Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: After a home-opening victory, Lourdes ventures out on the road for six straight games, beginning this weekend at the Best Western Hoopfest.  The Gray Wolves will play host Goshen on Friday evening before facing 16th-ranked Bethel (Ind.) on Saturday afternoon.

Head Coach Josh Gibson: In his first season on the Lourdes bench Josh Gibson has a 1-0 (1.000) record.  Overall as a men's collegiate head coach, Gibson has a 61-56 (.521) record in his fifth season.  He is only the second head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes is 2-0 all-time against Goshen in a series that dates back to Nov. 1, 2013.  The Gray Wolves scored a 68-64 win in the last meeting against the Maple Leafs, a game played Dec. 22, 2013 in the Saint Xavier Midwest Tournament.  Lourdes also won the only previous meeting in Goshen, Ind., a 71-60 triumph as part of the Maple City Hoopfest.  Bethel (Ind.) holds a 1-0 series edge against Lourdes.  The Pilots won the only previous meeting 75-65 on Nov. 2, 2013 in Goshen, Ind. as part of the Maple City Hoopfest.

Wrapping Up Last Week: The Gray Wolves opened the season at home last Saturday with an 83-48 victory over Akron Wayne at the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.  The Gray Wolves used a 27-3 run midway through the first half to break the game open.  Najeeb Johnson led Lourdes with 20 points and nine rebounds while Levert Bristol added nine points and 10 boards.  Ci'Andre Johnson-Lollar led Akron Wayne with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Scouting Goshen: The Maple Leafs are still in search of their first win this season after opening the year last Saturday with a 96-78 loss at Olivet Nazarene.  Conner Funkhouser led Goshen with 16 points off of the bench while Kevin Phillips added 14 points.  The Maple Leafs shot 45.2% from the floor, but just 28% from three-point range, in the setback.

Scouting Bethel (Ind.): The Pilots opened their season on Wednesday evening with an 86-70 victory at Andrews.  Clay Yeo led Bethel with 28 points and nine rebounds while Jordyn Coon added 18 points.  Bethel faces Ohio Christian on Friday to open the Best Western Hoopfest before facing Lourdes.

A Rough Schedule: Bethel is the first of numerous NAIA Division II top-25 programs Lourdes will face this season.  The Gray Wolves have 10 games on its schedule against ranked opponents, with a possibility of an 11th, Indiana-East, at next week's MVNU Homecoming Classic.  In addition, Mount Vernon Nazarene is receiving votes in the preseason poll.

Against Ranked Foes: Lourdes is 8-31 all-time against NAIA Division II top-25 opponents.  The Gray Wolves went 0-6 against ranked foes last year, and have dropped eight straight games against nationally-ranked teams.  Lourdes last win against a ranked team was a 53-32 victory over fourth-ranked Davenport at home on Feb. 18, 2015.

From Downtown: Lourdes drained nine three-pointers as a team in the season opener against Akron Wayne, the team's highest single game output since at least 2012-2013.  The last few years the Gray Wolves have had season highs of eight triples in a contest.

Newcomers Make Their Mark: In the season opener against Akron Wayne, Lourdes saw 77.1% of its scoring come from newcomers.  Returnees accounted for just 19 of the team's 83 points.  All three double figure scorers were newcomers in Najeeb Johnson (20 points), Desmond Frazier (16 points), and Malik Thurman (15 points).

Limiting Opportunities: Lourdes did a solid job of limiting second chance points in the season opener at home.  The Gray Wolves surrendered 12 offensive rebounds to Akron Wayne, but the Warriors were unable to capitalize on the second chance opportunities, scoring zero points in that fashion.

A New Look Lineup: All five of Lourdes starters in the season opener were newcomers to the program.  Levert Bristol, Malik Thurman, Desmond Frazier, Najeeb Johnson, and Kris Little made their first Gray Wolf starts against Akron Wayne.

Solid Defense Continues: The Gray Wolves allowed just 48 points in the season opener, a mark that is tops nationally in scoring defense early in the year.  Lourdes finished seventh in NAIA Division II last season surrendering just 67.17 points per game, and the Gray Wolves have ranked in the top-10 in scoring defense nationally in five straight years.  The Gray Wolves were third in the NAIA in 2014-2015.  In 2013-2014 Lourdes was fifth (63.10), one year after leading the country in 2012-2013 (51.3).  In 2011-2012, the Gray Wolves were fifth nationally allowing 62.30 points per night.

Lourdes Tabbed 10th in Preseason Poll: The Gray Wolves were selected to finish in 10th place in the WHAC this season in the preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Lourdes was picked just ahead of Marygrove, and just behind Siena Heights.  Davenport was tabbed as the conference's preseason favorite after finishing as a NAIA national semifinalist two straight seasons.

This and That: Levert Bristol was one point shy of a double-double in the opener with nine points and 10 boards ... Lourdes had 17 assists and just nine turnovers against Akron Wayne ... the Gray Wolves held a 46-20 advantage scoring in the paint against the Warriors ... Lourdes is 1-4 all-time in overtime games ... the Gray Wolves are five wins shy of 100 in program history.