2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster

Seniors
Lamar Norman Jr., guard, 6-1; Tray Maddox Jr., guard, 6-4; Tafari Simms, forward, 6-6.
Juniors
Markeese Hastings, forward, 6-7; B. Artis White, guard, 5-10; Titus Wright, center, 6-8.
Sophomores
Owen Lobsinger, forward, 6-9; Gus Etchison, guard, 5-11.
Freshmen
JaVaughn Hannah, 6-4, guard; Jefferson Monegro, guard, 6-4; Max Burton, forward, 6-9; Seth Hubbard, 6-4 guard; Jack Stefanski, forward, 6-6; Shemani Fuller, forward, 6-8; Elisha Warren, guard, 6-2.
 
There are three words many of the top college basketball teams are built upon, and it's what first-year head coach Dwayne Stephens wants his Western Michigan University men's team definitely to do.

Defend…rebound…run, with the emphasis on defense.

"I'd say these guys have been very receptive and our best players are leading the charge in taking on a bigger role, having ownership in our defense," Stephens said. "That's what we want our program built upon."

Stephens will see a lot of all three phases of the game as WMU opens the regular season on Nov. 7 at Minnesota (13-17 overall in 2021-2022), which starts a grueling stretch of six games in 14 days. From there its games on Nov. 10 at home vs Goshen College (7-23), Nov. 13 at Valparaiso (14-18), and then the Owl Invitational in Houston where the Broncos play Nov. 18 at Houston Christian (11-18), Nov. 19 at Rice (16-17) and Nov. 20 vs. Georgia Southern (13-16).

"Scheduling is such a challenge now, and we were trying to get games late (Stephens was hired in April) and that played a part in it," the coach said. "From our players' standpoint, we will be challenged and be ready for anything we will see in conference play.

"The schedule (seven more games between Nov. 26 and Dec. 30 after the six-game start) will help us grow. It will be tough, but it will definitely benefit us."

Stephens will definitely learn a lot about his team during the 13-game non-conference stretch. Western Michigan returns eight players on the 15-man roster, led by senior guard Lamar Norman Jr., who has been named to the Preseason All-Mid-American Conference First Team. He was the leading scorer in the conference last season at 19.8 points per game and set a WMU record by making 101 3-point field goals.

However, more scoring isn't what Norman wants to be known for.

"I'm working more on passing and playing both ends of the floor," he said. "I'm working hard on defense and that is my main focus…defense first and offense second.

"In the first stretch of games, we just have to be ready, because we're all going to be bruised up and sore, but it will be good for us because we're all getting into shape."

WMU was eighth in the MAC in scoring defense, 75.1 points per game and last in opponent field goal percentage, 45.9 percent. So, the coach who can put the 'D' in defense is Stephens, who spent the past 19 seasons as either an assistant or associate head coach at Michigan State under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo, who loves defense. Last season, the Spartans held teams to 69.0 points per game on 42 percent shooting.

"We worked on it in the spring and summer and now the fall, becoming a better defensive team," Stephens said. "We'll look to play man-to-man most of the time with some zone on special situations.

"We are making sure we challenge the shot, put pressure on the ball, help one another, and play more physical. Then we have to finish the possession with a rebound. The one challenge we struggle with, and everyone struggles with at times, is communication. When you become a great communicating team, I think it enhances your defense and also pulls you together as a team."

Besides Norman, players who return after seeing game time last season are redshirt junior forward Markeese Hastings, junior guard B. Artis White, junior center Titus Wright, sophomore guard Gus Etchison and sophomore forward Owen Lobsinger. Two veterans join the Broncos in senior transfers Tray Maddox Jr. and Tafari Simms. The Broncos also have seven freshmen or redshirt freshmen on the roster.

"As we say to the players, they will determine their playing time," Stephen said. "I would love to see all of these guys get a chance to show how they have improved.

"For the younger guys and some of the guys who haven't played as much, they could get a chance to feel what it's like in game situations."

Hastings led the team in rebounding last season at 8.8 boards per game. Wright had the top field goal percentage on the team, 51.5 percent, to go along with a team-best 19 blocked shots.

Wright said that he lost a few pounds between last season and now so he can spend more time on the court. He averaged 20 minutes per game.

"I really focused this summer on getting stronger, more explosive and cutting down a few pounds so I can make it up and down the court quicker," he said. "I'm trying to get 25-to-28 minutes a night, which will help the team."

The running part of the defend-rebound-run portion of the program will come about on offense as Stephens wants his team to be quick up and down the court.

"The challenge is how can we play faster and limit our turnovers," the coach said. "Can we make better decisions and make better passes and can we be a better receiver of a pass?

"I think you will like what you see with our team and we will be more competitive. By no means am I saying we are ready to challenge for a championship, but we're definitely working towards being more competitive and a tougher group than we have been in the past."

In fact, the voters in the MAC preseason poll put Western Michigan in eighth place.

"Going into the MAC season, this team can be really, really special and shock a lot of people," Norman said.

Added Wright: "They just barely have us picked to make the tournament, but we will continue to be better. That's not a spot we are looking at, but something we can look at to fuel the fire. We're trying to build a foundation for the program, so when I leave, I want the Broncos to be the name at the top of the MAC."

That starts with defend…rebound…run.