FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will square off against the Hillsdale Chargers Saturday, Jan. 7, in a 3 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at HC’s Jesse Philips Arena in Hillsdale, Mich. The contest will be the second game of a women’s and men’s league doubleheader. The women’s game starts at 1 p.m. (EST).

Media Coverage: Saturday’s game will be carried live locally by News Talk 1460 AM (WBRN). Rob Bentley will handle the play-by-play duties for Saturday’s coverage. No Ferris webcast will be available due to limited staff on campus over the semester break.

Ticket Info: Tickets for Saturday’s game will be available at the door or can be obtained by contacting the Hillsdale College Athletics Department at (517) 437-7364.

FSU Drops Two In Florida: Ferris State dropped a pair of games in the Florida Gulf Coast Holiday Classic last Thursday and Friday (Dec. 29-30) in Fort Myers, Fla. The Bulldogs suffered a 62-59 loss to the host Eagles in Thursday’s (Dec. 29) opener before falling to the nation’s second-ranked team in Montevallo (Ala.) Friday (Dec. 30) by a count of 71-58. Ferris held a four-point halftime edge versus Montevallo and led by as many as nine points in the opening half against FGC before dropping both outings. Senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) had a team-high 16 points and 22 points against Florida Gulf Coast and Montevallo, respectively.

Ferris Splits Two At GLIAC/GLVC Challenge: FSU split two outings prior to the holiday break in the GLIAC/Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Challenge (Dec. 20-21) hosted by the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Ind. Ferris fell to nationally fifth-ranked Southern Indiana 88-81 in Tuesday’s (Dec. 20) opening game of the event before bouncing back to defeat the host Greyhounds 84-82 in overtime Wednesday (Dec. 21). Freshman guard Jessie York (Muskegon Heights) hit the game-winning jumper with one second left in overtime against Indianapolis. Dennis Springs totaled a game-high tying 28 points versus UI while York and senior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) both netted team-high scoring honors with 15 points apiece in the loss to USI.

Last Season: Ferris State capped off a banner 2004-05 season with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (March 12-15) held in Findlay, Ohio. FSU reached the regional championship game for only the third time in school history last season. The Bulldogs, who won their second-straight GLIAC North Division Championship with a 13-5 league mark last campaign, concluded the year with a 24-7 overall record and fell one game shy of advancing to the NCAA-II Elite Eight for the second time ever. FSU's 24 victories represented the third-most wins in school history. Ferris, which was ranked 23rd in the final 2004-05 National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin Regular-Season National Poll, also advanced to the GLIAC Tournament for the second-straight year in 2004-05. Last season marked FSU’s first appearance in the national rankings since 1988-89.

National Rankings: Ferris State was ranked 18th overall in the 2005-06 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Preseason Top 25 poll. GLIAC member Findlay was seventh in the poll with regional foe Southern Indiana listed ninth. League members Grand Valley State, Gannon and Ashland were listed in the others receiving votes category. FSU was not ranked but did receive votes in the latest (Dec. 20) regular-season poll. Findlay is the only GLIAC school currently ranked in the most recent poll as the Oilers are 25th.

FSU Third In Poll: Two-time defending divisional champion Ferris State was picked to finish third in the 2005-06 GLIAC Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 28 points along with one first-place vote in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. Northern Michigan was selected as the North Division favorite as the Wildcats recorded 33 points along with four first-place votes. Findlay took the top spot in the South Division with 24 points and four first-place votes. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play, but not allowed to vote for their own team.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, fourth-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 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA) championships, four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four. Including his stint as interim coach, Sall has a current 61-50 (.550) career mark. He is 56-42 (.571) overall since being appointed head coach prior to the 2002-03 campaign.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2005-06 campaign marks the 78th 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 923-849 (.521) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won 11 GLIAC titles, made seven 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.

Jim Wink Arena: The Bulldogs have posted an impressive 30-8 (.789) overall record at Jim Wink Arena in Bill Sall’s head coaching era at FSU. Ferris, which holds an all-time mark of 38-37 (.507) to date in the seven year old facility, registered a school-best 15-1 (.938) overall record at home during the 2004-05 campaign. FSU is 25-31 (.446) to date in league play at Wink Arena. The 2,400-seat facility replaced Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 season.

On The Road: Ferris is 380-318 (.544) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 177-220 (.446) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs, who were 7-5 (.583) on the road in 2004-05, currently hold a 4-4 (.500) road mark to date this campaign.

Home Games On Tap: Saturday’s outing at Hillsdale will be the final game of a seven-game road swing for Ferris State. The Bulldogs have not played at home since registering a 79-63 triumph over West Michigan archrival Grand Valley State (Dec. 8) in Big Rapids, Mich. FSU will begin a four-game league homestand against Northern Michigan Thursday, Jan. 12, in Jim Wink Arena. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. (EST). Seven of Ferris’ final 14 regular-season outings this season are at home.

Among The Leaders: FSU’s Dennis Springs presently is ranked 34th nationally in both assists and steals among the latest (Jan. 3) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. Springs is currently averaging 5.5 assists along with 2.6 steals per outing. The 5-7 Springs has averaged 8.3 assists per game at home and 4.9 assists per outing in road games to date this season. Springs is presently third in scoring (17.2 ppg), steals and assists according to the GLIAC’s statistical rankings (as of Jan. 5th).

GLIAC Games On The Air: All eighteen of FSU’s 2005-06 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN (News Talk 1460 AM). Selected contests can also be accessed live via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2005-06 roster includes three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen. Six of the 12 players are guards while the remaining six are frontcourt players. Eleven of the 12 players hail from Michigan with Dennis Springs the only out-of-state player on the active roster.

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, yearbooks and more.

The Team Captains: FSU’s three seniors will serve as the squad’s team captains this campaign. They include Dennis Springs, Antwuan Holt and forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley). Both Springs and Shanahan are returning three-year letterwinners while Holt played his first two collegiate seasons at GLIAC-member Northern Michigan before his transfer to FSU prior to last season.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris’ current 4-0 league start is the program’s best since winning five-straight to open the 1989-90 campaign. FSU posted a perfect 16-0 league record in 1988-89 ........ The Bulldogs had posted only a 21-82 (.204) mark in the four seasons prior to current head coach Bill Sall's arrival, but have since went 56-42 (.571). FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in 2001-02 ......... Ferris’ meetings against both Florida Gulf Coast and Montevallo (Ala.) in the FGC Holiday Classic represented the program’s first-ever matchups versus both institutions ....... Dennis Springs led Ferris in five games over the holiday break (Dec. 16-30) as he averaged 16.8 points, 3.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest ........ Ferris dropped three of its last four January outings last season before winning its final 10 regular-season contests.

Career Numbers: Junior forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) notched his 500th career point against Indianapolis (Dec. 21) in the GLIAC/Great Lakes Valley Conference Challenge ........ Jeffery Shanahan currently needs 18 points to garner his 500th career point ................... Junior forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport) compiled his 500th career point versus Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 29).

GLIAC Honors: Ferris claimed the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week Award for the third time this season as Terrance Shaw was recognized as the league’s selection prior to the holiday break (Dec. 12) in an announcement made by the league office. The honor, which has been awarded only five times to date this campaign, previously went twice to FSU’s Dennis Springs on both Nov. 22 and Dec. 5.

Tough Schedule: The Bulldogs faced their fourth nationally-ranked team of the season in second-ranked Montevallo (Ala.) at the Florida Gulf Coast Holiday Classic. Ferris has also faced then 19th-ranked Grand Valley State (Dec. 8) along with currently fourth-ranked St. Joseph’s (Nov. 15) and Southern Indiana (Dec. 20), which is presently ranked fifth in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Top 25 poll. Montevallo was previously ranked number one in the country the first three regular-season polls this season from Nov. 29-Dec. 13.

Former Bulldogs Sign Pro Contracts: Former Ferris State guards Carlton and Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) recently signed professional contracts with the International Basketball League's (IBL) expansion Holland (Mich.) Blast. The 6-2 twins are among the franchise's first additions for the league's 2006 season. 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. The duo concluded their four-year careers by guiding the Bulldog men's basketball team to a runner-up finish in the 2004-05 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional. Former Ferris State center Adam Anderson played for the Grand Rapids Flight in the IBL this past season.

Players To Watch: FSU’s Dennis Springs and Terrance Shaw were chosen among the top 10 West Michigan collegiate players to watch this year by the Grand Rapids Press in the Nov. 15 edition. Springs was picked second overall while Shaw was the seventh player listed.

Possible Breakthrough Team: Ferris State was listed as a possible breakthrough squad in the 2005-06 Street & Smith's College Basketball Magazine Division II Preview. The annual list of teams, which was compiled by Chuck Mistovich of the Basketball Times, included a preseason top 10 list and 30 additional teams receiving possible breakthrough recognition.

A Look At The Opponent:

Hillsdale: Ferris holds a 58-37 series advantage entering Saturday’s 96th series contest and defeated the Chargers 82-59 in the last meeting (1/11/05) at Big Rapids, Mich. However, HC has won four of the last seven series’ contests to date. The Chargers are currently 8-5 overall and 4-0 in league play under eighth-year head coach Ed Douma after a 76-55 non-conference home win over Northwood Tuesday (Jan. 3). Hillsdale compiled a 15-13 overall record during the 2004-05 campaign and finished fourth (10-7) in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Chargers, who were picked to finish fourth in this season’s GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll, are led by senior guard Cory Coe (14.5 ppg). Hillsdale has dropped four of its last six outings to date this campaign.

Reunion For Sall: FSU head coach Bill Sall previously served as a Hillsdale assistant coach from 1998-02 under current Charger coach Ed Douma. Sall, who presently holds a 3-1 career coaching mark versus HC, also played under Douma at Calvin (1985-90) and was his assistant coach (1992-95) for the Knights. Sall directed FSU to a 73-69 win over the Chargers in the most recent meeting (1/15/04) between the two teams in Jesse Philips Arena two seasons ago.