Florida Atlantic Basketball

Florida Atlantic University celebrated the Men’s Basketball team's historic season with the first ever awards banquet on May 1st, at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Delray Beach.

Owls Head Coach Mike Jarvis addressed a crowd of approximately 100 people, discussing the accomplishments of a truly special season. The crowd in attendance was also treated to a season rewind of audio highlights, courtesy of ESPN 760's Ken LaVicka.

The team received watches in honor of their NIT bid.

Coach Jarvis concluded the night by handing out individual player awards.

Here are how the awards panned out:

• Defensive Player of the Year: Brett Royster
• Most Improved Award: Jordan McCoy
• Scholar-Athlete Award: Justin Davis
• Sixth Man of the Year Award: Alex Tucker
• Newcomer of the Year: Dennis Mavin
• Unsung Hero Award: Greg Gantt
• Pastor Dave Nicholas Spirit Award: Head manager Diego Torres
• MVP: Raymond Taylor

Jarvis also told the crowd that a home game against Miami could be on the schedule for 2011.

According to Jarvis, the paperwork has been sent to Miami and is ready to be signed. Keep in mind this deal happened prior to the Hurricanes hiring Larranaga as its new head coach so nothing is definite at this point.

The game, according to FAUOwlAccess.com, would likely be played on-campus on Dec. 3, making it FAU's first on-campus football-basketball doubleheader. FAU football hosts Louisiana-Monroe that same day.

“For FAU to get Miami to come and play us is huge,” Jarvis said. “They have the contract. Hopefully they will sign it and send it back this week.”

The 2010 Owls set the precedent for future FAU basketball teams with a 19-4 regular season, which included the Sun Belt Regular Season Championship and the program’s first ever berth to an NIT game, which they lost to Miami.

With FAU returning four starters next season, the future looks bright for this ball club.

Mike Jarvis went into the 2009-10 season looking to improve on a dismal year before in which FAU went 6-26 and 2-16 in conference. He did just that.

Despite getting bounced out in the first round of the Sun belt Tournament after losing to South Alabama 52-51 Saturday night, the Owls have much to look forward to in the upcoming seasons.

Thanks to newcomers Ray Taylor and Greg Gantt, FAU finished with a 14-16 record and controlled their own destiny at the end of the season for a first round bye. The fantastic freshmen played in all 30 games this season with Gantt averaging 15.6 points per game and 14.2 for Taylor. Taylor was 12th in the nation with 5.9 assists per game. Both also received All-Conference Third Team honors.

The Owls will also bring back Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Brett Royster. The junior only averaged 10 points per game but was a force inside with 7.4 rebounds and three blocks per game.

The season took a different turn when sophmore Alex Tucker was re-inserted back into the lineup. The incumbent starting point guard came off of the bench for the first portion of the year but was but back in with the starters and the Owls soared. He also will be back to guard the opposing teams best player.

Other freshmen had solid contributions. Jordan McCoy and DeMonte Simpson both received solid playing time and averaging over 4 points a game.

FAU lacked any senior leadership on this squad, in fact there were no seniors on this years team. But going after lesser-recruited players means that there is less of a chance of them going pro after only one or two years. This gives this core group of freshmen a great opportunity to to play and grow together of the next few years.

If Jarvis can continue to recruit his type of players to FAU and build on this past seasons success, look for the Owls to be dancing in March in no time.

Mike Jarvis has done it three times before and he can do it again.

Florida Atlantic’s basketball team enters February with the goal of winning the Sun-Belt Conference Tournament and making it to the NCAA Tournament.

Many outsiders not around Sun-Belt basketball would think this task is almost impossible for a program that was 6-26 (2-16) last season. However, Mike Jarvis has put his young Owls in prime position to make a run into March Madness. FAU as of Tuesday is 12-10 (8-3) and riding a five-game win streak and is 7-1 in its last eight games.

Youth has been the key for Jarvis as the current lineup includes two freshman guards, Ray Taylor and Greg Gantt. Both Taylor and Gantt average over 30 minutes a game and have been steady staples to produce points and run a fast paced attack that likes to transition and shoot the three. Taylor is tied for third in the nation with 6.4 assists per game, while Gantt is averaging 15.8 points-per-game and shooting an impressive 40.4 percent from behind the arc.

Along with the freshman guard duo, Jarvis is using two other freshmen off the bench. Forward Jordan McCoy and Center DeMonte Simpson had been part of the starting lineups throughout the season but have found roles as bench players coming in for relief of the starters. The other starters include junior forward Brett Royster, junior guard Sanchez Hughley and sophomore guard Alex Tucker.

Every player has gelled in their new role which has allowed for the recent success of the team. Tucker, who was a starter all of last season now has to split point guard duties with the freshman Taylor, but that has given Tucker the opportunity to pass and move the ball better. Tucker finished with an FAU record 16 assists in last Saturday’s blowout win over rival Florida International.

Many players, including Tucker, have stated they have never seen such a buzz going around the team and they want to continue the chemistry through the conference tournament. The goal for the conference tournament has to be to get a first round bye, which is awarded to the top three teams in the Sun Belt. As of today, FAU would be sitting with a first round bye, but that can’t be taken for granted as it still has tough games ahead.

A two-game road trip this weekend to North Texas and Denver will be one of the most difficult tests for the young team. Having already played games at basketball power-houses Georgia and Maryland, Jarvis’ team is seeing the benefit of playing a difficult out-of-conference schedule. Going 1-1 this weekend would be very acceptable, but fans should get really excited if the Owls can grind both games out.

Following the road trip, FAU finishes with games at FIU and Troy and hosts Louisiana, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State. Mike Jarvis should have the team fired up to finish strong, as the Owls could have a chance to finish as Sun-Belt East Regular Season Champions. A Sun-Belt East Championship will give FAU a first round bye and put them only 3-wins away from Jarvis taking his fourth different program to the NCAA Tournament.

If you’ve heard of Raymond Taylor then congratulations, you already know what I’m talking about.

Florida Atlantic’s point guard is one of the most exciting college basketball players to watch. He is listed at 5-foot-6, but is closer to 5-foot-4, and ever since he put on an FAU uniform, he's been the best player on their team.

He looks like he doesn’t belong on the same court as his teammates and not just because he looks more like a third grader than freshman in college. It’s because he’s better than everyone else. It’s as if FAU had somehow landed a five-star recruit and sets up the entire offense for him to make plays.

Through 10 games this season for the Owls, Taylor is carrying the team scoring 18.2 points per game and dishing out 6.3 assists each contest.

In a triple-overtime, 106-99 victory over Warner Southern, Taylor played 43 minutes and scored 25 points with seven assists, while making 16-of-18 free throw attempts.

He’s even helped achieve a milestone already for Mike Jarvis’ young program by winning their first-ever road game in the Sunbelt conference.

Over his last four games, Taylor is averaging 22.8 points, six assists, and two steals.

He’s not just doing this against lesser competition either. In FAU’s last game against the University of Miami in the Orange Bowl Classic, Taylor was clearly the best player on the floor for either team as he single-handedly kept the Owls from getting blown out by throwing up 23 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

He also nearly made three Miami players fall in the open floor before the Hurricanes learned their lesson and decided to just let Taylor go by them instead of embarrassing themselves any further.

I first saw little Ray embarrassing his opponents in Lakeland, Fla. back in 2007 when he played in the class 4A state championship for Monsignor Pace. He was only a sophomore back then (and probably shorter than he is now) playing alongside University of Florida sophomore Ray Shipman and Louisville freshman Rakeem Buckles.

While Shipman and Buckles were the more sought after recruits, it was Taylor who stole the show with an unlimited amount of highlights leading his team to a 77-58 win and earning all-tournament honors.

I fell in love.

Taylor finished out his high school career transferring to American Heritage in Plantation and playing with Florida signees Kenny Boynton and Eloy Vargas. He also played for the best AAU team (Team Breakdown) in the country that won two national championships and consisted of Boynton, UCF’s Keith Clanton and the No. 1 ranked player by Rivals in the class of 2010, Brandon Knight.

While the world of basketball will see and has seen hundreds of players like Boynton and Knight through the years, there is only one Raymond Taylor.

The best part about Taylor is that he is unique. While it may seem easy to be original when you’re a 5-foot-4 point guard playing college basketball, he does it in a different way than the rest.

In an era where young basketball players are becoming more and more alike with the number of basketball camps and clinics across that country that are molding everyone into the same generic shape, Taylor has separated from the pack.

He’s not just little, fast and strong. When he makes plays they have a Gretzky-like feel to them, that he is two or three moves ahead of his opponent. He’s averaging 6.3 assists per game but could be getting closer to 10 if he played for a better team where his teammates could catch and finish all the brilliant passes he throws.

He is able to shoot and make a lot of three-pointers but it takes a little extra effort in his case. He still basically shoots from the hip so instead of just rising up from a triple threat position to shoot a jump shot, he has to assemble a barrage of quick dribble moves ending with a jab and step back to create space to get off his shot.

On defense, he doesn’t just get low and stay in front of the man he is guarding. That’s not enough because he’s too short so instead, he pressures full court circling his man like a cyclone and frustrating them into turnovers without tiring himself out.

When you see him play, he immediately becomes your favorite player, I don’t care who you are. He’s that exciting and that good and that tiny that you will never stop questioning your eyes or chuckling with delight as he blazes past taller opponents on his way to dropping 20 in your face every night.

Read the full article here: The Sports Genius.

Photo courtesy of www.fauowlsnest.com.

Back in January I wrote an article entitled “Knicks Represent Decline of a Culture in New York City,” which documented what has become of the once mighty New York hoops scene.

The two men I held responsible in that article were Mike Jarvis and Isiah Thomas, who ruined St. John’s and the Knicks respectively.

These are two men who I never thought would work in basketball ever again. Unfortunately for people who care about basketball (unless you have a twisted sense of humor like me, then it’s hysterical) two athletic directors at rival Florida universities weren’t paying attention.

That’s right, Mike Jarvis and Isiah Thomas will be pacing the sidelines in a division one rivalry game; coaching Florida Atlantic and Florida International respectively.

Back in December, I wrote about the illustrious Mike Jarvis era at St. John’s. Dr. Mike left halfway through the 2004 season and the program has never been the same.

St. John’s is now an afterthought in the Big East. Games against UConn, that used to sell out the 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden, now attract crowds of under 8,000 fans.

Norm Roberts, the current coach of St. John’s is still picking up the pieces five years later.

One of Mike Jarvis’ shortcomings was his reluctance to actively recruit. Jarvis just wasn’t a very good salesman, he felt the program sold itself.

On the other end of the spectrum, Isiah Thomas is nothing more than a salesman.

He was able to sell the Knicks' management on keeping him around for four and a half years as he wrote the manual on how not to run an NBA team. The Knicks never finished better than 39-43 with Isiah at the helm.

Isiah’s gaffs with the Knicks have been well documented. The Eddy Curry trade, the Steve Francis trade, the Jerome James signing, the sexual harassment lawsuit, the list is seemingly endless. And this is just with the Knicks.

This is the same man who, since he finished playing, failed as a broadcaster, took the job as commissioner of the CBA and ran them into chapter 11, failed as a GM with the Raptors, and failed as a coach with the Pacers.

That brings us to this upcoming season, where Florida Atlantic and Florida International will face off twice a year in the Sun Belt conference. It will be just like Duke-UNC, except the opposite.

What if you’re a New York kid that projects as a mid-major prospect and these two clowns are trying to recruit you? Does Isiah try to sell you on the chance to stick it to Jarvis? If Jarvis actually recruited would he sell the kid on sticking it to Isiah?

If either the MSG network or SNY has a sense of humor (YES certainly doesn’t have a sense of humor), these two games will be shown in 3D so New Yorkers can pretend to strike Thomas and Jarvis when they come into the picture.

We already watched these two ruin the game in New York, you might as well give us the perverse enjoyment of watching them ruin it somewhere else.

Dear Florida Atlantic Basketball Fans,

It appears to all of us in the Big East conference that you guys have a nice little program down there in Boca Raton. Hell you even made an NCAA tournament in 2002. You have been playing division one basketball for 16 years and you have a conference title, that doesn't happen to everyone, ask Northwestern.

Unfortunately, you just hired the black sheep of our tight knit basketball family as your head coach and he is about to set your program back 17 years.

One could argue that no one man has done more damage to Big East basketball than Mike Jarvis. At first, Doctor Mike had us all fooled. He became the head coach of St. John's back in 1998 after the University fired Fran Fraschilla after Fran decided to whip it out during halftime when he was screaming and yelling at his players.

Doctor Mike was lucky enough to inherit a roster that was absolutely loaded with talent as three players from that team, most notably Ron Artest, would go on to play in the NBA. In his first year Dr. Mike brought the team to the Elite Eight where they ran into a hot Ohio State team and fell just short of the Final Four.

The next season Dr. Mike still had us led to believe he could coach as the team won the Big East tournament. After that season though, all of the talent Dr. Mike inherited left for one reason or another.

The next three and a half seasons, when Dr. Mike had to bring in his own players, St. John's fans were treated to fantastically uninspired basketball. Frankly, who could blame the players when you had a coach who felt he was too good to actively recruit, could never develop a big man and could never manage time outs. Doctor Mike's finest work came in 2003 up at Boston College.

Down by two points in the final seconds with an inbounds pass under the opposing basket, the Johnies had to burn their final two timeouts because nobody was open to receive the pass.

What struck me was both times the players were lined up the same way and moved in the exact same pattern. Surely on the third try they would have to mix it up a bit. Of course, they didn't and the result was a five seconds violation.

Boston College went on to win the game. It was vintage Jarvis. Why strategize during a time out when you have 60 seconds to yell at the refs? It was no wonder that Dr. Mike was close with Herm Edwards when Herm coached the Jets. Come to think of it, they're the exact same coach, just different sports.

When Jarvis finally resigned halfway though the 03-04 season the damage was striking. St. John's was now a doormat and attendance was half of what it was when Jarvis started. Local recruits no longer even considered St. John's as schools like Villanova and Pittsburgh became wildly successful with New York City kids. The same kids used to take a good look at St. John's before looking at any other school in the Big East.

In fact, Mike Jarvis did irrefutable harm to St. John's reputation with the local high school basketball programs, in particular the high powered New York City Catholic League.

Dr. Mike's philosophy was that recruits should come to him because it was an honor and privilege to be able to play for St. John's. One Catholic League Coach who had a number of major college prospects stated that Dr. Mike never stepped foot inside his gym during his tenure at St. John's.

Former Pitt guard Carl Krauser used to circle the St. John's game on his calendar because he took the way Jarvis recruited him personally. As hard as current Red Storm coach Norm Roberts has tried to rebuild the bridges to the local high schools, city prospects are still leaving the city for greener pastures.

Surely, after his coaching tenure at St. John's this man would no longer be allowed to associate himself with college basketball, much less the Big East. Somehow this was not the case as Dr. Mike was allowed to become a prominent color commentator for the Big East broadcasts.

If we thought that Dr. Mike had no idea what he was doing as a coach, it was confirmed once he started announcing. Ever since he left St. John's, Dr. Mike has delighted us with his inability to understand simple coaching strategies and his utter inability to ever tell us anything we did not already know. Dr. Mike provided us with insight alright, insight into why he was such an abject failure with St. John's.

This season Christmas came early for Big East fans as Mike Jarvis got the job at Florida Atlantic. It will be the first time since March of 1998 that Big East basketball is Mike Jarvis free.

Unfortunately now, you, the good people of Florida Atlantic must now deal with the problem that has plagued the Big East for the past decade. The best advice I can give you Owl fans is learn to take your own team with a grain of salt and laugh at the decline of your program. If you are unable to do that then maybe you might want to pillage your athletic offices; that would work as well.

                                                                    Best of Luck,

                                                                    Paul Sievers