FERRIS STATE ADDS MUSKEGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFER

Second-Team All-America Pick Willie Burrel Joins Bulldog Men’s Basketball Team

Ferris head coach Bill Sall added junior college transfer Willie Burrel to the FSU program

Burrel, a 6-6 forward, averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds per game while leading Muskegon (Mich.) Community College to a 21-8 overall record and a Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) playoff berth during the 2002-03 campaign. He attained second-team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America recognition along with first-team MCCAA All-State and MCCAA All-Western Conference accolades this season. Burrel, who totaled 624 points and 347 rebounds in 29 outings this campaign, ranked ninth in rebounding and 15th in scoring among NJCAA’s 2002-03 overall leaders. The Jayhawks placed third with a 10-4 mark in the MCCAA’s Western Conference after being picked fifth in the league’s preseason coaches poll.

“Willie is a quality kid who will help solidify our program,” Sall said. “He gives us significant experience after having played two years in a competitive junior college program. His addition will strengthen us both in the frontcourt and outside.”

A 2001 Muskegon Heights High School graduate, Burrel garnered first-team 2002-03 NJCAA All-Region XII honors in his second collegiate season under head coach Gene Gifford. He totaled 16.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as the Jayhawks registered a 17-13 overall mark during his freshman (2001-02) campaign. As a prep senior, Burrel led Muskegon Heights to a Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) regional semifinal round appearance in 2000-01 while averaging 14.6 points per game.

“Willie is a good rebounder who’s also a legitimate scoring threat,” said Sall. “He was a tremendous leader in the junior college ranks so we’re expecting him to play a key role for us.”

An education major, Burrel is the son of Willie Sr. and Zandra Burrel. He joins forward/center Adam Veltkamp (Cedar Springs), forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright), guard C.J. Van Wieren (Holland/West Ottawa) and forward Terrance Shaw (Saginaw/Bridgeport) as the Bulldogs’ 2003-04 men’s basketball recruits to date.

Burrel also becomes both the second Muskegon Community College and Muskegon Heights product currently playing at Ferris State, joining senior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Muskegon CC) and redshirt freshman guard Dominic Gray (Muskegon Heights). Thomas, who played for the Jayhawks in 2001-02, started 24 outings and averaged 14.3 points per game this past campaign while Gray was redshirted during the 2002-03 season.

Ferris posted an 11-15 overall record and a fourth-place 7-11 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division finish this campaign. The Bulldogs' overall record and league finish were their best since compiling a 21-12 mark and a fourth-place 10-8 league ledger during the 1997-98 season.