Men's BB Notes: Porreco Cup (Dec. 29-30)
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* The Game: The Ferris State University men’s
basketball team returns to the court on Dec. 29-30 as the Bulldogs
compete in the 36th annual Porreco Cup hosted by Gannon University
at the historic Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa.
* The Matchups: FSU takes on NAIA-member Taylor
(Ind.) in the first game of the event on Tuesday, Dec. 29, with
tipoff set for 6 p.m. (EST). Host Gannon squares off against Seton
Hill (Pa.) in the nightcap at 8 p.m. (EST). The consolation and
championship games of the Porreco Cup are scheduled for Wednesday,
Dec. 30, beginning at 6 p.m. (EST) and 8 p.m. (EST),
respectively.
* Ticket Info: Tickets for the event can be
obtained at the door or by contacting the Gannon Athletics
Department at (814) 871-7476. Ticket windows open one hour prior to
tipoff.
* Media Coverage: There will be no local FSU
broadcast coverage. GU will provide live internet statistics for
all games. Additionally, they will have live audio along with a
live video webcast for any games involving Gannon. Complete links
will be available via FSU’s Athletics Website at
www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com - click on the
“upcoming events” tab for links.
* Follow On Twitter: Bulldog fans can follow all
FSU games this year via Twitter. To access the service, visit www.twitter.com/ferrisathletics
to follow the tweet-by-tweet coverage with periodic scoring
updates.
* Last Time Out: Ferris State split a pair of
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road
contests to wrap up the pre-holiday portion of its schedule last
week. FSU fell to nationally-ranked and defending NCAA Division II
National Champion Findlay by a 90-62 count on Thursday (Dec. 10)
evening at UF’s Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio. The Bulldogs
then bounced back to beat Hillsdale 78-67 in Saturday’s (Dec.
12) road tilt at Jesse Philips Arena in Hillsdale, Mich. Ferris
will have nearly a two and a half week layoff by the time the
Porreco Cup gets underway.
* Leading The Way: FSU’s Justin
Keenan averaged 25 points and seven boards as the Bulldogs
split their two-game road trip at Findlay and Hillsdale.
Keenan’s averaged included a season-high 32 points and nine
rebounds at Hillsdale. He also had a team-high 18 points and five
boards in the setback at Findlay. The Preseason All-America honoree
converted 16-of-23 (69.6%) field goal attempts in the two games and
was 18-of-28 (.643) at the free throw stripe in pacing the
Bulldogs. Keenan also made his 400th career made free throw in the
victory at Hillsdale. He currently is averaging a team-high 19.3
points per game this season.
* The Records: Ferris State (4-4, 4-1 GLIAC)
has won four of its last five games to date this year. ???FSU
recorded a 14-14 overall record during the 2008-09 season and
placed third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(GLIAC)???North Division with a 12-10 league mark.
Taylor, an NAIA
member, holds a 7-5 overall record, but has three remaining games
between Dec. 19 and 22 prior to facing FSU. The Trojans are 0-3 to
date in Mid-Central Conference (MCC) action.
Gannon, a former
GLIAC member, is 1-3 overall with two non-league games still to
play on Dec. 19 and 22. The Knights will start Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference (PSAC) play after the Porreco Cup.
Seton Hill, a
West Virignia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) member,
is 3-2 overall with a game to play on Dec. 21 at home versus
Indiana (Pa.) prior to facing Gannon.
* The Coaches: Ferris State – Bill Sall
(Calvin, 1994), 8th season, 110-112 (.495) – (3-4-0 vs. GU).
Sall was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American at Calvin
College from 1985-90 and previously held assistant coaching
positions at Calvin (1992-95), Ferris State (1995-98) and Hillsdale
(1998-02). He served as FSU’s interim coach for a brief
portion of the 1995-96 season.
Taylor – Paul
Patterson, 31st season at Taylor. He entered the year with a
record of 667-318 (.677) to go with 15 conference championships and
14 NAIA National Tournament berths. He is an NAIA Hall of
Famer.
Gannon – John T.
Reilly, 5th season at Gannon. Reilly has guided the Knights
to back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids, including an Elite Eight
showing last season.
Seton Hill – Tony
Morocco, 7th season at Seton Hill. Morocco is the first and
only head coach in the program’s short history. He previously
spent time as an assistant at several schools on various levels
along with a stint in the CBA.
* GLIAC Start: Ferris’ 3-0 league start
this year prior to last week’s trip was the program’s
best since winning seven-straight to open the 2005-06 campaign en
route to a NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance.
FSU’s best start ever came in 1988-89 when the Bulldogs
finished unbeaten (16-0) in league action.
* Stellar Defense: Ferris’ 26-point victory
over GVSU (Nov. 30) was its most decisive win over the Lakers since
recording a 111-79 home win on Feb. 11, 1970, and the
second-largest ever. The 41 points allowed by FSU were the fewest
the Lakers have ever scored versus FSU and the fewest allowed by
Ferris against any opponent since 1989-90.
* Looking At Taylor: An NAIA member, Taylor holds
a 7-5 overall record, but has three remaining games between Dec. 19
and 22 prior to facing FSU. The Trojans are 0-3 to date in
Mid-Central Conference (MCC) action. Head coach Paul
Patterson’s team had its worst season in his 30-year tenure
last campaign when they finished 11-20 overall. Freshman guard
Casey Coons in the team’s leading scorer (15.9 ppg.) to date
this season. Currently, the Trojans have lost three of their last
four contests heading into the three-game stretch prior to the
Porreco Cup.
* Looking At Gannon: A former GLIAC member,
tournament host Gannon is 1-3 overall with two non-league games
still to play on Dec. 19 and 22. The Knights will start
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play after the
Porreco Cup. They’ve made back-to-back NCAA Division II
Tournament appearances under head coach John T. Reilly, including
an Elite Eight showing a year ago. None of the current players on
Gannon’s roster who’ve played more than one game are
averaging in double figures this season. Six seniors were lost to
graduation from last year’s NCAA-II Tournament Team. Gannon
formerly was a member of the GLIAC until departing for the PSAC
prior to the 2008-09 campaign.
* Looking At Seton Hill: A West Virignia
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) member, Seton Hill is
3-2 overall with a game to play on Dec. 21 prior to facing Gannon.
This is the Griffins second-year as a full-fledged WVIAC member
after transitioning to Division II two years ago. They won 10 games
last year and were 7-13 in league play under head coach Tony
Morocco, who is in his seventh season and is the first and only
coach the Griffins have ever had in their short existence.
* Series Information: Ferris will square off
against Taylor for the ninth time in hte Porreco Cup, but it will
be the first meeting since the 1987-88 season when the Bulldogs
posted a 90-66 triumph. The series’ originally began in
1961-62 with Taylor winning 99-94. Taylor took three of the first
four series’ matchups, but Ferris has won three of the last
four to date ......... FSU has never faced Seton Hill in
men’s basketball action ........... The Bulldogs are 4-9
all-time versus Gannon and suffered a 75-61 home setback in the
most recent game against the Knights two years ago (2007-08) at Big
Rapids. Gannon has won eight of the last 10 series’ meetings
and FSU head coach Bill Sall holds a 2-5 career
coaching mark versus GU.
* Back To The Porreco Cup: Ferris State also took
part in the Porreco Cup during the 2003-04 season, but lost both
games that year at the Hammermill Center. FSU fell to Cheyney (Pa.)
in its opening game (12/29/03) of the event by a 90-70 count and
then suffered a 88-84 loss in overtime to Glenville State (W.Va.)
during the consolation game the next night (12/30/03). The two
losses were part of FSU’s 0-10 non-league record in 2003-04.
However, Ferris went on to post a 14-4 mark in GLIAC play en route
to winning the first of two back-to-back GLIAC North Division
titles in head coach Bill Sall’s second
season at the FSU helm. Former standout guard Willie Thomas paced
the Bulldogs with a team-high 25 points against Cheyney while
Carlton Epps tallied 24 points to lead the way against Glenville
State. FSU led at halftime both nights.
* FSU Picked Second: Ferris was picked to finish
second in the 2009-10 GLIAC North Division Preseason Media Poll in
conjunction with the league’s annual media day
teleconference. 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. Defending
NCAA Division II National Champion Findlay earned 22 first-place
votes in being selected the South Division favorite by a group of
24 media members.
* Preseason Honorees: Ferris had two of the five
players named to the 2009-10 GLIAC North Division Preseason
All-Conference Team as chosen by the league’s head coaches.
Both Justin Keenan and Darien Gay
were on the five-member team. Keenan was a first-team all-league
pick last season while Gay claimed All-GLIAC North Division Second
Team kudos.
* Welcome Back: Ferris welcomes back eight
letterwinners this season from a year ago. Included in the total
are two All-GLIAC picks in junior forward/center Justin
Keenan (first team) and junior guard Darien
Gay (second team).
* Last Season: FSU finished 14-14 overall and
placed third (12-10) in the GLIAC North Division last season. In
2008-09, Ferris also made its 10th GLIAC Postseason 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 head coach Bill Sall after the program had
not done so in the four years prior to his arrival.
* The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ current
2009-10 roster includes three seniors, four juniors, two sophomores
and four freshmen. Eight of the 13 players are guards while the
remaining five are frontcourt players. All 13 players on the
Bulldogs’ roster hail from Michigan.
* Two Make Debut: The Bulldogs have utilized only
two new players in the lineup thus far, which include freshman
forward Daniel Sutherlin (Detroit/Renaissance) and
senior guard/forward Jon Yeazel
(Middleville/Thornapple-Kellogg). Yeazel is a former Division I
transfer from CMU, who redshirted at FSU last season.
* Head Coach Bill Sall: A 1994 Calvin graduate,
eighth-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. Before joining the coaching ranks,
Sall was a standout player at Calvin from 1985-90. He twice
(1989-90) received second-team National Association of Basketball
Coaches Division III All-America honors and led Calvin to three
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA) championships,
four NCAA-III Tournament bids and the 1990 NCAA-III Final Four.
* FSU History: Ferris State’s impressive
basketball tradition includes 11 GLIAC titles, eight NCAA Division
II Tournament appearances and a berth in the 1988 NCAA-II Elite
Eight. Ferris, which last won the GLIAC Tournament championship
during the 1997-98 campaign, captured a league record four
consecutive conference titles from 1986-90.
* Great Run: Ferris won back-to-back GLIAC North
Division crowns under Bill Sall in 2003-04 and
2004-05 while reaching the NCAA-II Tournament in both 2004-05 and
2005-06. FSU advanced to the NCAA-II “Sweet Sixteen”
during the 2004-05 season, which was Sall’s third season at
the helm.
* Turnaround Time: The Bulldogs had posted only a
21-82 (.204) mark in the four seasons prior to head coach
Bill Sall's arrival, but have since went 105-104
(.502) and claimed two divisional titles while making two NCAA-II
Tournament appearances in his seven previous seasons at the helm.
FSU won only four games (4-22) the year before Sall arrived in
2001-02.
* Career Milestones: FSU’s Darien
Gay is two points shy of scoring his 600th career point.
He climbed into 10th place on the school’s career assists
list versus Tiffin (Dec. 5) and currently has 258 career assists
....... Junior forward Lou Williams presently has
73 career blocked shots and has moved into fourth place on the
school’s all-time chart ..... Senior guard Josh
Young needs 36 points to garner his 500th career point
....... Sophomore guard Dontae Molden scored his
200th career point in the loss at Findlay.
* Hillsdale & Findlay Notes: The victory at
Hillsdale helped the Bulldogs snap a four-game series' losing
streak to the Chargers. FSU has now won six of the last 10 meetings
overall ..... Darien Gay chipped in 20 points
against the Chargers to go with Justin
Keenan’s game-high 32 points ........ The Bulldogs
finished with only three assists in the game at Findlay .........
The Findlay victory represented its 14th win in the last 15 series'
meetings and the Oilers picked up their 78th consecutive regular
season home victory along with improving to 108-2 in the last seven
years at Croy Gymnasium.
* Good Exhibition Mark: With two exhibition wins
this season, the Bulldogs have now claimed a victory in four of
their last five preseason tilts going back ot last year. FSU had
won three consecutive exhibition games prior to the loss at Dayton.
Last year, the Bulldogs defeated Cornerstone 74-73 (10/30/08) and
Calvin 80-66 (11/11/08) in home exhibition games at FSU’s Jim
Wink Arena with the third victory coming in this year’s
exhibition opener against Aquinas (10/29) at Greenville High School
and the fourth in this year’s triumph at Calvin
(11/10/09).
* Coming Up Next: The Bulldogs return home and
will resume GLIAC play on Thursday, Jan. 7, versus Lake Superior
State at Jim Wink Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (EST). FSU then
takes on Saginaw Valley State in the “Basketball
Bonanza” on Saturday, Jan. 9, with a 5 p.m. (EST) start time
scheduled for the contest. In addition to the FSU-SVSU men’s
and women’s games, the “Basketball Bonanza”
quadruple header will also include both local boys and girls high
school games between Big Rapids and Chippewa Hills.
* Statistics Notes: Ferris ranked 256th last
season out of 270 NCAA Division II teams listed in fouls per game
as the Bulldogs averaged 22.2 personal fouls per contest. Presently
this year, FSU is averaging 20.3 fouls per game .......... This
season, the Bulldogs currently rank 20th nationally out of 270
schools in three-point field goal percentage defense (26.5%)
.......... FSU’s Justin Keenan concluded the
2008-09 season ranked 24th nationally in scoring (20.2 ppg.) at the
NCAA Division II level. Presently this year, he’s listed 62nd
nationally (19.3 ppg.) as of Dec. 13 games.
* GLIAC Statistics: Ferris is second in the GLIAC
to date in both three-point percentage (38.1%) and three-point
percentage defense (26.5%) ....... FSU ranks third in scoring
offense (72.8 ppg.), field goal percentage (46.2%) and assists
(13.9 apg.) for all games ....... Justin Keenan is
presently fifth in the league in scoring (19.3 ppg.) along with
second in field goal percentage (55.4%) ....... Darien
Gay leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.57) while
Lou Williams is second in blocked shots (1.4
bpg.).
* Preseason All-American: Ferris State junior
center Justin Keenan has been named a NCAA
Division II Preseason All-America selection by three different
sources, including being tabbed to the Division II Bulletin
“Super 16” Preseason squad. He also claimed acclaim
from both The Sporting News and Basketball Times. Keenan was
honored last season as a National Association of Basketball Coaches
(NABC) Division II All-Midwest District Second Team pick along with
a Daktronics All-Midwest Region Second Team and All-GLIAC North
Division First Team selection.
* 1,000 Point Scorer: FSU’s Justin
Keenan was honored prior to FSU’s conference opener
against Grand Valley State (Nov. 30) for becoming the 26th player
in school history to notch his 1,000th career point in the season
opener at Lewis (Nov. 15). He also grabbed his 400th career board
in the same game and presently owns career totals of 1,139 points
along with 439 rebounds in 63 outings.
* Back In Town: Two of Ferris’ coaches
returned to Hillsdale for last Saturday’s game after playing
key roles in the Charger program prior to their arrival at FSU.
With the win, Ferris head coach Bill Sall improved
to 6-5 in his head coaching career against Hillsdale where he
served as a Charger assistant coach from 1998-02. He helped the
Chargers to a 72-41 (.637) overall record and two consecutive
(2001-02) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tourney appearances during
his stint at HC where he worked under Ed Douma,
who is currently midst his first season as a volunteer assistant
coach for the Bulldogs. Douma served as HC’s head coach for
nine years until 2007.
* Bulldog Notes: Ferris has posted 38 winning
campaigns and 44 non-losing seasons in its previous 81 seasons
........ FSU will play a total of 11 regular-season home games this
campaign inside Jim Wink Arena ....... The Bulldogs own a current
66-59 (.528) overall record in Jim Wink Arena, which opened in the
1999-00 season. This year marks the team’s 11th season in the
2,400-seat facility ...... Justin Keenan has
reached double-figure scoring in all eight games this season and 57
of 60 career outings. He’s tallied 10 points or more in 36 of
his last 37 contests ....... Justin Keenan made
his 400th career free throw in FSU’s last game at Hillsdale.
His 32 points was one shy of matching his personal career-high of
33 points scored last year (11/25/08) in a home win over Olivet
.... FSU’s trip to Findlay and Hillsdale began a stretch in
which the Bulldogs play nine of 11 games away from home from Dec.
10-Jan. 23.
* More On Keenan: A preseason All-America pick,
Justin Keenan led the GLIAC in scoring (20.2 ppg.)
while ranking second in offensive rebounds (3.4 rpg.), fourth in
rebounding (7.3 rpg.) and fourth in field goal percentage (.546)
last year. He also made and attempted more free throws (180-237)
than any other player in the league last season for the
second-straight year. Keenan reached double-figure scoring in 24 of
his 25 games and totaled 20 points or more in 14 outings a year
ago, including a career-high 33 points versus Olivet (Nov. 25), en
route to earning team MVP honors for the second-straight year. In
61 career contests to date, Keenan has recorded 1,139 points and
439 rebounds while starting 60 games. His 408 made free throws
(408-541) currently ranks sixth on the school's career leaders
list.
* A Familiar Foe: FSU senior guard Jon
Yeazel faced a familiar foe in Central Michigan (Nov. 16).
The 6-2 Yeazel spent both the 2005-06 and 2007-08 campaigns at CMU
before transferring to FSU. He appeared in all 28 games and made
two starts for the Chippewas as a freshman in 2005-06, but did not
see game action in ‘07-08. He averaged 2.3 points and 1.2
rebounds in his initial year with CMU, including two double-figure
scoring efforts. The Thornapple-Kellogg High School product also
competed at Schoolcraft Community College the year between his two
stints at Central Michigan (2006-07) and redshirted for the
Bulldogs last year.
* Notes On Darien Gay: FSU junior guard
Darien Gay was an All-GLIAC North Division Second
Team pick last year and one of five players named to this
year’s preseason all-conference team. The 5-10 Gay was the
team's third-leading scorer (11.1 ppg.) and had 17 double-figure
scoring performances in 28 games last year. Gay's 47 percent
(54-115) shooting effort behind the three-point stripe ranked as
the seventh-best seasonal mark in FSU history. He ranked second in
the league behind teammate Donte Molden in assists
(4.4 apg.). He was also second in steals (1.8 spg.) and fourth in
three-point percentage (.470) among the GLIAC leaders. Gay placed
first in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (2:1). His
current .436 career three-point percentage is third-best in school
history.
* Molden Paced GLIAC: Ferris sophomore guard
Dontae Molden led the GLIAC with 132 assists (4.7
apg.) last year, which represented the 11th-best figure in school
single-season history. The 2008-09 team Defensive MVP also had 177
(6.3 ppg.) points and added 76 rebounds (2.7 rpg.) in 28
appearances his rookie year, including 23 starts. The Detroit
Pershing prep product compiled seven double-figure scoring contests
and tallied six assists or more in 12 games. Molden was seventh in
steals (1.7 spg.) in the GLIAC.
* The Coaching Staff: The Bulldog coaching staff
includes top assistant coach Cory Anderson, who
played for Ferris from 1996-98, and is in his 11th season as a
full-time assistant. Volunteer Assistant Coach Bill
Killian also returns for his eighth season on Sall’s
staff. Former Cornerstone University standout Andy
Bronkema, who teaches at Big Rapids’ Crossroads
Charter Academy, is in his third season as a volunteer assistant at
FSU while longtime collegiate head coach Ed Douma
joins the staff for the first time this year as a volunteer after
former volunteer assistant coach Dave Schlump departed to become
the head coach at Muskegon CC.
* Douma Joins Staff: Longtime college basketball
coach Ed Douma has joined the Bulldog staff for
the 2009-10 season. Douma most recently served as head coach at
GLIAC-member Hillsdale for nine years until 2007. His experience
includes 33 years as a head coach at the collegiate level,
including at his alma mater, Calvin College (NCAA-III), where he
guided the Knights to the NCAA-III National Championship in
1991-92. He has also served as head coach at Alma College
(NCAA-III), fellow GLIAC member Lake Superior State (NAIA), Kent
State (NCAA-I) and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro
(NCAA-III). Douma owns a career mark of 561-295 and also won two
MHSAA Class C State Championships at Shelby High School. FSU head
coach Bill Sall played for Douma at Calvin and
also served as one of his assistant coaches at both Calvin and
Hillsdale.
