Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes opens its 13th season of intercollegiate basketball on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves travel south to visit Wilberforce.  The game is one of two for the Gray Wolves prior to the start of Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play.

Head Coach Dennis Hopson: In his fourth season on the Lourdes bench, Dennis Hopson is 53-25 (.679) 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 2-0 all-time against Wilberforce in a series that began Nov. 13, 2021.  The Gray Wolves won both meetings against the Bulldogs last season, posting a 115-75 triumph in Wilberforce, Ohio before defeating Wilberforce 101-70 inside the Ebeid Rec Center three weeks later.

Wrapping Up Last Season: The Gray Wolves posted a 24-8 record overall and a 13-7 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.  Lourdes finished in a tie for third place in the league during the regular season before capturing the WHAC tournament title with a 79-61 triumph in the championship game at Madonna.  The Gray Wolves fell in the first round of the NAIA National Championships on a buzzer-beater, 90-88, at Olivet Nazarene. 

Scouting Wilberforce: The Bulldogs posted an 11-16 record last season as an independent but have joined the Mid-South Conference for this upcoming campaign.  Wilberforce returns 10 players from last year's squad, including the team's top five scorers.  Cali Davis led the way averaging 12.4 points per game while Bobby McFadden added 11.4 points per night.  Jesse Olverson tallied 10.3 points per game while Kyle Cardenas chipped in 10.0 points per game.  

Returning Award Winners: Joey Holifield was named the WHAC Newcomer of the Year and was a First Team All-WHAC selection last season after leading the Gray Wolves averaging 15.8 points per game.  He shot 51.0% from the floor and 84.0% from the free throw line while adding 53 steals.  Little Anderson garnered Second Team All-WHAC accolades one season ago after tallying 12.7 points per contest.

Lourdes in Season Openers: Lourdes is 8-4 all-time in season openers.  The Gray Wolves have won six of their last seven season openers after defeating East-West 116-54 to tip off the 2021-2022 season at home.  The Gray Wolves are 3-2 in true road games to start the season, but have not begun a campaign on an opponent's home floor since a 78-65 victory at Saint Xavier on Oct. 30, 2015.

More Key Returnees: Lourdes returns five of its top-seven scorers from one season ago.  Joey Holifield led the way averaging 15.8 points per game while Jackie Harris tallied 14.4 points per outing over the first 14 games prior to an injury that sidelined him for the latter half of the year.  Little Anderson also chipped in with 12.7 points per night.  Brett Lauf scored 7.3 points per game while handing out 130 total assists.  Charles Swain tallied 5.7 points per outing for the Gray Wolves as well in 2021-2022.

Welcome Back Clif: Clif Snow returns for one final season with the Gray Wolves after not playing basketball in 2021-2022.  The three-time First Team All-WHAC earned NAIA Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2019-2020.  He has averaged 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over his career with the Gray Wolves.

Lots of New Faces: The Gray Wolves have seven players who are new to the roster this season, including three freshmen and four transfers.  Stephen Coleman Jr., Nic Borojevich, and Juan Brown will all make their collegiate debuts this season.  Jalen Brown will also play collegiate basketball for the first time after transferring to Lourdes from Tiffin University where he sat out as a redshirt last season.  Marcus Larsson is a NCAA Division I transfer from Illinois-Chicago while Kevin Siakam arrives from Compton Community College.  Fahad Tarjali is a transfer from South Mountain Community College and Dominique Cole arrives from Siena Heights University but will have to sit out the first semester due to WHAC transfer rules.

Against the Mid-South Conference: Wilberforce is in its first season as a member of the Mid-South Conference.  Previously, the Gray Wolves have only faced Shawnee State from the league, and are still looking for their first victory over the MSC after going 0-2 against the Bears.

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 Cornerstone and just behind Madonna in the league balloting.  Indiana Tech is the favorite to win the WHAC in 2022-2023.

This and That: Lourdes is 182-171 all-time entering the program's 13th season ... last season was the Gray Wolves third NAIA National Championship appearance (along with 2012 and 2013) ... the Gray Wolves are 72-100 in true road games ... Lourdes is 5-14 all-time in overtime contests.