ALLENDALE—The Grand Valley State men's basketball program opens up 2022-23 competition with their first exhibition of the season at 7 p.m. on Thursday against Oakland in Rochester, Michigan.
 
Fans can catch the game on ESPN+ or listen via The Ticket (96.1 FM, 1340 AM, 1490 AM). Tickets are available at goldengrizzlies.com. Fans can also follow along on Twitter @GVSUBasketball.
 
The matchup with the Golden Grizzlies is the first of three exhibitions for the Lakers. GVSU will also face Eastern Michigan (Oct. 27) and Michigan State (Nov. 1) in exhibition matchups.
 
Opening Tips
 
• First year head coach Cornell Mann leads the Lakers. Mann was named the GVSU men's basketball coach on April 2, becoming the sixth men's basketball head coach at GVSU.
 
• Mann has accrued 20 years of Division I experience. Mann's most recent stop came at Missouri where he was an assistant under Cuonzo Martin. Mann has helped recruit and develop eight NBA draftees and coached six All-Americans.
 
• The Lakers' roster is lined with new faces. GVSU adds nine new players to its roster in 2022-23, including three incoming transfer players: Daniel Kiely (Texas A&M International), Austin James (Cabrillo College) and Chinedu Kingsley Okanu (Northern Illinois).
 
• The Lakers take on former GLIAC foe Oakland on Thursday night. The Golden Grizzlies (then known as the Pioneers) were in the GLIAC from 1973 until 1997 when they made the transition to Division I. The Lakers boast a 36-27 record all-time against Oakland.