>> Hi, everyone.

And welcome back to an all-new episode of the Grand Valley State Sports report right here in Wgu.

I'm your host Stephen Lloyd Jones.

And here's what we have coming up for you tonight.

GSU football is the talk of the town after hiring head coach Scott Wooster.

If you look at his first press conference as head coach and also hear from current players about the higher well, coming off a road loss to the issue.

Women's basketball completes a weekend sweep at home while GB issue men's basketball split their weekend in Allendale as they saw their four-game win streak come to an end Lockett in Laker Nation as the Grand Valley State Sports report starts right now.

2 more in the win column for Mike Williams.

GB issue women's basketball team.

The Lakers down Purdue Northwest and Parkside last week and they stand at 19 2 overall and 10 1 in the gliac.

And Mike is with me now to talk about these victories coach.

Great job here.

19 in 2 10 1 of the conference in 2 home wins.

Get back home to get it up.

Yeah, it was good to be back home.

>> You know, obviously went up to up and got split up there, which I think was was good, lost a close one at tech, not that we played poorly but their players when that happens, they're not happy about it.

You know.

And and I think they did a great job coming on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday working on the things we need to work on.

I thought they're very disciplined and what they were doing and it showed we came out playing really good against Pruitt West, too.

Again, you know, record wise not doesn't look like a a great team.

A lot of close losses.

>> Lot of battles for them and their battle down there.

So I thought we did a great job focusing all week and play well against him on Thursday.

Yeah, that's right.

You are ready to go again Northwest, as you say, 5.15, the overall market close losses.

He came out right away.

That 1st quarter.

24 point she put up, which course that's not the case for about 100 points in the game.

But it was a nice run, their 19 6 in that 1st quarter to kind of grab the game right away.

You know, I thought we came on plays a lot of energy.

We were communicating, I thought were very active.

Bench was spirited was just it was a great effort right from the tip.

And, you know, we did.

We did press a little bit here and there try to pick up the pace a little bit more than we did at their place when we played them.

And I thought the players responded, you know, I think they they you did a great job of being aggressive on both ends of the floor and that I don't think we were quite that wind up and not, you know, sometimes that what games called for.

But this we want to be aggressive and assertive and I thought we were in both ends of the ball.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

>> You get to 12 steals in the game.

You out.

Read the rebound down.

45 21.

A lot of offensive boards and most books.

Lee with a 15 point lead you 14 Rylie Bisballe for her and the attendants.

Well, you get in the scoring.

So spread out.

Get a nice victory there on Thursday.

88 47 the final score in the win over Purdue Northwest.

So make it was Parkside been Saturday who you're going to face and this was a team.

Again, you have.

>> It difficult game with them on the road before coming in and the 1st half was a lot of the same thing.

Was that before you blew it open in the 2nd half?

>> Yeah, I thought, you know, again, we talked about over to our place.

We someone came back to win.

So give a lot of credit to our players for.

We're stepping up and it was pretty much the same when we came out that 1st half I thought we played hard do we are G but we were question ourselves.

You know, we as we make a play in goal goal.

Quite rightly.

That was a question mark in our players minds.

And I thought at halftime know, we talked about a little bit.

I thought they made the adjustment.

You know, we said you guys been playing how long a good team, you know, don't you know, you don't start thinking all their questioning what you're doing, your good players, you guys are going all conference player.

You went to final 4 years of you do all this stuff and just, you know, go pretty much lack of better term.

Go play.

And I thought they did.

Emily came hit that big 3, the start date to start the 3rd quarter.

And I think after that, it just kind of got rolling and our players did a great job again.

They responded and parks as a great team.

I think there are 10 of 11 coming into this game.

So good job by our players in that 2nd half.

>> Absolutely.

52 points but Grande Valley in the 2nd half alone, the coal look mean lead you with 20 points for her a career high and then you have 3 other players in the game with 13 points apiece.

Does this as a springboard of sorts and obviously playing great but become out of the weekend with a win over a really good team and a great 2nd half.

How does that help you coming into this this next week?

>> Well, you know, I think our players understand when they do the things, you know, that we that nothingness and we talk about someone, you know, things that we but they know they can do.

You know, when they get out there and it's been just don't question to go play basketball and then they do energy and assertiveness.

I think they can be really good.

You know, and there's that that fine line all the time we talked or team about that when you're when you're playing, you know, at that level, you can be really good in the fall just a little bit below that level.

You know, you don't play as well.

And it's noticeable.

And so I think our players that are starting to figure that out, especially young players and that we can continue to do that.

We have a chance down the road here, too, to be successful.

>> 75 57 the final the win over Parkside again, both in the win column for this past week.

Kind of a strange week.

This week might just one game but coaches and players that could be really useful, helpful can at this time of year.

What would you do differently this week with just one game?

>> Well, we come in.

We know today tomorrow on really work on ourselves, getting on the floor, get some get some things that we we maybe can need to address it.

You can adjust when you playing 2 games a week as you're prepping for 2 teams.

So that's kind of nice.

We probably might give a Wednesday off, maybe again, rest their bodies.

It's late in the season.

And, you know, we practice, we've got to go.

We play games.

We've got to go.

So if we can sneak and in there on Wednesday, just to rest their bodies again and then you come back Thursday and Friday, new prepper, Davenport and you play a know your rival on their on their home court.

>> That's right.

Crosstown showdown there.

That will be Saturday at Davenport.

So the road game for you.

Well, as we mentioned, 19 2 overall coming one in conference play.

Thank you, my great job.

All right, Steve, thank you.

We'll be right back.

As the Grand Valley State Sports report continues here.

WTVD TV as you head football coach got Wooster spoke to the Grand Valley State community this week in his first press conference and said, coach, we show you some of the highlights right now here in the sports report.

Take a listen.

>> I'm going to start this off a little bit different.

Well, you never heard a press conference like this one, but I'm going to be genuine.

I'm going to be real to be honest because that's who I am.

From 1996, to 2019.

I hated Grande Valley.

I hated Grande Valley because a lot ERs a stadium because of the Hosford because the Kelly because the players I played against and then coached against and then I got here in 2020 and I found all of that.

All that stuff.

It true lover Stadium on a Saturday night.

You can't beat it, man.

It's electric.

It's the best atmosphere in the country.

Yeah.

The Hosford football facility and you can coach and teach and develop guys like no other the Kelly end or the the weight room.

The terms development as a positional player, a physical athlete can't be to anywhere in the country.

We're going to tell you something.

May 2020, I got a phone call and that led to a series of phone calls.

As I talked with coach Postman and coach.

It's our coach mention coach vets.

It became very clear the Grand Valley State isn't special because of the facilities.

It's special because of the people.

Yeah.

The facilities it makes Italy and it shows the value that Grand Valley State has an athletic says in the football program.

But what makes Grand Valley so special are the people we are so excited and so grateful for this amazing opportunity to lead Grand Valley State football.

And I need to thank those who may be who I am today.

Thank those along my coaching journey and I'm going to start with my first football coach.

And I remember to this day I was 10 years old on some fields behind after 2 high school in Burton, Michigan, first day in pads.

And I was a little nervous, probably a little anxious.

My first football coach Brady by the shoulder pads and said if you're going to play football, you got to be excited.

You're going to have some energy and I think I've coached and played with that excitement, energy my entire life.

That first football coach was my dad and he wasn't just my first football coach.

He was my coach and he instilled in me the importance of the power discipline, our belief, the power law.

And in 2019, he took his battle with pancreatic cancer to higher ground.

But I'm absolutely sure he is smiling down today.

Proud of his kid.

Thank you, dad.

Want to get into football part of this because I'm a football coach, coach vets them coach Olson, coach Roundtree.

They're going away physical and explosive offense in the country.

And we are going to light up lovers.

And I'm going to tell you this.

Every time that fog horn goes off, Jim Show will be smiling doubt.

He's going to be doing a lot of spotlight because that fog horns going all a whole lot this fall.

We're going to be in attack mode every single Saturday.

And there's no coincidence that this is the 52nd year.

Grand Valley State Football and Jim, Shep wore 52 right out on that field.

Coach Louis coach Postma coach beds are going to be the best defense in the country.

An elite unit that will play 11 has won.

They'll be mentally tough play with relentless pursuit.

The physically dominant.

Be consistent on special teams.

Yeah.

Will be dominant too.

We'll flip every single field.

It will kick every game winner.

I'm going to finish with this over the finish with 2 things.

First, a message to the guy sitting in these chairs are looking at me.

We all we got version.

52, let's do this.

Let's do this.

Let's go one for one to be one of one.

I want to put this image in your mind.

I want you to see this right now with me because come spring ball, we're going to have a ring ceremony and we're going to push over rings on our fingers.

We were one of one in the glee at I want you to fast forward to 2020 for the spring of 2024. and see yourselves putting that gold ring on your fingers to be one to one of the country.

And let's invite coach Mitch back and give him one of those gold race for putting this amazing group of people together and then to the support or to the football.

On Nye to the best alumni Group, Strongest Alumni Association of the country to the people in this arena to the people that are watching supporters, a Laker football.

I'm going to tell you this.

You're going to be proud of these guys sitting in front of me in the classroom, on the campus in the community.

But you're going to be so proud of these guys on October 14, right on a lover stadium.

And you're going to be so proud of these guys on December 2nd, as we advance on the Super region 3 and go be one-on-one in national for the NCAA.

Kobe 1, 1, in division 2 football.

>> And be sure to tune in next week as we highlight signing day happening, February 1st right here in the Grand Valley State Sports report.

The GPS you men's basketball teams split their games over the weekend.

>> Earning a win over Purdue Northwest before falling to parkside loss ended a four-game winning streak for Cornell man's group as they sit 12 9 overall and 6, 5, in conference play.

We welcome in the coach here over zoom again due to practice complications a bit.

But coach, welcome.

Give us your thoughts here in the past week.

How things have gone.

They split for you.

>> It was a good.

It was good split.

We we ended up getting and northwest when I was a hard fought game.

I thought our guys resiliency because we did not play.

We competed but didn't didn't play percentage of numbers wise to do the way we'd like to.

And then following that game up, of course, is a hard when you've got a one-day turnaround.

We're a team that's tie for first place and parkside and Parkside is that's not easy Scout.

They're very good team.

And so with one-day turnaround, I really felt like physically we were little.

>> A little less powerful and we needed to be for that game.

We just didn't have the energy effort nor the focus that we would need.

You compete at a high level and we end up ended up losing the game.

But Weldon R B and so far it felt like we we were losing by 30.

>> Well, the let's go to produce Northwest first for the week.

77, 74, you win this.

You're talking about how maybe, you know, not necessarily even your best effort overall, but you get the when you shoot the ball pretty well.

The 3 point shooting, you not talk about that before.

He didn't have a lot of threes and free throws didn't go your way either.

You're still able to get a win.

>> We did a great job defending.

I thought we thought we competed and defend at a high level in a game where we were we got over and is really crash the plant when when we do a good job on the glass, that is huge for us.

We had 18 0nd chance points off 18 offensive rebound.

And so to me, that was the that was the key.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back for for us.

And and then you know that that's what we have to do every game out.

We are blue collar team.

We are a tough construction working team hard playing and we just didn't have my opinion.

We just didn't have the energy efforts focused to compete at that level on Saturday.

>> You mentioned that rebounding.

38.

31 you out rebound Purdue Northwest 18 offensive boards.

Nice advantage points in the paint to their Sochi.

52 to 26 take advantage of second chance points.

Daniel Keely jus with a 17 overall and Kingsley today to a condo double double 13 points and 11 boards.

So >> let's shift now to Parkside 73.

62, the final in this one.

They get you and you know, I'm sure more to it than just that.

But what jumps out?

Of course, there are 3 point shooting.

They had 11 triples.

>> Yeah.

And and they they are very capable of that and more our coverages which which in this will be on me for when they turn around.

We tried a couple coverages that was not advantageous for the game.

It was the smartest thing to do X and no war, but we didn't have enough time to execute it.

Well, especially with young guys.

Because when we started the game, we were feeling good plan.

Well, and then we had to we have back to back the lapses in coverage and they scored on both.

And I think that took the lid off the basket for may begin to roll at that point in which and then the day we have to we have to take in consideration our youth and inexperience before adding a little bit more to the plate and then maybe those guys can handle.

Now, when you take a look at it, though, look at the older guys or let's just look at one guy and and Kings Kingsley.

You just mentioned had double double with 11 rebounds and a North West game to the Northwest game and they turn around and have one rebound and in a game Saturday against Parks Act and you have to have and your better players play their best in those games.

And I don't think we had that.

But but we we really didn't have good guard play.

And again, we're defensive team.

And so without the energy effort and focus, we we cannot be fan at the highest level to give us the best chance to win those games.

>> That's right.

And that defensive perimeter defense where the guards are helping out a big part of that drizzle.

Us Morris cause Willis has 14 O'Connell has 14.

You got production inside by way of the offense.

But you're looking for a little more on the perimeter.

So that snaps the four-game losing or winning streak, rather see split for the week.

And now you have one game coming up.

It's the crosstown showdown here.

You're on the road at Davenport.

Give us a little flavor that one.

>> Well, I think for us is that is all the same for us is is continuing to to get better at what we do every day because every day things are the things that Kerry you throughout the game throughout the season.

And so we have to make sure that our ball screen coverages is a well executed and communicated.

We have to make sure that we are locked in defensively and on the glass and offensively.

I think we'll be fine because our defense carries our offense is not vice versa.

And so as much as we can look at a a stand, she didn't see the guards didn't play well.

Offensively with the stat sheet oftentimes don't say in an insider's game.

It did.

But what it often times don't say is how poorly we may have played defensively and we have to and that's my job.

We have to get that back.

Right.

Part of it was physicality, but other parts of it was was the focus or lack thereof.

>> Devon Port for your Saturday afternoon on the road.

That's the one game this week court.

Great to catch up with you.

Thanks for your time and good Insight.

Appreciate that.

>> Thank you very much.

Have a great day.

A great day.

>> We'll be right back.

As the Grand Valley State Sports report continues at Wgu GB as you head football coach Scott Roosters in the spotlight after being hired as the 8th head football coach in Grand Valley State history.

This week Tom Cleary caught up with student athletes as they give their thoughts on the new hire.

>> At his introductory news conference January 24th Scott Worcester wasn't shy about telling people who he is and what he plans to do is Rand Valleys.

A football coach 3 years after being hired away from Wayne State booster is already one over his roster and gave a special nod to next year's class of seniors.

He says will be the primary building blocks of his first Laker team.

>> Coolest part about it.

The best part about it time is like those relationships as south.

We're going through COVID together going through some of those hard times together.

I think that's really strengthen our relationship one on one and with the class to me to them them to me.

>> Coach Worcester's, unbelievable man.

Unbelievable coach, great friend and everybody has a respect for him.

So we heard about coach Mike Sullivan and coach was with the higher that that fear never really entered our minds, especially older guys.

So it's a real comforting feeling because a lot of us have confidence in his ability.

Coach.

We know there's been some things different just like it is with the coach.

But we know it will be a smooth transition.

>> In addition to having the ultimate responsibility for Grand Valley story program scout, Worcester will now have to concern himself with the matters of the entire football family.

Well, the former offensive line and tight ends coach has often had to think about blocking and protection.

He's let everyone know his plan for the future includes a continuation of the attacking defensive philosophies.

The Lakers have patented over the last few years.

>> 1000% behind coach looser what he brings to the table.

Obviously, like you said, there's a lot of uncertainty in that week.

I'm trying to get tossed a you put in a blender a little bit.

You start thinking about all the possibilities.

Obviously, I've only last about 5 games here, my grandma by career.

And you know what?

I think coach was sick and brings and I think it stays at that number.

I think on any my crew of 5 last year grand about.

>> Yeah, we're going to be extremely aggressive, but it's going to be calculated.

We're going to be in attack mode and we're going to be the apex predators all riser front.

And we're looking that way.

>> We met Mitchell hired rooster away from the act rival wing state a few years ago.

He said he did so in part based on the way the Warriors offensive line play had been giving Grande Valley fits for years.

Worcester's help shape the career of tackle Quinton Barrel.

Now auditioning for a spot in the NFL as well as Jordan Davis, a guy who moved up the ladder to become a valued starter himself after enlisting in Scott Worcester's Army.

>> I realized that he had like a little tolerance for the U.S..

So it really was big on discipline.

So like no excuses.

I've you handle your 2 square yard.

Everything will fall in place and light really got us to believe that all along.

And it kind of became contagious are called to ride in the as a team.

>> We're going to emphasize we're going to turn us me.

I'm gonna hold you accountable if you go into this world class Grand Valley State education.

>> And for all the fire and brimstone at the Fieldhouse arena during his interaction with the duality of Grand Valley's new coach was also evident as Worcester talked about those for whom he's toiled.

His wife and daughter is old boss Matt Mitchell and the man who gave him a shot in college coaching weighing states.

Paul Winters recently concluded his tenure in Detroit after 2 decades on the job.

>> He did so much for me professionally.

He did so much for me personally.

He's such a man, a character minute grace and such a great man.

I wanted so badly for for it to happen on his terms.

Appreciate asked that question because I would love that to, you know, get out there.

>> In the coming days, Scott Worcester will hire a replacement for himself.

A new offensive line coach while diving into the job that led his 5 predecessors in the division.

One coaching positions after they left Grande Valley and he reminded his campus audience to circle the date of October 14th on their yearly calendar.

That's the day Grande Valley's newest football coach gets his first crack at 2 time national champion for state the Grand Valley State Sports report that said I'm Tom Cleary.

>> And that is all the time that we have this week here.

The Grand Valley State Sports report, chief issue men's and women's basketball prepare for one game this week is that Com Cross town rivals Davenport.

This Saturday game times for women is set for 01:00PM followed by the men's game at 03:00PM TV issue track and Field will host the Snow Down showdown this Friday.

The Kelly Family Sports Center.

The Beat is scheduled for 03:00PM as the Lakers continue to look to qualify athletes for the NCAA championships in March for upcoming games as well as live broadcast of every Laker athletic program.

>> He's a TV issue.

Lakers dot com for more of this show head over to our YouTube channel at YouTube Dot com Slash Wgu.

35 make sure you hit the subscribe button to get updated videos and highlights all year long for the entire crew here.

Wg vu.

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