The men’s basketball team is killing it this 2012-2013 season with an overall record of 18-2 and a 10-1 record in the Sunshine State Conference.
FSC’s nine-game winning streak is a season-high, and has pushed the Mocs to No. 8 in the nation. Not only has it been a big season for the program, but for individual players as well.
“Every game is a tough one,” Coach Linc Darner said. “Just because we’re winning by a large margin right now doesn’t mean that the teams aren’t good. We’re just playing extremely well.”
On Feb. 6, career-highs were achieved against Barry. Senior guard Seth Evans had a career-high of nine assists, sophomore guard Cameron Vines scored a career-high of 20 points with 11 rebounds to achieve his first ever double-double.
Evans has recently been named the SSC Player of the Week, making this the third consecutive week for FSC to have a player honored with this title. Evans followed senior forward Brett Bailey and junior guard Dominic Lane.
“Our guys do a great job of coming in on their own and getting extra shots up,” Darner said. “I think just the things we do in practice prepares us for each and every opponent that we play.”
Evans averages 15.2 points per game, making him second in scoring on the team. Those 15.2 points are among the 90 points the Mocs had been scoring for the seven games leading up to Nova Southeastern.
“When we play really good defense…and make teams play faster than they want, we score,” Darner said. “We can’t have the other team go on a 19-4 run.”
Darner stresses the importance of consistency and the players stepping it up with their depth. He says the success of the Mocs is due to the team’s defense and the pressure they put on opposing teams.
“Those games are nice when you’re up 20 with five minutes to go instead of it being a nail-biter,” Darner said. “It’s not going to be that way every game. We’ve played extremely well here for the last eight or nine games, and hopefully we can keep that going.”
The men bring it every game, “not missing a beat,” as Darner puts it.
“Every game is a tough one on the road,” Darner said. “We were a new team last year, but we’re winning this year because we’re playing for a win.”
Darner says the men’s biggest advantage is their repetition, shooting and again, their depth.
“Our depth is a big key,” Darner said. “We can go 9, 10, 11 deep and not miss a beat.”
The Mocs have five more games left in the regular season, three of which are on the road.
“If we continue to climb in the rankings, when we go on the road, then it’s going to be everyone’s biggest game,” Darner said. “Everyone wants to knock off the ranked team. You have to be ready to play every night.”
The Mocs look to bring home a few more victories, playing Palm Beach Atlantic, Eckerd, Florida Tech, Tampa and Rollins. Once the last few games are over, the Mocs will go on to the SSC Tournament at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee March 6-10.
“You have to go in with the attitude that we’re going to play a great game and come out of here with a win,” Darner said. “Our guys have been extremely good on the road, and hopefully we can continue that.”
