Men's BB Notes: GVSU (Nov. 30)
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* The Game: The Ferris State University men’s
basketball team hosts nationally-ranked archrival Grand Valley
State in its 2009-10 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (GLIAC) opener on Monday, Nov. 30, at FSU’s Jim
Wink Arena. The game will also serve as the squad’s home
opener with the “Big Monday” tipoff set for 8 p.m.
(EST) in Big Rapids.
* Ticket Info: Tickets for Monday's men’s
and women’s doubleheader against Grand Valley State will be
available at the door starting one hour prior to the women’s
tipoff. All single-game general admission ticket prices are $7. FSU
students are admitted free with ID. For more info on home ticket
sales, please call the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231)
591-2888.
* Game Promotions: Free t-shirts will be given to
the first 100 students in attendance and a special "dance-off"
competition is scheduled to take place at halftime of the men's
game. The dance contest is open to anyone and prizes include 10
free tanning sessions at Tan Lines, a $20 gift card to Meijer, a
$25 gift card to the Blue Cow and first prize being awarded free
cover to The Gate for a full year.
* Media Coverage: The game will be carried live
by local radio station WBRN (1460 AM & 107.7 FM) with Jason
DaDay providing the play-by-play coverage. A live audio and video
pay-per-view webcast via B2 Networks will also be available along
with live internet statistics. Please visit FSU’s Athletics
Website at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com to find
links for all available coverage in the “upcoming
events” tab.
* Follow On Twitter: Bulldog fans can follow all
FSU games this year via Twitter. To access the service, please
visit www.twitter.com/ferrisathletics
to follow the tweet-by-tweet coverage with periodic scoring
updates.
* The Last Game: The road proved tough again for
the Bulldogs in their most recent outing last Saturday (Nov. 21) in
a 98-82 non-conference setback at St. Joseph’s (Ind.) in
Rensselaer, Ind. The loss was the third-straight on the road for
the Bulldogs, who trailed the Pumas 43-38 at halftime before being
outscored 55-44 over the final 20 minutes. The Pumas forced 22
Bulldog turnovers and sank seven-of-23 (30.4%) three-point tries to
offset a 43-30 rebounding edge for FSU. St. Joseph’s
increased its lead to 11 points only five minutes into the final
half and FSU could not get closer than five the rest of the way.
The setback came despite a game-high 25 points on nine-of-11
shooting from senior guard Jon Yeazel for FSU.
Junior forward/center Justin Keenan added 22
points and nine rebounds in his most productive game of the
campaign to date. Senior guard Josh Young totaled
11 points with seven rebounds while junior forward Lou
Williams notched a game-best 10 rebounds.
* The Records: Ferris State (0-3, 0-0 GLIAC)
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.
Grand Valley
State (2-1, 0-0 GLIAC) finished the 2008-09 season with a
21-10 overall record and was 14-8 in GLIAC action, placing second
in the league’s North Division. The Lakers also made their
fourth-straight NCAA-II Tournament appearance last season and are
currently ranked 18th nationally in the NABC Division II Coaches
Poll (as of Nov. 24).
* The Coaches: Ferris State – Bill Sall
(Calvin, 1994), 8th season, 106-111 (.488) – (6-12-0 vs.
GVSU). 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.
Grand Valley State
– Ric Wesley (Central Michigan, 1980), 5th season,
133-31 (.811). Wesley spent five years as associate head coach at
Southwest Missouri State before taking over at GVSU. He also spent
time as a NCAA-I assistant at Lamar and Iowa State. Wesley’s
directed GVSU to four national tourney bids, two Elite Eight
showings and three league titles in his tenure.
* 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.
* Keenan Tops Mark: FSU’s Justin
Keenan became the 26th player in school history to notch
his 1,000th career point in the season opener at Lewis. He also
grabbed his 400th career board in the game and presently owns
career totals of 1,037 points along with 410 rebounds in 58
outings. He’s the fifth FSU player in the eight-year enture
of head coach Bill Sall to top the 1,000 career
points mark.
* 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).
* Large Crowds For Rivalry: Two years ago
(2/23/08), the Bulldogs drew a modern Wink Arena record crowd of
2,430 fans for the regular-season men's basketball finale against
the Lakers, which was also played in front of the first-ever live
television audience from the arena. The official women's halftime
attendance of 1,640 fans for the "Fill The Wink" contest also
represented the largest crowd ever to watch the FSU women play in
the 2,400-seat facility. Ferris has broke its own men's basketball
arena attendance mark against GVSU three of the last four seasons
and four of the top six crowds in the building's history have came
against Grand Valley State. The Bulldogs have had more than 2,000
fans for the contest versus the Lakers two of the last three
years.
* 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).
* FSU Falls At Dayton: Ferris’ lone
exhibition loss this year came as the Bulldogs battled the
preseason nationally-ranked NCAA Division I Dayton Flyers tough for
most of the night, but came out on the short end of a 88-73
exhibition decision in its second preseason outing on Nov. 3 at the
historic University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. An announced
crowd of 11,169 fans watched the Flyers take a 48-35 halftime edge.
The Bulldogs whittled the lead down to 10 points with 4:38 to play,
but could get no closer. The Bulldogs had three players reach
double-figure scoring. Junior forward/center Justin
Keenan paced Ferris with a game-high 25 points and eight
rebounds. Senior guard Austin Randel added 22
points and junior guard Darien Gay chipped in with
10 points for FSU.
* Looking At GVSU: The Lakers finished the
2008-09 season with a 21-10 overall record and were 14-8 in GLIAC
action, placing second in the league’s North Division. The
Lakers also made their fourth-straight NCAA-II Tournament
appearance last season under head coach Ric Wesley. GVSU was picked
to finish first in this year’s GLIAC North poll and currently
owns a 2-1 overall mark to date this season after a 79-69
non-league road win at St. Joseph’s (Ind.) on Tuesday (Nov.
24). Junior guard/forward Justin Ringler, who’s from Reed
City, paces the Lakers in scoring with an average of 20.0 points
per game to date. GVSU is currently ranked 18th nationally.
* Series Information: Ferris holds a 47-45
advantage heading into Monday’s 93rd meeting with GVSU. The
Lakers won two of three games versus Ferris last season, including
a 67-49 victory in the GLIAC Tourney Quarterfinals (3/3/09) at
Allendale. FSU won last year’s game (1/12/09) in Big Rapids
by a 74-67 count. The Lakers had won eight-straight series’
meetings prior to last year’s setback at Wink Arena and also
recorded a 72-62 regular-seson triumph last year (12/1/08) at
Allendale, Mich. FSU has won six of the last 16 series’
contests overall. Prior to its win in the most recent game,
Ferris’ last series’ victory had came nearly three
years before (12/8/05) with a 79-63 triumph on its home floor.
* 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.
* 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 three exhibition games and three
regular-season contests 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 101-103
(.495) 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: Senior guard Austin
Randel notched his 200th point in the St. Joseph’s
game. He averaged 20.7 points per game in 2007-08 at NCAA-II North
Greenville (S.C.) before transferring to FSU. Randel tallied 19
points in the opener at Lewis, but was injured and did not play at
Central Michigan before returning versus the Pumas ....... Junior
forward Lou Williams has 68 career blocked shots
to date and needs four more to move into fourth place on the
school’s all-time chart.
* Home Openers: The Bulldogs have won five of
their last seven home openers at Wink Arena although the mark
includes setbacks in each of the last two years. Last campaign
(11/20/08), FSU fell to St. Joseph’s 78-63 in its initial
home contest at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs’ most recent victory
in a home opener came during the 2006-07 season (11/25) with a
57-52 triumph over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Bulldogs are
5-2 to date in their first home game of a season under head coach
Bill Sall. Monday’s game will represent the
first time the Bulldogs’ home opener has also served as a
league opener under Sall.
* League Openers: Ferris has won three of its
last four league openers heading into Monday’s matchup with
the lone loss coming last year (12/1/08) at GVSU by a 72-62 count.
Overall, FSU is 3-4 under Bill Sall in its first
league game of the year, including a 2-2 mark in games at home.
* Bulldog Notes: This year’s game at
Central Michigan (Nov. 16) represented the first regular-season
matchup between the two teams since Dec. 3, 1990. It was also only
the third official contest between the two schools since 1976 .....
Sophomore guard Dontae Molden saw his first action
of the regular-season at CMU after missing the season opener due to
an injury he suffered in the Dayton exhibition game ........ Ferris
has posted 38 winning campaigns and 44 non-losing seasons in its
previous 81 seasons ........ FSU will play 11 regular-season home
games this campaign inside Jim Wink Arena ....... The Bulldogs own
a current 65-59 (.524) 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 ...... FSU is 5-5 all-time to
date versus Grand Valley State in the current Wink Arena.
* 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
58 career contests to date, Keenan has recorded 1,037 points and
410 rebounds while starting 55 games. His 363 made free throws
(363-475) 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. 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 .427 career three-point percentage is fourth-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.
* The Last Meeting: Fourth-seeded Grand Valley
State took advantage of the homecourt edge and poor shooting from
Ferris State to top the Bulldogs 67-49 in the quarterfinal round of
the GLIAC Tournament in the most recent game played between the two
teams last year (3/3/09) at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale,
Mich. The Bulldogs and Lakers were tied at 23 points apiece at
halftime, but GVSU used a strong second-half showing to outscore
FSU 44-26 over the final 20 minutes. FSU concluded the season with
a 14-14 overall record as the Lakers notched their 20th win of the
year to advance to the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals. The Bulldogs
were paced by Justin Keenan, who had a team-high
19 points and nine rebounds while playing 30 minutes in the
contest. GVSU was led by Pete Trammell with 21 points and eight
rebounds while Justin Ringler tallied 12 points and five boards.
Ferris shot only 23% (12-52) for the game and had 12 turnovers in
the setback. GVSU shot 43% (18-42) in the contest after connecting
on 55% of its second-half tries. Ferris State connected on only
two-of-16 (12.5%) three-point tries, but was 23-of-33 (69.7%) at
the free throw line. Meanwhile, GVSU hit five-of-12 (41.7%)
three-pointers and 26-of-38 (68.4%) free throws. The win was GVSU's
second over the Bulldogs on the season after the rivals split their
two-regular season meetings with each winnning on its home floor.
The Bulldogs owned a 40-37 rebounding edge. However, the Lakers'
reserves outscored the Bulldogs' bench by a 23-9 count for the
contest. Ferris had 12 turnovers and GVSU totaled 13 miscues in the
game. FSU was whistled for 26 fouls in the contest as two Bulldog
players fouled out of the game. FSU also dropped to 0-4 all-time in
GLIAC Tournament play against the Lakers. Ferris was making its
10th tournament appearance and fourth in the last five years after
missing the event in 2007-08.
* Coming Up Next: The Bulldogs continue a
three-game homestand this week with a pair of league games against
Ashland on Thursday (Dec. 3) and Tiffin on Saturday (Dec. 5) at
Wink Arena. Game times are set for 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday with
Saturday’s outing starting at 2 p.m. (ET).
* New Wink Arena Look: Fans attending
Monday’s men’s basketball home opener will have a
chance to watch the Bulldogs play their first contest at Wink Arena
following the facility's most recent renovation this past spring.
The gym floor was completely sanded down, refurbished and painted
with a new design and color corresponding with the university's
graphic identity. The new look in Wink Arena, which has been home
to both the Bulldog men's and women's basketball programs since the
1999-00 season, now includes an extra large "Bulldog" head in the
center of the floor replacing the former basketball design found in
the center circle. Additional wording includes both the GLIAC logo
and the "Wink Arena" designation in two seperate places. The floor
is outlined in Ferris' official crimson color with gold wording. In
addition, the lane found under both hoops now features a light
open-colored appearance replacing the old maroon background. The
women's three-point line maintains its black appearance with the
men's line in crimson. The Ferris signature line remains on both
baselines.
* B2 Video Webcasts: A live broadband video and audio
webcast will be available via B2 Networks for all of FSU’s
home games and selected road contests this season. The cost is $7
per game and includes live video along with a radio audio feed. To
access the service or obtain more info, please visit the FSU
Athletics Website at
www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com.
* Live Internet Stats: “Live Stats”
of all 2009-10 Ferris State home games will be provided in progress
via the internet. Visit the site at
www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com and click the
“Live Stats” icon to access.
* GLIAC Games On Air: All 22 of FSU’s
2009-10 league games are tentatively slated to be carried live by
local radio station WBRN (News Talk 1460 AM or 107.7 FM). FSU
Associate Athletics Communications Director Rob Bentley will once
again call the play-by-play action on the road while Jason DaDay
will be the on-air talent for home games. The audio from road
contests can also be accessed live via the internet by clicking on
the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at
www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com.
* On The Internet: Ferris State University
Athletics’ official web site can be found at
www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com. The site features
information on all FSU varsity programs including rosters, stats
and more.
