FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will host rival Grand Valley State this Saturday (Jan. 10) for a 3 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

Ticket Information: Individual game tickets to all FSU home basketball games can be obtained at the door or by calling the Bulldog Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. Adult tickets are $7 and student tickets are $5. A family pass can be purchased for $15. Ferris State faculty/staff ticket prices are $5. FSU students are admitted free of charge by showing their student identification card.

Looking Back: Ferris State, which has lost five consecutive outings to date, is presently 3-10 overall and 3-1 in the GLIAC. The Bulldogs dropped two non-league games last week (Dec. 29-30) in Gannon University’s Porreco Cup at Erie, Pa. FSU lost a 90-79 decision to Cheyney (Pa.) in last Monday’s (Dec. 29) tournament opener before falling 88-84 in overtime versus Glenville State (W.Va.) in Tuesday’s (Dec. 30) consolation game. Ferris then suffered an 85-77 setback last Saturday (Jan. 3) at West Michigan rival Calvin in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Last Season: Ferris State concluded the 2002-03 campaign with an 11-15 overall mark and a fourth-place 7-11 GLIAC North Division finish. Both Ferris’ overall record and league finish represented the program’s best marks since the Bulldogs finished 21-12 overall and claimed the 1997-98 GLIAC Tournament championship.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2003-04 campaign marks the 76th season of Bulldog men’s basketball. The program began in 1925 although Ferris did not field a team from 1942-45 due to World War II. FSU has compiled a 881-832 (.514) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won nine GLIAC titles, made six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and reached the 1988 NCAA-II Elite Eight. Ferris captured a league-record four consecutive GLIAC titles from 1986-90.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, second-year FSU head coach Bill Sall previously held assistant coaching positions at Calvin (1992-95), Ferris State (1995-98) and Hillsdale (1998-02) prior to being named Ferris State’s 11th head coach. The Zeeland, Mich., native served as Ferris’ interim head coach for a portion of the 1995-96 campaign and led the Bulldogs to a 5-8 mark. Before joining the coaching ranks, Sall was a standout player at Calvin from 1985-90. He twice (1989-90) received second-team National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III All-America honors and led Calvin to three MIAA championships, four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four. Sall has a current 19-33 (.365) career coaching mark.

Finally At Home: Saturday’s game marks Ferris’ initial appearance at Wink Arena this campaign. Twelve of FSU’s first 13 games this season were away from home. The lone exception was the Bulldogs' 88-65 victory over Lake Superior State (Dec. 11), which was played at Big Rapids (Mich.) High School due to conflicts with the school's annual graduation ceremony. Five of Ferris’ next six outings are at home.

At Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 13-34 (.277) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including an 8-29 (.216) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced the Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 campaign. The Bulldogs have won two of their four season-opening games in the facility including last season’s (11/26/02) 92-71 win over Calvin.

On The Road: FSU is 339-301 (.530) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 161-206 (.439) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. Ferris has posted a 2-6 (.250) road mark to date this season.

FSU Picked Fourth: Ferris was picked to finish fourth in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 17 points in the balloting by the GLIAC’s head coaches. Each of the league’s 13 head coaches ranked the teams in their respective divisions, but were not allowed to vote for their own team. Northern Michigan was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite with five first-place votes and 35 total points while Findlay took the top spot in the South Division with 25 points and five first-place votes.

A Look At The Roster: Ferris’ 2003-04 roster includes two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen. Seven of the 14 players are guards while the remaining seven are frontcourt players. Twelve players hail from Michigan while two are from Ohio.

GLIAC Games On The Air: Ferris’ 2003-04 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected league contests can also be accessed live this season via the internet by clicking the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

FSU On The Internet: Ferris State University Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The site features information on all of FSU’s varsity athletics programs including rosters, statistics and more. The Bulldogs’ 2003-04 yearbook is also available online.

A Look At FSU: Ferris returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last season, including senior co-captains Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) and Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach). The Bulldogs’ biggest loss was 6-10 center Adam Anderson, who is presently playing in Egypt. The two-time team MVP was also a three-time All-GLIAC pick.

Great League Start: Ferris’ current 3-1 league start this campaign marks only the third time in the last 15 seasons and the first time since 1996-97 the Bulldogs have won three of their initial four GLIAC outings. FSU also started league play with a 3-1 mark in 1992-93 while its last 4-0 start came in 1989-90. The Bulldogs, along with Mercyhurst, are presently the only league schools to register three conference victories in the initial portion of the GLIAC’s 2003-04 schedule which resumes Thursday, Jan. 8. Only four league schools have played four conference games to date due to the GLIAC’s format.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris has led at halftime in nine of its 13 games to date this campaign. The Bulldogs held first-half leads of eight points or more in seven of their first eight games this year ........ Six of the Bulldogs' 13 outings this season have been against nationally-ranked teams ........ Willie Thomas presently has 122 career made three-point field goals and is one shy of matching Leon Larthridge's (123; 1989-91) fifth-place FSU career total. Thomas, who needs four assists to register his 100th career assist, scored his 600th career point versus Glenville State. He has posted 11 consecutive double-figure scoring performances to date. ...... Junior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) totaled a personal career-high 30 points at Calvin. The 6-2 Epps is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game in FSU's last five outings to date. He is one three-point basket shy of attaining his 100th career trey ........ Freshman guard/forward C.J. Van Wieren (Holland/West Ottawa) scored a personal career-high nine points and grabbed a career-best five rebounds against Glenville State. He made his first collegiate start at Calvin ........ Junior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) presently has 465 career points and is 35 away from notching his 500th career point ....... Second-year FSU head coach Bill Sall has emerged victorious in eight of 11 Calvin-Ferris outings despite Saturday’s loss. Sall led the Knights to three victories over Ferris as a player (1987-90), recorded a 2-1 mark versus FSU as a Calvin assistant coach (1992-95) and helped guide Ferris to a 2-1 series’ ledger as a Bulldog assistant coach (1995-98). The two schools have split two meetings during his head coaching tenure ......... The Bulldogs are averaging 87.3 points per game in their three victories this campaign compared to only 70.8 points per game in their 10 losses ...... FSU has allowed 85.5 points per game in four neutral site contests this season versus only 76.9 points per game in eight road outings ...... Freshman forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) needs 12 points to register his 100th career point ......... Ferris dropped to 0-11 all-time versus the Knights at the Calvin Fieldhouse with Saturday’s loss.

Reaching The Record Books: Sophomore guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) presently has 221 career assists and is 13 shy of tying James Munger (234; 1971-74) for 10th place on the school’s career assists leaders list. Springs tallied the school’s third-best seasonal figure with 155 assists in 26 outings last campaign.

Looking Ahead: Ferris will visit Hillsdale Thursday, Jan. 15, for an 8 p.m. (EST) league contest in HC’s Jessie Philips Arena at Hillsdale, Mich. The Bulldogs will then entertain Wayne State Saturday, Jan. 17, in a 3 p.m. (EST) conference tilt at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena.

A Look At The Opponent:

Grand Valley State: Ferris holds a 42-35 advantage heading into this Saturday’s 78th encounter although GVSU recorded a 70-64 win in the last meeting (2/10/03) at Big Rapids, Mich. GVSU is currently 10-1 overall and 2-0 in GLIAC action after posting a 67-66 non-conference victory at Saint Joseph’s (Dec. 22) in Rensselaer, Ind. Grand Valley State, which was picked to finish fifth in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by junior forward Marcus Wallace (18.9 ppg). Wallace previously played for Ferris from 2000-02 before transferring to GVSU. The Lakers have won nine consecutive games to date under seventh-year head coach and former Bulldog assistant coach (1987-88) Terry Smith. GVSU was 14-14 overall during the 2002-03 campaign and placed third in the GLIAC’s North Division with an 8-10 league mark. The two teams split two meetings in FSU head coach Bill Sall’s initial season at the helm a year ago as the Bulldogs posted an 81-57 triumph at Allendale, Mich. (Jan. 18).