FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will host Gannon this Thursday (Jan. 22) in an 8 p.m. (EST) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tilt at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will then square off against Mercyhurst Saturday (Jan. 24) in a 3 p.m. (EST) home league contest.

Ticket Information: Individual game tickets to all FSU home basketball games can be obtained at the door or by calling the Bulldog Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. Adult tickets are $7 and student tickets are $5. A family pass can be purchased for $15. Ferris State faculty/staff ticket prices are $5. FSU students are admitted free of charge by showing their student identification card.

Heritage Day: Ferris State will celebrate its 76-year history by holding Heritage Day this Saturday against Mercyhurst. Selected representatives from the school’s six NCAA Division II National Tournament qualifying teams (1983, ‘87-90, ‘98) and nine GLIAC Championship squads (1973-74, ‘82-83, ‘87-90, ‘95) have been invited to the game and will be recognized at halftime. Fans attending the game will also receive an opportunity to win Heritage Day t-shirts throughout the contest.

Ferris At The Top: FSU is presently 5-11 overall and holds a first-place 5-2 mark in the GLIAC’s North Division. Six of Ferris’ final 11 outings this campaign are at home.

FSU Splits Two Outings: Ferris posted a 73-69 league triumph over Hillsdale last Thursday (Jan. 15) in HC’s Jessie Philips Arena at Hillsdale, Mich. The Bulldogs then dropped a 75-71 conference decision to Wayne State Saturday (Jan. 17) at Wink Arena. Senior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) and sophomore guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) both sank a pair of free throws in the game’s final 10 seconds to secure Thursday’s victory. Thomas scored 14 points, freshman forward Michael Daniels (Detroit/Murray-Wright) totaled 13 points and Springs had 10 points against Hillsdale. The 6-4 Thomas tallied 17 points, Daniels registered 15 points and senior forward/center Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) netted a personal career-high 14 points versus WSU.

Last Season: Ferris State concluded the 2002-03 campaign with an 11-15 overall mark and a fourth-place 7-11 GLIAC North Division finish. Both Ferris’ overall record and league finish represented the program’s best marks since the Bulldogs finished 21-12 overall and claimed the 1997-98 GLIAC Tournament championship.

The Bulldog Tradition: The 2003-04 campaign marks the 76th 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 883-833 (.515) 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 captured a league-record four consecutive GLIAC titles from 1986-90.

Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate, second-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. Before joining the coaching ranks, Sall was a standout player at Calvin from 1985-90. 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. Sall has a current 21-34 (.382) career coaching mark.

At Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 14-35 (.286) overall record to date in home contests at Jim Wink Arena, including a 9-30 (.231) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced the Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 campaign.

On The Road: FSU is 341-302 (.530) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 162-206 (.440) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. Ferris has posted a 3-6 (.333) road mark to date this season.

FSU Picked Fourth: Ferris was picked to finish fourth in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 17 points in the balloting by the GLIAC’s head coaches. Each of the league’s 13 head coaches ranked the teams in their respective divisions, but were not allowed to vote for their own team. Northern Michigan was selected as the GLIAC North Division favorite with five first-place votes and 35 total points while Findlay took the top spot in the South Division with 25 points and five first-place votes.

A Look At The Roster: Ferris’ 2003-04 roster includes two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen. Seven of the 14 players are guards while the remaining seven are frontcourt players. Twelve players hail from Michigan while two are from Ohio.

GLIAC Games On The Air: Ferris’ 2003-04 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN-1460 AM. Selected league contests can also be accessed live this season via the internet by clicking the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports.

FSU 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, statistics and more. The Bulldogs’ 2003-04 yearbook is also available online.

A Look At FSU: Ferris returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last season, including senior co-captains Willie Thomas and Nathan Wruble. The Bulldogs’ biggest loss was 6-10 center Adam Anderson, who is presently playing in Egypt. The two-time team MVP was also a three-time All-GLIAC pick.

Looking Ahead: Ferris concludes its four-game home stand by hosting Northwood Thursday, Jan. 29, with conference tipoff set for 8 p.m. (EST) at Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.

Bulldog Bites: Junior forward Willie Burrel (Muskegon Heights) has scored 10 points or more in two of his last three outings to date .......... Ferris has led at halftime in 11 of its 16 games this season. Six of the Bulldogs' outings this campaign have been against nationally-ranked opponents ........ Michael Daniels registered his 100th career point at Hillsdale ..... Willie Thomas presently has 131 career made three-point field goals and needs four more to tie David Tuck (135; 1986-90) for third place among the school’s all-time leaders. Thomas has posted 14 consecutive double-figure scoring outings to date ....... Freshman guard/forward C.J. Van Wieren (Holland/West Ottawa) matched a personal career-high with nine points at HC. He also scored nine points versus Glenville State, W.Va. (Dec. 30) ...... Junior guard Corey Epps (Benton Harbor) is 15 points shy of recording his 500th career point .......... FSU ranks 10th nationally in made three-point field goals (9.8 pg) and 28th in three-point percentage (40.8%) among the latest (Jan. 12) NCAA-II National Statistical leaders. Thomas is presently listed fourth individually in made three-pointers (4.0 pg) while junior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) is sixth in three-point percentage (51.3%) ...... The Bulldogs are averaging 84.6 points per game in their five victories this campaign compared to only 70.8 points per game in their 11 losses.

Moving Up The List: Dennis Springs presently has 245 career assists and needs three more to tie Ted Bee (248; 1973-77) for ninth place among the school’s all-time leaders. He currently has 90 assists in 15 outings (6.0 apg) this season, which ranks second in the GLIAC’s overall statistical rankings to date.

Starting Well: Ferris State's 5-1 league start this campaign marked only the second time in school history and first since 1988-89 the Bulldogs won five of their initial six conference games. The Bulldogs posted a school-record 16-0 GLIAC record en route to the 1988-89 league title. Last season (2002-03), the Bulldogs started conference play with a 2-4 record.

A Look At The Opponents:

Gannon: The Knights maintain a 6-2 series edge heading into this Thursday’s contest and defeated Ferris 73-62 in the last meeting (12/5/02) at Erie, Pa. GU, which has won five consecutive series’ contests, is presently 14-3 overall and 5-2 in GLIAC action after recording a 70-63 league home win over Northern Michigan last Saturday (Dec. 17) at Erie. The Knights, who are coached by eighth-year head coach Jerry Slocum, were 20-10 overall during the 2002-03 campaign and placed second (11-6) in the GLIAC’s South Division. Gannon, which was picked second in the 2003-04 GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll, presently is led by junior center Geoff Husted (18.0 ppg). The Knights have won eight of their last nine games to date this year after advancing to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for the fourth consecutive campaign last season.

Mercyhurst: Mercyhurst holds a 6-3 series advantage and has won four of the last five meetings entering this Saturday’s contest. However, the Bulldogs recorded a 70-62 GLIAC triumph in the last meeting (12/7/02) at Erie, Pa. MC is currently 12-5 overall and 6-1 in league play under first-year head coach Gary Manchel heading into this Thursday’s (Jan. 22) league road contest at Grand Valley State as a result of recording a 79-55 conference home win over nationally-ranked Michigan Tech last Saturday (Jan. 17) in Erie. Mercyhurst compiled a 12-15 overall record during the 2002-03 campaign, which included a sixth-place 4-12 GLIAC South Division finish. The Lakers, who were picked fourth in this season’s league South Division coaches poll, are currently led by senior forward Joshua Helm (19.1 ppg). MC has won three of its last four outings to date.