As we see a lot of changes for the Ospreys this fall for basketball, we also see some new schedule updates.
The Florida Gators have been surfing for competition who are willing to meet in Florida.
It appears there will be a rematch for the Gators and Ospreys on December 1st at UNF Arena while they await the O'Connell Center to finish.
The NIT meeting drew over 6000 fans to UNF and the rematch will no doubt be similar in size.
While the Ospreys have lost some starting talent in Beau Beech (Brooklyn Nets), DeMarcus Daniels and Trent Mackey, Coach Driscoll still has court leading talent in Dallas Moore, Chris Davenport, and the return of Romelo Banks from injury. Banks at 6'11" will be key to the Ospreys getting a sorely missed inside presence.
While the add of Ole Miss guard JT Escobar will bring some new blood, he has to sit out a year to meet NCAA regs.
The revamped Ospreys should be interesting to watch.
UNF should move the game to Veterans Memorial Arena. The game could easily draw 10k.
^ meh, I think it's cool to have the game in UNF's arena. Benefits both teams. It'll sell out which is awesome for UNF & a good road atmosphere for UF.
UF is scheduled to play Mercer at Veterans Memorial.
The Belmont vs UF game was scheduled for here as well, but it appears that it may be moved to Tampa pending some contractual issues.
UNF got commitments from some good freshman during the signing period. It will be interesting to see who lands on the court and who red shirts. They had a few redshirts last year.
Going to the NCAA and winning the A-Sun twice has had a positive impact on recruiting. More guys are interested now.
Quote from: Downtown Osprey on August 02, 2016, 01:36:42 PM
^ meh, I think it's cool to have the game in UNF's arena. Benefits both teams. It'll sell out which is awesome for UNF & a good road atmosphere for UF.
UF gets enough good road environments through the year. UNF could make a lot more money.
^We make more money when we play at home and keep all the ticket and concession sales. A game at the Arena would also be swamped by Gators fans.
UNF's Matthew Driscoll featured in Midmajormadness. Fans will like his take on beer sales. How many Div1 coaches know or care about arena beer sales? This is typical Matthew. You will find his remarks on win or leave interesting. Something UNF fans aren't used too and how close UNF came.
http://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/8/2/12347568/at-north-florida-mathew-driscoll-has-built-a-program-from-the-ground-up (http://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/8/2/12347568/at-north-florida-mathew-driscoll-has-built-a-program-from-the-ground-up)
At North Florida, Matthew Driscoll has built a program from the ground up
(https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Aw-copxDfTLIlAqSpzVByz0io7o=/0x1:4481x2988/709x473/filters:format(webp)/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50280073/466760090.0.jpg)
Coach Matthew Driscoll took over North Florida before the 2009-10 basketball season and has quickly made a name for himself in the Atlantic Sun. In four of his six seasons, UNF has finished at .500 or better, and the Ospreys have made consecutive postseason appearances, including a trip to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Over the past seven seasons, his faith, background and eye for talent have all contributed to his quick rise in Jacksonville.
Q: What influenced your outlook on life growing up?
A: When you manage a McDonalds, which I did at age 20, Ray Kroc was about as good an owner/leader as you will get. The one thing you learn is not just how to serve, but how to deal with those things that pop up that you're not prepared for. Whether it's a person telling you a story about a burger that's really not true, the fry machine going down or someone not showing up for work. I was blessed at such a young age to have all those experiences. We are really transparent with our team and our staff. We have to share these things to become better men, better fathers and better husbands. I think those things help us for when things happen on the basketball court, come into the locker room or onto the team bus. It's the reason people want to hire athletes, because they've been through adversity.
Q: You were an assistant at Baylor for a number of years. What led you to UNF?
A: In 1997, I was an assistant at Wyoming for about 13 months. Then we moved on to Clemson. The Athletic Director here was the AD at Wyoming. We tell our kids all the time to not burn bridges.
When the Baylor job came about, we were following the murder scandal and in five years turned the program around. Now the 4th year, I'm trying to get the Robert Morris job and we're doing better. In the meantime, St. Francis (PA) came open. It's right next door to a prison, so I figured no one in their right mind would take it. My interview went great, so I knew I was gonna get that job. I don't get the job — they gave it to a Division III guy they wanted to hire. I'm a human being, I was depressed and disappointed. My wife looks me in my eyes and says, "God ain't ready for you to be a head coach." I'm like.....what? Are you kidding me? Do you know what we did? Do you know what we just went through? I'm ticked off! I'm crushed! Here's my wife telling me I'm not ready.
In order for me to get the UNF job, Larry Shyatt had to say no to it. Coach Shyatt had been the head coach in Wyoming in 1997 with the very same Athletic Director. He was at Florida winning back-to-back National Championships and would have been a home run hire, but for a number of reasons, he didn't want it. I took the job, sight unseen. Coach Shyatt told me to not even go see it, just take it.
Q: How difficult was it transitioning to the Division I level? What have been some of the ups and downs?
One of the difficult things is we play over $500,000 worth of guarantee games every year, so you are talking about six to seven potential losses to start with. Now, we've beaten both Purdue and Illinois and done a great job, but you have to do it every year. To me, UNF was a diamond in the rough. They had never won more than 15 games, so it wasn't like our standards are high. There was not any tradition. Our president is a former mayor. They put $250,000 into the campus.
The first class we brought in had three 1,000-point scorers and two of these kids started every game in their careers. We're really good at recognizing talent. You're a little too short, you're a little too slow, you're a little too unathletic....Nobody wanted Dallas Moore!
In our second year, we lost to Belmont in the Atlantic Sun final. We were starting to roll, and then in our fourth year, we had a setback. One of our seniors lost his father right before the season. I've never dealt with the loss of a parent. Long story short, he leaves the team before the season is over. That season of promise ended up not so good, while seeing Florida Gulf Coast go to the Sweet 16. So, you can imagine people around here were saying if Gulf Coast can do it, why can't you? Going into year five, we get stipulations put on us: either you win X amount of games or we're gonna have to let you go. I'm thinking to myself: you gotta be freakin' kidding me. We just built this thing, but I get it, it's a business. I respect the guy who hired me.
What we did is remain faithful to who we were, faithful to what we believed and faithful to what our culture stands for. We defeated Mercer twice, including at Mercer in the next-to-last game of the season. This was the season they upset Duke in the NCAA Tournament. Part of our stipulation was to go 10-8. It's just amazing how God transformed this whole thing.
Expectations are extremely high, we don't treat it like the elephant in the room. We talk about it and embrace it. We accept those expectations because we earned that right, so to speak.
Q: You qualified for the NIT last season and I know that wasn't your goal, but how big was it to have the opportunity to host Florida.
A: For the fans, it gave us more of a national flavor. It was phenomenal, so much so, we're playing them again. We'll be playing Miami at home too this season. It was a big deal — we sold more beer than any time in the history of the school. Your fans wanna know: when you are gonna play Kentucky, Florida and Florida State?
Q: Do you still feel the expectations of job security?
A. I don't feel my job is in jeopardy, but the disappointment of the people around the program when we don't make it back to the NCAA Tournament is fuel. We want to get back there. We didn't inherit or sustain, we built this program. Now, can you continue that success, and most importantly, can you do what Gonzaga or Butler or Davidson did to go to the next step? The next step is to constantly battle for championships. Can we continue to recruit against so-called "sexier, higher level" programs or do you just sit back and hope you hit the mother-load? We knew how talented Dallas Moore and Beau Beech were. We're not trying to hit grand slams. We're more like Derek Jeter, hitting singles and doubles. The more singles and doubles, the more wins.
Did Hurricane Matthew stop the Ospreys?
No, they chartered a bus and the whole team is practicing in Tampa until the power is restored back on campus.
Talk about focused!
The Atlantic Sun announced they are adding a new member today. The University of North Alabama will start playing in the conference in 2018. This brings the conference up to 9 members, and will add some much needed security since if a conference drops below 8 teams, they lose their automatic championship bids.
http://www.asunsports.org/general/2016-17/releases/20161205lpw6bv
Quote from: Westside Guy on December 06, 2016, 06:55:27 PM
The Atlantic Sun announced they are adding a new member today. The University of North Alabama will start playing in the conference in 2018. This brings the conference up to 9 members, and will add some much needed security since if a conference drops below 8 teams, they lose their automatic championship bids.
http://www.asunsports.org/general/2016-17/releases/20161205lpw6bv
UNA was on a short list of possible D2 schools to make the ASun D1 hop.
The mens BB has done very well in the D2 NCAA playoffs historically, but right now they have a pretty good 10-1 football team. Their other quality sports are womens softball and volleyball. While the ASun is not a football conference, I saw that UNA will move to the Big South in 2019 for their D1 move. There is a football link on the ASun website, but it refers to the Big South football site.
Quote from: spuwho on December 06, 2016, 09:18:41 PM
Quote from: Westside Guy on December 06, 2016, 06:55:27 PM
The Atlantic Sun announced they are adding a new member today. The University of North Alabama will start playing in the conference in 2018. This brings the conference up to 9 members, and will add some much needed security since if a conference drops below 8 teams, they lose their automatic championship bids.
http://www.asunsports.org/general/2016-17/releases/20161205lpw6bv
UNA was on a short list of possible D2 schools to make the ASun D1 hop.
The mens BB has done very well in the D2 NCAA playoffs historically, but right now they have a pretty good 10-1 football team. Their other quality sports are womens softball and volleyball. While the ASun is not a football conference, I saw that UNA will move to the Big South in 2019 for their D1 move. There is a football link on the ASun website, but it refers to the Big South football site.
I believe the A-Sun has a partnership in place with the Big South for their schools with football. There is some talk that JU and Stetson could move their football programs to the Big South.
UNF signs commits for 2017-2018.
Coffey has a really good fade away shot and slashes alot off dribble. Plays like he has a chip on his shoulder.
Wes Morgan is a tall lanky kid who has a great touch and will test defenses when he plays the stretch forward. But he is going to need to get some beef on him to play D1.
I havent had a chance to see Ryan Burkhardt so I cant say what he brings.
* * * *
Wes Morgan, Ryan Burkhardt and Brian Coffey Jr., have all signed letters of intent for the 2017-18 basketball season.
Morgan is a 6'7 shooter from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is in the top 20 on multiple scouting websites. During his junior season the first team all conference player averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game.
Morgan also holds the season record for three pointers at his school,garnering 79 threes in a single season.
The Ospreys also signed some local talent. St. Augustine High guard Burkhardt averaged 12.6 points last season, and netted 78 threes during his junior campaign.
Burkhardt plays Amateur Athletic Union basketball for the elite Jacksonville based team Blueprint, and is currently ranked the eleventh best shooting guard, according to Florida Hoops.
Coffey, a Georgia native, led his team to the Sweet 16 last season. He averaged 18 points and five assists during his junior season.
The three guards are sure to compliment the team nicknamed the Birds of Trey next season after losing three key starters.
Osprey Senior, Dallas Moore surpassed 2000 career points tonight in UNF's win over Palm Beach Atlantic.
Thats a pretty incredible feat for anyone playing NCAA Div 1 basketball.
What is hard to believe is that UNF was the only team to seriously recruit him before his senior year in high school.
It will be interesting to see how far Dallas goes in following Beau Beech into the NBA.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C1NRWPZXcAA4_kU.jpg)
It was fun watching them sort of return to form tonight against the Dolphins.
Just an Osprey here to remind everyone that JU is bad.
Swoop!
UNF came from behind and beat USC Upstate in Spartanburg last night.
The difference was that the other Ospreys are starting to score more often taking the pressure off Dallas Moore.
Also, you could tell this is a more experienced team as they didnt lose their composure at the end by making all of their free throws.
Some of their earlier games they looked lost trying to figure out what to do around Dallas as he dribbled alot.
The 2nd half showed more fluid play, more passing, getting position better. Having Romelo Banks back in the post is freeing up Chris Davenport now. They really missed him last year.
With FGCU just getting by Kennesaw State last night and NJIT losing to JU at home, this puts the Ospreys at 2-0 in the ASun. The next 2 weeks will be telling as they play NJIT away, FGCU twice and Kennesaw State at home. FGCU is the 100 lb gorilla right now in the ASun.
Welp. That was about the worst game I've seen the Ospreys play in a long time. I was afraid that all of this traveling was going to hurt them. It was asking a lot of them to go from Jacksonville to Spartanburg to Newark in the span of just a few days. Let's hope that was the issue and they can right the ship at home against Kennesaw State.
Quote from: Westside Guy on January 14, 2017, 06:22:10 PM
Welp. That was about the worst game I've seen the Ospreys play in a long time. I was afraid that all of this traveling was going to hurt them. It was asking a lot of them to go from Jacksonville to Spartanburg to Newark in the span of just a few days. Let's hope that was the issue and they can right the ship at home against Kennesaw State.
This game hurt. The Ospreys went 4m in the 2nd half without a score. They got so far behind, they had to run a physical defense to stop NJIT and ran into serious foul trouble. 2 guys fouled out, 3 guys had 4 fouls. They made a gallant comeback effort on the 3 pointers by Dallas Moore, but they had no answer for Damon Lynn.(33 pts)
NJIT had just lost to JU 2 nights prior and even though they had some really boneheaded shots where they could have won the game, JU was able to hold them off. So I was doubly surprised that UNF could not line up well against them. Only 2 NJIT players were in double figures.
FGCU beat Lipscomb on the road by 4 today and SC Upstate beat JU in Spartanburg.
So this puts FGCU in the drivers seat now at 3-0, but they are going into a harder schedule, with Upstate, NJIT and UNF coming up.
Back to the Ospreys, to keep up with the Eagles down in Ft Myers, they can't let these kinds of games get away from them. They are definitely capable of beating them.
What a game and what a win tonight! I only got to catch the last few minutes but I had friends at the game giving me updates. These are the type of games UNF needs to win if they want to make some noise late in the season.
Quote from: Westside Guy on January 19, 2017, 08:52:10 PM
What a game and what a win tonight! I only got to catch the last few minutes but I had friends at the game giving me updates. These are the type of games UNF needs to win if they want to make some noise late in the season.
Agreed, what a great win for the Ospreys! That runner by Moore at the end and 20 points by Davenport made a huge difference.
The other good news is that USC-Upstate upset FGCU down at Alico Area in Ft Myers tonight. It was clear FGCU didn't take Upstate seriously. FGCU was down 12 before they woke up and made a furious comeback. Even though they tied it with 16 seconds left, Upstate made a put back with 1.9 seconds left to win the game.
Right now Lipscomb is killing JU by 24 points up at JU. If it holds that would create a 4 way tie for 1st place in the A-Sun.
FGCU, UNF, Upstate and Lipscomb.
Another nice win for UNF! Awful reffing though...I've never seem so many offensive fouls called, and missing the tripping on Moore. Perhaps the reffs should watch the tape; the poor calls were painfully obvious watching on ESPN3.
Another awesome win and I agree that there was extremely poor officiating. The next game is the big one. I'll be there on Wednesday night. Swoop!
A great game for the Ospreys!
Yes, the refs were a little slack at times. I cant tell you how many times they tugged on Dallas Moore shorts from behind. Coach Driscoll had a few words on Lipscombs moving screens. But the foul calling was extremely uneven. Romelo Banks would go over the back and no whistle, but Aaron Horne would make a great rebound, and not touch anyone and get the whistle.
I saw a few "make up calls" where Dallas would get free throws based only on a hand check. It seems to depend on which ref was doing baseline and which one was doing forecourt.
The "offensive" foul on Garrett Sams for kicking the defender when he was fouled on the 3pt shot was really odd. And Sams really got yelled at for giving up a silly 3pt foul with 42 second left and Lipscomb down by 7.
Both coaches and benches were sour on the refs, especially in the 2nd half.
Ospreys were way better on the boards and defense this game and it showed. Lipscomb had a season low for shooting percentage.
Upstate beat Stetson this afternoon in Deland, FGCU beat NJIT down in Ft Myers. With UNF beating Lipscomb, this now reduces the ASun to a 3 way tie for first. UNF has to play FGCU next week. They still have a lot of ball to play.
Dallas Moore is now the 3rd highest this year in scoring in all of NCAA Division 1.
The next A-Sun player is NJIT's Damon Lynn who is 19th. (Who injured his ankle and only played 5m against FGCU)
Here is what the Ft Myers press is reporting about the upcoming game @ UNF on Wednesday.
FGCU is tied with UNF and USC Upstate at 4-1 in the Atlantic Sun, and plays at UNF (8-13) on Wednesday. The Eagles play at home against Jacksonville next Saturday.
"We need to approach them just like any other team," FGCU Forward, Zach Johnson said of UNF. "They played a lot of tough teams this year and so we just want to make sure we're ready to play."
Big game for the Ospreys tonight against FGCU.
Come on down to UNF Arena or watch on ESPN3.
Time to avenge that ASun loss last year!
Halftime.
UNF 39. FGCU 35
Total defensive back and forth. Lots of whistles, 20 total team fouls. FGCU missing free throws.
FGCU is trying to triple trap Dallas Moore, but he escapes and finds the open man.
FGCU is looking less assertive than last year, they are cycling a lot of bench into the game.
Dallas Moore sits down with 13m left in 2nd half with 4 fouls.
Romelo Banks on bench with 4 fouls.
Marc-Eddy Norelia is killing the Ospreys under the basket.
Time for the bench to rise up.
Sad loss. I hate to watch games like this where literally any contact is called as a foul; it takes the fun out of the game when both teams are in foul trouble for a large part of the game and you spend half the game watching free-throws. I'm not blaming the refs for the loss, because at least the overly zealous foul calling was evenly distributed.
Quote from: remc86007 on January 25, 2017, 09:19:37 PM
Sad loss. I hate to watch games like this where literally any contact is called as a foul; it takes the fun out of the game when both teams are in foul trouble for a large part of the game and you spend half the game watching free-throws. I'm not blaming the refs for the loss, because at least the overly zealous foul calling was evenly distributed.
You know the refs are looking for calls when Dallas Moore gets called for 4. He never fouls. I've seen games where he drives to the rim just like tonight and end the game with no fouls. And can someone explain to me why Aaron Bodager gets as much playtime as he gets? Zero points and 4 fouls tonight.
Tied 80-80 with 42 seconds left.
FGCU comes down and scores a 3 pointer. 80-83.
UNF brings it down and Chris Davenport is open and goes for the three, but misses. Garrett Sams tips it back and here is where confusion reigns.
The shot clock had closed as it was now less than 30 sec in the game.The Ospreys had time to setup for another play again,.
Davenport got the ball back after the tip by Sams, but insisted on getting the ball to Dallas Moore. I mean I get it, Dallas is your guy, 3rd leading scorer in the nation. Problem was FGCU was guarding him close and the trapping forward was moving up to force the ball away. Davenport had a hard time getting a clean pass to him and the ball got tipped twice, Dallas couldnt recover it, FGCU stole it and took it down for a layup and foul for another 3 point play. Now 80-86.
With 3.8 seconds left Dallas makes a closing uncontested layup to end the game.
FGCU 86. - UNF 82
There were 25 team fouls in the second half, and many were non-sensical.
UNF Coach Driscoll got a bench warning in the first half when he asked about a foul call. It was kind of hilarious because when the ref blew his whistle at him and went to the table to announce it, coach looked at his feet to see if he was on the court or past the line (he wasnt). When it was announced, he just looked at his staff and shrugged his shoulders.
But in the second half, things got really weird. This time Coach Dooley of FGCU started asking the refs about some calls and he too got a bench warning.
By the way, I am volunteer BB referee, so I dont usually spend a lot of time critiquing them, but this crew really missed the mark in several areas.
I had a feeling it might be a weird night when both baseline refs called 3 seconds on each team in the first 3 minutes of the game. While it still happens, with todays coaching, todays ball movement and the 30 second clock, its getting very rare to see players camping in the lane, at least long enough to provoke a whistle by a ref.
I dont like games being driven by the quality of the zebras, but this crew just wasnt with it.
Also a new thing I am seeing this year that I havent before. Seniors Chris Davenport and Dallas Moore yelling at Freshmen Wajid Aminu and Garrett Sams. Not the encouraging kind, more of the chew the ass out kind.
One thing I have noticed in the Matt Driscoll era, UNF players dont chew out teammates on the game court.
I noticed it at the Lipscomb game as well, but way more in this one.
The makeup of this team is different and a little disjointed at times. I hope they can find a rhythm that suits their makeup.
Quote from: Westside Guy on January 25, 2017, 10:38:00 PM
Quote from: remc86007 on January 25, 2017, 09:19:37 PM
Sad loss. I hate to watch games like this where literally any contact is called as a foul; it takes the fun out of the game when both teams are in foul trouble for a large part of the game and you spend half the game watching free-throws. I'm not blaming the refs for the loss, because at least the overly zealous foul calling was evenly distributed.
You know the refs are looking for calls when Dallas Moore gets called for 4. He never fouls. I've seen games where he drives to the rim just like tonight and end the game with no fouls. And can someone explain to me why Aaron Bodager gets as much playtime as he gets? Zero points and 4 fouls tonight.
I totally agree on Bodager. I've wondered this since the third game of the season. If he isn't performing well, take him out. Is there some weird sense of entitlement since he is a senior?
Quote from: spuwho on January 25, 2017, 10:59:35 PM
One thing I have noticed in the Matt Driscoll era, UNF players dont chew out teammates on the game court.
I think that one thing that might be contributing to this is that when Moore and Davenport were younger, they were, even then, the stars. The past five years has seen a massive ramp-up in the quality of player that UNF can recruit. Now, we have top level players that are in their senior year and perhaps they feel some obligation to mentor/discipline the younger players in a way that didn't happen when Moore and Davenport were freshman.
I agree that this team doesn't seem to have a rhythm like they did in prior years, but I think a lot of that comes down to the younger players not being consistent. With Mackey and Beech, it was almost certain that someone was going to be hot and could provide some rhythm. I, despite not understanding much about the technical side of basketball, am pleased with this team's ability to play zone defense. FGCU struggled to penetrate effectively and got much of their scoring done on free-throws due to the sensitive reffing crew.
Hopefully the young guys will continue to improve and we will find a way to win the A-Sun.
Great points raised by all!
The team this year is a unique mix of experience and skill.
While Davenport and Moore are longtime starters, Aminu and Sams are only Freshman. Romelo Banks, while he had played 2 years, he had a medical redshirt last year and is back after a 1 year layoff.
I agree that the team defense is actually better overall. UNF was plagued by these lapses in the last two years where opposing teams would go on these 18-2 runs in the 2nd half and the Ospreys were playing from behind.
They are rebounding better this year, probably because they have Banks back into the post again.
Last year they would get scorched on the boards because they had 2 forwards (Davenport and Daniels) trading off in the post. It finally caught up with them late last season and in the ASun Qfinal against FGCU.
Garrett Sams has had some defensive lapses this season and that is not surprising, being a freshman, where he makes positional errors and it costs the team uncontested 3 pointers.
But the one thing about this year that has changed the most is how Dallas Moore now has full control of the ball. Because he is dribbling and positioning so much, the other players become screen setters or attempt to be the uncontested basket if Dallas has to bail.
Before, there was significant ball passing and plays run into the play clock before a shot was taken. Now it just looks like everyone is waiting for Dallas to get trapped and either pass it, or do his escape before making a looping basket.
This has impacted 2 players (IMHO) specifically. Aaron Bodager and Nick Malonga.
Bodager and Mackey were rated nationally in 3 pt shots previously. Mackey is gone, Bodager is a non shooter (or very rare) in the new offensive style. Nick Malonga barely gets into the game now.
So having 2 freshman on the court, and 1 guy generating most of the offense, leaves some guys as role players. I am sure Aaron doesnt care as long as they win.
Quote from: spuwho on January 26, 2017, 02:06:30 PM
Aminu and Sams are only Freshman.
And this is super exciting to me. I've been telling all of my friends for the past few seasons that we had better win now because as soon as Beech, Mackey, and Moore were gone, I had no confidence that this team would be anywhere near as good. However, the play of these two freshmen is good enough that they can be built around going forward. I really like Garrett Sams, I think he is our next Beau Beech, and Aminu plays with such intensity, he drives to the basket like a madman sometimes (which is a good thing for this team) and I personally think he is one of the best rebounders on the team. Add those two to the other guys I have noticed like C.J. Fisher and Aaron Horne, AND Romelo Banks and Osborn Blount coming back, and I think this team can be really good next year even without Dallas.
Quote from: Westside Guy on January 26, 2017, 03:41:33 PM
Quote from: spuwho on January 26, 2017, 02:06:30 PM
Aminu and Sams are only Freshman.
And this is super exciting to me. I've been telling all of my friends for the past few seasons that we had better win now because as soon as Beech, Mackey, and Moore were gone, I had no confidence that this team would be anywhere near as good. However, the play of these two freshmen is good enough that they can be built around going forward. I really like Garrett Sams, I think he is our next Beau Beech, and Aminu plays with such intensity, he drives to the basket like a madman sometimes (which is a good thing for this team) and I personally think he is one of the best rebounders on the team. Add those two to the other guys I have noticed like C.J. Fisher and Aaron Horne, AND Romelo Banks and Osborn Blount coming back, and I think this team can be really good next year even without Dallas.
I share your excitement. UNF did lose some commits, last year redshirt freshman (and Canadian phenom) D'Andre Bernard just "disappeared" off the roster. I finally found him playing at a JC in Georgia.
Next year we will see Ole Miss transfer JT Escobar. I think incoming guard Brian Coffey is going to surprise some people. Wes Morgan from Audrey Kell in Charlotte has a better chance to be the next Beech than Sams, as he plays that stretch foward well. The deal with Wes is he is underweight for Div 1 play. He will need to beef up a little.
I liked the aggressive play from Odum, Blount when the fouls took several players to the bench.
But something has got to give next year. While Bodager, Moore and Davenport will all be graduating, one of the new recruits will have to redshirt his first year or someone will lose their roster spot.
The Ospreys continue to perplex folks as they traveled down to Deland to take on last place Stetson and lost, 88-74.
Baffling as they were unable to hold a 9 point lead they had at halftime. They went on a streak where they didn't score for 3 minutes in the second half punctuated by 5 missed 3 pointers. 2 by Sams, 2 by Moore, and 1 by Bodager. I was unable to drive down or see the game on ESPN3 this afternoon, so I can't say with any authority what made them go so cold suddenly.
Why the sudden rush for the three's I am not clear, especially since Chris Davenport and Romelo Banks were doing so well in the paint. Davenport was the Ospreys high scorer with 26 points. But the Ospreys shot a horrendous 39% from the field and had 15 turnovers. Turnovers have plagued the team this year.
Since FGCU beat JU easily, Upstate beat Kennesaw, & Lipscomb beat NJIT, this puts the Ospreys in a very challenging 2 games behind FGCU in the ASun with half the conference schedule completed.
UNF now has to go on the road against FGCU on Monday night, before getting a 3 game homestand against Upstate, Stetson and NJIT.
FGCU schedule rolls down hill from here on out as they go through the bottom of the ASun, with most at home. Only their game at Upstate on 2/18 appears to be a big one and the game will probably determine the #1 seed in the ASun tourney.
Unless the Ospreys can score some upsets, their play will probably land them at 7-7 for ASun play and 12-19 for the regular season.
Also Dallas Moore is .2 points behind #2 Alec Peters of Valpo in NCAA Division 1 scoring averages. FWIW: Little 5 foot 9 inch Junior, Marcus Keene of Central Michigan is currently leading the NCAA with a 29 ppg average. I don't think Dallas will catch him.
Glad I forgot to watch. I can't stand when they go on those long scoring droughts...
Well, if what the coach sez is true.....it will be a long night season.
"This league has good teams that make it hard to win on the road. Give all the credit to Stetson because they came out in the second half and punched us in the mouth and we just didn't respond. I'm not sure why and I don't understand it. I should have done a better job making defensive changes or playing different guys so that's on me. However, Stetson just seem to want it more and played with more energy and their guys made plays and shots especially in the second half. We have to take a hard look at ourselves and figure some things out and get ready to play again on Monday night." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll
Quote from: spuwho on January 29, 2017, 08:21:16 PM
Well, if what the coach sez is true.....it will be a long night season.
"This league has good teams that make it hard to win on the road. Give all the credit to Stetson because they came out in the second half and punched us in the mouth and we just didn't respond. I'm not sure why and I don't understand it. I should have done a better job making defensive changes or playing different guys so that's on me. However, Stetson just seem to want it more and played with more energy and their guys made plays and shots especially in the second half. We have to take a hard look at ourselves and figure some things out and get ready to play again on Monday night." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll
That doesn't sound good going down the stretch. Where's the fight that we saw as they went to Syracuse, Arkansas, and LSU. They were way out classed in those games and kept it close. There was a point this season where UNF was the team that wanted it more. Also, while this quote form Driscoll doesn't sound very negative just by reading it, I've never heard him question his team's heart before.
Quote from: Westside Guy on January 29, 2017, 10:46:55 PM
Quote from: spuwho on January 29, 2017, 08:21:16 PM
Well, if what the coach sez is true.....it will be a long night season.
"This league has good teams that make it hard to win on the road. Give all the credit to Stetson because they came out in the second half and punched us in the mouth and we just didn't respond. I'm not sure why and I don't understand it. I should have done a better job making defensive changes or playing different guys so that's on me. However, Stetson just seem to want it more and played with more energy and their guys made plays and shots especially in the second half. We have to take a hard look at ourselves and figure some things out and get ready to play again on Monday night." -- Head coach Matthew Driscoll
That doesn't sound good going down the stretch. Where's the fight that we saw as they went to Syracuse, Arkansas, and LSU. They were way out classed in those games and kept it close. There was a point this season where UNF was the team that wanted it more. Also, while this quote form Driscoll doesn't sound very negative just by reading it, I've never heard him question his team's heart before.
That loss to FGCU at home I think took some of the wind out of their sails. If they had won, they would have been more motivated to stay at the top. With 3 losses in the ASun now, they will not repeat as regular season champs. In other words, they play to their level of competition. Losses to talent deficient NJIT and Stetson is the proof.
I really believe this is a transition team from the recruiting class of 2012/2013 to the class of 2016/2017.
Dallas Moore is getting his just rewards to enhance his chances to go pro. And like it or not, when kids see that yet another Osprey has gone pro or is in the mix to do so, it does wonders for recruiting.
I have been surprised how many high school kids in the midwest know who Beau Beech is. Not at the same level as a LBJ, but kids in AAU know.
Yet another loss tonight to FGCU down in Ft Myers. 74-59.
The Ospreys stayed neck and neck with them until the usual dry spell. This one started at around 9 minutes left.
Brandon Goodwin on FGCU was getting hot and for reasons I cannot explain, one of two things would occur, UNF would either have Dallas try to force it, or watch Chris Davenport stand at the 3 point circle wondering what the heck he was going to do. No movement, just standing around. Meanwhile the shot clock runs down. It was like the rest of the team ceased to exist and he was going to score off the dribble. So UNF would end up with these end of ahot clock low percentage shots. The Ospreys didnt score one point in the last 2 minutes of the game.
Coach Driscoll tried to mix it up. He had Davenport come off the bench. He had Osborn Blount and Dallas Moore in the backcourt, mostly to try and cool off Goodwin. The Ospreys crashed the boards like never before and drew alot of fouls. But when Dallas Moore missed 2 free throws, then the front end of a 1 and 1, you knew the tanks were running empty.
This team most definitely needs a 3rd scoring option and they need to run plays that allow that scoring option to be successful. While Romelo Banks could be that option, they dont post him up much and his FT percentage isnt good. You can foul him with moderate success.
Right now any team can see Davenport and Moore are it, and after that is nothing. That makes it a lot easier for the opposing defenses to prepare.
Even Nick Malonga played (1 min) so you knew coach was looking for answers.
Lipscomb upset Upstate @ Upstate tonight, so that puts FGCU on top by a game over Lipscomb. JU beat Stetson at Stetson. Kennesaw beat NJIT @ NJIT.
UNF is in the middle of the pack now at 4-4.
Swooping on down the ASUN rankings.
Both JU and UNF are having disappointing seasons.
JU always has disappointing seasons. UNF usually has the best chance for NCAA post game appearances but doesn't look like either will make it this year.
Quote from: Dapperdan on January 31, 2017, 09:35:50 AM
JU always has disappointing seasons. UNF usually has the best chance for NCAA post game appearances but doesn't look like either will make it this year.
JU actually had a pretty good season last year.
They finished tied for second behind UNF in the regular season.
Quote from: spuwho on January 30, 2017, 10:00:57 PM
Yet another loss tonight to FGCU down in Ft Myers. 74-59.
The Ospreys stayed neck and neck with them until the usual dry spell. This one started at around 9 minutes left.
Brandon Goodwin on FGCU was getting hot and for reasons I cannot explain, one of two things would occur, UNF would either have Dallas try to force it, or watch Chris Davenport stand at the 3 point circle wondering what the heck he was going to do. No movement, just standing around. Meanwhile the shot clock runs down. It was like the rest of the team ceased to exist and he was going to score off the dribble. So UNF would end up with these end of ahot clock low percentage shots. The Ospreys didnt score one point in the last 2 minutes of the game.
Coach Driscoll tried to mix it up. He had Davenport come off the bench. He had Osborn Blount and Dallas Moore in the backcourt, mostly to try and cool off Goodwin. The Ospreys crashed the boards like never before and drew alot of fouls. But when Dallas Moore missed 2 free throws, then the front end of a 1 and 1, you knew the tanks were running empty.
This team most definitely needs a 3rd scoring option and they need to run plays that allow that scoring option to be successful. While Romelo Banks could be that option, they dont post him up much and his FT percentage isnt good. You can foul him with moderate success.
Right now any team can see Davenport and Moore are it, and after that is nothing. That makes it a lot easier for the opposing defenses to prepare.
Even Nick Malonga played (1 min) so you knew coach was looking for answers.
Lipscomb upset Upstate @ Upstate tonight, so that puts FGCU on top by a game over Lipscomb. JU beat Stetson at Stetson. Kennesaw beat NJIT @ NJIT.
UNF is in the middle of the pack now at 4-4.
Is someone at UNF reading my posts?
The Ospreys did exactly what they needed to do tonight to beat Stetson at home 96-64. While it was back and forth in the first half, you could tell the Ospreys were doing the right things tonight.
- Good team defense
- Limit the turnovers (only 9 tonight)
- Passing of the ball
- Setting up plays for tertiary players
- Control the paint
Both the TV (ESPN) and radio (1010XL) announcers were commenting that tonight looked like "old" Osprey basketball, especially with the passing. 1010XL made light of the fact that it seemed the team has (finally) found trust in Freshman Garrett Sams, he scored 20 points and nailed (5) 3 pointers.
This definitely didn't look like the UNF team that lost to the Hatters down in Deland a few days ago. 5 guys in double figures, Dallas Moore and Chris Davenport utilizing the full court and not monopolizing the dribble so much. And they won by 30 points.
Now if UNF can play like this for the rest of the season, they have a shot at FGCU (the fav) in the ASun. If they play like they did last week in Deland, they can sleep through the rest of the season and consider what might have been.
Speaking of FGCU, they beat JU up at Swisher Gym by 10 points. For some reason the Eagles always have trouble on the north side. They went cold in the 2nd half and JU came back was actually leading with 10 minutes left, but FGCU turned on the defensive heat and held JU scoreless for over 5 minutes of play. JU fought back to under 10, but didn't score the last 2 minutes.
Upstate was upset by Kennesaw State and Lipscomb beat NJIT. This puts FGCU one game above Lipscomb in the ASun.
A 3 way brawl for third is in place as UNF, Upstate and Kennesaw State are all logjammed at 5-4.
The stat that really hurts is that the 2 bottom teams in the ASun has only 3 wins between them and 2 came at the hands of the Ospreys.
UNF has 2 home games against NJIT and Upstate before going back on the road to play a tough Lipscomb in Nashville and Kennesaw State, both teams they barely beat at home. FGCU can seal the ASun with a win over Lipscomb in Ft Myers on Thursday. The only chance the Eagles can lose the ASun (or share it) is if they lose to both Lipscomb at home and to Upstate in Spartanburg.
Finally, tonight UNF honored their 25th anniversary of basketball by bringing out the original 1992-93 mens team.
The Ospreys dismantled the NJIT Highlanders at UNF Arena last night and played "Osprey Ball" the way they can and it definitely helped.
The shocker was that Lipscomb upset FGCU in Ft Myers last night and this has created new opportumities for the Ospreys.
FGCU still must play Upstate and Kennesaw State.
Lipscomb still play Kennesaw and UNF
Upstate still has to play FGCU and UNF.
FGCU and Lipscomb are now tied at the top of the ASun (they split the series) with 3 team right behind them (Upstate, UNF &Kennesaw)
UNF cannot win the ASun regular season because they have already lost to FGCU twice and at best could sweep Lipscomb but would not have enough conference wins. The best they can hope for is home court in the first 2 rounds of the ASun Tournament.
As it stands today, the NCAA qualifier will either come out of Ft Myers or Nashville.
Awesome win last night. I was particularly pleased how they were down big early but fought back into the game. It was nice to see, even if they team they were playing is 1-9 in conference play. With four games left I actually like the position that the Ospreys are in. They have to play Kennesaw and Lipscomb on the road and USC Upstate and JU at home. Go 4-0 in that span (against 4 teams they have already beaten) and they are guaranteed nothing lower that the number 3 seed for the ASUN tournament. Here's to hoping for the best. Swoop!
LOL. Hot off the FGCU Twitter feed.
FGCU Men's Hoops
@FGCU_MBB
Still 4 games left, but for those wondering about tiebreakers: you want UNF to win as many games as possible.
If anybody is at the game, please yell at them to stop taking stupid 3 point shots and just drive to the basket. They are making nearly every shot down low, why try for a contested 3?
Quote from: remc86007 on February 11, 2017, 08:36:42 PM
If anybody is at the game, please yell at them to stop taking stupid 3 point shots and just drive to the basket. They are making nearly every shot down low, why try for a contested 3?
I was at the game and while the start was shaky, they superbly came back and hit a hot three to go into halftime with a lead.
2nd half? Started out with a 14 point run by Upstate and several pointless turnovers by the Ospreys. The Upstate lead bulged out to 21 points as the Ospreys defaulted to their off dribble ways. Finally, Coach Driscoll opened up his offense/defense substitution playbook and started fouling early and often. It was working for awhile as they whittled the deficit to just 7 points. But they missed some key free throws, made some just blunderous passes which caused turnovers, which sent the Ospreys fouling more.
All I can say is, UNF had every chance in the world to win this game and they just kept defaulting to their less than teamwork ways when they fell behind. While Dallas Moore acquired his usual count, it was Wajid Aminu who helped the rally at the end as they took advantage of poor defense by Upstate.
Has Coach Driscoll thrown the towel for 2016-17? Well, at the end of the game he grabbed a microphone and asked for seniors Dallas Moore, Chris Davenport and Aaron Bodager to speak to the crowd and they did thanking them for their years of play. They still have 1 more home game left (against JU) but with the loss, it has knocked them out of the top bracket of the ASun tourney, which means they will not play at home after JU. With away games still at 1st place Lipscomb and Kennesaw State, its very possible UNF will play out the year with their next generation team.
A very frustrating loss by the Ospreys and while it was clear they had the talent to compete in the ASun, there was just something about the dynamics of this team that just didn't click well. The coach tonight was not coaching as strongly as he usually does. He wasn't riding the players on timeouts as much and not kicking the scorers table. Only shouting the play calls. As if to say, if you want to be in the ASun, you guys are going to have to play like you want it.
The turnovers, the yelling at other players, the lapses in defense, it just added up to a season that couldn't match the 2 years prior.
I am looking forward to the arrival of Wes Morgan and Brian Coffey next year and think it will be the beginning of another set of years of UNF contention in the ASun.
The enigma of this years Ospreys continue.
After losing a winnable game at home to Upstate, UNF traveled to Nashville to take on Lipscomb, at the time, tied for first in the ASun.
Dominating in the paint and rotating the ball they handed the Bisons much better than anyone expected and beat them 93-82.
With FGCU just barely getting by last place NJIT up in Newark, this puts the Eagles back into first place.
In another surprise Stetson traveled to Spartanburg and resoundly defeated Upstate.
JU beat Kennesaw to now put UNF back into a tie with Upstate for the #3 seed.
There are still 2 games to go in the season, but ASun is getting tough as we reach the end.
Ospreys pummeled by Kennesaw State tonight. Allowed a 24-2 run to open the game and never recovered. Jekyl and Hyde all the way.
Upstate almost put a number on FGCU by taking them into overtime on a contraversial shot at the buzzer. The mainscoreboard showed .1 second left, but the backboard clock showed .00 left, but the red light had not come on yet. So the refs allowed the basket to count. All for naught as FGCU beat them in OT.
This puts the Ospreys back in the lower bracket of the ASun Tourney. They are tied with Upstate, and Kennesaw at 7-6.
At this point forget the ASUN Tournament. This team just isn't consistent enough to win it. The only thing I care about is beating JU on Thursday. Swoop!
With UNF's defeat of the Dolphins on Thursday night, NJIT upsetting SC-Upstate, and Lipscomb beating Kennesaw State, this broke the log jam for the #3 seed in the A Sun Tournament.
UNF will now get the #3 seed and will host, you were surprised.....JU for the first round!
UNF and JU will play on Monday Feb 27th at 7pm at UNF Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN3.
The winner will play the winner of the NJIT/Lipscomb game being played in Nashville.
Not to get ahead of ones self, but this presents an interesting situation for the Ospreys.
They have beaten both JU and Lipscomb twice this season and lost once to NJIT on the road. So when you are a collective 5-1 against the teams in your bracket, you might say their odds are not too shabby. FGCU, the #1 seed is in a similar situation, 5-1 against the teams in their bracket.
FGCU and UNF in an ASun final? The stats say its possible.
For now, just beat JU next Monday and let the rest take care of itself.
^ That would require consistency; which this team lacks.
Glad to see they are still in it though.
Looks like its UNF vs. Lipscomb on Thursday night. With them barely beating JU, this is definitely not a definite win. Lets see what team shows up Thursday.
Man. I've been to a lot of UNF basketball games and last night was one of the best. There was so much energy in that arena and it's always fun to end JU's season. Thinking of the next round, Lipscomb actually scares me the least of the remaining teams, and I think we're all Kenessaw State fans this Thursday
The ASun this year has been a league of matchups.
Lipscomb for some reason struggles to match up to UNF, but was able to matchup to FGCU. However, UNF hasnt matched up with FGCU at all.
Kennesaw State has played all the top tier ASun teams tight, but always fall in the 2 or 3 minutes.
Upstate matches up well to FGCU, but couldnt beat NJIT at home without the Highlanders star player Damon Lynn.
Can UNF beat Lipscomb 3 times in 1 season, twice on their court? No matter what Lipscomb is going to be a great team next year. Between their star transfer who will be eligible next year and their great set of sophomores I see them being a top team in the ASun now.
Allen Arena had 2700 people show up for the NJIT game, I am guessing they will have something closer to 3500 when the Ospreys artive.
Lipscomb is not on the local radar right now, but if they play in the final this year, it will definitely raise the awareness on the public.
UNF is very, very hot up in Nashville. Amazing three's, even Bodager hit a Beau Beech range 3 pointer.
Up over Lipscomb 45-32 at the half.
FGCU beat Kennesaw State to reach the ASun final.
I knew UNF matched up very well against Lipscomb and they played great tonight. We are one game away from March Madness! Now all we have to do is pull off the upset. Swoop!
UNF does not match up well with FGCU at all. if memory serves right, I think FGCU beat them by around 20 points both times they played this season. Plus they blew them out in the A Sun last year. UNF must play at a high level and limit the turnovers. Lipscomb had success at the end of the game with full court pressure. You better believe FGCU will try that as well. I liked the offensive points being spread around this win as well. Here's hoping to a huge upset into what will most assuredly be a NCAA play in game.
Quote from: Dapperdan on March 03, 2017, 09:06:22 AM
UNF does not match up well with FGCU at all. if memory serves right, I think FGCU beat them by around 20 points both times they played this season. Plus they blew them out in the A Sun last year. UNF must play at a high level and limit the turnovers. Lipscomb had success at the end of the game with full court pressure. You better believe FGCU will try that as well. I liked the offensive points being spread around this win as well. Here's hoping to a huge upset into what will most assuredly be a NCAA play in game.
Well said Dapperdan, I agree with you.
UNF was up 21 points with less 3m to go. Dallas Moore dribbles the ball off his foot and Lipscomb won the coaches challenge. It gave them energy.
Then in succession was Aaron Horne getting trapped, Dallas Moore going wild, Aaron Bodager trapped and trying to call timeout but stepped on the line. Chris Davenport get double teamed, Aminu is all by himself, but he throws it to Dallas, and its promptly intercepted. I was surprised Coach Driscoll didnt pop a gasket.
Most of the game turnovers for UNF came in those final 3 minutes. And Lipscombs press wasnt all that stifling to be honest.
If you go back and look at FGCU's ASun losses, they were low scoring, slow half court games where Lipscomb and Upstate forced FGCU into low percentage, highly defended, end of shot clock type of shots. Upstate won because they simply had the ball on the last posession, Lupscomb won because they played error free, high defensive BB, especially on Demetrius Morant.
For UNF to compete well with FGCU:
- Stay hot on the threes to open up the paint
- Stick to your gameplan, maintain movement and keep your passing sharp
- Low turnovers
- Aaron Bodager has to shoot more
- Defend Demetrius Morant
- Keep Christian Terrell from lane penetration, make him stay on the perimeter
The fact that Lipscomb left Aaron Bodager open alot means they have been studying game film. He burned them for 5 threes. But he still gives up shots too much. He had a drive to the lane with little to stop him but decided to dump to Aminu for the slam. Aminu had the ball stripped by 5' 10" Moran instead.
Even the Lipscomb TV announcers were saying that Bodager had a rep for not shooting and were surprised he was making threes.
At the beginning of the year it was too much Dallas Moore and teams responded in kind. Now the Ospreys are diversifying more in the O. They will need all they can get down in Ft Myers on Sunday.
3PM ET on ESPN.
The Ospreys came out pretty suped ip to start the game. Giving up a lot of dunk city stuff.
Bodager is hitting threes, huge.
UNF 23 FGCU 16
Watching right now. I hope Aminu isn't hurt badly.
UNF 39 FGCU 33 Halftime
Lots of inspired ball by the Ospreys.
Crossing fingers that the second half will hold up. The FGCU bench looked pretty bummed after Dallas hit the floater at the buzzer.
The first 5 minutes of the second half are key.
They are challenging anything in the paint.
Bodager and Blount hitting threes.
Issues:
Ospreys are fouling at a healthy clip
Quote from: remc86007 on March 05, 2017, 03:58:53 PM
Watching right now. I hope Aminu isn't hurt badly.
8
He is good. Strained his grion muscle, but came back out and made that shot clock desperado
Quote from: spuwho on March 05, 2017, 04:02:34 PM
Quote from: remc86007 on March 05, 2017, 03:58:53 PM
Watching right now. I hope Aminu isn't hurt badly.
8
He is good. Strained his grion muscle, but came back out and made that shot clock desperado
Good to hear! I missed the last couple minutes before the half.
Go Ospreys!
FGCU grabbed a 5 point lead. UNF is losing some composure. Scoreless in 3 minutes.
UNF now scoreless in 6 minutes. Big FGCU slam.
Davenport trying to do too much. 3 turnovers by him.
Everytime he tries to "run" the ball, not so good things happen.
UNF 47 - FGCU 56
9.5 minutes left.
Ouch. 3 three pointer daggers by FGCU.
5m left, Down by 14. Not good.
Oh well. I think FGCU will make the ASUN look good in the tournament.
UNF 61 - FGCU 77
Final.
A lot like my jags, they only played for half a game.
Next year ospreys, next year!
It's a shame that UNF fell apart in the second half. Dallas Moore is such a phenomenal player. I wonder what the team looks like next year without him.
Oh Well. If it makes anyone feel better, FGCU may be seeded 14 in the NCAA Tourney and could possibly make a run again. We didn't lose to a poor team.
FGCU will be a major contender in the ASun next year as they lose only 2 seniors. (Morant and Norelia)
Also of note, most of the FGCU roster is made up of transfers from Power 5 programs.
Lipscomb as well will be returning 90% of their game points with their players next year.
UNF will be in major transition, having lost 3 seniors, all with multiple years of playing time, and with Moore, 60% of their scoring.
While the 3 new Freshman coming in will make a difference, it will probably be in a supporting role.
FGCU's approach to attract disaffected Power 5 players, makes for quicker success on the court, compared to UNF who for the most part develops players from scratch. UNF has 1 Power 5 transfer on their roster next year.
I am going to guess that next years roster for UNF will look like this.
C - Romelo Banks
F- Wajid Aminu
F - Garrett Sams
G - CJ Fisher or JT Escobar
G - Brian Coffey
First off the bench will be Blount, Odum & Morgan.
Comparing this roster to FGCU is a tough one.
Former Osprey Dallas Moore just completed his play in the Portsmouth Invitational, which is a platform for players who want to move on to the NBA.
Dallas started slow as his team (Cherry Bekaert) had some chemistry problems in their first game and they got kind of pushed around alot.
He tied for high points (12) in a low scoring game.
But he recovered quite well after that and he led Cherry Bekaert in points for the next 2 games, leading them for 20 points in the next game and 22 in the next one.
The fact that he did really well against pre-NBA talent on a marginal team exemplifies just how good Dallas really is.
Many NBA scouts are still dubious, but I think Dallas will surprise a lot of people. It would really cool if he has a Jeremy Lin moment, comes into a game and just surprises people.
He was ranked in the Top 5 in Division 1 for "most efficient player".
In probably my last post to close out this season in Osprey basketball,
UNF made some major signing announcements this past week; with only 3 seniors graduating, and 3 that signed early commits, and now 3 more on the way in, there is going to be either a lot of redshirting, or a lot of players have excused/transferred themselves from the team.
Either way, there is even more new talent coming to reload the Ospreys.
Men's Basketball Adds Three During NCAA Signing Period
Trip Day
Ivan Gandia
Emmanuel Lambright
JACKSONVILLE -- North Florida head men's basketball coach Matthew Driscoll announced the signing of Trip Day, Ivan Gandia and Emmanuel Lambright., to national letters-of-intent to play for the Ospreys starting in the 2017-18 season.
The trio joins the group of three Osprey signees during the NCAA's early signing period in November as the next wave for the North Florida program.
Day (6'7, 205 lbs) is a forward from Phenix City, Ala., where he was a standout performer at the Glenwood School. He helped lead his prep squad to the 2017 AISA State Championship, where he earned State Tournament MVP honors and was runner-up for the State Player of the Year award. A first-team All-State, All-Area and All Bi-City honoree, Day averaged 18.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per game during his senior season. He finished his career as one of just three players in Glenwood history to score 1,000+ points (1,829) and also posted career totals of 136 games played, 1,101 rebounds, 243 steals, 290 assists and 310 blocks.
A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Gandia (6'1, 180 lbs) played three seasons at Huntington (W. Va.), before spending one season at the College of Central Florida. During his season at Central Florida, he averaged 15.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 6.5 apg and shot 45.2% from the floor, 40.1 from 3-point line and 85.3 at the free throw line. Gandia recorded single game highs of 39 points and a Florida JUCO record 21 assists. A long time member of the Puerto Rican National Team, Gandia played with the squad at the 2014-15 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs (USA): 5 games: 13.6ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 83.3%, and the 2014-15 World Championships U17 in Dubai (UAE): 7 games: 13.0ppg, 4.4rpg, 2.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 23.9%, FT: 66.7%
Lambright (6'6, 195 lbs) comes to UNF following a solid prep career at Sarasota (Fla.) High School. During his senior season, he averaged 18.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.6 bpg and 1.5 spg, while also shooting 47% from the field. A three-time All-Area honoree, Lambright was regarded as a 4-star recruit by a few recruiting lists and garnered high major recruitment throughout his prep career. Fellow Sarasota resident Dick Vitale, during a national TV game this season, mentioned Lambright as being one of the best available players in the state of Florida.
Class of 2017
Ryan Burkhardt - G | 6'3 | 165 | St. Augustine, Fla. | St. Augustine HS
Brian Coffey, Jr. - G | 6'1 | 170 | Snellville, Ga. | Shiloh HS
Trip Day - F | 6-7 | 205 | Phenix City, Ala. | Glenwood School
Ivan Gandia - G | 6'1 | 180 | Caguas, Puerto Rico | College of Central Florida
Emmanuel Lambright - G | 6'6 | 195 | Sarasota, Fla. | Sarasota HS
Wes Morgan - G | 6'7 | 175 | Charlotte, N.C. | Ardrey Kell HS