Palpable buzz was in the air as the FAU men’s basketball team suited up for this year’s media day at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
“We had a great offseason… everyone on our roster when we go through it individually is significantly better than they were 6 months ago,” said Owls head coach Dusty May.
With the Owls looking to succeed once again and coming off their most successful seasons ever, some fans may wonder if Coach May is looking towards a bigger job. If one asks athletic director Brian White, Coach May is happy here and the athletic department wants to keep it that way.
“It’s extremely important (to keep Coach May)… I think that was our number one priority with the success we had towards the end of the (March Madness) run is to continue to invest in this program,” White said.
Being an almost-national champion isn’t a title that this Owls squad is settling for, according to Giancarlo Rosado, a big man who played a pivotal role for the team last year.
“Winning championships (is what I’m looking forward to) most definitely… the regular season, the American, whatever region we go to, then the national championship,” Rosado said.
Sustaining the success that this team had last year will not be easy, but the belief in the locker room is that this team is talented enough to get back there.
One key guy in that locker room for the past few years who helped foster that important mindset was Michael Forrest. Now graduated, it is up to other members of the team to step up and take over his leadership role. Alijah Martin, who dipped his toes in the NBA Draft before deciding to return, believes there is no shortage of leadership on this team.
“Losing Mike… we lose a vocal leader who leads by example, but we have a bunch of true guys that know what the team needs,” Martin said.
With the departure of Forrest, that left two roster spots open for Coach May to work with. He signed freshman Devin Vanterpool and Jakell Powell as a result. With young players comes the opportunity for veterans to mentor them, and that is something Bryan Greenlee, a senior for the Owls, says is also a chance to better everyone.
“Holding ourselves more accountable for things that we do in practice… there’s things that we already know and we have to set the standard, we can’t set a bad example,” Greenlee said.
FAU will play their first game of the season in the Barstool Invitational against Chicago Loyola, a defunct road game as the game will be played in Chicago.
Alijah Martin says the team is preparing with more intensity than they did a year ago for their season debut, which was at home against Lynn University.
“Even though you wanna go in as sharp as you can be, you can always be more sharp,” Martin said.
Owls fans have their first chance to see the team at home on November 14th against Eastern Michigan, a team they beat 101-73 last season.