The Ferris State men’s basketball team is coming off a 28-8 season and an NCAA DII Elite Eight tournament appearance. The Bulldogs are looking to repeat their success with a reloaded roster.
Head coach Andy Bronkema spoke with the Torch in an interview about the upcoming season, goals and aspirations as well as key parts about the team.
Q: What are your goals and expectations this year after coming off such a successful season?
A: We always have a pretty generic goal, but it means a lot to us. We just want to reach our full potential, develop and meet our expectations of championship basketball. It is really the process that we pay attention to so we become better every day. Typically that goal puts us in a spot to play in some big games, and that is what we are focused on.
Q: Does your team have a set identity going into the year? If so, what is that identity?
A: It would be more interesting to ask the fans and community members who have been coming out to our games for years. We do have an identity at Ferris State, we move the ball around on offense, we press teams, we play fast-paced, we play deep lineups and we wear teams out. I believe what we play is a beautiful brand of basketball.
Q: If there is one thing you want fans to take away from watching Ferris State basketball, what would that be?
A: Just realize that we are an unselfish group and be proud that this is the team that represents their community. I also want them, in a small community like Big Rapids, to wrap themselves around the players, get to know them and if they’re passionate, contribute on whatever level they can whether that be donating their time or supporting the boosters.
Q: You lost six seniors last year, but you also brought in a lot of experience through the transfer portal and guys just getting older. How easy is that to replace in the fluid and fastpaced landscape that is college basketball?
A: We lost a lot of very decorated players, they contributed most of the minutes and most of the stats last year. We did, however, train guys behind them and they are ready to step up. You make an effort to not rebuild but to reload. That is the type of program that we think we have, time will tell but the journey for us is being as good as we can be. We have lofty goals and we want to see growth with this team, it is a lot of new faces and we need to continue to get better.
Q: With all of the losses, who are you looking to step up and become a leader?
A: How leadership works here is that first the coaches lead, then you pass it down to the players so that towards the middle and end of the season you have a player-led team and we have plenty of potential to do that. Deng [Reng] is in his sixth year, Jimmy [Scholler], Reese [Hazelton] and Mykel [Bingham] are all in their fifth year so that is some great experience right there. We will rely on those guys but every individual on this team will have a moment to lead.
Q: Is there any specific player who has impressed you the most during camp?
A: Impressing me is a daily task, you have to do it every single day and be consistent. No one guy impresses me more than the other but if you’re asking who impresses me the most? I would say Nathan Claerbout, he has had a great pre-season and we are looking for him to step up.
Q: What do you believe your biggest strength is as a team?
A: Our depth, our unselfishness and doing whatever it takes to win and sacrifice ourselves for the team.
Q: What do you think your biggest weakness is?
A: Experience. Adjusting quickly to new roles after relying on some guys offensively last year who were used to taking the big shots. We will have to make that work.