FERRIS STATE ATHLETICS & LIONS CLUB ANNOUNCE PLANS TO HOST BASKETBALL CLASSIC
Inaugural Holiday Event Includes Four Great Lakes Region Men’s Basketball Squads
 The Ferris State University Athletics Department, in conjunction with the Big Rapids (Mich.) chapter of the Lions Club International, have announced plans to host the first-ever Lions Club Holiday Basketball Classic during the 2004-05 collegiate men’s basketball campaign. The inaugural event is slated for Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 20-21, at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.
The classic will feature four NCAA Division II men’s basketball contests involving two schools apiece from both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). In addition to the host Bulldogs, who compete in the GLIAC, the field also includes Southern Indiana and Indianapolis of the GLVC along with the GLIAC member Wayne State. WSU and Indianapolis will tangle in Monday’s (Dec. 20) tournament opener at 5:30 p.m. (EST) while FSU battles USI in the 7:30 p.m. (EST) nightcap. Tuesday’s (Dec. 21) opening game between WSU and USI tips off at 5:30 p.m. (EST) with Ferris and Indianapolis squaring off in the 7:30 p.m. (EST) finale.
“The Lions Club of Big Rapids and the FSU Athletic Department have created an outstanding partnership over the past few years,” said FSU Athletics Director Tom Kirinovic. “This tournament is a continuation of that arrangement and will benefit many shareholders in the Big Rapids and surrounding community. We value this partnership and look forward to the success of the tournament as one more step for the betterment of our local area.”
Both the FSU Athletics Department and the local Lions Club have arranged meetings with other service clubs throughout the district to promote the event. Additional presentations are scheduled to be made at the Lions Club of Michigan State Convention (May 14-16) in Boyne Falls, Mich., and the annual Lions Club International Convention (July 5-9) scheduled to be held in Detroit, Mich. The Lions Club International Convention, which is typically attended by nearly 20,000 Lions Club members and their guests, is one of the largest annual gatherings of its kind in the world. FSU Athletics and the local organization are also trying to entice Lions Club members from communities of the participating teams to attend. Fans attending the event will have an opportunity to win prizes and compete in various contests.
Local Lions Club members and the FSU Athletics Department will be selling tickets to area clubs throughout the district for $2 apiece in blocks of 25 tickets. General admission tickets will also be available and can be obtained by calling the FSU Athletics Department at (231) 591-2860. Individual ticket prices are $5 per person per night or a family package of five tickets can be purchased for $20 per night.
The Ferris State University men’s basketball program, which claimed the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division championship, compiled a 14-14 overall record in 2003-04, including a 14-4 GLIAC North Division mark under second-year head coach Bill Sall. FSU, which has won more GLIAC championships (10) than any other league member, posted its best overall record this past season since compiling a 21-12 ledger during the 1997-98 season.
Wayne State, Indianapolis and Southern Indiana all reached the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament in 2003-04. USI earned NCAA Division II National Championship runner-up honors after claiming the regional title and concluding the year with a 28-7 overall record. The Screaming Eagles posted a second-place 15-5 record in the GLVC. Indianapolis compiled a 20-10 overall record along with a fourth-place (12-8) GLVC mark while WSU registered a 19-12 overall record and advanced to the regional finals after placing third (11-6) in the GLIAC’s South Division.
The International Association of Lions Clubs is the largest service organization in the world with over 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs covering 193 countries and geographic areas. Lions Club members give their time, skills and resources to raise funds for charitable giving both in their communities and internationally. They answer the needs challenging the communities of the world and tackle problems such as blindness, drug abuse prevention and diabetes awareness. Lions Clubs also work to improve the environment, build homes for the disabled, help youth groups, conduct hearing programs and provide disaster relief around the world.
The local Big Rapids Lions Club meets on the second and fourth Monday’s of every month beginning at 6:30 p.m. (ET) at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Big Rapids.
|
