vs. Quincy (Friday, 6:00 p.m. ET)
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at Missouri-St. Louis (Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET)
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Grand Valley State kicks off regular season play this weekend (Nov. 11-12) in St. Louis, Missouri at the GLIAC-GLVC Challenge, facing a pair of teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Lakers will take on Quincy on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. ET before closing the opening weekend against Missouri-St. Louis at 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday evening.
 
This is the third straight year that these schools from the GLIAC and GLVC have met in the early-season tournament. Ferris State is the other GLIAC school and the fourth team in the Challenge, as the Bulldogs will host next year's competition to complete the four-year rotation.
 
Over the first two seasons of the cross-conference challenge, Grand Valley State is 3-1 against Quincy and Missouri-St. Louis. In the 2014-15 season in Quincy, Ill., GVSU dropped a 58-53 decision to UMSL before bouncing back to top Quincy 69-67 on day two. Last season, the tournament was held in Allendale and the home Lakers won both contests. Grand Valley State knocked off Quincy (76-67) and Missouri-St. Louis (63-57) as part of a season-opening five-game winning streak.
 
GVSU returns nine letterwinners and a pair of starters from last year's team that went 18-11 and finished 12-10 in GLIAC play. It was the 10th time in 12 seasons that head coach Ric Wesley won at least 18 games. Senior guard Luke Ryskamp was an All-GLIAC Second Team selection last year, as he posted 13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in a team-best 30.03 minutes per game. Ryskamp started all 29 games and is just 78 points away from becoming the 34th member of GVSU's 1,000 point club.
 
Fellow senior Trevin Alexander averaged 8.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and was the Lakers' best all-around defender, picking up a team-high 35 steals and adding 15 blocks. Sophomore guard Zach West started beside Ryskamp in the backcourt 23 times and the rookie played 24.0 minutes per game, scoring 5.3 points, and making 37 three-pointers.
 
Junior point guard Myles Miller and sophomore center Justin Greason each cracked the starting lineup last season and will be counted on for more production this year. Guards Juwan Starks, Deshawn Lewis, and Alec Marty, along with center Drake Baar will compete for more playing time, as well.
 
The Lakers have nearly as many newcomers (eight) on this year's roster as players who have played in a game for GVSU (nine). Among the eight newcomers, there is a five-member class of true freshmen and two junior college transfers. In the GLIAC Preseason Poll released a few weeks ago, Grand Valley State was chosen to finish fifth in the conference's North Division.
 
GVSU is 5-2 all-time and have won the last five meetings against the Hawks, all since 2003. All five of those wins have been decided by 10 points or less. Against Missouri-St. Louis, the Lakers are 4-1. Four of the teams' five meetings have come since the 2005-06 season.
 
During Wesley's previous 12 years as head coach, Grand Valley State is 11-1 in season openers. The Lakers won the first 10 seasons openers to begin Wesley's career.
 
Quincy finished 20-10 last season and went 12-6 in GLVC play, marking the program's first 20-win campaign since 2009-10. The Hawks advanced to the GLVC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2008, knocking off Drury in the quarterfinal round. QU brings back four starters from last year, including All-GLVC First Team honoree Joseph Tagarelli (16.5 points, 6.6 rebounds) and Second Team selection Evan McGaughey (13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds). In the GLVC Preseason Poll, Quincy was chosen to win the West Division, collecting nine of a possible 16 first-place votes.
 
Missouri-St. Louis is coming off of a 12-16 mark last year, as the Tritons finished 6-12 in conference play. UMSL was selected to finish fifth in the eight-team West Division of the GLVC. Senior guard Joseph English is the team's top returning scorer at 8.8 points per game, while also posting 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Hunter Reine added 7.9 points and a team-best 4.8 rebounds per game, while leading the Tritons with a 57.1 field goal percentage.
 
Grand Valley State will return to Allendale for three home games in a six-day span, including the 2016-17 home opener next Wednesday (Nov. 16) against Great Lakes Christian. The opener is a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. GVSU will also face Trinity Christian next Friday (Nov. 18) at 8:00 p.m. and Grace Bible on Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m.