Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Ringing in the new year undefeated, Lourdes looks to keep its perfect season intact beginning a three-game homestand in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action.  The Gray Wolves will entertain Lawrence Tech on Wednesday before hosting Madonna on Saturday.

Head Coach Dennis Hopson: In his fifth season on the Lourdes bench, Dennis Hopson is 85-34 (.714) 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 holds an 15-7 all-time advantage against Lawrence Tech in a series that began Nov. 3, 2012.  The Gray Wolves have won the last three meetings against the Blue Devils after sweeping last year's season series.  Lourdes downed Lawrence Tech 77-76 in the Ebeid Rec Center and 81-76 in Southfield, Mich.  Lourdes is 6-1 against the Blue Devils inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  Madonna holds an 18-11 edge in the all-time series against Lourdes dating back to Nov. 6, 2010.  The Crusaders won two of the three meetings last season.  Madonna won in Livonia, Mich. 84-76 while the Gray Wolves were 96-87 victors in the Ebeid Rec Center during the regular season.  The Crusaders then downed Lourdes 88-78 in the Ebeid Rec Center in the WHAC semifinals.  Madonna is 6-1 against the Gray Wolves all-time in the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wrapping Up Recent Weeks: Lourdes closed out non-conference play on Dec. 16 with an 83-64 victory over Concordia (Mich.).  Joey Holifield scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Shuann Monroe added 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting.  Jackie Harris chipped in 17 points.  Last Saturday (Dec. 30), the Gray Wolves defeated Grand Valley State 73-63 in exhibition play.  Holifield scored 21 points while Monroe and Harris had 19 points each.

Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils have been idle since Dec. 16 when Lawrence Tech fell 85-76 on the road at Aquinas.  Brandon Beavers leads the Blue Devils averaging 19.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while Nathaniel Ward adds 14.5 points per night.  Cameron McEvans and Aaron Dolny each contribute 10.8 points per contest.

Scouting Madonna: The Crusaders enter the week having won eight straight games following a 102-72 win over Northwestern Ohio on Dec. 16.  Madonna hosts Concordia (Mich.) on Wednesday before visiting Lourdes.  Brendan Young leads Madonna scoring 17.2 points while grabbing 6.9 rebounds per game this season.  Isaac Anderson adds 13.4 points per night while Matthew MacLellan (11.4 ppg), Devin Dunn (11.3 ppg), and Sho-Ron Graham (10.3 ppg) are also scoring in double figures.

Moving Up the Top-25: Lourdes enters the week ranked 14th in the latest NAIA top-25 coaches' poll.  This marks the first season the Gray Wolves have been ranked in men's basketball since the NAIA merged from two divisions into one prior to the 2020-2021 season.  The ranking of 14th is the highest for the Gray Wolves since Feb. 5, 2020, when Lourdes was ranked 13th.  The highest Lourdes has ever been ranked was 13th during the 2019-2020 season.  The next poll will not be released until Jan. 17.

Among the Remaining Unbeatens: Lourdes heads into 2024 as one of just five undefeated teams remaining in all of NAIA.  The Gray Wolves join Grace (13-0), Point Park (13-0), Langston (11-0), and Southwestern (11-0) and the only schools without a loss.  Lourdes is one of just 22 teams in the four major divisions to enter the week undefeated as well (3-NCAA Division I, 5-NCAA Division II, 9-NCAA Division III, 5-NAIA).

Quite a 2023: The 2023 calendar year was a good one for the Gray Wolves.  With the win over Concordia (Mich.), Lourdes posted a 22-4 overall record from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2023, including a NAIA tournament appearance.

Program's Best Start: Lourdes has posted the best start in program history with a 10-0 record this season.  Prior to this season, Lourdes had never started a season better than 3-0, which occurred in the 2015-2016 campaign.  Lourdes previous best 10-game start was 8-2 during the 2013-2014 campaign.

Harris Among Nation's Scoring Leaders: Jackie Harris enters the week ranked ninth in the NAIA averaging 23.8 points per game this season.  The fifth-year senior is shooting 51.9% from the floor, including 44.0% (37-of-84) from three-point range.  Harris has scored in double figures in all 10 games this year, with a season-high 39 points coming in the opener against Wilberforce.

Free Throws are Key: Lourdes ranks 15th in the NAIA shooting 76.3% from the free throw line this season.  The Gray Wolves have three players shooting 80% or better from the charity stripe this season.  Jakiel Wells leads the way at 89.5% while Joey Holifield has made a team-high 40 in 45 attempts to connect at an 88.9% clip.  Jackie Harris is also shooting 81.3% on the season.

Lourdes Tabbed WHAC Preseason Favorite: The Gray Wolves were selected to win the WHAC regular season title this season in the preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Lourdes collected four first place votes and was picked just ahead of Rochester (Mich.) and Indiana Tech in the league balloting.  

This and That: Lourdes is 214-180 all-time in the program's 14th season ... last season was the Gray Wolves fourth NAIA National Championship appearance and second consecutive (along with 2012 and 2013) ... the Gray Wolves improved to 6-14 all-time in overtime contests with the win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods ... Lourdes is shooting 50.8% from the floor as a team and outrebounding opponents by 8.2 boards per night ... the Gray Wolves have handed out 164 assists and committed just 131 turnovers this year (+3.8/game).