Saginaw, Mich - To begin the 2024 portion of their season, Parkside will continue their conference schedule in the GLIAC. They will play in their first road conference battles beginning with Saginaw Valley State on Thursday at 8:00pm (ET), and then against Wayne State on Saturday at 3:00pm (ET).
Scouting Parkside
It has been a season of ups and downs for Parkside so far. With nothing but conference games on the schedule for the rest of this season, Parkside is 6-6 overall and 1-1 in GLIAC play. The team has significant wins against #5 ranked Indianapolis, Illinois-Springfield, Maryville University, and Lake Superior State in the GLIAC opener. Through all of the adversity this season, one player has risen and continued to make a name for himself. Colin O'Rourke is averaging 13.1 points per game, shooting 46% from the floor. He has registered at least 20 points three different times this season. Defensively, he has been Parkside's most reliant piece in the paint. So far, he has recorded 15 blocks this season which is the most by far on the team.
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Scouting Saginaw Valley State
After being selected to finish sixth in the GLIAC Preseason Polls, there may not be a team off to a better start than SVSU. The Cardinals have been a scoring machine, dropping over 80 points a night en route to their impressive 8-3 beginning to the season. In fact, they split their first two GLIAC contests against Northern Michigan and Michigan, beating Michigan Tech by a point. They have been dominant at home, winning six of seven battles under their own roof. Freddie McIntosh, Tre Garrett and Toodles Seal all average over 15 points per game. In addition, sophomore transfer Curtis Jackson has been a bright addition to the program. He leads the team with 4.6 assists per game.
Scouting Wayne State
The Warriors of Wayne State enter the weekend of battle with a record of 6-5 overall, and 0-2 in GLIAC contests. They were defeated by both Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech in GLIAC's 2023-24 opening weekend. The driving factor for this program this season has been whether or not they play at home or on the road. When playing under their own roof, they are a brilliant 4-1. However, off the buses they are just 1-4. The player to keep an eye on for the Warriors is Carmelo Harris. As just a sophomore, Harris is scoring 15.6 points per game which is best on the team. He is also the teams leading facilitator, dishing out over 2.5 assists a game. Wayne State will begin the weekend with a battle against PNW on Thursday.
History
Parkside is 7-7 against SVSU dating back to their first clash in 2006. Last season, Parkside snapped a three-game losing skid to the Cardinals, and ended up with a season sweep. Parkside has had a touch more success against Wayne State all-time. They are 8-5 against the program since 2007 and also swept them a season ago.
Up next
Parkside's GLIAC schedule will continue against Purdue Northwest on Saturday, January 13th. It will be the finale of a five-game road trip before finally returning home the following weekend. For coverage of the event, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
