Eastern Wayne Today

Carlos Paul III, a senior forward for Wayne State University's men's basketball team, has been named to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Preseason Second Team. The announcement was made as part of the GLIAC's release of its Men's Basketball Preseason All-GLIAC teams.

Paul, who is entering his second season with the Warriors, played in all 29 games last year and started six times. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting .602 from the field.

The GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year is Marcus Tomashek from Michigan Tech. Other players named to the First Team include Ethan Alderink and Jalen Charity from Grand Valley State, Dylan Kuehl from Northern Michigan, Josiah Palmer from Parkside, and Marcus Tomashek from Michigan Tech. Joining Paul on the Second Team are Jackson Dudek (Northern Michigan), Tyler Hamilton (Ferris State), Dawson Nordgaard (Michigan Tech), and Dylan Smith (Davenport).

Wayne State enters its fourth season under head coach Bryan Smothers, a university alumnus and Hall of Famer. Smothers has an overall record of 37-46 at Wayne State, including a conference record of 23-33.

Last season, Wayne State finished with a 15-14 overall record and went 11-9 in conference play. The team reached the GLIAC tournament for a second consecutive year but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Ferris State.

Returning players this season include senior forward Kelvin Tamakloe, senior forward Carlos Paul III, junior guard Jordan Briggs, graduate guard Jon Brantley, and redshirt sophomore guard Adam Ayrault. Tamakloe played in 28 games last season with 22 starts and averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Briggs appeared in all 29 games last year with ten starts and contributed an average of 8.1 points per game.

The coaching staff has also seen changes: Will Vergollo was promoted to Associate Head Coach while Gjon Djokaj joined as a third assistant coach.

This year's schedule features 27 games—25 within NCAA's Midwest Region—including 20 conference matchups and 15 home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The Warriors open their season at home against Michigan-Dearborn on Friday, November 14 at 4 p.m.

"We have five of our seven non-conference games at home, which is important so that our fans and supporters get many opportunities to support our program," said Smothers. "We look forward to having our fans come out and help us make the Fieldhouse a difficult place for our opponents."

"Conference play will be slightly different this year as some of the travel partners have changed from years past," added Smothers. "For example, starting the new year at SVSU then traveling up to LSSU is a different arrangement than we are used to. Before, SVSU was a standalone game and the LSSU trip was a part of our road trip to Ferris State. Some of the logistics have changed but the goals are the same, win as many as you can on the road, and protect your home court in order to be in position for a regular-season championship and seedings. Our February home slate will also be a key to the overall success of the season."

At season's end, eight teams will qualify for the GLIAC Tournament beginning March 4; higher seeds will host quarterfinals before semifinals and finals move to sites hosted by top remaining seeds.