FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will battle the Ashland Eagles in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action this Saturday (Jan. 11) with tipoff slated for 3 p.m. (EST) at AU’s Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio. The Eagles are listed among others receiving consideration in the latest (Jan. 7) National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin Men’s Basketball National Rankings and were second in the initial (Dec. 17) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings. The Bulldogs, who are presently 6-7 overall and 2-3 in conference action, rank 506th of 1,336 institutions (all levels) represented in the current (Jan. 6) Dunkel Sports Research Index Men’s Basketball Ratings.

Ferris Splits Two Games - The Bulldogs split two league home games last weekend (Jan. 2 & 4) at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris defeated the Hillsdale Chargers 65-64 last Thursday (Jan. 2) before dropping a 74-71 overtime decision to the Wayne State Warriors last Saturday (Jan. 4). Senior center Adam Anderson (Kent City) led the Bulldogs with 14 points versus Hillsdale and 15 points against Wayne State. Sophomore guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) totaled 13 points in the win over Hillsdale and added a season-high 14 points versus the Warriors. Junior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) also reached double-figures in both contests with 12 points versus the Chargers and 11 against WSU.

The Bulldog Tradition - The 2002-03 campaign marks the 75th 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 873-814 (.517) all-time mark. The Bulldogs have won nine GLIAC titles, made six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and reached the 1988 NCAA-II Elite Eight. Ferris, which last won the GLIAC Tournament championship during the 1997-98 campaign, captured four consecutive league titles from 1986-90.

Last Season - Ferris State concluded the 2001-02 campaign with a 4-22 overall mark, which included a seventh-place 1-17 GLIAC North Division finish.

Head Coach Bill Sall - A 1994 Calvin graduate, first-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. In four seasons at Hillsdale, the 35-year-old Sall was instrumental in leading the Chargers to a 72-41 (.637) overall record and two consecutive (2001-02) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament appearances under head coach Ed Douma. Before joining the coaching ranks, Sall was a standout player at Calvin from 1985-90. A two-time Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Co-Most Valuable Player Award winner, Sall presently ranks as the Knights’ third-leading all-time scorer with 2,063 points. He twice (1989-90) received second-team National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III All-America honors and led Calvin to three MIAA championships, four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four.

Anderson Closing In - Adam Anderson, a 2000-01 All-GLIAC North Division First-Team honoree, averaged 14.5 points and six rebounds in FSU’s two league games last weekend. He currently has 1,359 career points and needs 11 more to tie Art Tetzlaff (1,370; 1967-71) for 11th place on Ferris’ career scoring leaders list. Anderson has scored 10 points or more in 49 of his last 50 games, including each of his previous 43 contests. The 6-10 Anderson, who currently ranks as Ferris’ career blocks leader (117), is fifth on the school’s career made free throw chart (409-620) and needs 36 more to tie Dannie Hayes (445; 1991-95) for fourth place. He established FSU single-season records in made free throws (179) and blocks (50) during the 2000-01 season. Anderson presently has 525 career rebounds and is six shy of moving into a 13th place tie with Larry Woodford (531; 1970-73) on Ferris' career list.

Bulldogs Top Victory Marks - Ferris surpassed last season’s victory total (4-22) with its victory over Lincoln (Mo.) at the Lewis Invitational (12/18) in Romeoville, Ill. FSU topped its 2001-02 league win total (1-17) with last Thursday’s win over Hillsdale.

Preseason All-America Honoree - Adam Anderson has been named to the 2002-03 Street & Smith’s Division II Preseason Honorable Mention All-America Team for the second consecutive season. Anderson, a 2000-01 Daktronics NCAA-II All-Great Lakes Region First-Team selection, was among 31 individuals receiving preseason accolades and joined Michigan Tech’s Matt Cameron, Hillsdale’s Matt Mlynarchek and Josh Morgan of Gannon as the only representatives from a GLIAC-member institution. Anderson, who missed the final 23 games last season due to a bone bruise injury (knee) suffered in a 79-59 non-conference home win versus Olivet (11/20/01), petitioned for and was granted an extra season of eligibility last summer through the NCAA’s medical redshirt process. He has reached double-figure scoring 69 times in 92 career contests.

Bulldog Bites - Freshman guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) has registered eight double-figure scoring performances to date this campaign, including five of his last eight outings. Springs, who has been FSU’s assists leader five of the last six contests, currently ranks second (6.00 apg) among the league’s overall assists leaders and is third (.872) in free throw percentage .... Senior guard/forward Jeff Guernsey (Buckley) presently has scored 197 career points and needs three more to register his 200th career point .... Junior forward Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) grabbed his 200th career rebound versus Wayne State ..... FSU has led at halftime in eight of its 13 contests this season to date ...... Adam Anderson, who ranked as the GLIAC’s leading scorer (21.3 ppg) during the 2000-01 season, has currently led FSU in scoring five of the last six games ..... Sophomore guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) has posted double-digit scoring performances in five of his last seven outings. He recorded his 350th career point against Hillsdale and is 11 rebounds shy of notching his 200th career board .... Ferris has compiled a higher three-point field goal percentage than its opponent in nine of the last 11 outings to date ...... Eleven of Ferris’ 13 opponents this campaign had a .500 record or better prior to the contest. FSU has played eight games to date against teams ranked among the top 10 in the initial (Dec. 17) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings ....... Sophomore guard Michael Anderson (Farmington Hills/Royal Oak Shrine) is three points shy of notching his 100th career point ....... FSU head coach Bill Sall improved to 2-1 (.667) overall against former employers with last Thursday’s victory. Sall, who previously served as an assistant coach at both Hillsdale (1998-02) and Calvin (1992-95), previously led Ferris to a 92-71 non-league home win over the Knights (11/26) ...... Willie Thomas needs one point to garner his 200th career point. Thomas, who is averaging 17.8 points per game in FSU’s four home contests to date, presently ranks fourth (2.77 pg) among the GLIAC’s leaders in made three-point field goals ..... Ferris has shot 40 percent or better from three-point range in eight of its 13 games this campaign ....... Corey Epps is 20 points away from attaining his 300th career point ...... The Bulldogs rank second (.750) in free throw percentage in the latest (Jan. 6) GLIAC statistics after finishing the 2001-02 campaign listed 10th (.650).

A New Year - FSU opened the new calendar year with a victory for the first time since the 1998-99 season with last Thursday’s win. FSU, which was a combined 2-32 (.059) overall in January games from 1998-2002, had not won its first outing after New Year’s Day since posting a 77-73 home league win over Ashland (1/2/99).

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 331-283 (.539) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 157-191 (.451) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. FSU is 3-4 (.429) away from home to date this season.

Against The Opponent - Ferris continues conference action this Saturday against the Ashland Eagles.

Ashland: The Bulldogs maintain a 5-4 series edge. However, AU defeated Ferris 83-72 in the last meeting (1/12/02) at Big Rapids, Mich. Ashland is presently 12-2 overall and 4-1 in league play heading into this Thursday’s (Jan. 9) GLIAC home game versus Grand Valley State after claiming a 84-59 victory at Lake Superior State this past Monday (Jan. 6). The Eagles, who are coached by 10th-year head coach Roger Lyons, were 18-9 overall during the 2001-02 campaign and compiled a third-place 11-6 GLIAC South Division finish. AU, which is led in scoring by senior guard Isaac Kincaid (18.9 ppg), was picked to finish fourth in the 2002-03 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Ashland has won four of its last five games to date.

Looking Ahead - Ferris will host the Northwood Timberwolves for a league encounter Thursday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m. (EST) in FSU’s Jim Wink Arena. The Bulldogs will then visit the Grand Valley State Lakers Saturday, Jan. 18, for a 8 p.m. (EST) conference contest in GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich.

Ferris 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.