FORT MYERS, Fla. – As Florida Gulf Coast men's basketball continues its summer practice, head coach Pat Chambers' relentless energy and optimism was sparked by a trip across town to see the Everblades in action.
It was Game 4 of the Kelly Cup Finals, and a 3-2 overtime win for the Everblades helped propel them to their fifth Kelly Cup title in 15 years.
"I was invited by (Everblades owner) David Hoffman to the Everblades game. It was the championship, the Kelly Cup Finals, and it was sold out. It was electric, and it was the greatest home ice advantage that I've been to in a long time," Chambers said. "I'm a Flyers fan, so back in the day I went to a couple of Flyers games, but it's been a long time. My son and I walked out of there like 'that's incredible. That was unbelievable. What a show.' And oh, by the way, they won in overtime. We saw it all and it was the coolest event. It was so exciting and that's what we need … We need that type of atmosphere, that type of environment. We need the fans, we need the community. I'm going to be out there all summer long, if you're here. And then when you get back, snowbirds, I'm still going to be out there."
That extra excitement infused into Chambers is propelling the Eagles through their summer workouts with a new squad. Chambers weathered the transfer portal, as FGCU tied for the fewest departures via the transfer portal in the ASUN (4), and saw two of the transfers go to power basketball conferences in the Big 12 and BIG EAST. Meanwhile, the Eagles retained eight players from last year's squad for the 2026-27 season. Take advantage of your chance to see them by
getting your season tickets today.
"We're looking for guys that are going to make an impact, buy into the culture, buy into the development, live and breathe attitude because that's our foundation," Chambers said. "That's what we're built on. We don't say '1-2-3 Defense' or 'Dunk City,' we say '1-2-3 Attitude' because that's the only thing we can control."
"You have to come in," Chambers said. "We got a great group of guys. They're working hard. They're already working. But the student section, the Dirty Birds, we have to get them back, right? And the fans, we have to be standing, we have to be getting crazy. That home court (ice) advantage that I just witnessed was unbelievable. That's what we need here in Alico Arena. We need that new beginning, that new freshness, and the craziness that they once had with Dunk City. We need to bring that back."
Season tickets to bring the Dunk City energy back and watch Coach Chambers, the eight returners and the eight newcomers in action for FGCU men's basketball are on sale now.
