Wayne State was picked to finish seventh out of 11 teams with 51 points in the 2025-26 GLIAC Preseason Poll under fourth-year head coach Bryan Smothers. Smothers has accumulated an overall mark of 37-46 in his first three seasons, which includes a 23-33 league record. The WSU Hall of Famer has led the Warriors to back-to-back appearances in the conference tournament for the first time since 2017-18.
Wayne State brings back one starter in senior Kelvin Tamakloe (Accra, Ghana / Spring Creek Academy [Blinn College]) as well as senior Carlos Paul III (Southfield, Mich. / Cornerstone Lincoln-King [Missouri State-West Plains]) and junior Jordan Briggs (Muskegon, Mich.). Also back are graduate Jon Brantley (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice [Lafayette College]) and redshirt sophomore Adam Ayrault (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North).
When it comes to new faces, 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 WSU Fieldhouse. It all kicks off at home on Friday, Nov. 14 against Michigan-Dearborn with the tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m.
