Sports

Actions

Big goals ahead for Hankins, Ferris Bulldogs

Posted at 11:17 PM, Feb 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-18 23:18:17-05

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. --The Ferris State men's basketball team clinched their second straight GLIAC title on Saturday with a 98-84 win over Northern Michigan.

A lot of their success is thanks to last year's GLIAC player of the year, Zach Hankins, who has continued to develop even more this season.

Hankins says that leading Division II in blocks last year has certainly put him on the map. "A lot of people are talking about to stop you, talking about how to get around you. So really, the development I've found in myself is learning how to deal with that and still produce."

But Zach's production hasn't slowed down one bit. The 6'10'' junior contributed 31 points and 18 rebounds in their win over NMU on Saturday.

He credits returning players, and head coach Andy Bronkema agrees. "Anytime you can return talented players, it's a great thing. So we try to build up our young players and develop them, and get a chance for them to help us win big games as juniors and seniors. If you look across the league, the champions or the teams that are on the top are the teams with great players that are usually juniors and seniors that are battle-tested. So that's a part of our program: that we concentrate on and get guys prepared to take that next step."

The team has big goals this season and thinks they are definitely attainable.

Sophomore Cole Walker said he looks up to Hankins every day in practice, and this team is capable of anything. "I think the sky is the limit. We can go as far as we want to go. We just need to keep playing hard and don't let up."