FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will battle the Aquinas Saints this Tuesday (Dec. 3) at the Aquinas Fieldhouse in Grand Rapids, Mich. The non-league contest is slated to tipoff at 7:30 p.m. (EST). The Bulldogs will then visit the Gannon Knights this Thursday (Dec. 5) for an 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at GU’s Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa. FSU squares off against the Mercyhurst Lakers this Saturday (Dec. 7) in a 3 p.m. (EST) league contest at MC’s Athletic Center in Erie.

Ferris Splits Two Outings - Ferris defeated Calvin 92-71 last Tuesday (Nov. 26) in a non-league contest at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. FSU then dropped its 2002-03 GLIAC home opener to Findlay 79-72 last Saturday (Nov. 30). Sophomore guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) tallied 19 points while freshman guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) recorded his first career triple-double performance with 16 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds against Calvin. Junior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) led the Bulldogs with a game-high 33 points and sank seven three-point baskets in the loss to Findlay. Senior center Adam Anderson (Kent City) added 12 points versus Calvin and 11 against Findlay.

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 869-808 (.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.

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 59 times in 82 career contests.

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 Moves Up Charts - Adam Anderson, a 2000-01 All-GLIAC North Division First-Team honoree, has scored 1,185 career points to date and presently ranks 14th on the school’s career scoring chart. He needs 54 points 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 39 of his past 40 career outings, including each of his previous 33 contests. He notched the school’s ninth-best single-season scoring output (555 points) and recorded the fifth-highest single-season scoring average by a Bulldog junior during the 2000-01 campaign. Anderson, who currently ranks as Ferris’ career blocks leader (107), is sixth on the school’s career made free throw chart (339-529) and needs three more to tie Clarence Carlisle (342; 1969-73) for fifth place. He established FSU single-season records in made free throws (179) and blocks (50) during the 2000-01 season while becoming the 22nd player in FSU history to score 1,000 career points. Anderson presently has 480 career rebounds and needs 10 more to tie Kevin Oldenberg (490; 1991-93) for 16th place on the school’s career list.

Bulldog Bites - Senior guard Brian Monahan (Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor Pioneer) registered his 100th career steal against Findlay and is two shy of moving into a 10th-place tie with David Tuck (102; 1986-90) on Ferris’ career list .... Sophomore guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) has scored 188 career points to date and is 12 shy of notching his 200th career point ........ Junior forward Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) garnered his 150th career board versus Calvin and is averaging a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game ........ Ferris 21-point win over Calvin was its largest margin of victory since recording a 106-54 home triumph over Grace Bible College (12/18/99) ....... The 2002-03 campaign marks the first time the Bulldogs have won their initial two outings since the 1991-92 season ...... The 13 assists recorded by Dennis Springs versus Calvin was one shy of tying the school record of 14 set by Tim Herman against Northwood (1/16/78) ....... Ferris has now won three of its last five meetings with Calvin after dropping 62 of the first 74 contests ........ The 25 assists recorded against the Knights were the most since the Bulldogs registered 26 in a 120-100 loss at Southern Indiana (12/29/00) ........ Willie Thomas’ seven three-point baskets against Findlay was two shy of matching the school record of nine set by Leon Larthridge versus Quincy (3/2/91) ....... Senior guard/forward Jeff Guernsey (Buckley) posted a career-high eight rebounds against Findlay.

Against The Opponents - Ferris will play three road games this week at Aquinas, Gannon and Mercyhurst.

Aquinas: Ferris and Aquinas will square off for the 70th time this Tuesday with the Bulldogs holding a 54-15 series advantage. In the last meeting (11/27/01), the Saints recorded a 72-71 win at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena. However, the Bulldogs have won eight of the last 10 meetings to date. Ferris last defeated the Saints in 1993-94 (11/26) 100-80 at the Calvin Thanksgiving Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. Aquinas fell to 3-3 overall to date this campaign under 13th-year head coach Rick Albro after last Saturday’s (Nov. 30) 75-68 loss to Cornerstone in the consolation game of the Select Bank Hall of Fame Classic at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena. The Saints, who are led in scoring by senior guard Chuck Schuba (16.0 ppg), were picked to finish sixth in the 2002-03 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Preseason Poll after compiling a 10-21 record last year.

Gannon: The Knights maintain a 5-2 series edge heading into this Thursday’s meeting and defeated Ferris 73-67 in the last meeting (12/6/01) at Big Rapids. GU, which has won four consecutive series contests, is presently 5-0 overall after recording a 74-50 win over Brescia (Ky.) last Saturday (Nov. 30) in the championship game of its own Gary Miller Classic at Erie, Pa. The Knights, who are coached by seventh-year head coach Jerry Slocum, were 21-7 overall during the 2001-02 campaign and advanced to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for the third-straight season. Gannon, which has not played a league game this season, was picked second in the 2002-03 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll and is led in scoring by senior guard Marc Sturdivant (19.2 ppg). The Bulldogs are 1-3 all-time against the Knights at GU’s Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa.

Mercyhurst: Mercyhurst holds a 6-2 series advantage entering this Saturday’s meeting. The Lakers have won four consecutive meetings and defeated FSU 103-75 in the last contest (12/8/01) at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena. MC is currently 2-1 overall under eighth-year head coach Karl Fogel heading into this Monday’s (Dec. 2) non-league road contest at Edinboro (Pa.) and this Thursday’s (Dec. 5) GLIAC home opener versus Grand Valley State as a result of recording an 81-71 non-conference win at Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) last Tuesday (Nov. 26) in Rensselaer, Ind. Mercyhurst compiled a 13-13 overall record during the 2001-02 campaign, which included a sixth-place 6-11 GLIAC South Division finish. The Lakers, who were picked fifth in this season’s league coaches poll, are led by junior forward Joshua Helm (25.7 ppg).

Looking Ahead - Ferris State will visit the Olivet Comets Saturday, Dec. 14, for a 3 p.m. (EST) non-league encounter at OC’s Upton Center in Olivet, 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 including rosters, schedules and the latest results.