On paper, FGCU has more talent than ever before. The Eagles return 58% of their scoring, 57% of their rebounding, and 66% of their assists. Going into the season, Florida Gulf Coast is the prohibitive favorite to win the Atlantic Sun and return to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. In addition to the players that FGCU retains, the Eagles also bring in a ton of new talent in a quintet of transfers from Rice, UNLV, Tulane and Auburn, as well as one of the best recruiting classes in the conference.
Unfortunately there will always departures to go with the additions, most notably, Chase Fieler. Fieler was integral to FGCU’s success last season averaging fourteen points and seven and a half rebounds a game. Other departures include the transfers of Dajuan Graf and Eric McKnight, and walk-on Kevin Boyle, and the season long injuries to both senior forward Filip Cvjeticanin and highly touted freshman guard Zach Johnson.
Point Guard
Starter: Brett Comer
It’s no secret in Dunk City that Brett Comer is back again to command the offense in his final season at the helm of the Eagles, so it should come as no surprise that Comer is closing in on the Atlantic Sun all time assist record at 623. “Agent Zero” is fourteen assists from the record and will spend a majority of the season cushioning his record. Comer is a preseason All-Conference guard and likely one of the best mid-major point guards in the entire country. Without Comer, the Eagle’s offense would likely stall and truly put a damper on the season.
Backup Options:
Although the starter is well established, the backup point guard has yet to be determined. The early candidates are Auburn transfer Brian Greene, who is better described as a combo guard, and freshman Christian Terrell, who is more of a scorer and slasher than a distributer. Fellow freshman Zach Johnson was brought in to be Comer’s heir apparent, but due to an undisclosed injury he will redshirt this season. The early advantage would have to go to Greene due to the fact that he has a year in the program and should know the playbook better. This battle could possibly run over into the season and depending on how they play, we may not have a definitive backup point guard until December rolls around.
Shooting Guard
Starter: Bernard Thompson
Thompson has been an integral part of the offense since the day he stepped on to the sunny campus of FGCU. Combining with Comer to create one of the most experienced backcourts in the country, the all time leading scorer for the program comes into the season with high expectations on both sides of the ball. Not only is Bernard already in the top fifty all time in the conference for scoring, but he is also twelfth all time in the conference for steals.
Backup Options:
The early consensus is that Rice transfer Julian DeBose will be Thompson’s primary backup this season. The 6’4” guard averaged ten points a game two years ago, so he is already something of a known quantity. Not only did he score well at Rice, but he was also a solid rebounder from the guard position. The other contenders for minutes at the backup shooting guard position are again the versatile Greene and Terrell. Both players are solid scorers and if given the chance they will both finish with authority at the rim despite their relative lack of size.
Small Forward
Starter: Jamail Jones
Jones came to FGCU as a transfer from Marquette and after sitting out the 2012-2013 season, started thirty-two games as a redshirt junior. After a somewhat slow start while he adjusted to his third coach in as many years, Jamail came on strong and scored double digits in ten of his final thirteen games. The senior is the team’s leading returning rebounder and will continue to bring energy every time he is on the court.
Backup Options:
Much like how Greene and Terrell could play both guard positions, DeBose could also be a backup option at the small forward position if the Eagles choose to go small at any point in time. His main competition for those minutes would be the highly touted redshirt freshman Logan Hovey. Hovey was expected to contribute last year, but unfortunately his season ended before it could even begin thanks to a stress fracture in his leg. The walk-on transfer from Auburn, Nick Peller, could also grab some spot minutes if the situation calls for it.
Power Forward
Starter: Marc-Eddy Norelia
This is where things get a little hairy for the Eagles. Gone is all time leading rebounder Chase Fieler. Tasked with filling the void left by Fieler is a talented group of transfers. The early leader is Norelia who is an athletic jumping jack who could provide the same kind of spark as Fieler in transition and slashing to the hoop.
Backup Options:
Two other transfers, Demetris Morant from UNLV and Eric Moeller from Missouri and College of Central Florida (JUCO), will battle Norelia for playing time. Morant is very much like Norelia in the fact that he jumps out of the gym and can finish with power around the rim. If he is able to learn the playbook he could be a big time factor throughout the entire season. Moeller is a walking mismatch given his height (6’11”) and his ability to shoot the three. If he can prove effective playing on the perimeter on offense and provide a defensive force on the other side of the ball, he could soften the loss of senior forward Filip Cvjeticanin - the team’s leading three point shooter last season. The final big man in play for minutes at power forward is none other than the Mayor of Dunk City himself, Marcus Blake. He has been in the program for a long time and has tasted success and knows what it takes to get there. Marcus will give you everything he has whenever he is on the court and can always be counted on to rally the troops if things are not going well.
Center
Starter: Nate Hicks
Hicks went down in the final game of the season last year with an ACL tear in his left leg. When Hicks is healthy, he is an imposing player on the defensive side of the ball accounting for over 33% of the team’s blocks by himself. Though his stats don’t suggest Nate had a good year, that has more to do with the fact that he split time at center with Eric McKnight and because FGCU is more of a perimeter oriented team.
Backup Options:
It might be more center by committee with so many talented post players. All four of the bigs could see time manning the middle depending on if the game plan calls for it. If the coaches are looking to push the tempo, then both Norelia and Morant would be great options for Comer to throw lobs to in the transition game. The same could be said for Moeller if the coaches are looking to spread the floor on the offensive side of the ball. In all likelihood all four of the bigs could finish between fifteen and twenty-five minutes a game.
Written by Sterling Thomas
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