Nov. 5, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

2007-08 RECORDS:
Wayne State 10-16, 4-13 GLIAC
Iowa 13-19, 6-12 Big Ten

RADIO: WDTK (1400 AM)

ONLINE AUDIO: bigtennetwork.com

LIVE STATS: Gametracker

SERIES: WSU leads 1-0

LAST MEETING: Wayne 34-30 on 12/16/39

IOWA GAME STORYLINES

Wayne State begins the 2008-09 campaign with an exhibition contest at Iowa on Sunday, Nov. 9.

The Warriors return to Iowa City for the first time since the 1956 NCAA tournament where WSU faced Kentucky in the Central Region semifinals (NCAA Sweet Sixteen). The Tartars, as WSU was known then, suffered a 84-64 setback to the Wildcats, then lost the next day to Morehead State (95-84).

Wayne's only other appearance in Iowa City was in 1939 (Dec. 16) as the visitors came away with a 34-30 victory.

This year's WSU team has 10 new faces plus the return of three players who previously wore for the Green and Gold in guards Larry Edwards and Bryan Smothers, and forward Jerry Oden.

The 2007-08 Warriors started 7-1 but nine consecutive losses late in the campaign preceded a Senior Day victory in the final game.

Two Division I transfers in Shane Lawal (Oakland University) and Justin Sample (Detroit) along with a pair of junior college transfers - Bryan Edwards and Bryan Wright -- mixed in with six incoming freshmen give head coach David Greer and his staff high hopes for a successful 2008-09 season.

Unlike recent years, WSU has size in the post with Lawal at 6-9 and Sample at 6-8. "Shane comes to us with Division I experience. He is really athletic for a guy his size," said Greer. "He possesses great shot blocking ability which will allow us to be more aggressive defensively." Lawal, who graduated in August from Oakland University, blocked 34 shots in 335 minutes last year for the Grizzlies, while making 56 percent of his field goal attempts.

"Justin has not played a lot in his three years at Detroit (225 minutes). He has great touch around the basket and great knowledge of the game. We are working on his conditioning. He should be a good defensive rebounder for us," added Greer.

The Warriors have added height and athleticism to the four and three spots with two 6-5 players (Bryan Edwards and Andrew Tines) and another two that stand 6-6 (Oden and Nick Waller).

"Bryan (Edwards), a junior college transfer from Wayne County Community College, is very athletic. He can put the ball on the floor and has good range. Bryan can pass the ball and should be very good on the offensive boards. He will complement Shane underneath the basket.

"Andrew Tines was very well coached at De La Salle. He is a smart basketball player. Andrew is an excellent shooter and is a good passer. He is also a Presidential Scholar."

Oden, who averaged nearly four points and four rebounds during his freshman year at WSU (2006-07), transferred back to WSU after spending last year at Lansing Community College. He will be eligible after the end of fall semester. "Jerry is doing an outstanding job. He has made great strides and is a pleasant guy to coach.

"Nick Waller is long and rangy and had a good high school career at Grosse Pointe. He has big-time athletic ability and should be an active rebounder. Nick is working on his defensive habits."

Three true freshmen are slated to see playing time at shooting guard in Reggie Stallings, Jay Kopicki and Ricky Rowse.

"Reggie is a tremendous athlete. He is a `slasher' with great quickness. Reggie was fourth in the Division I state high jump championship (6-5). He can play above the rim.

"Jay has good bloodlines (his father played three years in the NBA). He was a great player at U of D. Jay is a coach's son and does everything well. He is really smart and understands the game. Jay will help us in a lot of areas.

"Ricky is an outstanding three-point shooter. We will rely on him to make some three's. He has NBA range and will be our `zone buster'. Ricky is a pretty good passer but needs some work defensively.

Two veterans (Larry Edwards and Bryan Smothers), a transfer (Bryan Wright) and a newcomer (Dale Brundidge) will compete for playing time at point guard.

"Dale has been working hard in the weight room. He has toughness and tremendous speed. He played at Country Day so he is used to playing top competition. Dale should be a tremendous on-the-ball defender. He loves to compete.

"Larry is probably the best on-the-ball defender in the league. He brings experience and is a great competitor. Larry was voted one of the captains (along with Shane Lawal). He will provide leadership and understands the system.

"Bryan (Wright) comes to us from Lakeland Community College. He is a very good offensive player. He was one of the top three-point shooters in the Ohio Community College league. Bryan is a crafty player and we will need some scoring from him. He is a tough kid with a good understanding of the game.

"Bryan (Smothers) had an outstanding year last season for a freshman. He has worked hard to increase his range. We are looking for Bryan to make a big step."

The 2008-09 schedule consists of 22 league games, four non-league contests (two at MAC schools) plus an exhibition game at the University of Iowa. "We pride ourselves on playing people. Any time you get a chance to play MAC schools that is great experience for our kids. Having the chance to play in Iowa City against a Big Ten team will be a great experience for our players.

"The league is going to be really good again this year with Findlay, Grand Valley, Ferris State and Michigan Tech. I really like the new schedule format (double round-robin). You get to see who the real champion is and our fans get a chance to see all the teams which I think is important. There are no easy games you have to compete every night.

"We have good balance - size, quickness, athleticism. Our biggest question is going to be how well we shoot the basketball. We have good versatility which will allow us to play people at different spots. And we have depth this year where in the past we had to rely on six or seven people." If the 2008-09 Warriors are able to gel with so many new faces, a sixth GLIAC tournament appearance in eight years is not out of the question.