Big Rapids brought home a pair of championship banners in the 2023-24 basketball season, courtesy of the Ferris State men’s and women’s programs.
Both Bulldogs teams advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, capping outstanding campaigns. Their respective runs in March highlighted the consistent excellence that defines each program.
Get to know more about Ferris State basketball ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Ferris State Men’s Basketball
A perennial power in the GLIAC, Ferris State men’s basketball reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2018 when it beat Northern State to claim the NCAA Div. II national championship.
The Bulldogs’ title that year is the apex of an ongoing run winning 20-plus games every full season since 2014-15. Here’s a snapshot of their success over this last decade:
- 2023-24: 28-8, NCAA Div. II Elite Eight
- 2022-23: 24-9, NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal
- 2021-22: 22-9, NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal
- 2019-20: 27-6, No NCAA Tournament (COVID-19)
- 2018-19: 201-12, Missed NCAA Tournament
- 2017-18: 38-1, NCAA Div. II National Champions
- 2016-17: 28-5, NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal
- 2015-16: 24-10, NCAA Midwest Regional Championship
- 2014-15: 23-9, NCAA Midwest Regional
Ferrris State’s national championship-winning 2018 season also saw a Bulldog win the NABC Div. II National Player of the Year award for the first and still only time in program history: Zach Hankins.
Will the 2024-25 season produce the next award-winner in Ferris State’s fast-growing legacy? The Bulldogs will build off of last season’s run to the Elite Eight with the leading playmaker from that squad, Ethan Erickson. He’s a name to know in the upcoming Div. II campaign.
Meet the 2024-25 Ferris State Bulldogs
Ethan Erickson, a senior from Grand Rapids, was an explosive scoring spark coming off the Ferris State bench in 2023-24. His 14.8 points per game led the Bulldogs despite his not starting a single game.
Erickson scored 19-plus points in four of the Bulldogs’ final five games, including going for 20 in the GLIAC Championship win over rival Grand Valley State.
His 23 points in the Midwest Regional Championship win over Lake Superior State helped the Bulldogs punch their ticket to Evansville.
Reece Hazelton, who scored 10 points off the bench in the Regional final, and Deng Reng, who had nine rebounds and three assists in that signature win, are also back. Hazelton and Reng provide veteran presence for the Ferris State frontcourt in 2024-25.
The Bulldogs will have plenty of opportunity for new scoring leaders to emerge this season. Behind Erickson, the next six-most prolific Ferris State scorers were all seniors. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that Andy Bronkema, the head coach and architect of Ferris State’s successful decade, hasn’t often relied on any one, two or even three scorers to shoulder the offensive load.
Last season, the Bulldogs’ 84.9-point per game offense spread the wealth among 10 players averaging from 4.5 to 14.8 points per game. Of those 10, all played in at least 28 games.
Distribution of scoring made Ferris State the nation’s third-best offense in terms of assists at 19.9 per game. The Bulldogs were also exceedingly effective at creating fast-break opportunities with more than 16 points per game scored on breakaways.
The result is a fun, wide-open style in which any number of players can step up to lead the Bulldogs on any night. It’s been an effective calling card for Bronkema’s teams. Every Ferris State team since 2017-18 has ranked in the top five nationally for assists, showcasing the emphasis Bronkema’s teams routinely place on unselfish ball.
Ferris State Women’s Basketball
Ferris State enjoyed unprecedented success in 2023-24. The Bulldogs’ fourth season under Kurt Westendorp produced a program record 26 wins, culminating in a trip to the NCAA Div. II Elite Eight.
This year, Ferris State looks to build on its deep run in March with championships to show for it — both in the NCAA and GLIAC Tournaments. The Bulldogs lost a 63-56 heartbreaker to Northern Michigan in the semifinals of the 2024 GLIAC Tournament, but qualified for the NCAA postseason as an at-large selection.
Ferris State leveraged one of the country’s most overwhelming defenses to the national semifinals, holding each of its first four opponents in the NCAA Tournament to 59 points or fewer. That stinginess was right in line with Ferris State’s season-long yield of 58.9 points per game, second-lowest in the GLIAC.
Chasing A Championship in 2024-25
Coming off its milestone 2023-24, Ferris State reloads for 2024-25 with a veteran backcourt. Guards Kenzie Bowers and Kadyn Blanchard were starters throughout last year’s Elite Eight campaign. At 12.9 points per game, Blanchard was the team’s second-leading scorer overall and is tops among this season’s returners.
Blanchard was also central to Ferris State’s efforts on the glass with 5.8 rebounds per game and on defense with 1.2 steals a contest. Bowers averaged 1.3 steals per game for the tenacious Bulldogs defense.
With seniors like Mallory McCartney and Chloe Idoni graduated, new contributors will have chances to step into their vacancies and make their own marks. Idoni, who exits having been one of the most productive playmakers in Ferris State history, leaves the biggest void.
Idoni averaged 16.7 points per game a season ago, part of her 1,640 career points, and she earned All-GLIAC defensive honors. Stepping into the interior on the Ferris State lineup, Mya Hiram averaged more than six points and four rebounds per game coming off the bench. She’ll be the pillar of the frontcourt in 2024-25.
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