So we ended up hanging out extreamly late and I didn't get a chance to write this up until now, but here goes.
First things first, major props to the crowd! My girl and I showed up about 90 minutes early and the entire general admissions section was completely filled and by game time there was a standing room only crowd, Probably ~4800 in the building for the game. UNF came out with a much more energy than FGCU early and took advantage of the Eagles missing a lot of good looks. They outrebounded the Eagles and made some very tough shots with the shot clock running low. Every time FGCU would cut the lead to a single possession UNF would respond on the offensive end. You could tell the crowd was looking for anything to get involved in the game, but the Ospreys did a good job keeping the Eagles off-balance. The biggest story of the first half that I didn't see mentioned anywhere was the foul situation. I believe it was something like 11 to 4 in favor of FGCU with both of UNF's bigs in trouble going into halftime.
However, the second half was a completely different story as the Eagles came out with a fire and took control early. UCF transfer Brandon Goodwin had a huge second half and was extreamly aggressive going to the rim and getting to the line early to set the tempo for the half. The Eagles defense tightened up and once FGCU took the lead back at about the 13 minute mark the place erupted and the team rode that energy the rest of the way. Five different Eagles scored in double figures as the Eagles outscored the Ospreys by 22 in the second half. The key to the victory was the Eagle's defense in the second half. Joe Dooley, who was an assistant at Kansas under Bill Self for a decade brought toughness and defense to Fort Myers when he arrived while keeping the uptempo offense in place. This year's squad is averaging a program record 76.4 PPG while holding opponents to 70.4 this season. Many people questioned if Dunk City lives on or if it would leave with Andy Enfield when he left for USC, but this year's team surpassed the 2012-2013 team's record of 148 dunks yesterday, currently 158 and counting, which is good for I believe second in the nation behind only UCF.
Here is a quick breakdown of each player for the Eagles:
Starters
Brandon Goodwin is the engine that makes the Eagles go. He was the Newcomer of the Year in the conference and while many around the program thought he'd be the best player from the first time he stepped on the court no one expected him to go out and average 18 pts, 4.6 rbs, and 4 asts a game this year. He is lighting fast and there is not a player in the conference that can stay in front of him when he wants a bucket. He also broke the FGCU single season scoring record yesterday, currently at 601, which was set by Marc-Eddy Norelia last season.
Zach Johnson is a bull of a point guard with a knack for making highlight plays. Last season
he blocked a shot with time running down in the championship to defeat Stetson and send us to the big dance. He can drive fans crazy because he is a player that runs extreamly hot or cold, there is almost no middle ground for him. He is willing to take any shot and like Goodwin is very difficult to stop when he decides he wants to get to the rim.
Christian Terrell is a heady 2G who is sneaky athletic and can also throw down some monster jams when he wants. However this season he has been utilized more as a floor spacer and takes 4.5 threes a game. He has an extreamly high basketball IQ and is always vocal on the court and getting his teammates in the right place on D. He is one of those guys that is easy to root for and will be successful no matter what he does in life after basketball.
Marc-Eddy Norelia transferred into the program from Tulane after his freshman season and is the team's energy guy. Don't be shocked if he is the guy you see pumping up the crowd after a big play. This season however he has been a bit of an enigma. After averaging 17 pts and 9 rbs as a junior people, including myself had very high hopes for him this season. Unfortunately he broke his hand before the season started and missed the first four games of the season, which included Baylor, Florida, and Michigan State. After working his way back into the lineup over the next seven games he left the team for personal reasons and missed the next six games. He finally returned for good on 1/12, but has never quite gotten back to the Marc-Eddy of last year.
Demetris Morant is another transfer, this time from UNLV. He is enjoying his best year as a senior this year and is averaging 10.7 pts and 8 rbs while leading the conference in blocked shots. He is the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year this season to cap off a great year. Meech is uber athletic and dunks just about anything he can get his hands on, mostly because he has no range outside of five feet and shoots the ball from his chest even on free throws.
Bench
Rayjon Tucker came to FGCU as the highest rated recruit in school history, 2/47 had him at about 125 in the nation. He only started focusing on basketball during his JR. year of high school, but obviously the physical tools are there for this young man. He plays with a ton of energy every time he is on the court and looks for the highlight play whenever he can. When he came to FGCU he was really only a slasher, but he has taken a huge step forward as a shooter this year and is knocking down 45% of his shots from deep. In another year or so he is going to be nearly unguardable in the A-Sun.
Antravious Simmons is yet another transfer, this time hailing from VCU. He is very good friends with Johnson and that's what led him to FGCU. He is the Eagles biggest body and is not afraid to bang down low with anybody. He also has a soft touch out to about 17 feet and is not afraid to pull it if defenders sag off of him.
Reggie Reid is FGCU's backup PG when Johnson and Goodwin aren't in the game. He is lighting quick and is very good at getting in the lane and dropping the ball of to the bigs. He doesn't play a ton, but he is very good at what he does and has 65 assists to only 32 turnovers on the season.
Kevin Mickle is a JuCo transfer from Brooklyn. He is not much of a threat on offense, but will give you everything he has everytime he steps on the court. On the defensive end he may be the Eagles best defender and is very good at getting in opposing players head and forcing turnovers.
Christian Carlyle is a talented freshman from Jacksonville who has struggled to get on the court with 5 guards ahead of him. He has shown flashes of what he can do throughout the season such as his 19 point performance against Florida Tech. He will have to wait his turn, but I have high expectations for him this year.
RaySean Scott Jr. is another talented freshman, this time hailing all the way from Compton. He is a stretch four and has played a bit more than Carlyle this season. While his talent is evident he is still prone to make freshman mistakes when he is on the court, but his talent is evident.
To sum it all up, the Eagles are not your normal Mid-major and will give whoever they matchup with fits in the tournament. Next season could be even better with Morant and Norelia being the only two seniors on the roster and transfers Ricky Doyle (Michigan), CJ Williamson (Texas Tech) and Michael Gilmore (Miami) all coming in next season. Gilmore is nephew of the great Artis Gilmore and will be available halfway through the season.
TL;DR FGCU is very very young and talented.
