FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will open the 2003-04 campaign this Saturday (Nov. 15) versus the Lewis Flyers in a non-conference contest at LU’s Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Ill. Opening tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. (EST). Ferris will then visit NCAA Division I Central Michigan Monday, Nov. 17, for a 7 p.m. (EST) non-league tilt against the Chippewas in CMU’s Rose Arena at Mt. Pleasant, Mich. The game at CMU will count as an official game for Ferris State, but will be played as an exhibition contest for Central Michigan due to a Division I and II rules difference.

A Look Back: Ferris State concluded the 2002-03 campaign with an 11-15 overall mark and a fourth-place 7-11 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (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 878-822 (.516) 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 16-23 (.410) career coaching mark. He is 6-16 (.727) on the road and 7-9 (.438) in non-league games to date.

On The Road: FSU is 336-291 (.536) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 159-196 (.448) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. Ferris was 5-9 (.357) on the road last season.

FSU Picked Fourth: Ferris State was picked to finish fourth in the 2003-04 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Monday (Nov. 10) by the league office. 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. The first-place team in the North Division received six points while the second-place team earned four points, etc. The first-place squad in the South Division picked up five points, the second-place team took four points, etc. 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 seven freshmen. Eight of the 15 players are guards while the remaining seven are frontcourt players. Thirteen players hail from Michigan while two are from Ohio.

Between The Lines: “Between The Lines”, a weekly television program profiling Ferris State University Athletics, airs across northern Michigan on WFQX-Fox 33 every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ET). The 30-minute program is hosted by Phill Mooney and produced in the studios of the University’s cable Channel 7. FSU men’s basketball head coach Bill Sall will make appearances throughout the season. The show is also aired locally on the University's cable Channel 7 every Tuesday (7 p.m.) and Wednesday (8 p.m.).

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, results and more.

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

76th Season Opener: Ferris State will open its 76th season this Saturday at Lewis. The Bulldogs, who have won three of their last seven openers, currently hold a 39-36 all-time record in season-opening contests. Last season (11/22/02), Ferris defeated Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) 76-75 in a non-league tilt at Rennselaer, Ind. FSU’s last win in its first game prior to the contest came when the Bulldogs toppled NCAA-I Oakland (11/21/00) 75-70 at Rochester, Mich. The win over Oakland represented Ferris’ first opening day road victory since the 1987-88 campaign. The 2003-04 campaign marks the seventh consecutive season the Bulldogs have opened the year away from home.

Glancing At The Bulldogs: Ferris returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last season, including senior co-captains Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) and Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach). The Bulldogs’ biggest loss was 6-10 center Adam Anderson, who is presently playing overseas in Egypt. The two-time team Most Valuable Player earned All-GLIAC First-Team accolades last season after averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game.

Reunited At Ferris: Among Ferris’ eight newcomers is junior college transfer Willie Burrel (Muskegon Heights/Muskegon CC), who will be reunited with the Bulldogs’ Willie Thomas. The duo led Muskegon Community College to a 17-13 overall record in 2001-02. A 6-6 forward, Burrel attained second-team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America recognition last season after averaging 21.5 points and 12 rebounds per contest.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris State has posted 36 winning campaigns and 40 non-losing seasons in its previous 75 seasons ..... The Bulldogs have won more league titles (nine) and made more NCAA Tournament appearances (six) than any other league institution ........ Senior guard Willie Thomas registered the program’s third-best single-season made three-point field goal total with 69 treys last season .......... Sophomore guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) totaled 155 assists in 2002-03, which represented the program’s fourth-highest single-season figure ........ Junior guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) presently ranks eighth among Ferris’ career steals leaders with 109 thefts in 50 career appearances. The 2003-04 team Defensive Player Award winner recorded the program’s eighth-best single-season steals mark with 58 steals in 2001-02 ......... Twelve of Ferris’ first 13 contests are away from home. The lone exception is a Dec. 11 GLIAC tilt against Lake Superior State, which will be played at Big Rapids (Mich.) High School due to conflicts with the school’s annual winter graduation ceremonies ..... The last time Ferris squared off against a NCAA-I opponent was when it defeated Oakland (11/21/00) 75-70 in Rochester, Mich.

The FSU Staff: FSU head coach Bill Sall returns two assistant coaches from a year ago, including top assistant coach Cory Anderson. Anderson, who played for Ferris from 1996-98, is in his fifth season as a full-time assistant coach. Volunteer Assistant Coach Bill Killian also returns for his second season on Sall’s staff. The Bulldogs added current Chippewa Hills (Mich.) High School Varsity Girls Basketball Head Coach Jim Lake as a volunteer assistant and will retain former (1979-83) FSU Athletics Director Dean Davenport as a consultant.

Looking Ahead: Ferris will take part in the Cornerstone Raymond James Classic Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22, in Grand Rapids, Mich. FSU is slated to face St. Xavier (Ill.) in Friday’s 6 p.m. (EST) tournament opener with host Cornerstone scheduled to battle Michigan-Dearborn in the 8 p.m. (EST) nightcap. The tournament’s consolation and championship games are set for Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m., respectively.

A Look At The Opponents:

Lewis: Ferris State and Lewis will square off for the ninth time this Saturday with the Flyers holding a 6-2 series’ advantage. Lewis has won six of the last seven encounters to date, including an 84-71 home victory in the last meeting (12/19/02). LU, which is coached by 12th-year head coach Jim Whitesell, was 23-8 overall during the 2002-03 campaign and reached the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament. The Flyers compiled a third-place 14-6 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) record last season and were selected to finish third in the 2003-04 GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll. Lewis’ top returner is senior forward Monta McGhee, who averaged 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last year.

Central Michigan: CMU holds a commanding 63-21 edge entering Monday’s 85th series contest. The two teams haven’t met since the Chippewas posted a 79-53 home victory in 1990-91 (12/3). Ferris has won two of the last six and four of the previous nine meetings. CMU, which is directed by seventh-year head coach Jay Smith, posted a 25-7 overall record in 2002-03 and reached the second round of the NCAA Division I Tournament with a 79-73 win over nationally-ranked Creighton (3/20). The Chippewas, who lost 2002-03 MAC Player of the Year Chris Kaman to the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Clippers, also claimed both the Mid-American Conference’s (MAC) regular-season and postseason titles with a 14-4 league record. Senior point guard T.J. Meerman, who is CMU’s top returning scorer (5.6 ppg), and junior forward Tony Bowne are returning starters this season. CMU recorded an 85-74 home exhibition win over Northwood last Sunday (Nov. 9).