>> Welcome back to an all-new episode of the Grand Valley State Sports report here in Wgu.

I'm your host Steve Lloyd-Jones.

Here's what we have coming up for you tonight.

A major announcement GSU football.

Give you the details.

Head coach Matt Mitchell's departure on today's episode.

The issue women's basketball dominated both of their conference opponents this week.

Laker indoor track and field host of the Bob Eubanks Open.

And Judy Hsu men's basketball split their weekend at home and our future this week highlights the GB issue men's and women's indoor track and field teams and how their season is shaping up.

Locking in Laker Nation as the Grand Valley State Sports report starts right now.

>> What about the state head football coach Matt Mitchell announced on Sunday that he will be stepping down as head coach of the Lakers to pursue other coaching opportunities.

Mitchell concluded his 13th year at the home of the Grand Valley State Football program in 2022, I mean the Lakers to the 2022 gliac championship.

Number one ranking in the AFC, the 2 football national polls and the birth and the NCAA Super region.

3 final Mitchell who compiled a mark of 117 31 in 12 seasons of football.

We've got to the Lakers to 7 NCAA Division, 2 playoff appearances, 2 NCAA Division, 2 national semifinal appearances, 3 Glee at Camp Ian ships and 2 undefeated regular seasons is 117 wins rank second all-time in the Laker record books to Brian Kelly's 118 wins.

In addition, Mitchell led the Lakers to 10 or more wins in the season 7 times in 19 years as a part of the Laker Football program, which was a part of 2 NCAA Division, 2 national championships coached in 3 NCAA Division, 2 championship games.

6 NCAA semifinal contests and 11 NCAA quarter final games.

>> To get you finished the 2022 campaign ranked in the top 20 of 20 statistical categories including 5 among the top 10 Grand Valley State Land of 22 players on the All Glee Act team and tallied 4 League Player of the Year honors 9 different Lakers and all American honors.

Following the 2022 season, a search for the 8th head coach Grand Valley State Football history will begin immediately.

>> TVs you women's basketball continues to be a force in the Glee Act winning both of their games this week by a combined margin of 76 Point.

Joining us now to talk about his team head coach Mike Williams.

Coach, good to have you back.

>> Yeah, nice little ride coming on a day.

A special day.

Obviously not my with the King Day.

And you know, so kind of come downtown and red coat this morning from my buddy said Martin Luther King quotes was a good way to start off the day.

Absolutely.

And what a good week for you and your team.

>> Impressive wins will get into the actual, you know, numbers in a moment.

But Wayne State, the opponent first in Saginaw Valley.

You knock them off.

As we mentioned by, you know, big scores here.

When state comes in over 500 Saginaw Valley was was that 500?

So this would be some teams.

>> You know, I think there to really we talked about that before.

Obviously we played in that.

We talked about it after, you know, Wayne is it's something we look back the last 8 years and at home, we seem to do really well against Wayne.

And we played their place.

And I seems to be a just a knockdown, drag-out fight.

So that trend can continue, hopefully is continuing with their place.

But and then, you know, second same thing.

They just said, you know, part of me, one of their players in the conference killings, Ricky, came back with a hand injury.

She played against Davenport, but she was not since much of the same player as you may want, maybe fire on all cylinders.

And I thought we played really well.

I we've been talking about with our group.

We think we've got some talent, but we've been kind of lacking that reading the Sunnis possession, that sense of urgency.

And that's what we had a lot of that both games you on Thursday in on Saturday.

And then, you know, things just kind of snowballed.

We hit some shots.

And, >> you know, we've got to run out.

And then, you know, and I think when you when we do play, you know, we come off the bench, we've got to tell the group and don't lose a lot so that it's, you know, I think those players finished the game really strong and and that I was the margin of victory.

>> Yeah, quarter system and women's basketball.

The change a couple years ago and and your first quarters in both of these games.

You did get off to that.

Really good start in minutes.

You're up by 12 after one quarter again, swing state.

What?

15 over Saginaw Valley after a quarter.

So really good starts.

And Mike, I know that smile on your face.

The rebounding 2 in particular here, as you look at when state 48 29 you out, rebound them 16 offensive boards and oh, by the way, hit 12 threes.

But that that defensive effort was right there.

>> You know, in which figured out because numbers tell us we're better in the half-court and we on the full-court we pressed.

But these 2 last games, we did press and then the game before that we were not Presley.

So we're trying to figure out what why that is.

And I think and I think it just creates a little more intensity for players won more sense of urgency.

We come now we take quicker shots.

I think when we pressed him, which isn't a bad thing and I think it's sometimes more trees which you can get offensive rebounds on and hence the the Wayne State number for 16 offensive rebounds.

And I think when our players in the press, they they seem to attack the glass more like to get out as a quick shot.

They know the positions they go, the glass in.

You know, I think it helps us in the press helps us offensively and we were pretty good defensively as well.

So hopefully we can continue to do that.

Yeah, the long no doubt about it.

>> Before players in double figures led by the call came in.

She is 15 and police, particularly a 14 to others with 10 81.

44 Grande Valley Downs, Wayne State, so Saginaw Valley, the next opponent battle of the valleys here.

71.

32, another impressive win.

Again.

Good job of rebounding free.

Throw shooting was also very good.

But it's a quick start.

I mean, you're up 15 points after one quarter.

>> You know, our players have come out shower been, you know, he can kind of sense of sometimes in practice the day, the shootaround before the game.

They seem to have a little extra energy this week May because we're back home.

We've been playing a lot of road games.

I don't know.

But you're right.

Get off to a quick start.

And then, you know, we've we've had struggles coming out of halftime in that 3rd quarter.

And I thought these 2 games, we we can answer the bell that we came out strong, made great decisions, offensively and then kept that margin and then even separate a little bit more.

So that was good to see.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

You had a good lead at half and you come out and outscored Saginaw Valley by 7 in the 3rd quarter alone.

Kind of keep that momentum going again.

Multiple players in the double figures here and 12 points apiece leading you there with page fence tea.

And also Emily Spitz Lee, 5 rebounds as well here for paid so nice game.

>> You know that she's a she's a really good athlete.

It's good basketball players.

Well, and she's starting to figure out what we need her to do, maybe what our system is about.

She's a player to that very talented, sometimes didn't bring that sense of urgency, that readiness.

And I think that's this last couple weeks.

He's really she's worked on that.

She's changing around great rebounder, great offensive rebound goes the rim and, you know, she inches this and get this.

The pressing the defense for point last 2 games, I think, is favored some of these younger players and they've been able to you have more success.

And so it's good to see that from Page, especially, you know, hands a little bit off on Saturday page picked up the pieces force that was good to see.

>> 71 32 again, the final their Grand Valley, the win 16 1 overall 7 in in the conference in first place.

But a big week coming up this week on the road.

It's the up trip.

It will be northern Michigan who is 10 6, 5, 2, in the conference that Saturday.

It's going to be Michigan Tech.

Always good 14 3, 6 in one.

So 2 tough games.

You get Northern first, Mike, talk about, you know, northern very good tech is actually this year again as usual, you know, advantages disadvantages of who you play first and then what that can set up for you on Saturday.

>> Well, we look at it differently room and see how we can get home quicker.

So women, haha tech second.

That's a long way to stem cells.

It's it's it is going up.

There's a grind and we've got to try to embrace it the last couple years the last few years and we've had some success up there.

Yeah, it doesn't change much with the prep time.

You know what we'll do today will come in work on a Michigan Tech today.

Work on some things that they do prep for them.

Then we'll get you know, Tuesday and Thursday.

We are Tuesday, Wednesday.

We get to prep for Northern Little chute on that day and we come back Friday prep for tech.

So it doesn't change that as much.

You know, you look at yeah, who's which team is better?

We on the tech is obviously had a better record.

They beat northern on Saturday, but nor does give us a lot of problems up there.

You know, it's just that type of team that big Team Cup team.

We've I said great battles with both those teams.

So, you know, you just a guess.

Yeah.

And so is so is so fifty-fifty who play first for the play seconds is how do we get home faster?

So we lost that one this year.

But hey, whatever.

So as a fun trip for us.

>> Yeah.

For those who don't know that adds like an hour and a half or more to our weather.

Yeah, have done here.

Just watching movies on the way back.

But no, it does that a little bit of travel time in the weather.

Well, my great job and I will talk to you next week.

All right, Steve, thank you.

Appreciate it will be right back as the Grand Valley State Sports report continues here in WGN.

You the Grand Valley State Track and field program.

Welcome their 2023 season on Saturday, January 14th as they hosted the annual Bob Eubanks Open.

Both the men's and women's teams continue during dominant on the track and field early on this season.

>> The lady Lakers took over the track claiming the top 4 spots in both the 60 meter dash as well as the 200 meter dash in the field.

The women secured 4 top 5 finishes shot put event.

>> Taking home first second, 4th and 5th.

>> I have inside the Lakers and the day with full.

Well top 5 finishes.

>> Competing in 5 events.

Yeah.

It just never know where you're going to be at coming off the holiday break in, you know, coming up finals and that meet December.

So, yeah, we came in last Thursday, got here a few days before classes started some extra days, just can training block.

So really just trying to evaluate, see where everyone's at and and, you know, getting back out here and put the spikes on uniform on bus and the rest often and see where we're at.

So and then with that said, we have a lot of positive things across the board.

That would certainly have a lot of work to do.

But we're in a good spot to to build on and move forward week to week as are built to the conference championships and ultimately than say championships.

Yeah, Max and the in the 60 and then a bounce back in the 200 restaurant 200.

But one, the 60 Max has been.

>> Banged up for 2 years, became a high school, had surgery was here for a while had to more surgery.

And yeah, I just worked really, really hard to to get back and healthy 100% and to come out here in our lifetime best and and get a win in the 60 was great to see him.

>> Follow in the 600 ran a strong race that that would be a help him in the 400 as he as he moves forward.

So, you know, on the track that that was positive, Jacob Urban in way, throw at a really nice throw at time.

Bass 1990, just missing that 20 meter mark, which is a big deal for the way, throw or so.

You know, that knows 2 or 3.

A stick out to me, right up top my head.

But a lot to build out moving forward.

Jericho, freshman really well case saying in the 6200 grand really are a strong.

That's great to see her come in.

And that just really, you know, start on a positive note.

And then that is in the 400 look strong, not quite as fast as she was in December, but a good mark.

Coming up to December break in the throes, Judith, a pushed a strong La Nina had a nice throw after, you know, and not a great start last year in December.

So great to see her move forward.

You know, I met coach Matt and I were talking about their women.

Shoppers didn't have a good day, but they're they're bad day, which still good, relatively speaking.

So, you know, certainly not close to what they're capable of, but a bad day for them, which still positive.

And, you know, once they get things going, that they're being really gets a spot.

Lindsay struck South strong some all time.

That runner, you know, ran strong in the hurdles that ran a lifetime best there.

And, you know, she is strong in the shot.

Put one.

Not so, yeah, handful paws across the board.

>> Yes, so you know, we raise the national meet in December, December 3rd, second, whatever it was and that rain through and tried to run to get some qualifiers out the way that first December meat, which we've got a few of those check mark.

And then they took 2 weeks of down time.

So, you know, they're break with sirna downtime and building back into it.

So that's why we don't raise the distance runners.

This first meet out here.

It's getting a little bit more time that to build their training.

The NCA crew will probably take another week to open up when they have one or 2 open up next week.

>> But Belli they're open up by the last week in January, the 1st week in February.

Those that have qualifiers out in the 5 K or a cloud in the 3 K will probably wait till February.

Those that do will probably look at opening up but weaker to center just about the rust off a little bit sooner.

So next week, my clients.

So it's our alumni me to invite our alumni to come back.

And now it's turned into a little tradition.

A city with me tonight are my clients, one of our former track athletes and assistant coaches who passed when a car accident back in early 2, thousands.

So in his honor for use around the 4 by 300 meter relay with our lawns, they've all got too old, too tired and out of shape.

So we don't do that anymore.

But we run one lap.

A fun run for all the kids of our lawns.

>> And prayed prior to COVID.

We had 40 some.

>> Little Lakers out there running.

Some was exciting to see a make new ones joined in the rain.

So >> to honor our mike winds, bring our legs back.

See the future about track and field and then take that next.

Step forward.

Open good to prove our distance runners in and hopefully take that next.

Step forward across the board.

>> GSU men's basketball split their weekend in Allendale.

The Lakers would drop their Thursday night matchup with Wayne State but then find their way into the win column on Saturday Night against Saginaw Valley State new the practice in the holiday caught up with head coach Cornell man this morning via zoom to get his thoughts on the weekend.

Take a listen.

>> Well, I think the team, you know, we showed some resiliency.

We showed, you know, we show that we can find throughout the game and the win over a second off the alley, which which is a good team in a very good plan.

I thought in the first game against Wayne State.

>> I thought me, I don't think we played as hard as we normally play.

I don't think we played as together as we normally play and for those reasons, I think we did not get the win.

Well, I thought we did.

I thought we did a good job on the class in terms of rebounding the ball.

And and, you know, I thought we fed the ball enough.

I just don't think we finished defeated.

But but overall, our our our team is is based on the fence.

When we do if an at a high level, then we just found myself in a bit of a pickle.

And I think we played hard.

We didn't play hard enough.

And and for that reason, any game we played it.

You you you watch any game play.

You'll be able to tell and we plan defensively energy effort and focus at a level that was supposed to and 9 times out of 10 will win that game.

But when we don't 9 times out of 10, we would not win.

Well, the thing about when you when you hear coach, what you want to do is you want to know what you're going to get from that.

And and so every game game in game out, we know that we're going to get a solid performance by tomorrow.

If you don't score it all of the areas worst, he'll populated with numbers.

And when it does for which he normally has been, his numbers really, really look good.

They stand out.

>> Well, we felt like defensively, we start out the game zone and his own was working well.

And then we made substitutions, Amazon.

We were still in the zone on made shots.

And and so we gave them with 3.

And so a lot of times when you're playing against his own, you just need one shot to go in to start having confidence against his own.

And so they had a shot going, which it was our far because whoever we served in did not do its job.

And so and so we really got into our man and man more the second.

Have you really get into our man, a man?

And it bothered him with depression.

And so we kind of kind of had them off balance a little bit.

But in the 2nd half our man, a man with strong, we felt like we could get in transition and first in the 1st half and second haven't scored a good amount in transition.

And so we need to get the ball out and pushing and and and gets you can score the ball in transition which we did.

We've got open threes in transition and they did a great job sharing the ball.

You will notice that it was a couple guys that didn't play in the 2nd half, but they didn't play because of the same reason I just told you about are.

And and we want to know what we get mad a guys.

And so a couple guys didn't have a great 1st half.

And so we play which normally we don't do you play guys extended minutes in the second game and they it proved to be the right move to make.

And and so you had guys, of course, our play well, I thought obviously trade played really well.

And and and I thought a break here is playing well, especially down the stretch.

And and in that game, those guys really, you know, we kind of rolled them out to a finish to win.

Well, I you know, the truth is he got more to give for the same reason we play are in terms of been solid.

We know we can get contract.

So what what what Ray has to do is he's got to do a better job of moving without the ball because he can shoot the ball really well.

Obviously, the other teams know that and so is is a lot of games where he is not getting looks, but he's not getting looks because, you know, they smart enough to win often.

I in this particular game, we ran some things for, but but his teammates from them, whether it was in a strong or just so the ball moving in the EU shot ready on the kids or in transition, you can really get going in transition.

And again, if he's if he's open, of course, he got the green light to to let it ride and we try to get as much shots and as many shots as we can in a game.

But other teams do a great job of shutting down.

>> And we'll be right back.

As the Grand Valley State Sports report continues here wggb.

Well as the GB issue, indoor track and field season gets fully under way.

The Lakers will look to get back on to the NCAA championships podium again this season.

Time Cleary has the story for us.

>> After a cross country season in the fall that saw the women's and men's teams each finish in the top 5 at the Nationals in Seattle.

Grande Valley's distance runners every join their track and field squads for the meat of their 2023 calendar.

Your best.

Some Lakers qualified for the National Indoor Finals with their showings at the holiday Open at the Kennedy Center last month.

Well, others will be looking to do the same at 3 home events in January, following semester and holiday breaks.

Some athletes do an incredible job of staying fit.

Stay in.

>> In the training regiment and whatnot and come back, ready to go.

Some of them maybe not so much.

But that also gives them a little reprieve in gives your body a rest and they may come back a little fresh.

So sometimes those athletes are able to come back, jump right in and see a really, really good result and with good training hard from there.

Yes, obviously some point stay active during break.

It to you want to, you know, relax.

But I mean, we're coming into most important of the season be when you get back.

You just rain for me.

If you got me every month.

So you want to stay active.

Keep the body good for us to come back in time to start.

>> What position do want to be one of the earliest national qualifiers for this year's indoor squad.

You like to see buff went over the bar at 7 to in December to ensure his spot, which means you can now focus on personal improvement and helping his teammates during the next 2 months.

Other athlete in that position, this cross country, all Americans stand out.

Claudia O'Malley, who's thinking about the indoor nationals while easing in do her track season.

>> I'm also training with some girls that are going to be earlier than I am.

So I guess I'm train with them to work out of stuff to help them get to that the shape they're supposed to be and stuff like that.

So yes, that and like racing wise, we can help hasten an end on the train.

We can just help from a time and just have a buddy the run with.

>> During the holidays after the semester break O'Malley return home to northern Michigan to train with their teammate and sister Maggie.

Well, other Lakers went a step further.

Throw standout Emma Richards.

Get back to Wisconsin.

We'll help from the man who got her into or specialty her father.

>> I had a place to throw and my dad has been throws coach from 20 years.

So he coached me.

He's the one who got me into throwing everything.

So having him there was helpful to continue my training over break and give me set out to come back here and continue that into the meat.

>> The past all America honoree in both the discus and shot what Richards figures to improve quickly upon her December showing at the holiday open.

The past is any indication a lot of her teammates will follow suit during the next few weeks as the men and women look to replicate and improve upon their first and second place indoor national championship finish as of a year ago, the Grand Valley State Sports report.

I'm Tom Clear.

>> Well, that's all the time we have this week here in the Grand Valley State Sports report Laker men's and women's basketball will make the trek to the up this week for a pair of teams.

The teams will take on Northern Michigan this Thursday in Marquette, Michigan, that offer the man is scheduled for 5.30, followed by the women at 07:30PM, and then head even deeper north for Saturday afternoon.

Tilt against Michigan Tech with the women starting at 01:00PM followed by the men at 03:00PM TVs you track and field will host the GB issue.

My Clints alumni Open on Saturday.

January 21st, the meat will start at 02:00PM inside the Kelly Family Sports Center for upcoming games as well as live broadcast of every Laker athletic program.

He's a gbx 2 Lakers dot com.

For more of the show head over to our YouTube channel.

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We get updated videos and highlights all year long for the entire crew here.

Wgu I'm Steve Lloyd-Jones have a great week Laker Nation and as always a corrupt