FSU Men’s Basketball At A Glance - The Ferris State University men’s basketball team will take part in the Lewis (Ill.) Invitational this Wednesday-Thursday (Dec. 18-19) at Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Ill. FSU will face the Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers in opening-round play Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (EST). The consolation and championship games will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (EST), respectively. Host Lewis, Lincoln and St. Francis (Ill.) along with Ferris State comprise the four-team tournament field. The Bulldogs, who are presently 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action, are in the midst of an eight-game road stretch.

Bulldogs Beat Olivet - Ferris defeated the Olivet Comets 109-85 in non-league action last Saturday (Dec. 14) at OC’s Upton Center in Olivet, Mich. Junior guard Willie Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy) totaled a game-high 24 points while freshman guard Dennis Springs (Toledo, Ohio/Scott) added 22 points and six rebounds for FSU. Senior center Adam Anderson (Kent City) compiled 21 points and sophomore guard Carlton Epps (Benton Harbor) chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds at Olivet.

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 871-810 (.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.

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.

Thomas Continues Solid Play - Willie Thomas presently has an active six-game double-figure scoring streak and is averaging 21.2 points per game during that span. Thomas, who has drained 26-of-54 (.481) three-point attempts to date this campaign, presently ranks as Ferris’ leading scorer (19.4 ppg). He is 24-of-45 (.533) from beyond the arc in his last five performances. Thomas nailed four-of-nine treys at Olivet.

Anderson Moving Up - Adam Anderson, a 2000-01 All-GLIAC North Division First-Team honoree, currently has 1,254 career points and moved past Zarie Phillips (1,239; 1993-98) into 13th place on FSU's all-time scoring list at Olivet. The 6-10 Anderson has scored 10 points or more in 43 of his last 44 games, including each of his previous 37 contests. Anderson, who currently ranks as Ferris’ career blocks leader (108), is fifth on the school’s career made free throw chart (364-563) and needs 81 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 needs two rebounds to notch his 500th career board and is 22 rebounds shy of moving into a 14th place tie with Charles Fuller (520; 1969-73) on Ferris' career list.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 329-279 (.541) overall since 1980-81 and sports a 156-188 (.453) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. FSU is 3-2 (.600) away from home to date 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. 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 63 times in 86 career contests.

Bulldog Bites - Ferris matched its 2001-02 victory total (4-22) with last Saturday’s win at Olivet .... The Bulldogs' 109 total points against the Comets were their most since dropping a 120-100 decision at Southern Indiana (12/29/00). The total was Ferris’ highest in a victory since posting a 106-54 home win versus Grace Bible (12/18/99) ......... FSU shot 63.1 percent (41-65) from the floor at Olivet, which represents its best output since shooting 66 percent (35-53) in a win over Lake Superior State (1/15/98) .... Freshman guard Dennis Springs has registered five double-figure scoring performances to date this campaign, including a personal career-high 22 points at Olivet ... Sophomore guard Carlton Epps scored 13 first-half points while notching his 300th career point at Olivet ..... Freshman forward Jeffery Shanahan (Flint/Kearsley) garnered a personal career-high eight points while sophomore guard David Clarke (Harbor Springs) totaled a personal-best six points at Olivet ........ Freshman guard Jeff Blevins (Marion) scored his first career basket last Saturday ...... Ferris' current 4-3 mark represents the school's best record through seven games since the 1997-98 campaign. The Bulldogs opened the 1997-98 season at 4-3 before finishing with a 21-12 overall record and winning the GLIAC Tournament Championship ....... Senior forward Jeff Guernsey (Buckley) presently has scored 179 career points and needs 21 more to register his 200th career point .... Senior guard Brian Monahan (Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor Pioneer) is one steal shy of moving into a 10th-place tie with David Tuck (102; 1986-90) on Ferris' career list ....... Sophomore forward Nathan Wruble (Harbor Beach) currently has 187 career rebounds and is 13 shy of attaining his 200th career rebound ......... FSU has led at halftime in six of its seven contests this season to date. The lone exception came at Gannon (12/5) when FSU trailed 33-31 at the break.

Against The Field - Ferris will take part in the Lewis (Ill.) Invitational beginning this Wednesday at Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Ill.

Lincoln: Ferris has never faced the Blue Tigers prior to this Wednesday’s contest. Lincoln is currently 3-4 overall under sixth-year head coach Bill Pope as a result of dropping a 103-48 non-league decision at NCAA-I Arkansas State last Thursday (Dec. 12) in Jonesboro, Ark. The Blue Tigers compiled a 14-12 overall record during the 2001-02 campaign, which included a third-place 7-3 Heartland Conference finish. Lincoln has lost four of its last five outings to date and is led in scoring by junior guard Sean Briggs (11.9 ppg). The Blue Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the 2002-03 league preseason poll.

St. Francis: St. Francis holds a 3-1 series advantage and defeated FSU 94-79 in the last meeting (12/5/98) at Morley-Stanwood High School in Morley, Mich. The Fighting Saints are currently 9-2 overall under 27th-year head coach Pat Sullivan after last Saturday’s (Dec. 14) 74-72 non-conference home win over Huntington (Ind.) in Joliet, Ill. St. Francis compiled a 12-18 overall record during the 2001-02 campaign and was 7-5 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). The Fighting Saints, who were picked to finish second in this season’s CCAC Preseason Poll and 19th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Preseason Poll, are led by junior guard Bob St. Leger (15.3 ppg). St. Francis has won eight of its last nine outings to date.

Lewis: The Flyers maintain a 5-2 series edge. However, the Bulldogs defeated Lewis 93-78 in the last meeting (12/16/97) at Romeoville, Ill. LU, which has won five of the last six series’ encounters to date, is presently 6-1 overall after recording a 64-61 win at Winona State (Minn.) last Saturday (Dec. 14). The Flyers, who are coached by 11th-year head coach Jim Whitesell, were 25-7 overall during the 2001-02 campaign and reached the championship game of the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament. Lewis, which compiled a second-place 15-5 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) record last season, was selected to finish second in the 2002-03 GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll. LU has won four consecutive outings to date and is led in scoring by junior forward Monta McGhee (16.6 ppg).

Looking Ahead - Ferris will face Hillsdale Friday, Dec. 27, in a 7 p.m. (EST) non-league game at the Hillsdale Rotary Christmas Classic in HC’s Jessie Phillips Arena at Hillsdale, Mich. FSU will then battle Northern Kentucky in its second classic game Saturday, Dec. 28, at 5 p.m. (EST).