Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes carries a five-game winning streak into the week looking to stay atop the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference standings.  The Gray Wolves travel to Siena Heights on Wednesday night before returning home on Saturday afternoon to battle Aquinas.

Head Coach Dennis Hopson: In his fifth season on the Lourdes bench, Dennis Hopson is 90-35 (.720) 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 18-8 all-time series edge against Siena Heights dating back to Nov. 12, 2011.  The Gray Wolves have won the last nine meetings between the two schools after notching an 84-53 triumph over the Saints in the Ebeid Rec Center on Nov. 15 to open WHAC play.  Lourdes holds a 7-5 series edge in games played in Adrian, Mich.  Lourdes is 14-1 all-time against Aquinas in a series that began Nov. 30, 2011.  The Gray Wolves have won the last four meetings between the teams after scoring an 80-76 triumph in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Dec. 9.  Lourdes is 4-2 against the Saints all-time inside the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes held off a late surge from Indiana Tech on Wednesday (Jan. 17) evening to defeat the Warriors 64-61 at home.  Joey Holifield and Shaunn Monroe led the Gray Wolves with 14 points each in the win.  On Saturday (Jan. 20), the Gray Wolves never trailed in a 98-79 victory at home against Michigan-Dearborn.  Jackie Harris tallied a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Monroe added 19 points.

Scouting Siena Heights: The Saints have won back-to-back games after defeating Aquinas 79-77 on the road in double overtime on Saturday (Jan. 20).  Delano Williams paces Siena Heights averaging 13.9 points per game while Colin Nutter is second on the team in scoring tallying 9.5 points per night.  Shawn Brown leads the Saints on the glass, pulling down 7.2 rebounds per outing.

Scouting Aquinas: The Saints enter the week having dropped three straight games after a 79-77 double overtime loss at home against Siena Heights on Saturday (Jan. 20).  Aquinas hosts Rochester (Mich.) on Wednesday night before visiting Lourdes.  Donovan Brown-Boyd leads the Saints offensively, averaging 16.3 points per game.  Andrew Larson has added 11.9 points per contest while DeAndre Francis chips in 10.2 points and is grabbing a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per night.  Jared Lary gives Aquinas four double figure scorers on the season, tallying 10.1 points per outing.

Highest Ranking Ever: Lourdes enters the week ranked 10th 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 10th is the highest for the Gray Wolves in program history, surpassing the ranking on Feb. 5, 2020, when Lourdes was ranked 13th.  The next poll will not be released until Jan. 31.

Damerum Crashes the Glass: Ethan Damerum registered his second double figure rebounding game of the season last Wednesday against Indiana Tech.  Damerum pulled down 11 rebounds, one shy of his career high set earlier this season against Olivet.  On the season, Damerum is averaging 5.9 boards per contest.  Of his 95 total rebounds, 40 have been on the offensive end of the floor.

Monroe a Model of Consistency: Shaunn Monroe has tallied double figures in all 16 games for the Gray Wolves this season, and is second on the team averaging 17.6 points per contest.  The Gray Wolf guard is shooting 54.8% from the floor this season, second best on the team behind Ethan Damerum's 63.5% clip.

Both Ends of the Spectrum: Lourdes has won 10 games this season by more than 15 points.  The other six games the Gray Wolves have played have been decided by five points or less, with Lourdes posting a 5-1 record in the close games.  The Gray Wolves have not had a game decided by 6-15 points this year.

Harris Reaches 1,000 Point Plateau: Jackie Harris became the fifth Gray Wolf in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, doing so on Jan. 10 against Cleary.  Harris enters this week with 1,045 career points, joining Clif Snow (2017-21, 22-23) - 1,789 points, Zach Steinmetz (2013-16) - 1,395 points, Joey Holifield (2021-pres.) - 1,297 points, and Little Anderson (2019-23) - 1,286 points in the 1,000-point club.

Harris and Holifield on Bevo Francis Award Watch List: Jackie Harris and Joey Holifield were both among the 100 players in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA to be named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List.  The award honors the best small college player in the country.  Lourdes is one of just 10 schools in the country to have two players on the list, and one of only five NAIA schools to accomplish the feat.

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: Joey Holifield moved into third place on the Gray Wolves' career scoring list with 1,297 career points, and is 98 shy of second all-time ... Jackie Harris tallied his third double-double of the season, and 10th of his career, with 20 points and 11 rebounds against Michigan-Dearborn on Saturday ... Lourdes is outscoring opponents by 9.7 points per game in the first half this season.