Complete PDF Notes

Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes heads to Chicago for three days to participate in the Saint Xavier Midwest Tournament which features five teams ranked in the NAIA Division II top-25.  The Gray Wolves will face #21 Saint Ambrose in the opening round on Saturday before playing either tournament host and 10th-ranked Saint Xavier or Goshen on Sunday.  Lourdes will face either #9 Davenport, #14 Bellevue (Neb.), Aquinas, or Viterbo on the final day of play Monday.

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 60-47 (.561) 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 will face Saint Ambrose on the hardwood for the first time ever on Saturday.  The Gray Wolves are 1-0 all-time against Goshen after defeating the Maple Leafs 71-50 back on Nov. 1, 2013 at the Maple City Hoopfest.  Lourdes is 1-5 all-time against Davenport after downing the Panthers 59-55 on the road earlier this season on Nov. 23.  The Gray Wolves are 4-1 all-time against Aquinas after defeating the Saints 57-55 on the road back on Dec. 4.  Lourdes has never faced Saint Ambrose, Bellevue (Neb.), or Viterbo.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes had four players score in double figures on Wednesday night (Dec. 11) as the Gray Wolves scored a 92-88 overtime victory over Point Park in a game played at Adrian College.  Jake DuPree made four three-pointers on his way to a team-high 23 points while Zach Steinmetz went 8-for-11 from the floor on his way to a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.  Lourdes fell behind 12-2 nine minutes into the game on Saturday (Dec. 14) and could never recover, falling at Indiana Tech 65-55.  Steinmetz led the Gray Wolves with 20 points while Eric Worthey added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Scouting Saint Ambrose: The Bees have won four of their last five games following a 78-65 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange last Saturday (Dec. 14) in the Saint Ambrose Shootout.  Nick Frazier leads the Bees averaging 18.2 points per game this season while shooting 46.6% from the floor.  Tylon Deal adds 14.8 points and 5.2 assists per contest while sharing the team lead with 5.3 rebounds per night.  Darian White has contributed 13.3 points per game on 54.2% shooting from the floor and 79.6% free throw shooting.

Scouting Saint Xavier: The Cougars have won five straight games entering the week following a 96-77 win at #8 Robert Morris (Ill.) last Saturday (Dec. 14).  Saint Xavier heads to Roosevelt on Thursday before hosting Goshen in the first round of the tournament.  Brad Karp is the team's leader averaging 27.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting 61.6% from the floor.  Michael Simpson adds 17.7 points and Jack Krieger is scoring 15.8 points per night for Saint Xavier, which averages 93.9 points per game as a team.

Scouting Goshen: The Maple Leafs enter the week on a winning note after an 81-71 overtime victory against Grace back on Dec. 7.  Goshen faces Grand View and Clarke on Tuesday and Wednesday before traveling to Saint Xavier.  Jerron Jamerson leads the Maple Leafs averaging 19.1 points per night while Stefon Luckey and Billy Geschke are adding 13.1 and 12.7 points per game respectively.

Rounding Out the Field: Lourdes will play one of the four teams from the bottom half of the bracket, which includes two WHAC foes, on the final day of the tournament.  Davenport is currently 10-2 and faces 8-2 Bellevue (Neb.) in round one.  Aquinas is 4-7 and plays Grace Bible on Wednesday night before facing Viterbo in round one.  Viterbo is 6-4 with games against Winona State and Waldorf before tournament play.

Facing Ranked Foes: Lourdes has the potential to play three straight ranked opponents in the Saint Xavier Midwest Tournament.  The Gray Wolves are 6-15 all-time against teams in the NAIA Division II top-25, having posted a 1-2 mark already this year.  The lone win came against #10 Davenport on Nov. 23.  

Wrapping Up 2013: Lourdes enters the final three games of 2013 having posted a 22-8 record during the calendar year.  The Gray Wolves made their second straight appearance in the NAIA Division II National Championships in March.  

Defense Picks Up Where it Left Off: Lourdes played the stingiest defense of any NAIA Division II team during the 2012-2013 season, allowing just 51.3 points per contest while also leading the nation allowing the opposition to shoot just 36.8% from the floor.  Already this season the Gray Wolves rank third in the country in scoring defense, giving up just 59.5 points per night while allowing the opposition to shoot just 27.6% from the three-point range, seventh best in the nation.

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: Lourdes victory against Point Park was the school's first overtime win ever (1-2) ... the Gray Wolves are 9-0 when shooting better than the opposition from the floor and 0-3 when shooting worse than their opponents ... Zach Steinmetz had his third double-double of the year against Point Park ... Jerome Talton is shooting 89.3% from the free throw line ... Steinmetz is the only Gray Wolf to start all 12 games this season.