Karl van Gelder
Staff Writer
RV Florida Southern men’s basketball has 15 wins before the end of January for the third year in a row, but this team isn’t like any other. If you’ve followed men’s basketball at all this year you know of their unorthodox playing style, lack of size and carousel of characters, both on the court and on the bench. However, what makes this team truly special is the lack of a box to put them in for better or worse.
They’ve continued to be a top offense in the country — potentially becoming the fourth team in school history to average 90-plus points per game over an entire season; every such season has come under Mike Donnelly. Forward Charlie Dalton earned the sixth triple-double in school history in the Mocs 99-73 win over Lynn — an accomplishment in the record book that awaited ink prior to Donnelly taking the helm of the historic program. The Mocs also have continued to aid Donnelly in his climb as one of the all-time great coaches at Florida Southern, and arguably the best to not win a championship with the pandemic ending Donnelly’s best chance to date to claim the third national crown in program history. Donnelly has become just the third coach in program history to reach 200 wins at Florida Southern, joining Gordon Gibbons the all-time leader in wins at FSC and the last coach to lead the Mocs to a national championship, Linc Darner.
“It wasn’t our prettiest win, but it was a huge win, maybe the biggest to date because not only beating Tampa, but having that confidence and getting that win on the road was huge for us,” Mike Donnelly said on the Walk-Ons Coaches Show.
Darner, the current head coach at Tampa, can feel Donnelly creeping in, in a number of career metrics. Prior to this season, Darner was the only head coach in Florida Southern history to win 10-straight matchups against his current employer, the University of Tampa, winning 13 straight against the program in the years leading up to and during the 2014-15 national championship run. Earlier this month Donnelly got closer to that record, winning 10 straight against the Spartans in another game where the team’s championship ceiling was evident, but so was what has kept them from setting up shop at that ceiling – no one player wins a game for this team.
In the win over Tampa, it was Jasir Tremble’s night for stretches as he finished with the most impressive numbers from the night, posting a career-high in points, 23, and assists, 10, en route to his first career double-double. We also saw the continued resurgence of Brady Corso who followed up the win against Tampa with the hottest start to a game by a single player in a Moccasins jersey in recent memory. However, in each game to the betterment of the team in these eventual wins, the rest of the team picked up the slack in the lulls from the player of the moment. Whether it was stretches of poor decisions leading to turnovers, or inability to consistently get a bucket, the supporting cast had to step up and either earn the win or let it slip through their hands. In every win this season the Mocs have seen these types of highs by one player or another for stretches followed up by a “rally” of sorts by teammates to maintain the dominant showing or recapture the magic exhibited earlier in the contest.
“[The transfers] have come from various different places where maybe we didn’t win as much and now we’re part of a winning program. We’re all just here to try and win and we don’t care how it’s done as long as we’re doing it together and I think we’re all on the same page with that,” Elijah Walsh said on the Walk-Ons Coaches Show.
Seven players average 9.5 or more points per game with four averaging 10 or more points per game without a single one playing 29 minutes or more. Only one team in school history has finished the season with seven players scoring 9.5 or more points per game – 2019-20 Mocs who went 29-2 while hosting and winning both the Sunshine State Conference and Regional tournaments before the season was canceled due to the pandemic. Also, all seven players to average 9.5 or more points average 22 or more minutes. No team in program history has had seven players average 22 or more minutes per game while playing the majority of the season.
Similarly, the losses this year have had similar stories. Periods of play show glimpses of a national caliber roster, something the Moccasins brass made clear was their view of the team, but the team still seems to lack their “Alpha” of sorts. In the last few years it’s been names like Jadin Booth, Luke Anderson, Akol Arop and EJ Dambreville to name a few, but this year the Moccasin attack isn’t one determined by a locomotive-like force that cannot be denied over the course of a game. Instead, the Mocs are better characterized as a militia of Moccasins. Every member of the limited, but deep 8-9 man rotation is tasked with the honor and responsibility to carefully play a calculated dance between acting as a pawn and the queen for the Moccasin’s free-flowing, but well-planned attack.
“…[In conference play] you’ve got to find different ways to attack a team that you’ve already played,” said Donnely on the Walk-Ons Coaches Show.
Donnelly is quickly approaching 400 career wins including his time up in Connecticut where his playing and coaching journey began. Now, Donnelly guides one of the most respected programs in Division II who’ve continually received national votes despite some crushing defeats throughout the course of the first half of the season. Luckily for Mocs, Donnelly and the Mocs have done this song and dance a few times. Historically, under Donnelly, the Mocs have had a better record in the second half of conference play whether you want to attribute that to players growing in the system or the competition getting worn down, it’s undeniable this coaching staff knows how to close out a regular season. With that being said, Lynn is taken care of until the postseason, if there is a matchup in the conference tournament, and multiple Mocs are piecing things together.
“Theres a lot of freedom, but sometimes that freedom is challenging because its hard to find your footing. It takes a while to be comfortable in the system. Everyone’s starting to see Jasir, in particular, in flow right now… [Brady] is a young player trying to find his way, he’s a terrific player,” said Donnelly on the Walk-Ons Coaches Show.
Brady Corso, maybe the most dangerous shooter in the South Region seems to be back to his old self. The JUCO All-American Jasir Tremble looks like he can be a true offensive engine and defensive stopper — an unexpected development before the new year. Charlie Dalton continues to grow into being the heart and soul of the team now emotionally and now more frequently so statistically. And these are just players in their first year with the program, Amare Miller continues to be an under the radar force that can ignite a run with just one swat or slam. There may be no All-American on this roster, but there is unmatched talent that has the capability to follow the Mocs blueprint of the last decade. Players like Booth, Arop and many others in the past have grown into undeniable number one options in jumps that looking back seemed obvious, but in the moment were unimaginable.
Will this team make a third straight conference championship or have a chance to win it all, I couldn’t tell you. But, the last month has made it evident that this team is continuing to evolve and improve, something not too many teams can say heading into February, especially when plagued with as many injuries as the Mocs. The Mocs pushed their chips to the table to start the season and with nine games left of conference, and regular season play, we’ll see if fortune truly favors the bold.
Note: This article was submitted for publishment prior to the Jan. 28 game against St. Leo
