Ferris State Men's Basketball Completes Recruiting Class With Four Talented Additions
Video Highlights:
Deng Reng
Logan Ryan
Dorian Aluyi
Qunates Jackson
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball program, which has won 20 games or more for five consecutive seasons, has completed its 2019 recruiting class with the addition of four talented student-athletes who will join the Bulldogs for the upcoming 2019-20 campaign.
Head Coach Andy Bronkema has announced the signings of prep wing Deng Reng (Wheaton, Ill./North) along with a trio of transfers in NCAA Division I forward Logan Ryan (Canton) from Colorado State in addition to wing Dorian Aluyi (Lincoln Way East, Ill.), who played at Division II Minot State, and junior college combo guard Quantes Jackson (Grand Rapids/Union) of Paris Junior College.
"Adding these four players to our recruiting class gives us the experience and depth we feel is needed for the chance to develop into a good team," said Bronkema. "We bring in some much needed experience and at the same time have our developmental program guys in place.
"I am most pleased with our patience this year in the recruiting process," he added. "After some unfortunate losses to the roster, Coach (Raymoan) McAfee and the staff did an excellent job of defining our needs and not settling for anything but that. We are very excited to get to work and test this group in the talented and well coached GLIAC."
The 6-6 Reng prepped at Wheaton North High School in Illinois under head coach Dave Brackmann and was an all-state product and two-time all-conference choice. He averaged 15 points per game along with seven rebounds and a block while shooting better than 50% from the floor this past year. Reng, who had a career-high 28 points in a single game on the prep level, played on the AAU level with the ET21 Buckeyes where he was coached by Roy Ramos and becomes the latest Chicago area product to join the Bulldog program.
"We had been trying to get Deng on campus for over two years and our persistence paid off," Bronkema said. "We always saw him as a great fit and when we finally connected in the recruiting process, we were able to get a big time player to commit to our dream. No one has more potential in this class than Deng and that is saying a lot. He has a great chance to impact our team in year one."
Meanwhile, Ryan joins the Bulldog squad following two years at NCAA Division I Colorado State. As a sophomore this past year, he played in all 27 games off the bench and finished with 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest while shooting 63% from the field. He previously saw action in 21 games as a freshman in 2017-18 and returns to Michigan where he was an all-state selection at Canton High School and a prep teammate of current Bulldog senior Greg Williams. Ryan tallied 15 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 2015-16 for head coach Jimmy Reddy at Canton before spending the 2016-17 season in prep school at the International Sports Academy in Naples, Fla., under Alex Acevedo and Eshaunte Jones. The 6-8 frontliner competed on the AAU level for the Michigan Warriors and coach Ibn Muhammad.
"Logan is loaded with tools and we look forward to bringing them out," said Bronkema. "He has had moments of brilliance throughout his career. We are bringing those flashes home and plan to see it night in and night out. His ability to run the floor and stretch the floor stick out the most and fit us well."
The 6-5 Aluyi is another Chicago area native who played high school hoops at Lincoln Way East High School in Illinois. He began his collegiate career the past two seasons at NCAA Division II Minot State (ND) in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), averaging 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds as a 55% shooter last year. A two-time prep all-conference choice, he earned all-state accolades and all-suburban team honors along with team MVP recognition in 2016 for head coach Rich Kolimas at Lincoln-Way East. Aluyi has posted a career-high 37 points in a single game and is a proven D2 player with two years of eligibility remaining. He competed for Team RWA and coaches Walt Fisher and Antwon Jennings on the AAU circuit.
"Dorian will help fill the Markese Mayfield void and fits the mold of a Ferris do it all 4 man in our system," said Bronkema. "We are extremely excited about his approach to life that we saw in the recruiting process. He brings a well-rounded balance to our team both maturity wise and skill wise. Scoring double digits in the Northern Sun is not an easy task and we will rely on his experience throughout next season."
Finally, the 6-2 Jackson returns home to West Michigan following two years on the junior college level, first at Sinclair Community College before playing for Paris Junior College (Texas) this past campaign. On the junior college level, he posted season-high totals of 16.3 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest while also being tabbed as Paris' defensive player of the year. Jackson was both a league all-freshmen team pick and player of the week at Sinclair and totaled 699 points in his JUCO career. Prior to that, he played for coach Brandoen Guyton at Grand Rapids Union and on the AAU level for the ACB squad under Larry Van Haitsema.
"We are excited to bring Quantes back home to finish his collegiate basketball career," Bronkema said. "Having local talent is always a priority and he fits our team mission and the role we have perfectly. He gives us depth at multiple positions and his motivation is obvious. It is comforting to be bringing in such an experienced scorer yet a very willing passer."
The four additions will join a talented Bulldog roster that welcomes back nine returnees from a year ago, including a trio of seniors in Greg Williams, post Cole Walker and point guard D'angelo Hughes, along with three previous recruits signed earlier this year.
This past season, following a historic 2017-18 season in which FSU went 38-1 overall and won the school's first NCAA Division II National Championship, the Bulldogs compiled a 20-12 overall record under head coach Andy Bronkema while notching its fifth-straight 20-win campaign. The Bulldogs placed second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division standings.
Along with the second-place league finish, the Bulldogs also reached the GLIAC Tournament for the fifth consecutive year and earned the right to host a quarterfinal-round home contest. Overall, FSU went 12-3 at home this season inside Jim Wink Arena. The past five years with 20 or more wins ranks as the greatest five-year stretch in program history.