FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will take part in the Hillsdale Rotary Christmas Classic, Dec. 27-28, at HC’s Jessie Philips Arena in Hillsdale, Mich. FSU will face the host Hillsdale Chargers in a non-league outing Friday, Dec. 27, at 7 p.m. (EST). Ferris will then battle the Northern Kentucky Norse Saturday, Dec. 28, in a 5 p.m. (EST) encounter. The Bulldogs, who are presently 5-4 overall and 1-2 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action, will conclude an eight-game road stretch following the classic.

Bulldogs Fall In Title Game - Ferris split two games at the inaugural Lewis (Ill.) Invitational held Dec. 18-19 at LU’s Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Ill. The Bulldogs defeated the Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers 89-70 this past Wednesday (Dec. 18) in the opening round before dropping an 84-71 decision to the host Lewis Flyers in Thursday’s (Dec. 19) title game. Senior center Adam Anderson (Kent City) tallied a game-high 27 points versus Lincoln and a team-high 17 points against Lewis. Junior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) added 15 points and sophomore guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) chipped in 10 against Lincoln. Epps and his twin brother, sophomore guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) both had 11 points versus the Flyers while freshman guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) totaled 11 points along with seven assists.

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 872-811 (.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 Named To Tourney Team - Adam Anderson, a 2000-01 All-GLIAC North Division First-Team honoree, was named to the five-member Lewis Invitational All-Tournament Team. The 6-10 Anderson currently has 1,298 career points and moved past Ty Miller (1,296; 1990-94) into 12th place on FSU's all-time scoring list. He has scored 10 points or more in 45 of his last 46 games, including each of his previous 39 contests. Anderson, who currently ranks as Ferris’ career blocks leader (110), is fifth on the school’s career made free throw chart (384-587) and needs 61 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 notched his 500th career board at Lewis and is 17 rebounds shy of moving into a 14th place tie with Charles Fuller (520; 1969-73) on Ferris' career list.

Bulldogs Surpass Win Total - Ferris surpassed last season’s victory total (4-22) with this past Wednesday’s win over the Blue Tigers. FSU, which has won three of its last four outings to date, 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 65 times in 88 career contests.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 330-280 (.541) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 157-189 (.454) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. FSU is 3-3 (.500) away from home to date this season.

Bulldog Bites - Dennis Springs has registered six double-figure scoring performances to date this campaign, including three of his last four outings .... Ferris' current 5-4 mark represents the school's best record through nine games since the 1997-98 campaign. The Bulldogs opened the 1997-98 season at 5-4 before finishing with a 21-12 overall record and winning the GLIAC Tournament Championship ....... Senior forward Jeff Guernsey (Buckley) presently has scored 186 career points and needs 14 more to register his 200th career point .... Sophomore forward Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) currently has 193 career rebounds and is seven shy of attaining his 200th career rebound. He needs four points to notch his 150th career point ..... FSU has led at halftime in seven of its nine contests this season to date ...... Freshman forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) totaled a personal career-high three rebounds versus Lewis ..... Adam Anderson, who is averaging 21.7 points per game in his last three outings, matched a personal career-best with four assists against Lincoln. He also registered four assists versus Gannon (1/13/00). Anderson, who ranked as the GLIAC’s leading scorer (21.3 ppg) during the 2000-01 season, needs two points to garner his 1,300th career point ..... Carlton Epps has posted three consecutive double-digit scoring performances and is averaging 13.3 points per game during that span .... Ferris nailed a season-high 25-of-28 (.893) free throw attempts against the Flyers .... The Bulldogs are averaging 89.7 points per game in their last three 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 four losses is 8.8 points per contest ...... Ferris has compiled a higher three-point field goal percentage than its opponent in six of the last seven outings to date ...... Corey Epps is four rebounds shy of garnering his 100th career board ......... Willie Thomas presently has an active eight-game double-figure scoring streak and is averaging 19 points per game in that period. Thomas, who has drained 30-of-70 (.429) three-point attempts to date this campaign, presently ranks as Ferris’ leading scorer (17.9 ppg).

Against The Field - Ferris will face Hillsdale and Northern Kentucky in the Hillsdale Rotary Christmas Classic at Hillsdale, Mich.

Hillsdale: Ferris holds a 55-36 series advantage entering next Friday’s (Dec. 27) 92nd series contest. However, HC has won three consecutive series’ games to date and defeated FSU 94-57 in the last meeting (1/3/02) at Hillsdale, Mich. The Chargers are currently 4-3 overall under fifth-year head coach Ed Douma heading into this Saturday’s (Dec. 21) non-league home game versus Michigan-Dearborn after a 70-50 non-conference road loss on Dec. 7 at NCAA-I Detroit. 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 (14.9 ppg). Hillsdale has dropped two of its last three outings to date this campaign. The two teams have split the last six meetings.

Northern Kentucky: The Norse maintain a 3-0 series edge and beat the Bulldogs 79-71 in the last meeting (11/16/01) at the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic in Highland Heights, Ky. NKU is presently 7-0 overall heading into this Saturday’s (Dec. 21) non-league home contest against Ohio Northern and Monday’s (Dec. 23) non-conference game versus Wayne State after recording a 106-85 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) win at Bellarmine (Ky.) on Dec. 7. The Norse, who are coached by 15th-year head coach Ken Shields, were 19-8 overall during the 2001-02 campaign and compiled a second-place 15-5 GLVC finish. NKU, which is led in scoring by senior guard Brenden Stowers (15.3 ppg), is currently ranked first in the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional poll. Northern Kentucky is ranked sixth in the latest (Dec. 17) National Association of Basketball Coaches/Division II Bulletin national poll.

Looking Ahead - Ferris returns home to face Hillsdale Thursday, Jan. 2, in an 8 p.m. (EST) GLIAC encounter at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. FSU will then battle the Wayne State Warriors Saturday, Jan. 4, in a 3 p.m. (EST) home league contest.