UNF Mens BB Growing

[spuwho]

Coach Matt Driscoll at UNF has been slowly and steadily rebuilding the mens basketball program at UNF.

As part of that rebuilding he has been going on the road each fall and playing a host of Big Ten and SEC schools.

Not only has this done well for UNF's budget but it has done good things for recruiting.

The last few years they have been crushed by Ohio State, Michigan State and Indiana as well as Florida, Alabama and Auburn.

This year has been a little different. They took Northwestern to the final minute before losing on a shot at 23 seconds.

They just beat Purdue on crisp 3 point shooting.

Granted, these teams are not the cream of the Big Ten, but it gives one a great barometer of just how far UNF has come with their talent.

Playing such talent on the road builds toughness and character as UNF goes into their regular season in the Atlantic Sun. Barring any mental or injury setbacks, they have an opportunity to compete with FCGU for the top tier of the conference tournament.

They still have a ways to go to reach the next level, but they have definitely built a base on which to build from.

Good luck Ospreys!

[coredumped]

SWOOP! The UNF baseball team has been very good for many years, usually beating UF and FSU. Basketball brings a bigger crowd and more recognition, it's great news for the ospreys!

[spuwho]

It appears Gene Frenette of the T-U agreed with my UNF analysis. Glad he saw it my way!

Gene Frenette: UNF, Driscoll get respect they deserve

http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/north-florida-ospreys/2014-12-09/story/gene-frenette-unf-driscoll-get-respect-they

There comes a time in any team's development when talent and potential has to be validated by meaningful results. For six years under coach Matthew Driscoll, the University of North Florida basketball program was constantly living on future promise.
The Ospreys seemed on the edge of being good, but lacked evidence to support it. They would hover around .500, a middle-of-the-pack team in a mediocre Atlantic Sun Conference.

But a caveat to Driscoll's 79-91 record is his willingness to always schedule opponents from Power 5 conferences. On Saturday, against an upper-echelon Big Ten opponent in Purdue, the Ospreys verified that their promise might be ready to reach fruition.

UNF delivered the biggest win in its 23-year history, rallying from a seven-point deficit with three minutes remaining to upset the Boilermakers 73-70 before 11,038 fans at Mackey Arena. As news of the impactful victory spread, Driscoll received text messages from 14 ex-players raving about the outcome.

Some might dismiss the Ospreys' victory as a fluke, one of those chance outcomes that happen when a heavily favored team can't get shots to fall. Don't go there, because it ignores the simple fact that Driscoll's young roster (only two seniors in program) is deeper and more athletic than ever.

It starts with an intelligent, dynamic point guard in Dallas Moore, UNF's leading scorer (16.2 ppg), and extends through a lineup whose best feature might be its versatility. Jalen Nesbit (6-foot-6 guard), Beau Beech (6-8 swingman), and 6-7 forward Demarcus Daniels can play multiple positions, giving Driscoll plenty of options when 6-11 center Romelo Banks runs into foul trouble.

That was the case against Purdue. Banks played only 12 minutes, meaning that Daniels and Chris Davenport had to limit the damage from Purdue's two twin towers, NBA prospect A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas (7-2, 297 pounds).

UNF, which blew a 7-point lead in the closing stretch of a 69-67 loss at Northwestern three weeks ago, didn't waver this time.

"At the 8-minute media timeout, we talked about [Purdue] going to another level," said Driscoll. "Are we going to match them or just say, 'Good try today, another good try.' This does a lot for our guys to understand what we have to do [to win]. It also sends a clear message out that we've got good pieces, the right pieces on this team. When we defend, we're capable of winning any game."

Moore, the A-Sun Freshman of the Year last season, is one of three sophomores in the starting lineup. The next three years should be a prime opportunity for UNF to reach new heights. The Ospreys are adamant that anything less than a league championship will be a huge letdown.

"If we don't have an A-Sun ring coming our way, then we didn't achieve what we should have achieved," said Beech, a Ponte Vedra High product.

Beating Purdue, the first time UNF defeated a Power 5 conference team after 29 losses, sends a signal the Ospreys might finally be for real.

"It's a big step for the program," said Moore. "It's going to be a great season."

UNF took home a $90,000 guarantee from Purdue. It also brought some long-overdue respect.