FORT MYERS, Fla. - Just over eight months since the sports world came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 college basketball season officially gets underway this Wednesday as FGCU hosts Florida A&M at Alico Arena (7 PM).
Tickets and ticket packages are still available to purchase including single-game tickets online and at the box office. Capacity will be limited to 1,300 fans to allow for social distancing measures and masks will be required inside Alico Arena. Additionally, the Clear Bag Policy which went into effect last year will also be required.
For fans who cannot attend, they can watch live on ESPN+. Those fans could also join The Cutout Crew for just $50 which puts a cutout photo of them in the stands for every men's and women's home basketball game this season. Proceeds will help offset costs related to COVID-19 prevention with FGCU Athletics.
The effects of COVID-19 are still being felt at the start of season unlike any other. The Eagles have already had two road games cancelled for the year – at UC Santa Barbara and at Robert Morris. The change to the start of the season also forced postponements of scheduled games against USC, Rhode Island, Mercer and Dartmouth.
Entering
Michael Fly's third year as head coach of FGCU, the Eagles will begin the season relatively healthy and deep. What had been a primarily young, inexperienced program last season now features a roster the returns 70 percent of its scoring along with seven players who saw significant action in 25-or-more games last year. Entering 2019-20, the Eagles had just 22 percent of their scoring back and three players who had played significant Division I minutes.
Junior
Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) and senior
Jalen Warren (Milton, Ontario/Eastern Florida State) were both named to the ASUN Preseason All-Conference squad as the No. 1 and No. 2 returning scorers, respectively, for the Eagles. At the same time, both the Coaches and Media Preseason Polls selected FGCU as fifth among the nine teams.
Catto had a terrific sophomore campaign in 2019-20 where he averaged 12.7 points per contest with 32 starts. He was one of the most improved players in the league increasing his scoring average by 8.6 points. He ranked 10
th overall in the ASUN for scoring and was among the top-10 individuals in eight statistical categories.
Warren averaged 10.9 points per game while posting 120 assists which were the ninth-best single-season performance in FGCU history.
Senior
Justus Rainwater (Enumclaw, Wash./Cochise College) and senior
Sam Gagliardi (Gig Harbor, Wash./Citrus College) each return to the line-up after playing pivotal roles last year. Rainwater pair with sophomore
Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) to form one of the top shot blocking tandems in the league and the NCAA. Rainwater recorded 37 blocks while averaging 6.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 32 games. Gagliardi proved to be a hard-nosed sharp-shooter who played in all 30 games with 16 starts.
Rivers set the FGCU freshman record for blocked shots with 39 while playing in 30 games as a true freshman.
After a breakout season as a freshman walk-on, sophomore
Cyrus Largie (Miramar, Fla./Mater Lakes Academy) turned in a number of big-time performances that were rewarded with a scholarship following the 2019-20 campaign. Recognized as one of the top hustle players in the program, Largie adds a toughness and savvy to the line-up.
One other major difference heading into the 2020-21 campaign will be depth for the Eagles. Austin Peay graduate transfer
Eli Abaev (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Austin Peay) adds a significant presence in the post and Ole Miss transfer
Franco Miller, Jr. (Freeport, Bahamas/Ole Miss), provides high-level experience at guard. Junior
Dom London (Christiana, Pa./Harcum College), who was one of the top junior college players last year at Harcum College, gives the Eagles another experienced sharp-shooter along the perimeter.
True freshmen
Zach Anderson (Orlando, Fla./Apopka HS),
Luis Rolon (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Central Pointe Christian Academy) and
Victor Rosa (Naranjito, Puerto Rico/Central Pointe Christian Academy) are all expected to make an impact on the line-up this season as well. Anderson brings more athleticism alongside Rivers and
Qwanzi Samuels (District Heights, Fla./Loomis Chaffee School) at the forward position, while Rosa is another knock-down shooter in the rotation between Gagliardi and London. Rolon has been praised as one of the best pure passing point guards in the program since Brett Comer and fits in Fly's up-tempo offensive style.
Despite being fellow Sunshine State programs, this will be just the second all-time meeting between FGCU & Florida A&M. The last time the teams played was actually in Las Vegas as part of the 2013 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. The Eagles won that game thanks to a late surge in the second half thanks to a 24-point effort by Comer. The win marked the 200
th all-time victory for FGCU since the program began in 2002-03.
The Rattlers enter the year projected to finish third in the MEAC Southern Division and will be led by junior guard MJ Randolph who was a preseason All-MEAC second-team selection. Robert McCullum enters his fourth year in Tallahassee as the head coach. Last season, FAMU posted a 12-15 overall record while going 10-6 in the MEAC and an impressive 8-0 at home. The Rattlers fell in the MEAC tournament 72-70 in overtime to Bethune-Cookman.
Randolph is the top returning scorer this year after averaging 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds last season. Evins Desir, a sizeable presence in the post at 6-foot-8, 300 pounds, is the Rattlers second-leading returning scorer at 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Pending any announced game additions, the Eagles will have off until hosting Florida National on Saturday, Dec. 5. Both the UCSB and Robert Morris games had been schedule in the time between. After that, December shapes up for a busy stretch with four games in 10 days starting with a trip to Miami (12/12) and then three home contests against FIU (12/16), Webber International (12/18), and Georgia Southern (12/22).
For complete coverage of FGCU men's basketball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MBB and online at
www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's basketball and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
UPCOMING ASUN GAMES:
Wednesday, Nov. 25
Carver at Kennesaw State (ESPN+) - 1 PM
^ North Florida vs. Eastern Kentucky - 5:30 PM
% Liberty vs. Purdue (CBS Sports) - 6 PM
Oakwood at North Alabama (ESPN+) - 6:30 PM
Florida A&M at FGCU - 7 PM
Coastal Georgia at Jacksonville (ESPN+) - 7 PM
Campbellsville-Harrodsburg at Lipscomb (ESPN+) - 8 PM
SUSTAINING FLIGHT
To help offset the financial impact of COVID-19, FGCU Athletics has launched the Sustaining Flight Fundraiser and Auction. The fundraising campaign will help mitigate operational revenue loss and the additional expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 protocols. All funds raised during the campaign will go to support areas that directly impact student-athletes.
In lieu of hosting the annual Night at the Nest gala this year, one of FGCU's most successful fundraising events, the department will be hosting a virtual, online auction from Monday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 4. Fans and supporters will be able to bid on exclusive memorabilia, trip packages, unique event experiences and more. For more information, visit www.fgcuathletics.com/sustainingflight.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence.
Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
COACH FLY
Michael Fly was introduced as the fourth FGCU men's basketball head coach on April 5, 2018. He had spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach on the Eagles' staff. In his time with the Eagles, he helped FGCU to a 164-108 record (.618 winning percentage), including six ASUN Tournament Final appearances, three NCAA Tournament victories, three ASUN Tournament titles and three ASUN Regular Season Championships, two berths in the NIT, a CIT appearance and a run to the Sweet 16. He has coached 13 all-conference selections while with the Green and Blue, including two ASUN Player of the Year honors in Sherwood Brown and Brandon Goodwin, two ASUN Defensive Player of the Year selections in Bernard Thompson and Demetris Morant and one ASUN Newcomer of the Year in
Schadrac Casimir. Of the top-10 players in career points at FGCU, Fly has helped develop eight of them, including all-time leading scorer Thompson (1,835). Additionally, the Kentucky alumnus has coached both the ASUN all-time assists leader Brett Comer (845; 24th in NCAA history) and FGCU all-time leading rebounder Chase Fieler (714).
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--
