Back-To-Back GLIAC Tourney Champ Ferris State Bolsters Recruiting Class With West Michigan Native

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball program, which is coming off a NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen finish and second consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship, has further bolstered its 2016 recruiting class with the signing today of West Michigan native Michael Peterson (Rockford) to a National Letter of Intent.

The 6-6 Peterson inked with the Bulldogs on the first day of the spring signing period and joins a group of four others who previously committed to FSU in November during the fall recruiting season. The announcement of Peterson's signing was made by FSU head coach Andy Bronkema, who completed his third season at the FSU helm by leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship Game a month ago.

Peterson, a wing, averaged 15.2 points per game along with 7.7 rebounds and nearly two assists an outing while earning Detroit Free Press All-State accolades for the Rams under prep head coach Nick Allen.

"It's nice when you don't have to travel far to find the piece you are looking for in your class," said Bronkema. "Michael is the cherry on top of an outstanding recruiting class. His upside makes him an important piece for our future.

"Overall, he's been well-coached and comes in with a versatile skill set and high basketball IQ that we believe will translate well to the collegiate game," he added.

The Rockford native was an All-Ottawa Kent (OK) Red Conference selection as a senior and also claimed Bank Hoops All-State laurels. He scored a career-best 23 points in an outing this past year and was also tabbed to the holiday all-tournament team. Along with his impressive basketball credentials, Peterson also carried a 3.6 GPA off the court and recorded a high ACT score at RHS.

Besides playing prep basketball for the Rams, Peterson also competed on the AAU level for the West Michigan-based Grand Rapids Storm.

Peterson, who will be a freshman in eligibility during the 2016-17 campaign, joins a touted group of fall signees that includes in-state wings Billy "Buckets" Burton (Saginaw/Arthur Hill) and Jaylin McFadden (Detroit/East English Village) along with Indiana wing Peyton Staples (Mishawaka) and a standout point guard from Illinois in D'angelo Hughes (Springfield/Southeast).

"A big credit for our recruiting success goes to the overall state of our athletic department at Ferris State," he added. "There is a lot of hype around many of our teams right now and that is translating to popularity. We're extremely excited about these guys and what they mean to the future of Bulldog Basketball."

The Bulldog men's basketball squad closed a memorable 2015-16 campaign with a 24-10 overall record. FSU reached the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen and claimed a second-straight GLIAC Tournament Championship this year while finishing with its first back-to-back 20-win campaigns since the late 1980's.

While the Bulldogs will lose four talented seniors from this season's squad in center Jared Stolicker along with wings Josh Fleming and James Chappell in addition to point guard Jibreel Jackson, a strong nucleus will return next year with seven returning letterwinners to go with four individuals who sat out the 2015-16 season as redshirts in the FSU program.