Ferris State Picked As Favorite To Win GLIAC North In Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

GLIAC Preseason Poll
Ferris State Preseason Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad, which has won 20 games or more each of the past five seasons, has been picked to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division as the league unveiled its 2019-20 preseason poll today.

The Bulldogs garnered six first-place votes and 55 total points in being picked as the divisional favorite.

Along with the preseason poll, the Preseason All-GLIAC Team was also announced and Bulldog senior center Cole Walker (Elk Rapids) garnered first-team recognition in the North Division.

In the preseason poll, FSU took first in front of Wisconsin-Parkside, which totaled 51 points and five first-place mentions. Michigan Tech was third with 45 points followed by Lake Superior State (33), Purdue Northwest (17) and Northern Michigan (15).

The South Division was led by Davenport with 61 points and 11 first-place votes. Ashland earned the remaining first-place vote and totaled 50 points for second with Grand Valley State third (39) followed by Northwood (26), Saginaw Valley State (24) and Wayne State (16).

The Bulldog men's squad returns seven letterwinners from last year's squad and welcomes a strong recruiting class that features a few key transfers and a group of freshmen that could make a quick impact as FSU opens its seventh season under head coach Andy Bronkema.

Last 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 and 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 last season inside Jim Wink Arena. The past five years with 20 or more wins ranks as the greatest five-year stretch in program history.

FSU is expected to be led by a veteran trio of seniors in guards D'angelo Hughes and Greg Williams along with Walker. Three other regulars from last year's rotation are also back in wings Jaylin McFadden and Michael Peterson along with post Mason Pline. Junior college transfer Walt Kelser, who redshirted last year along with wing Ben Davidson, should make a big impact along with Minot State (N.D.) D2 transfer Dorian Aluyi and NCAA Division I addition Logan Ryan from Colorado State in addition to several promising freshmen.

The 2019-20 men's basketball regular season will tipoff on Nov. 1-3 when FSU gets an early start by taking part in the D2 Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif. The Bulldogs will face Wayne State (Neb.), Texas Permian-Basin and Concordia (Calif.) in the event with all three outings slated for 8:30 p.m. (ET) tipoff times. The regular-season home opener is Saturday, Nov. 9, against Davis & Elkins at 12 p.m. (ET).