UNF Headed to NCAA Tournament
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This is the first time University of North Florida has made it to the NCAA tournament.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-mar-unf-headed-to-ncaa-tournament
GO UNF!!!!!!
The sports nation is asking, who the heck is North Florida?
https://www.youtube.com/v/YnJmM9slmLY
where's that video from, spuwho?
Super Congrats!!
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on March 16, 2015, 11:37:31 PM
where's that video from, spuwho?
It was produced by ESPN. They do a detail on schools playing in the playoffs and it just so happens Sara Walsh (the interviewer) is a UNF alumni.
I watched a replay of the bracket analysis show and they played this same video when discussing the UNF/Robert Morris game.
All my relatives are emailing me wanting to know if its really true that the dorms have a lazy river flowing around it.
My basketball friends missed Beau Beech's sarcasm on taking a lazy river over Duke or Kentucky. Getting weird emails on that.
Quote from: spuwho on March 17, 2015, 12:28:58 PM
My basketball friends missed Beau Beech's sarcasm on taking a lazy river over Duke or Kentucky. Getting weird emails on that.
I thought that was hilarious. I guess for some people basketball is just too serious to joke about.
Quote from: spuwho on March 17, 2015, 12:28:58 PM
It was produced by ESPN. They do a detail on schools playing in the playoffs and it just so happens Sara Walsh (the interviewer) is a UNF alumni.
Just curious cause you uploaded it in on youtube. And you weren't the only one, lol. Cool video though.
Quote from: Ajax on March 17, 2015, 02:14:17 PM
Quote from: spuwho on March 17, 2015, 12:28:58 PM
My basketball friends missed Beau Beech's sarcasm on taking a lazy river over Duke or Kentucky. Getting weird emails on that.
I thought that was hilarious. I guess for some people basketball is just too serious to joke about.
He wasn't kidding about the temperature though. Beautiful weather while other schools had snow.
So what are everyone's score predictions? I say 71-58 UNF
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on March 17, 2015, 03:51:01 PM
He wasn't kidding about the temperature though. Beautiful weather while other schools had snow.
No doubt - I'm glad the weather cooperated when Sara Walsh came to town, that was a great 3 minute advertisement for UNF. Coach Driscoll had some nice things to say about the hospitality in Dayton, and he joked about how they spared no expense flying in Canadian geese since they have them all over campus at UNF, and how the wind running along the river up there reminded him of running on the Atlantic Beach at home. The guy is smart - he knows this is an opportunity to sell a few people on UNF. Maybe they have some extra room on the plane to fit in a few recruits from Ohio!
If you think UNF has only local fans, there are Osprey fans far and wide. Good history story on UNF Basketball and how far they have come.
Per jacksonville.com:
http://jacksonville.com/sports/basketball/2015-03-17/story/ncaa-tournament-unf-pioneers-enjoying-2015 (http://jacksonville.com/sports/basketball/2015-03-17/story/ncaa-tournament-unf-pioneers-enjoying-2015)
By Gene Frenette
Six years ago, Matt Kilcullen was dismissed by newly hired athletic director Lee Moon as the University of North Florida basketball coach.
That difficult time in his life didn't matter last week as he found himself cheering wildly in front of his television in Manhattan, exhorting the Ospreys to win the Atlantic Sun Conference and clinch their first NCAA tournament bid.
"I was screaming from the beginning until the end, so much so that my wife [Mary Jo] thought I was still coaching," said Kilcullen. "It's not like I passed through [UNF]. I was there 12 years, and my son is going into his senior year. I'm very vested in that place."
(http://jacksonville.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/premium_415_wide_scale/14214178.jpg)
2/12/01 -- Bob Mack/staff -- UNF Ospreys Guard #33 Koran Godwin goes over the top of teammate #20 Chris Ireland during a one-on-one drill in the morning practice session. Godwin is a team leader and scoring leader in their division
So is former UNF president Adam Herbert (1989-98), an Atlantic Beach resident. Now retired, Herbert beamed with pride as he sat courtside for the Ospreys' three home wins during the A-Sun tournament. In Washington D.C., Koran Godwin — the program's all-time leading scorer (1,513 points) when UNF was a Division II school — was so elated about the NCAA-clinching win over SC Upstate that he watched a replay four times.
Kilcullen, Herbert and Godwin are among hundreds of UNF coaches, players and administrators who laid the groundwork for the men's basketball program to grow through multiple transitions, starting as an NAIA independent in the inaugural 1992-93 season.
"Watching that [Upstate] game, it was the realization of a vision and dream for a lot of people," said former UNF athletic director Richard Gropper (1995-2009), now retired and living in Ponte Vedra Beach.
"All those players during our time there are pioneers. They made the sacrifice. They bit the bullet and set the stage for what you're seeing UNF enjoy.
"It makes us feel good about the commitment that we made. We all felt like we played a part in what's happening now."
The Ospreys, who make their NCAA tournament debut Wednesday night against Robert Morris in a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio, would have never evolved without the trailblazers that steered the program through significant growing pains.
During his decade (1999-2009) on the UNF bench, Kilcullen had only two winning seasons and endured a brutal transition period into Division I.
The Ospreys entered the A-Sun in 2005-06 and were ineligible for postseason play for four years as part of an NCAA transition mandate, during which time UNF had one of the league's lowest recruiting budgets.
The Ospreys won only 20 games total in Kilcullen's last four seasons before he was replaced by Matthew Driscoll. Now the athletic director at Division II Mercy (N.Y.) College, Kilcullen has no regrets about persevering through a financially challenging time at UNF.
"Going through that transition [to Division I], there was no sense to put a lot of money in it because we weren't going to be eligible for the postseason," Kilcullen said.
"We had to build for the fourth, fifth and sixth year of being Division I. I understood that. You're just trying to survive. We knew we were going to have to suffer through it."
Rich Zvosec, the first UNF basketball coach (1992-97), knows all too well about struggling to elevate a new program. He was a Division I head coach at St. Francis (N.Y.) when he took the job.
Zvosec made his Ospreys' coaching debut at Embry-Riddle, playing in a middle school gym. The UNF Arena was still under construction, so his team played its first three home games at Florida Community College at Jacksonville.
"What drew me down there in the first place was the chance to start a program," said Zvosec, now the associate athletic director at Arkansas State and a college basketball analyst for ESPN/Fox. "We gave out pieces of the [UNF Arena] floor that first home game. I still have mine sitting on my desk.
"I just wish Herbert had listened to me and went Division I right away. But they're in a great place now. They got the right coach at the right time in Driscoll."
Herbert says the university wasn't in a financial position to make the jump to Division I. UNF had a limited number of sports when he took over in 1989, with only modest success beyond the baseball team going to an NAIA World Series.
UNF was primarily a commuter school at the time, with only 500 students living on campus. Even when the Ospreys joined the Division II Sunshine State Conference in 1993, it faced so many restrictions that UNF switched leagues to the Peach Belt after four years.
During Herbert's tenure, the school went from 7,000 students to 13,000, but the basketball program remained an afterthought until Moon hired Driscoll in 2009.
"Sports is a vehicle for broader recognition of an institution, but UNF got very little media coverage back then," said Herbert, who went to become president at the University of Indiana.
"It was all Jacksonville University. We just didn't have the resources to get to Division I while I was there."
Godwin, one of Kilcullen's first recruits and three-year starter (1999-2002) after transferring from the University of Buffalo, still makes a living off basketball. He makes instructional videos, has 48,600 Twitter followers (@CoachGodwin), and serves as an assistant coach at Bishop MacNamara (Md.).
He's totally caught up in the Ospreys' rise from the hoops ashes.
"To see UNF on ESPN and hear how loud it was [during A-Sun title win over Upstate] gave me an extreme amount of pride," said Godwin. "Fans were screaming on rebounds. Who screams on rebounds? You could feel the energy through the TV screen. I would have loved to been there."
(http://jacksonville.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/premium_415_wide_scale/14214171.jpg)
WILL DICKEY/The Times-Union--01/15/09--A shoeless University of North Florida head basketball coach Matt Kilcullen claps for his team as they play Jacksonville University Thursday night, January 15, 2009 at the UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Kilcullen ditched his shoes to show support for Samritan's Feet, a charity that provides shoes for needy children. (The Florida Times-Union, Will Dickey)
Kilcullen, who also coached at JU and Western Kentucky before coming to UNF, enjoyed the court-storming scene at the Upstate game. It reminded him of a similar scene the only time the Ospreys beat JU during his tenure in 2006.
"There were 3,000 people there and the [students] stormed the floor, but it was nothing like what I saw after they beat Upstate," said Kilcullen. "[Driscoll] has athletes at every position. He's built a good foundation. I'm excited for him and his staff."
UNF is reaping the benefits from a lot of heavy lifting people did in the program's formative years. Being in the NCAA's Big Dance, it only magnifies how far the Ospreys have come from those humble beginnings.
Here's an awesome time lapse of JVMA, from Elton John concert, to the prep for the NCAA basketball court. Boy, Elton certainly has been in the news, with the whole Dolce & Gabbana issue.
http://jacksonville.com/sports/basketball/2015-03-16/story/ncaa-floors-arent-striking-remain-big-business
Really good article, except for this:
Quote from: spuwho on March 17, 2015, 08:51:10 PM
"Sports is a vehicle for broader recognition of an institution, but UNF got very little media coverage back then," said Herbert, who went to become president at the University of Indiana.
Come on Gene - it's Indiana University! That's important to some of us. You would think a graduate of, uh, the University of Penn State would know that. ;)
In all seriousness, I do appreciate the attention that the local media are giving UNF now - I hope they continue to build on it after this season.
Who is going to the UNF watch party on campus? Anyone can go, you just need to get the E-ticket.
https://webapps.unf.edu/eticket/watchparty
I'll be watching from Boston, sadly.
Quote from: Dapperdan on March 18, 2015, 10:50:44 AM
Who is going to the UNF watch party on campus? Anyone can go, you just need to get the E-ticket.
https://webapps.unf.edu/eticket/watchparty
Thanks for the link! Will this be at the Boathouse? That's where I had heard it would be but when I reserved the e-tickets it said the location was TBD.
For a while JU used to be the kings of College Basketball in Duval, its good to see UNF getting some shine, but to bring in more students they will have to have more winning seasons and at least be the leaders of their conference for a while. Hope they win tonight, we all know Duke is waiting in the wings. Florida as a state is not really known for College basketball outside of the Gators. Good to see some diversity in sports, I love football, but damn.
^Florida isn't as well known for college basketball as it is for football or even baseball, but its still a decent basketball state. Obviously the Gators have had a strong run under Billy D and Lon Kruger, but FSU and Miami are also solid programs. FSU made the tourney four seasons in a row in 09, 10, 11, and 12 and was a layup from the Elite 8 in 2011. FSU also had some great teams in the 90's and made the title game in 72. Miami's had a couple recent tourney appearances and made the Sweet 16 in 2013. Even UCF made the tourney in 2004 and 2005 while in the ASun, but they haven't even been able to make the NIT to moving up to more difficult conferences.
UF, FSU, and Miami should all make the tourney next year. UNF will likely be favored to win the A Sun again too.
After falling behind by 7 after 10 turnovers, UNF came roaring back and have a 35-29 lead at the half.
Steve Putnam came out early for his dance during a TV timeout and it seemed to help.
But Coach Driscoll wins the award for unique halftime interviews....."Do you guys want it or not.....do you want to be ballers.....dudes are dudes, magic dust....whatever!"
Game of runs. Every time it looks like UNF is about to pull away these guys come right back. Robert Morris are sloppy and a poor shooting team, but really scrappy and athletic.
Dang it
81-77
I am proud of em. Hope they learned alot for next year.
Valiant effort by the Ospreys, but they seemed a bit tense and made some panicked decisions (can't blame them given the venue). Great job this season and will definitely be following them more next year.
Nice run but sucks to lose that way.
With all of those turnovers, we were still in the game. The RM rebounds/points after free throw misses, and UNF's sloppy passing was critical. Still a great run nevertheless. SWOOP!
I was at the Student Union for the game. Those kids wanted so bad to just erupt. What is so frustrating is that UNF was probably 10-20 points better than Robert Morris. This game should have been won. I think nerves and stiffness got to them. Is it bad that I want Robert Morris to get squashed by 50 points on Friday?
It was fun while it lasted. Thanks Coach Driscoll and staff, and all of the players for a great season. Next season can't get here soon enough.