BLOG 6: Ferris seeks to prove GLIAC pollsters wrong

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State’s Justin Keenan goes up for a shot during a home game against Cornerstone in Big Rapids (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – Ferris head men’s basketball coach Bill Sall now knows where he stands as the preseason Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 2008-09 Preseason Men’s Basketball Media Poll has been released.

The Bulldogs were picked fifth, out of six teams, in the slot just ahead of Northern Michigan in the North Division. Ferris earned 69 points to place one spot above sixth-place NMU, which had 54 points. Grand Valley was chosen first with 29 of 30 first-place votes and 179 points, Michigan Tech was second with one first-place vote and 133 points, Lake Superior ended up third with 102 points while Saginaw Valley State was fourth with 93.

While expectations of the media may not be particularly high for Ferris, Sall looks forward to this season’s challenge of building a squad to exceed the expectations of the preseason media poll.

One reason Sall has to feel optimistic is the return of sophomore forward Justin Keenan, who is coming off a big-time freshman campaign for the Bulldogs during which he averaged 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. Keenan, a Grand Rapids native who enjoyed a banner rookie season for the Bulldogs, certainly turned heads en route to earning preseason All-GLIAC honors as a second-year player.

There were no major surprises in the men’s media poll. Findlay returns what many people feel might be the best team in the nation and ranks as the favorite overall. From the North Division, Grand Valley lost a lot of personnel to graduation, but returns some strong players (including Reed City native Justin Ringler) and adds some transfers expected to step in and contribute right away.

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