Men's Basketball Picked Second In GLIAC North
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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball
team was picked to finish second in the 2009-10 Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's Basketball North
Division Preseason Poll and two Bulldog players were honored as
preseason all-conference selections, both of which were announced
Wednesday (Oct. 28) during the league's third annual media day
teleconference.
Ferris head coach Bill Sall was joined by local
media representatives inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena for the
teleconference and media members had an opportunity to conduct
one-on-one interviews following the call.
The poll was chosen for the third year in a row by selected
members of the media and the GLIAC's Sports Information Directors.
The 24-member group tabbed Grand Valley State and Findlay to win
the conference's North and South Division titles, respectively.
The Bulldogs totaled 107 points in the balloting and picked up two
first-place votes while finishing second in the North Division.
Grand Valley State earned 17 of a possible 24 first-place votes and
led the division with 130 points. Lake Superior State placed third
overall with 94 points and tallied four first-place votes followed
by Michigan Tech with 84 overall points and a single vote in fourth
place. Saginaw Valley State claimed fifth place (51 points), and
Northern Michigan came in sixth (36).
Findlay earned 22 first-place votes in the South Division and led
the way with 140 total points. Hillsdale came in second (109) and
had the remaining two first-place votes while Northwood finished
third (85).
In addition to the preseason media poll, the league also released
a Preseason All-GLIAC Team, which was chosen by the conference's
head coaches. Findlay senior guard Marcus Parker was chosen as the
GLIAC's Preseason Player of the Year.
The Bulldogs had two players named to the Preseason All-GLIAC
North Division team in junior forward/center Justin
Keenan (Grand Rapids/Ottawa Hills) and junior guard
Darien Gay (Detroit/Henry Ford). Keenan, who
was been chosen as a Preseason All-American by two different
sources, earned the league preseason recognition for the
second-straight campaign after attaining All-GLIAC First Team
accolades last season. Gay finished as an All-GLIAC Second
Team pick in 2008-09.
"As players and coaches, we have some high expectactions for what
we can accomplish this year," said Sall, who will be entering his
eighth season at the helm. "We have some pieces to the puzzle and
are in the process of trying to figure it all out.
"We're pleased with where we are at, but we now we need to get a
whole lot better to get where we want to be this season," he
added.
The Bulldog men's basketball team welcomes back eight
letterwinners from last campaign when FSU finished 14-14 overall
and placed third (12-10) in the GLIAC North Division. In 2008-09,
Ferris also made its 10th GLIAC Tournament appearance and fourth in
the last five years. Last year represented the seventh consecutive
year the Bulldogs had won 10 or more games under Sall after the
program had not done so in the four years prior to his arrival.
The Bulldog men's basketball squad first hits the hardwood with an
exhibition contest Thursday, Oct. 29, against Aquinas with tipoff
set for 7 p.m. (EDT) at Greenville High School's North Gym in
Greenville, Mich.
In addition to the game against Aquinas, the Bulldogs will also
play exhibition games at NCAA Division I Dayton (Ohio) on Tuesday,
Nov. 3, and against Calvin on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Grand Rapids
before tipping off the regular season with a non-league tilt at
Lewis (Ill.) on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Romeoville, Ill. The following
night, Nov. 16, the Bulldogs visit Central Michigan for a
regular-season contest against the NCAA-I Chippewas in Mount
Pleasant, Mich.
The following is the complete 2009-10 GLIAC Men's Basketball
Preseason Media Poll with first-place votes in parenthesis.
North
Division
1. Grand Valley State (17) - 130 points
2. Ferris State (2) - 107 points
3. Lake Superior State (4) - 94 points
4. Michigan Tech (1) - 84 points
5. Saginaw Valley State - 51 points
6. Northern Michigan - 36 points
South
Division
1. Findlay (22) - 140 points
2. Hillsdale (2) - 109 points
3. Northwood - 85 points
4. Wayne State - 81 points
5. Ashland - 63 points
6. Tiffin - 26 points
Below is the 2009-10 GLIAC Men's Basketball Preseason
All-Conference Team (chosen by head coaches).
North
Division
Grand Valley State - Justin Ringler (G-F/Jr.)
Ferris State - Justin Keenan (F/Jr.)
Ferris State - Darien Gay (G/Jr.)
Lake Superior State - Scott Perkins (G/Sr.)
Saginaw Valley State - Avery Stephenson (G/Sr.)
South
Division
Ashland - Kale Richardson (F/Jr.)
Findlay - Marcus Parker (G/Sr.)
Northwood - Chris Johnson (G/Sr.)
Hillsdale - Luke Laser (F/Sr.)
Wayne State - Jerry Oden (F/Jr.)
Preseason Player
of the Year
Findlay - Marcus Parker (G/Sr.)
