After back-to-back tournament appearances, including a Final Four run, former FAU head coach Dusty May departed along with 11 players on the 2023-2024 squad. This gave the Owls the opportunity to rebuild a new basketball program. Athletic Director Brian White chose seven year Baylor assistant coach John Jakus to lead a new era in paradise. Coach Jakus and his staff have been able to use the transfer portal to build a new team. Let’s take a look at the 2024-2025 FAU Men’s basketball roster.
Point Guard
Leland Walker (6-1, 185 lbs) is a player who can distribute the ball and score. Walker transferred from Eastern Kentucky where he averaged 15.4 points and 4.1 assists last season and earned First Team All-ASUN honors. Walker led Eastern Kentucky to a first place finish in the ASUN regular season. Walker is a career 41.2% three point shooter.
Kyky Tandy (6-2 175 lbs) was the second PG the Owls signed out of the transfer portal. Coming out of high school Tandy was one of the highest rated players in the country. He initially played at Xavier before transferring to Jacksonville State. In his one year with Jacksonville State, Tandy averaged 17.8 PTS 2.6 REB, and 1.8 AST on 41.9% shooting from the field and 38.9% from three.
Niccolo Moretti (6-2, 185 lbs) from Australia was the final PG the Owls added to their roster. Moretti transferred from Illinois after playing limited minutes last season. Despite several offers from Power 5 schools, Moretti chose FAU.
Shooting Guard
Jakel Powell (6-5, 174 lbs) and Devin Vanterpool (6-3, 170) are 2 of the 3 returning players from last year’s team. Both were highly recruited coming out of high school and both redshirted last season. Former FAU HC Dusty May said, “They’re both great, Jakel is developing well and playing roles of other players on different teams in practice, and Devin is more like Johnell (Davis) and Alijah (Martin) where he’s ready to get in games.”
Ken Evans Jr. (6-5, 201 lbs) was a late but important add to the Owls’ 2024-2025 roster. FAU outmaneuvered Texas Tech and Kentucky to land the Jackson State transfer. Last season Evans was outstanding averaging 18.8 PTS, 5.4 REB, and 2.9 AST on 40.4% shooting and 39.2% from three. He earned SWAC player of the year, First Team All SWAC, and led the SWAC conference in scoring.
Forward
Kaleb Glenn (6-6, 205) joins the Owls after one season at Louisville. Glenn was a highly recruited 4 star prospect out of high school and chose his hometown Louisville Cardinals over several Power 5 schools. In his freshman season with the Cardinals he averaged 3.9 PTS and 3.6 REB. Glenn is a versatile wing who does several things well.
Amar Diop (6-7, 198 lbs) from Senegal has a nice perimeter game and plays bigger than his size as he has a 7-3 wingspan. In three games in the Basketball Africa League, Diop averaged 13 points shooting 38.9% from three.
Maximilian Langenfeld (6-6, 196 lbs) is a 20 year old from Germany. He has played overseas where he has demonstrated his ability to score including a 43 point outburst in a game last season. Look for Langerfeld to hit a lot of big jumpers this season.
Tre Caroll (6-7, 230 lbs) is the only returning Owl who saw playing time last season. Caroll brings good size, perimeter shooting, and excellent defending. He averaged 4.0 PTS, and 1.8 REB last season and he has the intangible of having been to a Final Four.
Baba Miller (6-11, 204 lbs) grew up in Mallorca Spain and is transferring to paradise from Florida State. Last season Miller averaged 7.6 PTS, 4.9 REB, and 1.4 AST on 44.9% shooting and was one of 44 players invited to participate in the G league combine. He was targeted by several schools in the portal but after taking two visits to FAU he chose the Owls. Expect Miller to be a focus of the offense in the paint where he will get easy buckets and draw fouls.
Center
Matas Vokietaitis (7-0, 232 lbs) is a center from Lithuania. He is coming off his best season with Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania’s second division. He averaged 12.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 0.8 APG. Vokietaitis recently competed for Lithuania in the U20 FIBA World Cup where he averaged 14.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG.
Matas Kocanas (6-11, 210 lbs) also joins FAU from Lithuania. He has played with Vokietaitis in the past. He has a career average 9.6 PTS, 4.9 REB, and 0.9 BLK. In the U20 FIBA World Cup with Lithuania he averaged 10.1 PTS and 5.2 REB
Coach Jakus and the FAU coaching staff did an excellent job in the transfer portal. They landed some of the top talent and utilized their international connections well, building a deep roster. Owls fans can expect a very competitive team this year. The big question will remain, can FAU get back to their third straight March Madness appearance?