June 19, 2006

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State will square off against Michigan State in a men's basketball exhibition game Wednesday, November 1st at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan it was announced Friday. This will be the Lakers' second exhibition game versus the Spartans in the last three years.

Grand Valley State will be playing its first game in Van Andel Arena since the 2003-04 season when the Lakers claimed the Old Kent Classic title with victories over Calvin (76-74) and Hope (71-58). Grand Valley State is 10-4 all-time in Van Andel Arena. The Spartans played a regular season home game at Van Andel Arena against Arkansas-Little Rock last season on Dec. 1, 2005. Attendance was 11,654, the largest collegiate basketball crowd at the Arena and the third largest crowd for a sporting event at the venue.

"We really appreciate Michigan State giving us this opportunity," commented Grand Valley State head coach Ric Wesley. "Coach Izzo has one the premier programs in America and it is a real thrill for our team to be able to play Michigan State in a wonderful venue like Van Andel Arena. This will be a great way to kick off the basketball season in West Michigan."

Grand Valley State finished the 2005-06 season with a 27-4 mark and ranked #4 in the final DII Basketball Coaches poll. The Lakers captured both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles en route to its first NCAA DII Great Lakes Regional appearance since the 2000-01 campaign. GVSU head coach Ric Wesley welcomes back four starters and 10 letterwinners to the mix for the 2006-07 season. In addition, the Lakers return six of their top seven scorers and seven players that averaged 14 minutes of game action or more. Highlighting the Lakers' returnees is 6-10 junior center Callistus Eziukwu (Muskegon, Mich.), a 2006-07 preseason All-American. Eziukwu, a First-Team All-GLIAC North selection, averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, while dishing out a career-high 60 assists. Eziukwu added 74 blocked shots and recorded 46 steals for the Lakers. Junior guard Jason Jamerson (Muncie, Ind.) averaged a team-high 13.4 points and his 77 made three-pointers ranked third in Laker annals for a single-season. Jamerson also pulled down 5.2 rebounds and led the team in steals with 51. Senior Dan Redder (Zeeland, Mich.), a 6-10 center, averaged 8.6 points and pulled down 3.5 rebounds for the Lakers while providing an impressive low post game. Senior forward Mike Hall (Holland, Mich.) notched 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 30 starts. Sophomore forward Pete Trammell (Jenison, Mich.) averaged 7.2 points and pulled down 3.6 rebounds, while senior defensive stopper Kyle Carhart (Grand Rapids, Mich.) averaged 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds. Junior point guard L.J. Kilgore (Grand Rapids, Mich.), who will take over the point guard position, dished out 50 assists and recorded 21 steals in a reserve role.

"Playing in Grand Rapids last season was a great experience and we are excited to have the opportunity to do it again," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "It's a great chance to play in front of some very loyal fans that may not have the opportunity to watch us in the Breslin Center. I know that both Drew Neitzel and Drew Naymick enjoyed playing closer to home in front of a large number of family and friends. Add a quality Grand Valley State team and it promises to be an exciting exhibition."

Michigan State finished last season with a 22-12 mark and advanced to its ninth straight NCAA Tournament. The Spartans are led by junior guard and Grand Rapids native Drew Neitzel (Wyoming Park High School). He tied for the league lead in assists in conference games (5.56 apg), led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio and started every game last season. He is MSU's leading returning scorer, having averaged 8.3 points last season. MSU also features another local product, junior center Drew Naymick from North Muskegon High School. He started the first seven games last season before sitting out the rest of the season allowing a shoulder injury to heal.

More details regarding the game, including ticket information, will be announced at a later date.