SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State (LSSU) men’s basketball program is set to welcome six new Lakers to the program for the 2023-24 season, as announced by Head Coach Steve Hettinga on Thursday.
“After graduating five amazing seniors, I could not be happier with the class that we were able to bring in,” said Hettinga.
The 2023 class is made up of four incoming freshmen (Nino Smith, Omar Suleiman, Faruq Balarabe, and Adam Harakow) as well as a pair of transfers (Peter Nwoke and Marcus Harris).
Smith, a 6-foot-1 point guard out of Detroit, Mich., has made his mark on the storied Catholic League for Warren De la Salle High School. He averaged 16 points and seven assists as a junior during the Pilots’ postseason run to the 2022 MHSAA Division I state championship, and he was his team’s leading scorer with 18 points in the 67-58 win over Grand Blanc in the championship game. Smith had already proved to be a clutch performer the year prior as a sophomore, hitting a buzzer beating three-pointer to win the regional title for De La Salle on their way to the final four in 2021, garnering praise from De La Salle Head Coach Djon Gjokaj.
“Nino is a proven winner in every way,” said Gjokaj in an article for the State Champs Sports Network in regards to Smith’s commitment to LSSU. “All that big game experience will translate well into college. He is a true point guard. He makes everyone around him better, and he defends at a high level. More than that though, he is an elite leader, the definition of a floor general and a competitor of the highest order.”
Suleiman, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward out of Canton, Mich., led his team in scoring as a senior with 15.8 points per game, but he would also prove to be a pest on the defensive end as well, averaging a team-leading 1.4 steals per contest. However, one of the biggest highlights of his high school career was when he converted a buzzer-beating three from half court to give Canton a 68-65 win over rival Salem High, but despite this, Suleiman chose to remain humble, leading by example for his teammates. He went on to help lead his team win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Championship with 18 points (game-high), six rebounds, and four assists while shooting 67 percent from beyond the arc for the 51-29 victory over the East Division champion, Franklin Patriots.
“That time of leadership is what we are looking for,” David Reed-Nordwall, Canton High School Principal said to CBS News Detroit. “Incredible, wonderful achievements but also humble, so I think the world needs to see it.”
Balarabe, a 6-6 forward from London, U.K., was one of 24 players named to the 2023 Great Britain U20 men’s training camp squad with a chance to compete at the FIBA U20 Men’s European Championships Division B in North Macedonia on July 7-16. In February, Balarabe was able to showcase what he could do on a big stage with 17-points (tied for team lead) to help propel Western Canada Prep Academy (WCPA) to a 84-56 victory over World of Life Christian Academy at Big Shots Prep Nationals in Rock Hill S.C.
Harakow, a 6-7 guard from Edmonton, Alb. and teammate of Balarabe at WCPA, proved to be a key contributor for his team, regularly having big scoring games while guarding his opponent’s top matchup. He was named a standout player at Crush in the Valley 2 by The Grind Session after leading his team to a 2-1 record at the event, averaging 25.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, and he was named Player of the Game for both of the two WCPA victories. He was also nominated for the 2023 Biosteel All Canadian Game as one of the top players in his age group in Canada, and he was listed as one of the 15 best shooters in Canada, regardless of class, by North Pole Hoops. Harakow brings a high energy level and mental toughness that allows him to have a “next shot” type of mentality, as shown in the Battle in the Fort event in the fall of 2022 where he hit a buzzer-beater from half court with the excitement he showed invigorating the entire WCPA team.
“Adam Harakow is one of one when it comes to shooting off the dribble,” said WCPA Head Coach Sunny Sooch.
Nwoke, a 6-7 forward from Lagos, Nigeria, is set to arrive in the Soo after spending the 2022-23 season with the Southern Indiana (USI) Screaming Eagles. At USI, he was limited to only four games due to injury, but he was still able to make an impact in limited action, grabbing six rebounds in eight minutes against Anderson (Ind.). Prior to his lone season at USI, Nwoke redshirted during the 2021-22 season as a preferred walk-on at Michigan State. In high school, he would prove to be a solid force on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep (OLSM) that resulted in him being named the 2020-21 Defensive Player of the Year. He played a key role for the OLSM teams that won 47-consecutive games between 2019 and 2021, and helped his team reach the state quarterfinals as a senior.
Harris, a 5-11 guard from Brimley, Mich., will join LSSU after playing two seasons for the Bay College Norse. At Bay College, Harris would average nearly six points per game while shooting over 31 percent from distance. His best performance came against South Suburban College where he dropped 16 points while shooting a very efficient 57 percent from three-point range and securing a season-high five rebounds.
“All of these guys possess the high character qualities we look for in our student-athletes,” said Hettinga. “To say that I am excited to work with each of them would be an understatement. The future is very bright for our Laker family.”
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