DETROIT -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) revealed its Men's Basketball Preseason All-GLIAC teams, with Carlos Paul III (Southfield, Mich. / Cornerstone Lincoln-King [Missouri State - West Plains]) being named to the Second Team.

Paul III returns for his senior campaign, the forward's second season as a Warrior.  His first go-around in the Green and Gold featured an appearance in all 29 of the team's games, six of which were as a starter, with 10.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per contest, 22 minutes played per outing and a .602 field goal percentage.

Preseason All-GLIAC Teams
Player of the Year
Marcus Tomashek, Michigan Tech

First Team
Ethan Alderink, Grand Valley State
Jalen Charity, Grand Valley State
Dylan Kuehl, Northern Michigan
Josiah Palmer, Parkside
Marcus Tomashek, Michigan Tech

Second Team
Jackson Dudek, Northern Michigan
Tyler Hamilton, Ferris State
Dawson Nordgaard, Michigan Tech
Carlos Paul III, Wayne State
Dylan Smith, Davenport

SEASON OUTLOOK
The men's basketball program enters season No. 4 under head coach, Warrior alum and WSU Hall of Famer, Bryan Smothers, this upcoming season.  Smothers has accumulated an overall record of 37-46, including a mark of 23-33 in league action.

Last season, at 15-14 overall and 11-9 in GLIAC play, Smothers led Wayne State to a second straight conference tournament appearance for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.  WSU won three of its last four and four of its final six before the postseason began.  The Warriors' season was ended by NCAA Tournament participant Ferris State in the quarterfinal round.

Wayne State brings back one starter in senior forward Kelvin Tamakloe, as well as senior forward Carlos Paul III and junior guard Jordan Briggs.  Also back are graduate guard Jon Brantley and redshirt sophomore guard Adam Ayrault.

Tamakloe appeared in 28 of the team's 29 games, 22 of which came as a starter, with 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest.  Paul III (29 games, six starts) is the squad's top returning scorer after averaging 10.4 points along with 4.7 boards per game in 2024-25.  Briggs will likely run the offense as the starting point guard after 29 games played, 10 starts and 8.1 points per outing during his sophomore effort.

When it comes to new faces on the roster, Smothers and his staff have eight of them, including two freshmen and six transfers.  While Smothers' top assistant Will Vergollo was promoted to Associate Head Coach, Gjon Djokaj has joined the coaching staff as the third assistant.

Schedule wise, the slate features 27 games, including 25 within the NCAA's Midwest Region, 20 in GLIAC play and 15 at home inside the friendly confines of the Wayne State Fieldhouse.  It all kicks off at home on Friday, Nov. 14 against Michigan-Dearborn with the tip off scheduled for 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."

Following the regular season, the top eight teams in the conference standings will qualify for the GLIAC Tournament, which begins on March 4.  For the quarterfinal round, the higher seed will host, before the highest remaining seed hosts both the semifinals (March 7) and finals (March 8).