DETROIT -- The 2026-27 season is officially here for the Wayne State University men's basketball team, the program's fifth season under head coach Bryan Smothers.  The Warriors will host No. 14 Walsh inside the WSU Fieldhouse on Monday, November 9 with the opening tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

LAST GAME RECAP
In a game that saw a combined 51 personal fouls and 57 free throw attempts, Wayne State knocked off Division I Detroit Mercy 82-75 in an exhibition victory on Nov. 2.

Wayne State opened the game with a 7-0 run and nine of the first 12 points through the initial three minutes and change.  Three players broke into the scoring column in that span, including Jalen Jenkins (Belleville, Mich. [Macomb C.C]) with five points, JaKobie Boose (Flint, Mich. / Hamady) with two and Marshall Thorn (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth [Schoolcraft C.C.]) with two.

Thanks to 10 of the ensuing 16 points, Detroit Mercy battled back to within two of the visitors, 15-13, with 13 minutes to play until halftime.

The Warriors punched right back though with an 15-2 outburst that lasted over six-and-a-half minutes.  That spurt pushed their lead to 15 at 30-15 with 6:27 on the clock.  In that period alone, the Titans turned the ball over five times, the Green and Gold missed just one field goal attempts (6-of-7) and four scorers got in on the action.

That quartet included Adam Ayrault (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) with seven points, Jenkins with three, Jimmy Miller (Schoolcraft, Mich.) with three, and Da'ron Mason (Pontiac, Mich. / Bloomfield Hills) with a pair.

From there until the final buzzer of the half, the back-and-forth was much more balanced, 14-13 in favor of the home team.  Heading into the locker room, WSU enjoyed a 14-point lead, 43-29.

Wayne State shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) to Detroit Mercy's 38.5 percent (10-of-26).  The Warriors cashed in on six of their 13 three-point attempts (46.2 percent) while the Titans were just 1-of-10 (10 percent) from behind the arc.  Both teams gave the ball away 10 times, but WSU dished out just as many assists to UDM's four and won the rebounding battle by seven, 19-12.

Detroit Mercy won the second half by seven points, 46-39, and upped its field goal efficiency by 10 percent to 48.2 (13-of-27), including 40 (4-of-10) from long range.

After leading by 14 at the intermission, Wayne State's advantage grew to as large as 17 (63-46) in the second half.  That score came at the 10:25 juncture before the hosts began to mount a comeback.

The closest the Titans could get to the Warriors was six points, 80-74, but no closer prior to the final seven-point margin.

Jenkins paced all scorers with 23 points while stuffing the stat sheet with seven assists, six rebounds and five steals.  The junior shot 7-of-11 from the field including 4-of-5 from deep.  He was one of four Warriors to score in double-figures, including Ayrault with 12, Daquan Coleman (Flint, Mich. / Burton Bendle [SC4/Salem University]) with 12 (4-of-9 3FG) and Miller with 11.  Boose, like Jenkins, brought down six boards and Thorn blocked a pair of shot attempts.

SEASON PREVIEW
The Wayne State University men's basketball program enters season No. 5 under head coach, Warrior alum, and WSU Hall of Famer, Bryan Smothers in 2026-27. Smothers has accumulated an overall record of 50-60, including a mark of 33-43 in league action.

Last season, at 13-14 overall and 10-10 in GLIAC play, Smothers led Wayne State to a third straight conference tournament appearance for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign. After defeating Saginaw Valley State on Senior Day in the regular-season finale, the Warriors' season was ended by GLIAC Tournament Champion and NCAA Tournament participant Grand Valley State in the quarterfinal round.

Wayne State brings back one starter in senior forward Marshall Thorn with 27 games played and 21 started a season ago. A 58.7 percent field goal shooter in his first year with the program, Thorn averaged 3.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest in 2025-26. Also back letterwinner wise are Jalen Jenkins (27 GP, 10 GS), Adam Ayrault (27 GP, 1 GS) and JaKobie Boose (24 GP). In order that trio put up 6.1, 4.4 and 6.9 points per outing, respectively. Boose is the team's top returning scorer when it comes to PPG, while Thorn paces the group coming back in terms of hitting the glass.

When it comes to new faces on the roster, Smothers and his staff have nine of them, including five freshmen and four transfers. Smothers will also have the same group of assistants joining him, including Associate Head Coach Will Vergollo as well as Gjon Djokaj, Kyle Lorentzen, and Post-Graduate Intern Victor Jackson.

Schedule wise, the slate features 28 games, including 23 within the NCAA's Midwest Region, 20 in GLIAC play, 14 at home inside the friendly confines of the WSU Fieldhouse and a December trip to Puerto Rico. It all kicks off at home on Monday, Nov. 9, against Walsh with the tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

"We are very excited to get the season started off with a home game against Walsh, the Midwest Region Champion from last season," said Smothers. "From there, we have our crossover event at Ashland versus Malone as well as the host team Ashland. We have some quality home games that will prepare us for the opening of conference play at home in December. The Puerto Rico Clasico will be a great experience for our program. Getting the opportunity to travel and compete, while enjoying a new cultural environment. Please note that we are still looking for any supporters to travel and donate towards our trip."

Following the regular season, the top eight teams in the conference standings will qualify for the GLIAC Tournament, which begins on March 3. For the quarterfinal round, the higher seed will host, before the highest remaining seed hosts both the semifinals (March 6) and finals (March 7).

SCOUTING WALSH
Walsh is coming off its best season as a member of the NCAA, a membership that began before the 2012-13 academic year.  In 2025-26, the Cavaliers (29-4 overall, 17-3 G-MAC) won the G-MAC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships before advancing all the way to the Midwest Regional final before falling to Michigan Tech by a score of 87-70.  Head coach Jeff Young, embarking on his 23rd season at the helm, has an impressive overall record of 500-165 in those previous 22 campaigns, good for a .752 winning percentage.

This winter, Young will look to key returners Matthew Biddell and Kaleb Schaffer to lead his team. Biddell, a junior guard, averaged 11.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore while Schaffer, a redshirt-junior forward, averaged 9.6 points and 1.4 boards per contest last season.  Walsh was picked to repeat as league champs in the G-MAC Coaches Preseason Poll thanks in part to five of the 12 possible first-place votes.

GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) released its annual Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday, October 21, with the Wayne State University men's hoops squad being tabbed to finish ninth.
The Warriors compiled a 13-14 record during the 2025-26 campaign and qualified for the GLIAC Tournament for the third straight season, something that hadn't happened since 2012-13.

Each of the 11 head coaches ranked the other 10 squads, with Grand Valley State earning five first-place votes and 89 points in a tie-for-first. The other half of that deadlock, Lake Superior State was picked second, also securing 89 points (three first-place nods). LSSU was followed by Michigan Tech with 83 points (two first-place votes) and Ferris State with 68 points (one first-place nod). Then before Wayne State came Parkside (56 points), Northern Michigan (51 points), Purdue Northwest (49 points), and Saginaw Valley State (47 points). Following the Green and Gold's 37 points in ninth to round out the poll were Davenport (26 points) and Roosevelt (10 points).

T1. Grand Valley State - 89 (5)
T1. Lake Superior State - 89 (3)
3. Michigan Tech - 83 (2)
4. Ferris State - 68 (1)
5. Parkside - 56
6. Northern Michigan - 51
7. Purdue Northwest - 49
8. Saginaw Valley State - 47
9. Wayne State - 37
10. Davenport - 26
11. Roosevelt - 10

ON THE AIR
Twenty-six (26) men's basketball contests will air on the Warrior Sports Network with veteran play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Brechmacher calling the action for the 11th consecutive season.  He will be joined on the home broadcasts by former WSU basketball student-athletes Andy Dold, Chuck Key and Marcus Moore on a rotating basis.  The only games not on WSN will be the Dec. 16-17 contests from Puerto Rico.

In addition, every GLIAC basketball game will be on FloCollege as well as all home games from the WSU Fieldhouse.  To subscribe to FloCollege (FloHoops) please click here.

Veteran Detroit broadcaster Tony Ortiz will handle the sideline reporting duties for a majority of the home games on both FloHoops and the Warrior Sports Network.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will head to Ashland, Ohio to face Malone in a neutral affair on Friday (1 p.m.) before seeing the host Eagles on Saturday (3 p.m.).