Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes opens up its fourth season of men's basketball this week with three games over five days, all away from home.  The Gray Wolves open the campaign on Tuesday evening with a visit to Grand Rapids, Mich. to battle Kuyper College.  Lourdes then heads to Goshen, Ind. on Friday and Saturday for the Maple City Hoopfest where the Gray Wolves will face Goshen as well as Bethel (Ind.).

Head Coach Andre Smith: In his third season both on the Lourdes bench and overall as a men's collegiate head coach, Andre Smith has a 51-44 (.537) record.  He is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.  Smith was the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2012-2013.

Series Notes: Lourdes is 3-1 all-time against Kuyper after defeating the Cougars 72-46 last season on Nov. 6 at Tam-o-Shanter.  The Gray Wolves are 1-1 all-time in Grand Rapids, Mich., winning the first meeting Jan. 25, 2011 before falling by two points on Oct. 31, 2011.  Lourdes and Goshen will be meeting on the hardwood for the first time ever.  The Gray Wolves have also never faced Bethel (Ind.) in men's basketball.

Wrapping Up Last Season: The Gray Wolves finished the season 22-10 overall and 16-6 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, placing third in the WHAC standings.  The Gray Wolves advanced to the semifinals of the WHAC Tournament before falling to Madonna, and earned an at-large berth in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.  Lourdes fell 62-60 in overtime to Indiana Wesleyan to end the season in the tournament.

Scouting Kuyper: The Cougars are opening the season as well on Tuesday evening after posting a 16-16 record one year ago.  Kuyper returns seven players from the 2012-2013 season.  Sal Hermiz is the team's top returning scorer, averaging 11.2 points along with 4.1 assists per game one year ago.  

Scouting Goshen: The Maple Leafs open their 2013-2014 season on Friday night against Lourdes after posting an 8-21 record one year ago while posting a 1-17 mark in the Crossroads League.  Goshen has seven players on the roster this year that had varsity experience one year ago.  Jerron Jamerson led the Maple Leafs last year averaging 16.1 points per game while also pulling down 5.1 rebounds per contest.

Scouting Bethel (Ind.): The Pilots finished 2012-2013 with a 25-10 record overall and a 12-6 mark in the Crossroads League, winning the conference tournament.  Bethel advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II National Tournament, defeating Embry-Riddle before falling to William Penn.  Bethel opens the season Tuesday at Holy Cross (Ind.) and faces Madonna on Friday before meeting Lourdes.  The Pilots return nine players from last year's squad, led by Zach Miller, who averaged 14.8 points per game while shooting 46.6% from three-point range.

Lourdes Tabbed Fourth in Preseason Poll: The Gray Wolves were selected to finish in fourth place in the WHAC this season in the preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Lourdes was picked just ahead of Northwestern Ohio, and just behind Cornerstone.  Davenport was tabbed as the conference's preseason favorite for 2013-2014 after winning the conference title two straight seasons.

Lourdes in Openers: The Gray Wolves are 1-2 all-time in season openers heading into their fourth season.  Lourdes posted a 61-51 victory at Indiana Tech on Oct. 30, 2010, the inaugural game in program history before dropping its year two opener played at Kuyper on Oct. 31, 2011, the Gray Wolves dropped a 60-58 decision to the Cougars.  Last season Lourdes dropped a 74-63 decision to Windsor in the opening round of the Trent Allen Memorial Tip-off hosted by Spring Arbor.

Solid Defense Last Season: Lourdes played the stingiest defense of any NAIA Division II team during the 2012-2013 season.  The Gray Wolves led the country allowing just 51.3 points per contest while also leading the nation allowing the opposition to shoot just 36.8% from the floor.  Senior Elvin Butler was named to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference's All-Defensive Team one year ago for his efforts.

Lots of New Faces: Lourdes returns just seven players that saw action during the 2012-2013 season.  The Gray Wolves do gain the services of Eric Worthey and Vaughn Ross though, both of whom sat out last season as redshirts.  Lourdes has 19 new players with its program this year.

Looking to Replace Scoring: Lourdes lost 56.4% of its scoring from last season, including four of its top five scorers.  Elvin Butler is the team's top returning scorer after averaging 8.0 points per game during his junior year.

Captains Named: Lourdes has two captains on the roster this season.  Serving in the leadership role for 2013-2014 are Elvin Butler and Jake DuPree, both first time captains.

This and That: Elvin Butler is the team's top returning rebounder, averaging 4.2 boards per night ... Jake DuPree and Butler, along with Remy Fleurima who graduated, all shared the team lead with 53 assists last season ... Andre Smith was named the WHAC Coach of the Year in 2012-2013 ... Lourdes has never won every game of an inseason tournament/invitational in program  history.