The Wayne State University men’s basketball team is preparing for its final road trip of the regular season after suffering two home losses to ranked opponents. The Warriors, who hold an 11-11 overall record and are 8-8 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), will face Roosevelt and Parkside this week.
Roosevelt enters the matchup following two consecutive defeats but had secured back-to-back wins earlier in the season for the first time. Both victories were on their home court, where they will host Wayne State on Thursday.
Parkside has found most of its success at home, posting a 9-5 record in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Wayne State is scheduled to play there on Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern time.
Wayne State and Roosevelt have met three times historically, with Roosevelt winning both contests last season. However, Wayne State claimed its first win over Roosevelt earlier this year with a 78-67 victory in Detroit.
Parkside leads the all-time series against Wayne State, having won 18 of their previous meetings. While Wayne State has won the last two games played in Detroit, it has struggled when playing away at Kenosha.
Roosevelt is coached by Dee Brown, now in his fourth year with an overall record of 56-54. The Lakers rank last in the GLIAC for both scoring offense and defense. Three regular players—Hamahrie Bowers (15.5 points per game), Mikey West (14.1), and Dante Sawyer (12.8)—are averaging double-digit points this season.
Sawyer and Davon Smith-Johnson are the only Lakers to have played every game this year, with Smith-Johnson leading in rebounds and blocks while Sawyer leads in steals.
Parkside is led by head coach Luke Reigel, now in his 23rd year with a career record of 335-309. The Rangers excel at free throw shooting nationally, ranking among top teams for free throws made per game as well as percentage and attempts per contest.
Three Parkside players rank among the top scorers in the conference: Paxton Warden (18.7 points per game), Luka Mateski (16.0), and Josiah Palmer (12.8). Fawaz Surakat averages over seven rebounds per contest while Palmer contributes over three assists per game.
In their most recent outing against Michigan Tech, Wayne State trailed early but narrowed the gap several times before ultimately falling short by a score of 77-73. Carlos Paul III led Wayne State with 19 points; JaKobie Boose and Devin Belle each scored 13 points while Marshall Thorn added a season-high 12 points along with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Wayne State currently holds one of the stronger schedules nationwide with a .590 opponent winning percentage but faces teams with lower records for its remaining games this season.
With four regular-season games left to play—including matchups against Roosevelt, Parkside, Lake Superior State, and Saginaw Valley State—the Warriors are tied for fourth place in GLIAC standings heading into this week’s contests.
The Wayne State Warriors Men’s Basketball program is part of Wayne State University’s athletics department and serves as a major urban public-university athletic initiative based in Detroit. The program competes at NCAA Division II level within the GLIAC conference and maintains historical records recognizing achievements such as Player of the Year honors and NCAA Regional All-Tournament selections.
