Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes opens its 12th season of intercollegiate basketball on Tuesday evening as the Gray Wolves host East-West inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  It is the first of a two-game homestand for Lourdes to tip off the 2021-2022 season.

Head Coach Dennis Hopson: In his second season on the Lourdes bench, Dennis Hopson is 29-17 (.630) with the Gray Wolves and as a men's collegiate head coach.  He is only the third head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes is 3-0 all-time against East-West in a series that began Oct. 31, 2018.  The Gray Wolves won the last meeting against the Phantoms 92-77 at home on Jan. 13, 2021.  Lourdes is 2-0 versus East-West inside the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wrapping Up Last Season: The Gray Wolves posted a 9-6 record overall and a 7-3 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.  Lourdes finished in fifth place in the league, and fell to Madonna in the quarterfinals of the WHAC tournament. 

Scouting East-West: The Phantoms dropped a pair of games at the Jaguars Tip-Off Classic this past weekend.  East-West fell to host Governors State 88-80 on Friday before dropping a 98-69 decision to Dordt on Saturday.  De'Quanii Jackson averaged 22.0 points and 8.0 assists per game for East-West on opening weekend while Toraze Dobbs added 14.5 points per night.  Dobbs also led the team on the glass, pulling down 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Returning Award Winners: Nick Welch is back for the Gray Wolves after earning First Team All Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference accolades in 2020-2021.  Welch tallied 12.7 points and a team-leading 8.4 rebounds per game for the Gray Wolves.  Little Anderson also returns after garnering Second Team All-WHAC and WHAC All-Defensive Team honors for the Gray Wolves as well.  He scored 10.1 points per outing while grabbing 4.3 boards per night.

Earliest Start Ever: When Lourdes tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 26, it will mark the earliest start to a basketball season in program history.  The previous earliest start for the Gray Wolves was Oct. 29 to begin both the 2013-2014 and 2016-2017 slates.

Lourdes in Season Openers: Lourdes is 7-4 all-time in season openers.  The Gray Wolves had their five-opener win streak snapped last season, falling 77-53 to Marian at the Bethel Tip-Off Classic.  The Gray Wolves are 4-0 all-time in season openers at home, having last opened a season inside the Ebeid Rec Center on Nov. 2, 2019, a 99-81 victory over Harris-Stowe.

Home Sweet Home: Lourdes is 10-1 all-time in home openers, including a perfect 5-0 inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.  Last season the Gray Wolves opened the home slate with a 92-77 win over East-West.  The Gray Wolves went 5-1 in their former home, Tam-o-Shanter, prior to the 2016-2017 season.  The only home opener Lourdes has lost came to top-ranked Cornerstone in 2015.

Lauf Also Returns: In addition to All-WHAC selections Nick Welch and Little Anderson that return from last year, Brett Lauf is also back for the Gray Wolves.  He was a Second Team All-WHAC honoree in 2018-2019 before injuries forced him to miss the following season.  He returned last year to average 10.6 points and 3.3 assists per game in 13 contests.

A Veteran Squad: Lourdes has nine players that return from last year's roster.  McRay White is back after playing just two games one year ago and will be in his fifth season wearing the terra cotta and black.  The Gray Wolves also brought in four transfers this season that have collegiate experience.  RJ Fairow is a graduate transfer from Point Park who will play his final season at Lourdes.  Joey Holifield and Jackie Harris both have NCAA Division I experience, having seen time at Oakland University.

Just One Freshman: Ben Palma is the lone freshman on the roster for Lourdes this season.  The 6-9 rookie is a native of Dayton, Ohio.

Lourdes Tabbed Third in Preseason Poll: The Gray Wolves were selected to finish in third place in the WHAC this season in the preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Lourdes was picked just ahead of Madonna and just behind Rochester (Mich.) in the league balloting.  Indiana Tech is the favorite to win the WHAC in 2021-2022.

This and That: Lourdes is 158-163 all-time entering the program's 12th season ... the Gray Wolves have two NAIA National Championship appearances (2012 and 2013) ... the Gray Wolves are 38-25 all-time inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center ... Lourdes is 5-14 all-time in overtime contests.