BLOG 12: Bulldogs show a lot of fight early in the season

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State men’s basketball player Darien Gay (right) protects the ball as he is being closely guarded by St. Joseph’s Michael Horton (11) during Thursday night’s game in Big Rapids in Jim Wink Arena (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – Competitiveness should be a key characteristic of the Ferris State University men’s basketball team throughout this season.

Combine that competitiveness with a little more experience and improved depth and Ferris State University could surprise some teams this season. Still, it’s a work in progress and the Bulldogs will be a better team by the end of the season than it is right now, at this early stage. Ferris showed some of that fight on the road in a 72-57 loss to nationally-ranked Northern Kentucky on Nov. 15 in Highland Heights, Ky.

The experience of the sophomores (particularly Justin Keenan, Darien Gay, Bryan Pasciak, Lou Williams and Matt DeHart) already is paying off this season. The fact that the Bulldogs have added some key new players should bode well later in the season. One thing head coach Bill Sall has to like is the fact that his team has shown that it will not back down (something that will be important as Ferris gears up for a grueling 20-plus game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule).

A big key for Ferris is to try and remain as healthy as possible through all of the little injuries and sicknesses that can pop up over the course of a long college basketball season. Austin Randel, a good long-range shooter who transferred into the program this season and has been starting, and Mark Gildersleeve, a hard-working reserve forward, both were out on Tuesday, against St. Joseph’s. Randel was out with illness while Gildersleeve had a relatively minor injury.

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