FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will visit Hillsdale this Thursday (Jan. 15) for an 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at HC’s Jessie Philips Arena in Hillsdale, Mich. The Bulldogs will then host Wayne State Saturday (Jan. 17) in a 3 p.m. (EST) league tilt 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.

Big Home Win: Ferris State snapped a five-game losing skid with an 88-82 GLIAC home triumph over rival Grand Valley State last Saturday (Jan. 10). Junior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) tallied 27 points for FSU while senior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) added 13 points and sophomore guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) compiled 13 assists. The Bulldogs, who presently hold a first-place 4-1 mark in the GLIAC’s North Division, are 4-10 overall to date. Saturday’s victory also ended GVSU’s nine-game winning streak this season.

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 882-832 (.515) 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 20-33 (.377) career coaching mark.

Nice To Be Home: Saturday’s game was 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. Four of Ferris’ next five outings are at home.

At Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 14-34 (.292) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 9-29 (.237) 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.

On The Road: FSU is 340-301 (.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.

Starting Well: Ferris State's current 4-1 league start this campaign marks the first time FSU has won four of its initial five conference games since 1992-93. The Bulldogs posted a school-record 16-0 GLIAC record en route to the 1988-89 league title. Last season (2002-03), the Bulldogs started conference play with a 2-3 record.

A Look At FSU: Ferris returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last season, including senior co-captains Willie Thomas 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.

In The Record Books: The Bulldogs tied a school single-game record with 15 made three-point field goals against Grand Valley State. Ferris, which also sank 15 treys versus Northern Michigan in 1989 (2/9), tallied 11 three-pointers in the first half and shot 51.7% (15-29) from behind the arc.

Bulldog Bites: Dennis Springs matched a personal career-high with 13 assists versus GVSU. Springs, who also totaled 13 assists against Calvin last season (11/26/02), was one shy of tying Tim Herman's school record total of 14 assists set against Northwood (1/16/78) ......... Ferris has led at halftime in 10 of its 14 games this season. Six of the Bulldogs' outings this campaign have been against nationally-ranked opponents ........ Willie Thomas presently has 125 career made three-point field goals and is four shy of tying Dannie Hayes' (1991-95) fourth place career total of 129 treys. Thomas has posted 12 consecutive double-figure scoring outings to date ....... Carlton Epps, who registered six made three-point field goals versus GVSU, presently is averaging 27 points per game in his last three outings ....... The Bulldogs are averaging 87.5 points per game in their four victories this campaign compared to only 70.8 points per game in their 10 losses ...... Saturday’s attendance of 783 was Ferris’ fourth-largest crowd ever at the new Wink Arena ........ Freshman forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) needs four points to register his 100th career point ...... Ferris State head coach Bill Sall previously served as a Hillsdale assistant coach from 1998-02 under the Chargers’ Ed Douma. Sall also played under Douma at Calvin (1985-90) and was his assistant coach (1992-95) for the Knights.

Among The Leaders: Dennis Springs moved into a 10th place tie with James Munger (1971-74) among FSU's all-time assists leaders versus GVSU. The 5-6 Springs presently has 234 career assists in 39 career outings (6.0 apg). Springs tallied the school’s third-best seasonal figure with 155 assists in 26 outings last campaign.

Looking Ahead: Ferris will host Gannon Thursday, Jan. 22, for an 8 p.m. (EST) league encounter in FSU’s Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will then battle Mercyhurst Saturday, Jan. 24, in a 3 p.m. (EST) conference home contest.

A Look At The Opponents:

Hillsdale: Ferris holds a 56-37 series advantage entering this Thursday’s 94th series contest and defeated the Chargers 65-64 in the last meeting (1/2/03) at Big Rapids, Mich. However, HC has won four of the last five series’ contests to date. The Chargers are currently 9-6 overall and 2-3 in league play under sixth-year head coach Ed Douma after an 88-69 conference loss at Michigan Tech last Saturday (Jan. 10). Hillsdale compiled a 16-12 overall record during the 2002-03 campaign and finished fourth (8-9) in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Chargers, who were picked to finish fifth in this season’s GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll, are led by sophomore guard Cory Coe (16.6 ppg). Hillsdale has won five of its last seven games to date this campaign. FSU head coach Bill Sall presently holds a 1-1 career coaching mark versus HC. The teams split two meetings last season as Hillsdale recorded a 94-77 non-league victory in HC’s Rotary Christmas Classic (12/27/02).

Wayne State: The Bulldogs maintain a 33-29 edge heading into Saturday’s 63rd series’ encounter. However, WSU posted a 74-71 overtime victory in the last meeting (1/4/03) at Big Rapids. Wayne State is presently 7-6 overall and 3-2 in league play heading into this Monday’s (Jan. 12) and Thursday’s (Jan. 15) GLIAC home tilts versus Findlay and Grand Valley State, respectively, after recording a 53-48 conference triumph at nationally-ranked Michigan Tech last Thursday (Jan. 8) in Houghton, Mich. The Warriors, who are coached by third-year head coach David Greer, were 13-14 overall during the 2002-03 campaign and compiled a third-place 9-8 GLIAC South Division finish. WSU, which is led in scoring by junior guard James Davis (21.4 ppg), was picked to finish third in the 2003-04 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll. WSU has won three consecutive games to date.