FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will visit the Olivet Comets this Saturday (Dec. 14) for a 3 p.m. (EST) non-conference encounter at OC’s Upton Center in Olivet, Mich. The Bulldogs, who are presently 3-3 overall and 1-2 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action, are in the midst of an eight-game road stretch.

Bulldogs Win One Of Three - FSU won one of three games last week. The Bulldogs dropped an 88-84 non-league decision versus the Aquinas Saints last Tuesday (Dec. 3) at the Aquinas Fieldhouse in Grand Rapids, Mich. Ferris then lost 73-62 to the Gannon Knights in league action last Thursday (Dec. 5) in GU’s Hammermill Center at Erie, Pa. The Bulldogs responded by posting a 70-62 conference win over the Mercyhurst Lakers last Saturday (Dec. 7) at MC’s Athletics Center in Erie. The victory snapped FSU’s three-game losing skid.

Leading The Way - Junior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) totaled 23 points while freshman guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) added 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds at Aquinas. Senior center Adam Anderson (Kent City) compiled 18 points while Thomas chipped in 16 points versus Gannon. Springs tallied 19 points, Thomas had 16 and Anderson finished with 13 points in FSU’s win at Mercyhurst.

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 870-810 (.518) 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. Eight letterwinners and three starters return this season.

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.

Thomas Has The Hot Hand - Willie Thomas led the Bulldogs with a combined 54 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists and seven steals in three outings last week. The 6-4 Thomas averaged 18.3 points per game during the three-game span and sank 13-of-26 (.500) three-point field goal attempts. Thomas, who tallied a game-high 23 points at Aquinas, presently has an active five-game double-figure scoring streak. He drained five-of-eight treys at Mercyhurst and was six-of-11 from beyond the arc versus the Saints. Thomas, who totaled 16 points and seven rebounds in Ferris' win at Mercyhurst, is averaging 20.6 points per game in his last five contests and is 22-of-45 (.489) in three-point attempts this campaign. Thomas is shooting 56-percent (20-36) from three-point range in his last four outings.

Anderson Scores 1,200th Point - Adam Anderson, a 2000-01 All-GLIAC North Division First-Team honoree, totaled his 1,200th career point at Aquinas and presently ranks 14th on the school’s career scoring chart. He currently has 1, 233 career points and needs six more to move into a 13th-place tie with Zarie Phillips (1,239; 1993-98) on FSU’s all-time list. The 6-10 Anderson has scored 10 points or more in 42 of his past 43 career outings, including each of his previous 36 contests. Anderson, who currently ranks as Ferris’ career blocks leader (107), is fifth on the school’s career made free throw chart (353-551) and needs 92 more to tie Dannie Hayes (445; 1991-95) for fifth place. He established FSU single-season records in made free throws (179) and blocks (50) during the 2000-01 season. Anderson tied Kevin Oldenberg (490; 1991-93) for 16th place on the school’s career rebounding list with two boards at Mercyhurst.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 328-279 (.540) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 155-188 (.452) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. FSU is 2-2 (.500) away from home to date this season.

Bulldog Bites - The Bulldogs matched last season's conference victory total (1-17) at Mercyhurst and need one more win to match last season's total (4-22) ...... FSU's victory over the Lakers was its first in Erie since the 1996-97 campaign ....... Dennis Springs tallied a personal career-high 19 points in the win over Mercyhurst, including seven points in the game's final 22 seconds of play. The 5-6 Springs has registered four double-figure scoring performances this season and has led Ferris in assists in all six games this campaign to date. He is averaging 8.0 assists per game in his last five outings ............ Senior forward Jeff Guernsey (Buckley) garnered a personal career-high five steals at Mercyhurst. He presently has scored 179 career points and needs 21 more to register his 200th career point ......... Senior guard Brian Monahan (Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor Pioneer) is one steal shy of moving into a 10th-place tie with David Tuck (102; 1986-90) on Ferris' career list ......... Sophomore forward Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) currently has 183 career rebounds and is 17 shy of attaining his 200th career rebound. He recorded a season-high 10 boards against the Lakers ......... FSU has led at halftime in five of its six contests this season to date. The lone exception came at Gannon when FSU trailed 33-31 at the break .......... FSU's 13 made three-point field goals at Aquinas was two shy of matching the school record of 15 set against Northern Michigan (2/9/89) ............. Sophomore guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) totaled 11 points while notching his 200th career point at Gannon ........ Sophomore guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) presently has scored 282 career points and needs 18 more to garner his 300th career point.

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. Five individuals were named to both the first and second-team squads while 21 others attained honorable mention honors. The 6-10 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. Anderson has reached double-figure scoring 62 times in 85 career contests.

Against The Opponent - Ferris will battle the Olivet Comets in non-league action this Saturday at Olivet, Mich.

Olivet: FSU holds a 13-11 series advantage entering this Saturday’s meeting. The Bulldogs have won three consecutive meetings and defeated Olivet 79-59 in the last contest (11/20/01) at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena, which represented Ferris’ only home victory in 2001-02. The Comets are currently 5-3 overall under sixth-year head coach Steve Hettinga heading into this Tuesday’s (Dec. 10) non-league home game versus Michigan-Dearborn as a result of dropping a 79-71 decision at Spring Arbor last Saturday (Dec. 7). Olivet compiled a 10-16 overall record during the 2001-02 campaign, which included a sixth-place 4-8 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association finish. The Comets, who have won three of their last four outings to date, are led in scoring by senior forward Michael Dyson (20.0 ppg).

Looking Ahead - Ferris State will take part in the Lewis (Ill.) Invitational, Dec. 18-19, at Lewis’ Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Ill. FSU will face the Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers in opening-round play Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 6:30 p.m. (EST). The consolation and championship games will be held Thursday, Dec. 19, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (EST), respectively. Host Lewis, Lincoln and St. Francis (Ill.) along with Ferris State comprise the four-team tournament field.