FERRIS' DENNIS SPRINGS PICKS UP KUDOS FROM GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

Senior Guard Featured As West Michigan's Top Men's Player This Season

Ferris State University senior guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) was recently chosen as the Grand Rapids Press' Men's Basketball Player of the Year for the 2005-06 campaign as selected by Press Sportswriter Howie Beardsley in the publication's March 24 edition.

The annual all-star list entitled "Bearsley's Best", which began five years ago, recognizes the top players and coaches in one of the nation's premier areas for small college basketball. The Grand Rapids Press coverage area includes some of the finest small college programs from the NCAA Division II, III and NAIA levels including Ferris State, Calvin, Hope, Grand Valley State, Aquinas and Cornerstone among others. Thirteen of the 16 men's and women's basketball programs in the publication's coverage area qualified for their respective national tournaments during the 2005-06 campaign with two women's teams (Hope and GVSU) claiming national championships.

Besides Springs' selection, the other "Beardsley's Best" recipients included Calvin's Kevin Vande Streek (Men's Coach of the Year), Niki Reams of Grand Valley State (Women's Player of the Year) along with Hope's Brian Morehouse (Women's Coach of the Year).

A 2005-06 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region Second Team pick, Springs also picked up National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Great Lakes Region All-District First Team honors in his final season.

The 5-6 Springs, who led the league in assists (5.74 apg) this season and ranked as the GLIAC's third-leading scorer (16.8 ppg) this campaign, was honored as a first-team Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division selection this year. Springs’ career average of 6.2 assists per game ranks tied for 17th place all-time in NCAA Division II history and is the GLIAC’s top career performance average for all games played. His 713 career assists not only ranks as the school's top figure, but also presently is listed 13th on the all-time NCAA Division II assists leaders list. The two-time (2003-04 & 2004-05) GLIAC North Division Second Team honoree ranked 17th nationally in assists along with 40th in steals (2.2) this season according to the latest (March 19) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders.

Springs, who compiled 28 double-figure scoring outings this season, currently is listed among the school's all-time performers in five statistical categories including ninth in scoring with 1,504 career points. He earned GLIAC North Division Player of the Week Award honors three times this campaign. Springs also received GLIAC North Division All-Defensive Team kudos for the third-straight campaign and picked up GLIAC All-Tournament Team recognition this year as the Bulldogs earned runner-up honors in the conference's annual postseason tournament (March 3-4).

Springs attained NCAA-II Great Lakes Region All-Tournament Team kudos as FSU advanced to the NCAA-II Sweet Sixteen during the 2004-05 campaign. He also set a school single-season record with 213 assists last year and was featured among the top 10 West Michigan collegiate players to watch this season by the Grand Rapids Press.

During his playing career, Springs led Ferris to back-to-back GLIAC North Division Championships (2003-04 & 2004-05), guided FSU to a runner-up league regular-season finish this year and directed the Bulldogs to consecutive NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament appearances the last two campaigns. He was the conference's assists leader three of his four collegiate seasons and dished out 10 or more assists 14 times in his playing career.

Ferris posted an 18-13 overall mark this year en route to making its second consecutive national tournament berth under fourth-year head coach Bill Sall after posting a second-place 13-5 mark in GLIAC North Division regular-season action.