WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Ferris Recruit Mavis To Compete In All-Star Game At The Palace

Katie Mavis, an incoming Ferris State University women's basketball recruit for head coach Tracey Dorow will be competing in the 32nd annual All-Star Basketball Festival at the Palace in Auburn Hills on Aug. 6.

In all, there will be four games (two for the men and two for the women) as a final send off before players take their skills to the next level or embark on other future plans.

Men's basketball recruits who will be competing in games at the festival are: Dietrich Lever, of Canton; Trenton Messer, of Gull Lake; Matt Sinnaeve, of Gwinn; and Tyrin Wade, of Lansing, represent the future of the Ferris men's basketball program in this game.

A women's game, featuring players from Class C and D at 2 p.m., to be followed by the women's Class A/Class B game at 3:30. The men's Class C/Class D game begins at 5:40 p.m., followed by a slam dunk competition, and then the Class A/Class B game at 7:50 p.m.

3:30 p.m. – Women’s A / B Game
Black Team Roster:
Coach: Ben Smith
Asst. Coach: Rick Ledy

Breanna Birmingham • B Ck Harper Creek
Brooke Borowski • Pontiac Notre Dame
Crystal Bradford • Inkster
Shareta Brown • Grand Blanc
Shelby Herrington • Hemlock
Jasmine Hines • Central Lake
Jade Ledy • Marquette
Eryn Maday • Utica
Katie Mavis • St. Joseph (Ferris recruit)
Christina Nagle • Sterling Heights Ford II
Destiney Robinson • Gr. Rapids Christian
Kari Schmitt • Canton
Leah Scott • Inkster
Kerby Tamm • Petoskey

White Team Roster:
Coach: Jason Bingaman
Assistant Coach: Mike Balcom

Katy Barkley • Olivet
Danielle Blake • Midland
Kandace Crittendon • Byron Center
Dena Droste • DeWitt
Emily Gracik • Tawas Arena
Megan Grimes • Richland Gull Lake
Alexis Harris • Detroit Renaissance
Deborah Hoekstra • East Lansing
Mandy Johnson • Holt
Kelsey Jones • Reed City
Janelle McQueen • Farmington Hills Mercy
Becca Mills • Midland Dow
Morgan Stuut • Three Rivers
Samanta Zirzow • Goodrich

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HOCKEY: CCHA Meets With Atlantic Hockey Teams

Ferris State and the CCHA are still negotiating to bring new members to the conference with the future departure of a number of teams hanging over the league.

One of the big stories circulating in the college hockey world is the meeting that took place this week (Tuesday) in Erie, Pa. involving representatives from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and representatives of teams from Atlantic Hockey.

As has been reported in numerous places, Robert Morris, Canisius, Niagara and Mercyhurst are said to have some interest in moving to the CCHA. Among other reasons, the aforementioned teams

would be allowed to offer the full 18 scholarships as opposed to the cap of 12 they're bound by currently.

The CCHA has been criticized in some circles for not being more aggressive in pursing new members for the league, but now it has its sights set, it would appear, on new membership. CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch and Ferris athletics director Perk Weisenburger were among individuals who are reported to have attended the meeting on behalf of the CCHA, according to U.S. College Hockey Online.

"We had very open and honest discussions with representatives of the four schools from the AHA," Pletsch said. "And we are committed to having further dialogue in the future to potentially accommodate those schools, while representing the interests of our member schools that are committed to staying in the CCHA for the 2013–14 season and beyond."

No decision has been made as of yet with regard to the CCHA adding new members. Discussions, it would appear, will be ongoing for at least a little while longer.

Here is a statement released by the Atlantic Hockey schools involved:

"We had a very frank and open discussion with commissioner Pletsch and members of his executive committee about joining the CCHA. The CCHA offers several exciting opportunities for our institutions, however each of us feels the need to bring the information we discussed back to campus and discuss it with our school president and our hockey staff. In addition, we will need to have discussions with Atlantic Hockey commissioner Bob DeGregorio and his executive committee. Once we have completed our due diligence, we have agreed to meet at a future date to continue to explore our opportunities. At this point in time, no decisions have been made about leaving Atlantic Hockey or joining the CCHA."

One of the rumors is a supposed reluctance on the part of the Atlantic Hockey schools to play Alaska, still a member of the CCHA. Pletsch has vowed to remain an advocate of schools currently in the league. So, stay tuned.

FOOTBALL: Video Promotes Community Day Event

Here is a promotional video put together for the Ferris State University football Community Day event that will take place on Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

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FOOTBALL: YouTube Video Found On Ferris Football Recruits

Here is a video I found on Ferris State University football recruits. Some of the music lyrics are probably better suited for adult ears. The clip in the beginning, from Coach Jeff Pierce, is from one of my videos. Anyway, check it out.

SOFTBALL: Next Ferris State Head Coach Has Big Shoes To Fill

By now, we all know that Ferris State University will have some big shoes to fill as it looks to replace Keri Becker as head softball coach.

Becker has accepted a position as assistant athletics director and senior women's administrator at Grand Valley State University.

Behind her, at Ferris, Becker leaves behind a strong program she has helped establish. Her legacy is second to none. She has set the table nicely for her successor to excel in the immediate and the distant future. Under her direction, Ferris has won a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title, three GLIAC Tournament championships and three NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional championships.

The Ferris administration will need to find a coach with the work ethic and energy coach Becker brought to the table ... not to mention her knowledge of the game.

This will not be easy. One has to imagine, however, that there will be no shortage of candidates lined up to take over a program that clearly is one of the strongest in the GLIAC, the region and the nation. While some candidates may see a strong tradition to try to live up to, ideal candidates will see opportunity to continue something special and try to build it into something even greater.

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HOCKEY: Where Ferris Will End Up Remains To Be Seen, But...

Depending on how new conference alignments play out, Ferris State University could be facing Robert Morris a lot more in the future.

It appears dreams some people may have of Ferris State heading out west to play in some merged CCHA/WCHA might be a little farfetched.

From a travel standpoint, that may be more than Ferris is eager to bite on at this point. For Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, the Minnesota-heavy WCHA is a league that perhaps makes more sense.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, could find themselves heading out east where they are more likely to see opponents along the lines of Mercyhurst and Robert Morris than Minnesota State and Bemidji State (out west).

Time will tell, however, as Ferris looks to see how the dust settles with other teams that are in limbo - teams like Western Michigan University, the University of Notre Dame, Lake Superior State University and Bowling Green State University.

Unfortunately, at this point, we have a lot more rumors than we do substance to bite on.

HOCKEY: CCHA = Death By A Thousand Cuts

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association's future, frankly, is down to its last few breaths.

Realistically, the league's future only shows Ferris State, Alaska, Bowling Green State and Lake Superior State.

In all honesty, Western Michigan is begging the National Collegiate Hockey Conference to take it and Notre Dame is being pursued vigorously by pretty much everyone.

In other words, it's only a matter of time before the Broncos and Fighting Irish say buh bye to the CCHA ... the writing is on the wall.

A very proactive Northern Michigan is now headed back to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The CCHA soon will no longer be an automatic NCAA qualifying conference. These are sad times indeed for what was once a power conference with a bright future.

HOCKEY: CCHA's Response To NCHC

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – CCHA Commissioner Fred Pletsch today issued the following statement in response to the announcement by the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference that Miami will be among the schools that will be part of the conference beginning in the 2013-14 academic year:

"Today’s announcement does not come as a surprise as we have been engaged in discussing this topic with Miami, and other CCHA schools, for several months now. The league respects the right of all members to examine institutional and geographic similarities with other schools, and ultimately determine their own place within college hockey. The conference continues to work closely with the remaining membership to ensure there is a place for them, and the CCHA, in the evolving landscape.

The CCHA completed its 40th season of play in March. The conference has produced eight national champions since forming in the 1971-72

HOCKEY: New College Hockey Conference Stinks Of Elitism

It has been more than a little bit interesting to follow all of the happenings of "As the College Hockey World Turns."

With each new day, it appears something new and different happens to make us all wonder what is the direction college hockey is headed.

Of course, the latest news is that the so-called power teams that were left out of the forming of the Big Ten's hockey conference have decided to form a league of their own with the shaky name: The National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The less-than-stellar name alone tells you that the creative team has a whole lot of work ahead to be done, but that is another story. I guess the name could have been worst ... those who formed the league could have stolen National Hockey League and just added "Collegiate" in there. Come to think of it ... they sort of did it, but changed "League" to "Conference" and moved it along.

Anyway, here is an excerpt from a story in the Mankato (Minn.) Free Press that I found particularly interesting:

The league is not limited to six teams, and North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison said officials will continue to “research and vet” additional members. The CCHA’s Notre Dame remains a strong possibility, he said.

“They’re certainly a program that meets our core values of our conference and we have an interest in them, but we’ll continue to explore other options,” Faison said.

What is this new conference's core values that makes it feel so high and mighty that it leaves behind schools like Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Alaska-Anchorage and others?

This whole thing stinks of elitism. It seems as though these schools, just for the sake of argument, could have kept the Western Collegiate Hockey Association together and attempted to poach Miami University, Western Michigan University and the University of Notre Dame. However, it looks like the classism took hold and the elitists wanted as much to rid themselves of trips to Anchorage, Alaska and Houghton, Mich. as much as they wanted to add the likes of Miami and Notre Dame.

For some of the schools of this new NCHC, you can't be the best of the best and less there is someone on the bottom to stand above.

This is another quote I found interesting:

“This type of conference, where you have the best playing each other every weekend starting in October is a daunting task,” Denver head coach George Gwozdecky said. “We want to play the best. We understand it’s going to be difficult.”

Apparently playing the best of the best didn't include some of the teams that Denver and others left behind when departing the WCHA.

SOFTBALL: Several Bulldog Players Get Summer Experience On Traveling Team

A group of Ferris State University softball players are working on their game this summer as they look ahead to fall ball, in 2011, and spring ball, in 2012.

Bulldog players Stephanie Dusendang, an outfielder who made great strides for the team last season; Allison Webber, a fast-developing infielder with a lot of potential; and Brittney Buti, a promising newcomer last season in the program, are joining former FSU player Rachel Mueller as members of the Line Drive Express 23-and-under team, in the Midland area.

The program was discussed in a Midland Daily News article: http://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article_162c490f-cd63-5d5b-be2e-f277556ab722.html

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Survivor Basketball Video ... Summer 2011

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Survivor Basketball Video Teaser ... Summer 2011

VOLLEYBALL: Former Ferris Assistant Leonard Named Head Coach In California

Former Ferris State University volleyball assistant coach Andrea Leonard will take on a new head coach role - this time at Cal State San Marcos, as announced on Friday.

Leonard, most recently an assistant coach at San Diego State after spending six seasons as head coach at Boston College, now is ready for a new challenge in that first seat on the bench once again.

"This is such an exciting opportunity," Leonard said. "There's a great group of kids here and I'm looking forward to helping them develop as student-athletes. To me, there's nothing more exciting than being the first to do something, and we're looking forward to putting San Marcos volleyball on the map."

Read more about Leonard's appointment, here: http://www.nctimes.com/sports/article_55270880-69d2-558d-a078-0102072637f1.html

HOCKEY: Meeting Of CCHA-WCHA On The Horizon

Reporter Danny Martin of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, in Alaska, has a nice article that discusses merger talk between the remaining teams of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

As the defections continue, and potential future defections are a VERY real possibility, scheduling and cooperation will become increasingly important.

Martin also talks about a very important CCHA conference call with league athletic directors that took place on Friday morning as news spread of the forming of the new hockey conference that will break up the WCHA and the CCHA. North Dakota, Colorado College, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver and Nebraska-Omaha of the WCHA are expected to join with Miami of the CCHA. It is being speculated that, later this summer, they could be joined by Western Michigan and Notre Dame - schools that have been rumored to have been extended invitations to join this new league.

Hopefully cooperation will prevail. We've already witnessed the damage egos can do as we've seen what has already taken place in college hockey during the last year.

Check out Martin's article, here: http://newsminer.com/bookmark/14648012-Potential-WCHA-change-forces-CCHA-call

HOCKEY: College Hockey Is At The Crossroads

The sport of college hockey needs to take a step back and look at itself in the mirror.

Reports are surfacing this week that Miami University is set to leave the Central Collegiate Hockey Association to join a league to be named later beginning with the 2013-14 season - a so-called super conference. It is apparently now confirmed that Miami will now be in a "super" league. Although, I am not sure how a league gets to be a "super" league before it is really formed, but I will humor the concept for now.

This essentially means that Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Miami now will be officially saying "see ya" to Ferris State University and the rest of what will be left of the CCHA in the not-too-distant future.

Face it ... it's not going to be pretty. Miami likely is leaving because, among other reasons, it knows that Notre Dame is on its way out, too (in addition to the fact that, obviously, the Big Ten schools have already announced their intention to leave). The departure of the Fighting Irish is a matter of time ... it's just a matter of whether Notre Dame heads west or east. Notre Dame and Western Michigan have reportedly been extended invitations to join Miami in this new league out west. The story noted that the Fighting Irish and Broncos could join the new league later this summer.

So, what might be left: In the CCHA, there will be Alaska, Ferris, Lake Superior State, Bowling Green State and Northern Michigan. In the WCHA, there might be Alaska-Anchorage, Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, Bemidji State and St. Cloud State. There has been talk of a potential merger between the two leagues to ensure an NCAA bid (a league needs six teams).

A merger between the CCHA and WCHA may be all that is left. Or, Ferris and others could piece together a conference with some Michigan schools and other regional schools like Mercyhurst or reach down south to Alabama-Huntsville.

One thing is for sure. The summer is heating up in college hockey and more interesting news is still yet to come.