Sports

GVL / Andrew Mills
GVSU junior Justin Ringler goes in for a layup during Saturday's home game against Cornerstone. Ringler finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.

'Concentration caps' key to sustaining men's win streak

By Jared Greenleaf GVL Senior Reporter
1/27/2010

Fresh off its perfect 4-0 road trip, the first-place Grand Valley State University men's basketball team will make its return home to the Fieldhouse Arena and look to build upon its current 10-game winning streak.

"It's just great to be back home," said GVSU head coach Ric Wesley. "Obviously from a class standpoint and a comfort standpoint, it's good for us. I'm really hoping our students come out and support us and start embracing this team."

Standing in the way of the Lakers (14-3, 10-2 GLIAC) will be familiar foes from the Upper Peninsula: Michigan Tech University (4-13, 3-9 GLIAC) and Northern Michigan University (7-9, 4-8 GLIAC). Though each opponent sits at the bottom of the GLIAC North standings, the focus will remain the same for the Lakers no matter what their opponents' records show.

"Michigan Tech has a lot of big bodies and they're a very physical team," said sophomore guard Alvin Storrs, who ranks fourth in the GLIAC averaging two steals per game. "Being from the UP, those teams are tough and they always play for 40 minutes. The biggest part of those games for us is going to be our mental toughness and being prepared."

Pending victories over the Huskies and Wildcats, the Lakers will likely get their first-place showdown against the Oilers from the University of Findlay (14-3, 10-2 GLIAC).

However, Wesley said he believes his players do not look at the next two matchups as any possible trap games.

"Every game is important," Wesley said. "We were fortunate enough to win on Saturday against Wayne State. Each game has been tough and I think our guys have a healthy respect of who we play. Some teams have happened to have an easier stretch of games, while others have had the tougher stretch of games, so at this point, you really don't know how good the teams are yet."

Sophomore guard Wes Trammell agreed with his coach.

"It doesn't matter about records - we play every game like it's our last game of the season," he said. "Any team can beat any team on any given night so we need to bring our 'A' game every single night."

Wesley said throughout the Lakers' winning streak, the success of the team did not happen by accident.

"This group has made the conscious decision that they're going to work hard at it," he said. "For a long period of time, they've come to practice and had their concentration caps on and they've done a great job. They've really pulled together as a team and I'm happy they're getting rewarded."

Trammell said with the streak still intact, the motivation and confidence of the team could not be any higher.

"We just don't want to lose anymore," he said. "Our coach said at the beginning of the year, great teams build up streaks and that's what we're doing right now. We're just excited to keep it rolling."

The Lakers will tip off against the Huskies of Michigan Tech on Thursday at 8 p.m. Afterward, GVSU will conclude the weekend against Northern Michigan on Saturday at 3 p.m.

jgreenleaf@lanthorn.com

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