FORT MYERS, Fla. – The bouncing of the ball on the hardwood reverberated throughout Alico Arena on Monday morning as managers set basketballs out for practice. Moments later, a chorus of shouts replaced that sound as Florida Gulf Coast's men's basketball team took the floor with plenty of excitement for the program's first official team practice of the season.



The first half of practice was dedicated to individual drills, followed by full team drills as play installation began in earnest. The team's momentum at the end of last season – winning its final six home games and advancing to the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Tournament – has carried over throughout the offseason and into the new year.

Already the difference was obvious – Eagles fans will have to crane their necks up a bit when watching FGCU play this year.



"This is the biggest team I've ever had, and that's including my Big 10 teams," said FGCU head coach Pat Chambers. "Biggest team I've ever had. Really athletic, got great speed. More shooters than I've ever had, including my 2020 team at Penn State. More shooters. We've got shooting everywhere, which I'm really excited about … I think you're just going to see some shoot, maybe a little bit like Karl Smesko, maybe shooting Raining 3s like the women's side."

The team's taller size and altered style of play that comes with it will bring new looks to the Green & Blue this season. Fans will be glued to their seats with the upbeat style of play the Eagles will bring to the court this coming season.
"The style of play, it's somewhat new this year," explained Chambers. "A little bit more hunting threes, a little bit more back cutting, a little bit more offensive rebounding on the offensive side, defensive side, a little bit more guard your yard, you know, a little bit more one-on-one.



"That's what the fans can look forward to, and I think they're really going to like it. And again, we have athleticism. I'm not going to say Dunk City all the way, but close, very close. So, Raining 3s on one side, maybe Dunk City as well. Who knows?"
Returning junior guard Darren Williams is entering his third year with FGCU and his excitement for the season and the potential that awaits is at an all-time high.

"Coming from last year's team, we definitely have a bigger team, bigger guys," said Williams. "Like you mentioned, a seven-footer. I like it a lot more. It helps us on the defensive end. We could guard more one-on-one. We wouldn't have to overhelp too much. I feel like with the bigger guys, we have longer closeouts, longer strides, so it's easier to defend a little bit more. And I feel like we could attack the paint more. We don't have to shoot as many threes, of course, but still get them up. But we could get in there, get more physical, and we got some bigger dudes."

Mini Plans and Season Tickets for the upcoming 2026-27 FGCU Basketball season are now on sale. FGCU has eight non-conference and seven ASUN home games set for Alico Arena after opening the season on Nov. 2 at UCF.

Fans can get their first true preview of the team at Eagle Fan Fest, set for Oct. 22 at SugarShack Downtown in Bonita Springs.
 
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Eagles, follow FGCU Athletics on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit FGCUathletics.com.