Senior Moment: Mark Gildersleeve

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State University men’s basketball senior Mark Gildersleeve is shown here being introduced with his family on Senior Day (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – Mark Gildersleeve is trying his best not think much about what could be the last few games of his college basketball career at Ferris State University.

Instead, the hard-working 6-foot-5 senior from Byron Center is focusing on these final two regular-season games. With this week’s road games at Northwood (Thursday) and Wayne State (Saturday), Gildersleeve and the Bulldogs hope to fortify their position in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

“We definitely know the importance of these last two games (of the regular season),” said Gildersleeve, who has played in 18 of FSU’s 25 games this winter (with one start). “If we come out and play the way we’re capable of playing we can beat anybody, and that’s the attitude we’re going to take into these last two. These games are important and we really need them.”

The Bulldogs had a character test during Thursday’s home game against Saginaw Valley following an injury suffered by star post player Justin Keenan. The 6-foot-6 Keenan was out for the majority of the second half and that stunning development placed a burden on the rest of the team, as a unit, to step up and fill the void.

“We really didn’t change a whole lot when Justin went out,” Gildersleeve said in terms of the team’s strategy. “We were still trying to get the ball inside and then we were looking to kick it out for some 3-pointers. We also had some other guys who stepped up like (fellow senior Jason) Holder and that was exactly what we needed to get that win (against the Cardinals on Thursday night).”

Gildersleeve, a good defender and determined rebounder, does whatever he can for his teammates. This year’s newcomers have garnered some of the minutes Gildersleeve had garnered in past years, but remains a team-first kind of guy – the same team-first guy head coach Bill Sall welcomed to the program several years back.

“I want to do whatever I can do to help my team be successful and help us win games,” Gildersleeve said. “I’m focusing on doing as much as I can to help our team win with these big games we have coming (at Northwood and at Wayne State).”

In Senior Moments, Sandy Gholston interviewed each of the six men’s and women’s basketball seniors from Ferris State University to find out what some of their thoughts were entering the final regular-season college basketball weekend of their careers. The student-athletes interviewed were Mark Gildersleeve and Jason Holder of the men’s basketball team and Caitlin Hutchison, Jenna Guay, Teghan Thelen and Ashley Fleming of the women’s basketball team.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com