FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will battle the Hillsdale Chargers this Thursday (Jan. 2) in a 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) outing at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris will then host the Wayne State Warriors this Saturday (Jan. 4) in a 3 p.m. (EST) league encounter. The Bulldogs, who are presently 5-6 overall and 1-2 in conference action, have dropped three consecutive games to date.

Bulldogs Drop Two Outings - Ferris lost two non-league games at the Hillsdale Rotary Christmas Classic held last weekend (Dec. 27-28) at HC’s Jessie Phillips Arena in Hillsdale, Mich. The Bulldogs fell to the host Hillsdale Chargers 94-77 last Friday (Dec. 27) in the opening game before dropping an 85-65 decision to the nationally-ranked Northern Kentucky Norse last Saturday (Dec. 28). Senior center Adam Anderson (Kent City) tallied a game-high 19 points versus Hillsdale and added 13 points against NKU. Sophomore guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) totaled a team-high 17 points in the loss to Northern Kentucky while junior forward Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) chipped in 10 points. Freshman guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) poured in 17 points along with three assists versus Hillsdale. Northern Kentucky was ranked sixth in the latest (Dec. 17) National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin national poll.

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 872-813 (.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.

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, currently has 1,330 career points and needs 40 more to tie Art Tetzlaff (1,370; 1967-71) for 11th place on Ferris’ career scoring leaders list. He has scored 10 points or more in 47 of his last 48 games, including each of his previous 41 contests. The 6-10 Anderson, who currently ranks as Ferris’ career blocks leader (111), is fifth on the school’s career made free throw chart (398-606) and needs 47 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 513 career rebounds and is seven shy of moving into a 14th place tie with Charles Fuller (520; 1969-73) on Ferris' career list.

Ahead Of Last Year’s Pace - 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, which had won three-straight outings prior to its current three-game skid, matched its 2001-02 league win total (1-17) by recording a 70-62 victory at Mercyhurst (12/7).

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. Anderson has reached double-figure scoring 67 times in 90 career contests.

Bulldog Bites - Dennis Springs has registered seven double-figure scoring performances to date this campaign, including four of his last six outings .... Ferris' 5-4 mark through nine games this season represented its best since the 1997-98 campaign. The Bulldogs also opened the 1997-98 season at 5-4 before finishing with a 21-12 overall record and winning the GLIAC Tournament Championship ....... Senior guard/forward Jeff Guernsey (Buckley) presently has scored 189 career points and needs 11 more to register his 200th career point .... Nathan Wruble currently has 196 career rebounds and is four shy of attaining his 200th career rebound. He notched his 150th career point at Hillsdale ..... FSU has led at halftime in seven of its 11 contests this season to date ...... Adam Anderson, who ranked as the GLIAC’s leading scorer (21.3 ppg) during the 2000-01 season, garnered his 1,300th career point versus the Chargers. He has led FSU in scoring three of the last four games to date ..... Carlton Epps has posted double-digit scoring performances in four of his last five games and is averaging 13 points per game during that span. He needs three points to record his 350th career point .... The Bulldogs are averaging 82.2 points per game in their last five contests ...... FSU’s average margin of victory in its five wins is 14.6 points per game while its average margin of defeat in its six losses is 12 points per contest ...... Ferris has compiled a higher three-point field goal percentage than its opponent in seven of the last nine outings to date ...... Sophomore guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) attained his 100th career board at Hillsdale ......... Junior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) had his eight-game double-figure scoring streak end at Hillsdale as he scored nine points. Thomas, who has drained 31-of-78 (.397) three-point attempts to date this campaign, presently ranks as Ferris’ second-leading scorer (16.0 ppg) ....... Ten of Ferris’ 11 opponents this campaign had a .500 record or better prior to the contest. The lone exception was Lincoln (Mo.), which was 3-4 overall before the Dec. 18 contest ....... Freshman forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) registered a personal career-best six rebounds against NKU ....... Sophomore guard Michael Anderson (Farmington Hills/Royal Oak Shrine) is six points shy of notching his 100th career point.

Against The Opponents - Ferris will resume conference action versus Hillsdale and Wayne State this weekend at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

Hillsdale: Ferris holds a 55-37 series advantage entering this Thursday’s 93rd series contest. However, HC has won four consecutive series’ games to date and defeated FSU 94-77 in the last meeting (12/27/02) at Hillsdale, Mich. The Chargers are currently 7-3 overall and 0-1 in league play under fifth-year head coach Ed Douma after a 74-60 non-conference home win over nationally-ranked Northern Kentucky (12/29). Hillsdale compiled a 20-8 overall record during the 2001-02 campaign and finished second in the GLIAC’s South Division with an 11-6 league record. The Chargers, who were picked to finish first in this season’s GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll, are led by senior center Matt Mlynarchek (16.0 ppg). Hillsdale has won three consecutive games to date this campaign. Ferris won three-straight meetings prior to HC’s current streak.

Wayne State: The Bulldogs maintain a 33-28 series edge. However, WSU defeated Ferris 92-79 in the last meeting (1/5/02) at Detroit, Mich. WSU is presently 5-5 overall and 1-1 in league play heading into this Thursday’s (Jan. 2) league contest at Grand Valley State after losing a 77-63 non-conference decision at Florida Southern last Sunday (Dec. 29) in Lakeland, Fla. The Warriors, who are coached by second-year head coach David Greer, were 15-12 overall during the 2001-02 campaign and compiled a fifth-place 10-7 GLIAC South Division finish. WSU, which is led in scoring by junior forward Kendon Edwards (14.8 ppg), was picked to finish third in the 2002-03 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll. Wayne State has lost three consecutive games to date.

Looking Ahead - Ferris will battle the Ashland Eagles Saturday, Jan. 11, in a 3 p.m. (EST) league contest at AU’s Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio.

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.