Andy Bronkema definitely has some big shoes to fill as he takes over as the new head coach for Ferris State University’s men’s basketball team.
The Bill Sall era in Ferris basketball is over and now, the Bronkema era must begin. The first-year head coach has all the pieces to make a run at a great season.
With a strong set of returning players and also some new faces, Bronkema should be able to lead the Bulldogs to a successful season in his first year at the helm.
Bronkema spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach for the crimson and gold, and helped coach Ferris to two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division titles.
“The opportunity is something that I am going to embrace and I am going to move forward in a service capacity,” Bronkema said during his introductory press conference.
The tenured assistant also has an appearance in the NCAA Division since he has been with the team. Now, as the head coach, Bronkema will have to look past adversity to sustain the teams winning ways.
“There’s a lot that he will learn, but there’s already a lot that he has learned under coach Sall as well,” Ferris sophomore guard Josh Fleming said. “Everyone is excited to play for Coach Bronks. We are all confident in what coach has to offer and we know that he is just as excited to be the head coach as we are to have him.”
The team already has potential to do great things, with all but two players returning this upcoming season.
With seasoned players like guard Dietrich Lever and Drew Lehman along with athletes like 6-foot-10-inch center, Jared Stolicker, all returning for the 2013-14 season, Bronkema should at least have an already talented team, ready to win.
“It will be a learning experience for both him and us players, but I think he will do a great job coaching our team,” Stolicker, said. “Both sides are going to have to learn from each other and just take everything day by day, with both sides constantly getting better.”
With the upcoming season still miles away, Bronkema and the rest of the coaching staff will look forward to building a great team.
“The future is bright, and we look to build on the tradition, and embrace the tradition. We’ve had a lot of winning teams, and a lot of success,” Bronkema said. “We have been building on that success and toward some pretty big goals the last few years. We are going to continue down that path.”