51.0 shooting percentage, 97 assists and his 124 rebounds is the most among returning players.

The Lakers will add four players to this year’s roster with two freshmen and two transfers joining the team. The freshmen class consists of a pair of guards, Andy Soma (Traverse City, Mich.) and guard Blake Cassidy (Pellston, Mich.) while the transfers are both joining the Lakers from Schoolcraft Community College. Kemon Bassett, a 6-6 forward, and David Wren, a 6-2 guard, will continue their collegiate careers together at LSSU this season.