FORMER BULLDOG DUO LEADS HOLLAND BLAST TO VICTORY
Dennis Springs & Carlton Epps Headline Franchise's First-Ever Outing
 Former Ferris State University men's basketball guards Dennis Springs (2002-06) and Carlton Epps (2001-05) led the Holland (Mich.) Blast to victory in the franchise's first-ever International Basketball League (IBL) contest Friday (March 31) evening as the two former Bulldog standouts made their professional basketball debuts.
Springs, who hails from Toledo, Ohio, netted a team-best 21 points along with nine assists and five steals as the Blast defeated the Lansing Capitals 131-114 in front of an estimated 1,000 fans at the Holland Civic Center. A Benton Harbor native, Epps chipped in 20 points while Duane Bosma also had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the first-year organization.
Holland shot 58.3 percent from the field in the first quarter and led by 21 points at halftime en route to the victory under head coach Mike Ahrens. Another former Ferris State guard, Corey Epps (2001-05) of Benton Harbor, added six points in Friday's victory while former FSU and Muskegon Heights High School forward Willie Burrel (2003-05) is listed on the squad's injured reserve list.
Springs guided Ferris State to the program's second consecutive NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament appearance as a senior during the 2005-06 campaign. The Epps brothers along with Burrel all concluded their Bulldog playing careers while teaming with Springs as FSU advanced to the NCAA-II Sweet Sixteen in 2004-05.
The IBL, which played its inaugural season in the spring and summer of 2005, is the newest professional basketball league designed around the concept of a faster, more skilled game. Specifically, the IBL speeds up time between play with immediate inbounds and allows fewer timeouts. The absence of dead time typically leads to a faster and more entertaining high-scoring game where skilled players shine.
The The league, which is comprised of 26 teams, features five squads in Michigan this season including the locations of Holland, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Battle Creek and Macomb County.
Holland plays its second contest of the season on the road Friday, April 7, against the Grand Rapids Flight at 7:15 p.m. (ET) in Grand Rapids Community College's Ford Fieldhouse. Former Ferris State center Adam Anderson (1998-03), who prepped at Kent City High School, is currently embarking on his second season with Grand Rapids after averaging 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the league's initial campaign last year.
Both Grand Rapids are Holland are owned and operated by the same management group, Fast Forward Sports LLC.
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