ALLENDALE, Mich. – The defending GLIAC Tournament champion Grand Valley State Lakers begin their 2019-20 season with a pair of home regional contests this weekend, welcoming the Alderson Broaddus Battlers on Saturday (Nov. 9) at 12 PM and Davis & Elkins Senators on Sunday (Nov. 10) at 1 PM at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Both games will stream live on the Grand Valley Sports Network with radio on Talk 1230 WTKG on Saturday and ESPN 96.1 FM on Sunday.
 
The Lakers return some familiar faces from their historic post-season run a year ago that culminated in the team's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2010. Preseason All-GLIAC selection Jake Van Tubbergen begins his junior season after a pair of second team All-conference seasons to begin his career. The former conference freshman of the year averaged 14 points a game last season and right around six rebounds to establish himself as one of the better forwards in the league. Jeremiah Ferguson, who hit the buzzer-beater to send the Lakers dancing last season, is also back for his senior year and second full season as a Laker.
 
"We've got a good nucleus back from last year's team and I hope they can carry some of that momentum from how we played down the stretch into this year," said head coach Ric Wesley. "Jeremiah made great strides during his first year and I'm excited to see him after a full off-season with us. Jake, Ben (Lubitz), Steve (Lloyd) and our other returners have all continued to get better and we expect a lot out of them."
 
Adding to the mix this season are four transfers, including three from Division I. Christian Negron, Isaac Gassman and Jayden Hodgson all are expected to make immediate impacts after coming over from different schools in the Missouri Valley Conference. John Slater has already proven to have great energy and basketball IQ after joining the team from Oakland Community College. Four freshmen; Austin Braun, Jett Fortuny, Marius Grazulis and Tobin Schwannecke will all dress for their true freshman year and fight for roles on the court as well.
 
The Lakers opened the 2018-19 season with a 96-74 win over the Battlers on the road in West Virginia in the first-ever meeting between the two in-region teams. Alderson Broaddus would go on to reach the Great-Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Tournament, falling in the quarterfinals after a 13-16 overall season and 9-11 conference slate. They graduate their leading scorer Mike Davis, but return Malik Bacook, who nearly averaged a double-double last season. David Shriver, who led the Battlers with 82 made threes as a freshman, has a full season under his belt and is poised to be a serious threat from downtown this season.
 
"Alderson Broaddus has some very talented pieces. They are physical inside and have some really strong rebounders. Our on-ball defense will be key to preventing them from getting good looks from deep or clear passing pathways into the post. This will be a good test for our guys to start the year," said Wesley.
 
GVSU downed Davis & Elkins, 85-68, in another initial meeting last season. Van Tubbergen scored a game-high 18 points and snagged six boards to lead the Lakers to victory. Donte Doleman (6.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 37.1 FG% in 2018-19), Patrick Wilburn (5.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 39.8 FG% in 2018-19) and Erkam Kiris (4.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 38.3 FG% in 2018-19) are among the key returners for Davis & Elkins this season with considerable playing experience from last season.
 
"Davis & Elkins has a veteran core this season, they're moving to a new conference and they have a lot of energy," Wesley said. "They have a senior point guard that has really been a focal point of their offense for three years. He's a great facilitator and can score himself, so our guards will be challenged on the defensive end of the floor."
 
The Lakers look to get started on the right foot as they tip off the 2019-20 season. With a complete blend of newcomers and returners, GVSU will have to gel quickly in order to get a pair of Division II wins, which could become important come post-season time. With a pair of home games in the gym that ranked 19^th in Division II in attendance last season, the Lakers will look to that sixth man for a spurt of energy to start the year.