Southfield, MI – The Lawrence Technological University men’s basketball team opens up the 2021-2022 season at home inside the Don Ridler Fieldhouse against the Point Park Pioneers on Saturday, October 23nd at 7 PM.
LTU is coming off a 6-10 (4-8 WHAC) season in the year of COVID-19, where it finished seventh in the WHAC standings. This season they were picked to finish 6th in the WHAC.
Head Coach Josh Pickens, the 2020-21 WHAC Champions of Character Coach, enters his 6th season at the helm of the men’s basketball program. LTU will play five non-conference games before the WHAC contests begin in mid-November, before facing Point Park on the road on November 27. During the regular season, Lawrence Tech will play nine non-conference games in total and 20 conference tilts with the WHAC Tournament set to begin in March.
Coach Pickens returns most of the core from last season, including the team’s top seven scorers.
All-Conference Second Team guard Brandon Beavers (So./Columbus, OH) lead the Blue Devils in scoring and assists while leading the conference in steals last season. He will look to lead the way for LTU. Beavers ranked fourth in the WHAC in scoring (17.3), third in assists (4.8), top-10 in both FG% (min. 138 attempts) and 3P% (min. 39 attempts), and led the entire WHAC Conference in steals per game (1.92).
Junior Gunnar Gustafson, the team’s leader in blocks (3rd in WHAC) and rebounds (6th in WHAC) was the team’s second-leading scorer.
Seniors Alek Ivanovic and Carter Frantz bring punch from the wings, making the 2nd and 3rd most three-pointers per game, respectively, in the conference last season, and hope to do so once again this season.
Another notable player Junior Isaiah Cumberland, who missed half the shortened season due to injury. He’s hoping to come back and make a bigger impact on the floor this season.
Some incoming freshmen looking to make an impact are guard Blake Lund from Linden, MI, and guard Andrew Rinn from Akron, OH.
Last season Lawrence Tech was lethal from 3 as they led the conference in 3 pointers made per game (9.5) and were second in 3 point percentage (.357), they were 7th in the conference in scoring offense/game (67.94), 4th in offensive field goal percentage (0.439), 7th in scoring defense/game (75.50).
The Blue Devils tip off their season on Saturday, October 23rd when they host the Point Park Pioneers inside Don Ridler Fieldhouse at 7 PM.
