Ferris State Squares Off Against D1 Oakland In Men's Basketball Exhibition Saturday
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad will have its first opportunity to take on another school Saturday (Nov. 1) as FSU squares off against NCAA Division I Oakland University in exhibition play at Rochester, Mich.
Tipoff between the Bulldogs and the Golden Grizzlies is set for 1 p.m. (ET) at the Athletics Center O'rena. The game will be televised live by Comcast (Channel 900) across portions of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana along with the ESPN3 online platform.
Oakland will also offer fans free admission for Saturday's exhibition opener for both squads.
The Golden Grizzlies, who were picked to finish seventh in this year's Horizon League Preseason Poll, return a pair of preseason all-league selectioins in 6-10 center Corey Petros and point guard Kahlil Felder. Petros led the Horizon League in rebounds (8.2 rpg.) and double-doubles a year ago while Felder was teh league's freshman of the year after notching a NCAA rookie-high 212 assists last season.
Last year, Oakland completed its first-ever season in the Horizon League with a 7-9 conference record, finishing in a tie for fifth place. The Grizzlies played the third-toughest Division I schedule in the country last year and finished with a 13-20 overall mark, but won 10 games at home for the eighth-straight year.
OU is guided by longtime head coach Greg Kampe, who is the third-longest tenured coach in Division I basketball and has guided the Golden Grizzlies to six Summit League Championships and three NCAA Tournaemnt appearances on the D2 level.
Ferris State and Oakland were longtime Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) rivals prior to OU's move to the Division I ranks in the late 1990's. FSU leads the all-time series 43-20 overall and has won each of the last two matchups to date.
The most recent game between the Bulldogs and Oakland was played back in 2000 (11/21) with FSU recording a thrilling 75-70 victory at the Athletics Center O'rena.
Expectations are high for the Ferris State men's basketball squad heading into the 2014-15 season with FSU returning 10 letterwinners from a year ago. The Bulldogs will open their second season under head coach Andy Bronkema, who led Ferris State to wins in three of its final four contests a year ago as FSU finished the 2013-14 season on a high note.
Among Bronkema's top returnees this season will be six key players who all started at least nine games a year ago, including a pair of three-year regulars in senior point guard Dietrich Lever and senior wing Drew Lehman. Also back as part of an experienced unit will be senior wing Matt Poches along with junior post Jared Stolicker, junior wing Josh Fleming and junior point guard Jibreel Jackson. FSU also inked a talented and deep recruiting class in the offseason, which will help provide depth this season.
The other returnees back include senior post players Matt Stoll and Dan Chilcote along with junior wing Matt Sinnaeve in addition to redshirt junior wing James Chappell, who returns from an injury after playing only three games a year ago.
Following Saturday's exhibition game, the Bulldog men's hoops squad will the host longtime West Michigan rival Calvin in another exhibition outing on Nov. 8 in preseason action with tipoff set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) at Jim Wink Arena.
The official season opener for the Bulldog men takes place on Saturday, Nov. 15, as FSU opens the 2014-15 campaign on the road against regional foe Quincy (Ill.) at the Microtel GLVC/GLIAC Challenge at Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Ill. FSU will face another Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) opponent in Missouri-St. Louis the following day (Nov. 16).
The Ferris State men's basketball program has a long track record of success that includes more than 1,000 all-time victories, 13 GLIAC Championships and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. FSU has also reached the GLIAC Postseason Tournament eight of the last 10 years, which ranks as one of the conference's top showings over the past decade. The Bulldogs have won four league championships and twice reached the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen since 2004.
The 2013-14 season, under Bronkema's directon for the first time, marked the 12th consecutive year to date in which FSU has finished with double-digit victories. A strong incoming recruiting class will join a Bulldog squad that is expected to return nearly every key piece from last season after losing only a single senior.