FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State men’s basketball team will host Northern Michigan Thursday, Jan. 12, in a 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The contest will be the second game of a women’s and men’s league doubleheader. Ferris is the only GLIAC team still unbeaten in league play this season and sports a first-place 5-0 mark in the GLIAC North Division entering the contest while preseason league favorite NMU is second with a 4-1 conference record. Thursday will also serve as the school’s annual Student-Athlete Appreciation Day.

Media Coverage: Thursday’s game will be carried live locally by News Talk 1460 AM (WBRN). Jason DaDay will handle the play-by-play duties for Thursday's coverage. The game is also slated to be webcast at www.ferris.edu/sports.

Ticket Info: Individual game tickets to FSU regular-season home basketball games can be obtained at the door or by calling the Bulldog Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. Adult general admission tickets are $7. Student tickets are $5. A family pass with two adult and two youth tickets can be purchased for $15. Ferris faculty/staff ticket prices are also $5. FSU students are admitted free of charge by showing their student ID card.

FSU Drops Two In Florida: Ferris State dropped a pair of games in the Florida Gulf Coast Holiday Classic 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 nationally-ranked 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 FGC and Montevallo, respectively.

Ferris Wins League Road Game: Ferris State remained unbeaten in league action with an 83-78 win over Hillsdale last Saturday (Jan. 7) in HC's Jesse Philips Arena at Hillsdale, Mich. Senior guard Antwuan Holt (Okemos) tallied a game-high 24 points to lead the Bulldogs while junior forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport) added 16 points. Dennis Springs chipped in 14 points and freshman guard Jessie York (Muskegon Heights) netted 12 points in the Bulldog victory.

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. FSU was not ranked in the latest (Jan. 10) regular-season poll. Findlay is currently ranked 11th, Grand Valley State 24th and Ashland 25th among GLIAC schools featured in the current poll. The Bulldogs have already faced three of the top five ranked teams in the poll this campaign, including currently top-ranked Montevallo (Ala.), third-ranked Southern Indiana and fifth-ranked St. Joseph’s (Ind.).

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 62-50 (.554) career mark. He is 57-42 (.576) 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 924-849 (.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 381-318 (.545) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 178-220 (.447) 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 5-4 (.556) road mark to date this campaign.

Back At Home Again: Thursday’s contest opens a four-game homestand 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. Seven of Ferris’ final 13 regular-season outings this year are at home. Last Saturday’s outing at Hillsdale was the final game of a seven-game road swing for the Bulldogs.

Leading The Charge: FSU’s Dennis Springs presently is ranked 34th nationally in steals along with 42nd in assists among the latest (Jan. 9) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. Springs is currently averaging 5.4 assists along with 2.6 steals per outing. The 5-7 Springs has averaged 8.3 assists per game at home and 4.7 assists per outing in road games to date. Springs is listed third in both scoring (16.9 ppg) and steals in addition to second in assists according to the GLIAC’s overall statistical rankings (as of Jan. 10th).

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. “Live Stats” of all remaining 2005-06 FSU home contests will also be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon.

The Team Captains: FSU’s three seniors are serving 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: 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 57-42 (.576). FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in 2001-02 ......... Ferris dropped three of its last four January outings last season before winning its final 10 regular-season contests ............. Ferris’ current 5-0 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 are the only remaining team in the league with no conference losses heading into this weekend’s action ......... Ferris improved to 59-37 all-time versus Hillsdale with last Saturday’s victory in the 96th series’ encounter. Bill Sall, who previously served as a Charger assistant coach under current HC head coach Ed Douma from 1998-02, improved his career coaching mark to 4-1 against Hillsdale with the win ........... Thursday’s game against Northern Michigan will be head coach Bill Sall’s 100th game since being chosen to guide the Bulldogs prior to the 2002-03 campaign ............. Jeffery Shanahan needs 14 points to notch his 500th career point in a Bulldog uniform .............. Ferris State’s Antwuan Holt previously spent his initial two collegiate seasons from 2002-04 at Northern Michigan, which happens to be Thursday evening’s opponent. Holt, who averaged 7.3 points per game last campaign, was held scoreless by his former teammates in all three meetings last year.

GLIAC Honors: Ferris’ Antwuan Holt became the third different Bulldog player to receive GLIAC North Division Player of the Week Award laurels this campaign as he was recognized this week (Jan. 9) by the league office. Holt tallied a game-high 24 points in FSU’s win over Hillsdale, which surpassed his previous FSU career-high of 21 points set earlier this season (12/1) against Northwood. Ferris has received the weekly honor four of the six times it has been awarded this season as Dennis Springs earned recognition on both Nov. 22 and Dec. 5 while Terrance Shaw claimed the distinction once (Dec. 12) for FSU.

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.

Coming Up Next: Ferris continues its four-game homestand by hosting Lake Superior State Saturday, Jan. 14, for a 3 p.m. (EST) league tilt in Wink Arena. LSSU is presently 1-12 overall and 0-6 in league play heading into Thursday’s (Jan. 12) conference game at Grand Valley State after last Saturday’s (Jan. 7) 54-45 GLIAC home loss to Michigan Tech. The Lakers are coached by third-year head coach Mike Fitzner.

A Look At The Opponent:

Northern Michigan: NMU holds a 62-41 advantage heading into Thursday’s 104th encounter. FSU has won six of the last seven meetings, however, including a most recent 103-98 home win in the 2004-05 GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals (3/1/05) at Big Rapids, Mich. NMU’s currently 7-6 overall and 4-1 in GLIAC action after last Saturday’s (Jan. 7) 78-71 GLIAC home loss to Grand Valley State. Northern Michigan, which was picked to finish first in the 2005-06 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, is led in scoring by junior forward Ricky Volcy (18.5 ppg). The Wildcats have lost three of their last five games to date under 20th-year head coach Dean Ellis. NMU was 13-15 overall in 2004-05 and placed fourth (8-10) in the GLIAC North Division. FSU head coach Bill Sall presently holds a 6-1 career coaching mark versus NMU. Ferris won three meetings versus the Wildcats last campaign.