Florida Atlantic Owls men's basketball

The Florida Atlantic Owls basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

team represents Florida Atlantic University

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...

, a mid-major

Mid-major

Mid-major is a term used in American Division I college sports, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the major six conferences...

NCAA Division I college basketball

College basketball

team, that currently competes in the Sun Belt Conference

Sun Belt Conference

The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...

Overview and history

Florida Atlantic University basketball began play in the 1988-89 season. The Owls competed as an NCAA Division II independent until the 1993-94 season, when they moved up to Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference

Atlantic Sun Conference

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...

. After spending 11 seasons in the Atlantic Sun, the Owls moved to the Sun Belt Conference

Sun Belt Conference

, with the rest of Florida Atlantic University's intercollegiate sports teams.

Beginning: FAU gets basketball (1988–1993)

Florida Atlantic University played its first-ever intercollegiate basketball contest on November 18, 1988, against fellow local Division II school, Palm Beach Atlantic University

Palm Beach Atlantic University

Palm Beach Atlantic University is a comprehensive nondenominational faith-based university with a core emphasis on character formation by integrating a Christian worldview with the liberal arts and selected professional studies...

. The Owls won the game 111-62. Even though the newly-formed college squad hung an impressive 111 points in their first game, they would finish the inaugural season 9-19, which included a 12-game losing streak in the middle of the year. Head coach, Lonnie Williams, was known to be a "program-builder" and, sticking to his nickname, left FAU after its first season to start another program at the University of California-Davis.

Replacing Williams was Penn State assistant coach, Tim Loomis. Loomis started his coaching career with a 21-7 record, and followed that up with back-to-back 15-13 seasons. The three consecutive winning seasons is a feat that no other Owls coach has ever matched. Along with the winning seasons, Loomis was able to schedule games against neighbor and powerhouse, University of Miami Hurricanes

University of Miami

The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

. Though Miami would beat the Owls soundly in the appearances, the ability to schedule games against them was seen as the Owls basketball program's growth. Loomis would lose the core of that inaugural team after the Owls' fourth season, and the Owls would suffer devastating 3-24 (1992–93) and 3-25 (1993–94) seasons the latter being their first official year as Division One. The members of these teams were true pioneers and super fundraisers for the athletic department as they hit the road to play teams like Florida State, Georgetown, and Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball

The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.-Johnny Orr era :...

while taking large paydays and suffering losses to higher ranked (#10 Georgetown) opponents. In fact, Loomis' team beat NC State

NC State Wolfpack men's basketball

The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Wolfpack currently competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference, of which it was a founding member....

on the road in 1993-94 to become the first Atlantic Sun

Atlantic Sun Conference

team to ever beat an ACC

Atlantic Coast Conference

The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

team at the time.

Move to Division I (1993–2005)

The 1993-94 season would mark the beginning of the Owls competition in the NCAA's Division I. The Owls joined the Atlantic Sun Conference

Atlantic Sun Conference

later, mostly due to the fact that the Owls baseball

Florida Atlantic Owls baseball

The Florida Atlantic Owls are the college baseball team of Florida Atlantic University which plays its home games at FAU Baseball Stadium.Fielding its first team in 1981, the Florida Atlantic University baseball team has experienced frequent success, shared respect from other baseball teams...

team was exceeding expectations so early in its development. In 1994-95, the team improved to 9-19 while in Loomis' last year. The team repeated that win total in 1995-96 under new coach Kevin Billerman but showed improvement by taking South Florida, Saint Louis, and Southern Illinois to end of the game last possession close road losses while winning two conference games to end the season. Former Duke Blue Devil

Duke Blue Devils

Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry...

captain and leader, Kevin Billerman, was hired to further lead the Owls into Division I; his second season produced the most wins of any Division One FAU men's basketball coach up to that point. Due to NCAA's rule, the Owls were not eligible to be full members of the Atlantic Sun for four years, and officially began competition on the Division I level in the 1993-94 season. In Billerman's four seasons, the Owls had two 20+ loss seasons (his last two) and only one winning season (his second).

For the 1999-00 season, FAU hired decorated UNLV All-America

All-America

An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...

n forward/center

Center (basketball)

The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

and NBA first-round draft pick, Sidney Green. In his first season, Green's Owls went 2-28, with a 25-game losing streak in the middle of the season. In each of his first and second seasons, the Owls would win their opening round game in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, but would lose in the second round.

2001-02 season: A-Sun champions

During the 2001-02 season, Green would lead the Owls to his only winning season, as FAU finished 19-12 and 13-7 in the Atlantic Sun. In the first-round of the 2002 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, FAU would again win their opening game, this time defeating Jacksonville University

Jacksonville University

Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...

. The Owls would break their second-round losing tradition, beating Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville State University is a regional public coeducational university located in Jacksonville, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and...

. In the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, the Owls faced Georgia State University

Georgia State University

Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...

and won 76-75, clinching their first and only conference championship and a bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

In the 2002 NCAA tournament

2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia...

, the Owls were seeded as a 15-seed, and placed in the South Region, and were paired with 2-seed University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

. Though the Owls hung tight throughout the game, heavily-favored Alabama held on to win 86-78.

Coaching carousel (2005–present)

Green was fired after the 2004-05 season and the Owls landed former NCAA Coach of the Year and Tar Heel Matt Doherty. Doherty led the Owls to a 15-13 record and then left abruptly to become the head coach at Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...

.

With the rapid success of the football program

Florida Atlantic Owls football

The Florida Atlantic Owls football team represents Florida Atlantic University, a mid-major NCAA Division I-A college football team, that competes in the Sun Belt Conference.-Overview and history:...

, created from scratch just in 2001, the Florida Atlantic sports programs again moved up in level of competition. This time, the Owls would move to the Sun Belt Conference

Sun Belt Conference

, and basketball played its first season of competition in the Sun Belt in the 2006-07 season. To replace Doherty, assistant coach and former Kansas Jayhawk

Kansas Jayhawks

The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...

star, Rex Walters

Rex Walters

-External links:...

, was elevated. In his first season, Walters' Owls were 16-15 and 10-8 in the Sun Belt. The 16-15 marked the first time FAU posted back-to-back winning seasons since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons. The 10-8 conference record was only the fourth time the Owls had a winning record in conference play. Walters' sophomore season regressed a bit, as FAU finished 15-18. After the 2007-08 season completed, Rex Walters accepted the head coaching job at the University of San Francisco

University of San Francisco

The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

, and for the third time in four years, the Owls were searching for a new coach.

FAU hired Mike Jarvis

Mike Jarvis

Mike Jarvis is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University. He has coached at Boston University, George Washington University and St. John's University. He also has worked as a commentator for college basketball games on ESPN...

as their new coach. Jarvis previously was the head coach at Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

, George Washington University

George Washington University

The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...

and, most recently, St. John's University. Between the three schools, Jarvis led his teams to nine total NCAA tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight

Elite Eight

The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...

appearance with St. John's in 1999. At FAU, he looks to become the first coach in NCAA basketball history to win 100 games at four different schools.

Head coaches

{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="75%"
!bgcolor="#003366"| Coach
!bgcolor="#003366"| Years
!bgcolor="#003366"| Seasons
!bgcolor="#003366"| Record
!bgcolor="#003366"| Percentage
!bgcolor="#003366"| Conf. Championships
!bgcolor="#003366"| Postseason
|-align="center"
| Lonnie Williams || 1988-89 || 1 || 9-19 || .321 || -- || --
|-align="center"
| Tim Loomis || 1989-95 || 5 || 68-97 || .412 || -- || --
|-align="center"
| Kevin Billerman || 1995-99 || 4 || 36-71 || .336 || -- || --
|-align="center"
| Sydney Green || 1999-05 || 6 || 54-121 || .309 || 1 (2002) || NCAA First Round (2002)

2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

|-align="center"
| Matt Doherty || 2005-06 || 1 || 15-13 || .536 || -- || --
|-align="center"
| Rex Walters || 2006-08 || 2 || 31-33 || .484 || -- || --
|-align="center"
| Mike Jarvis || 2008-pres. || 1 || 6-26 || .188 || 1 (2010) || NIT (2011)
|-
| colspan=1 bgcolor="#CE2029"| All-time
| colspan=1 bgcolor="#CE2029"| All-time
| colspan=1 bgcolor="#CE2029"| 20 seasons
| colspan=1 bgcolor="#CE2029"| 219-380
| colspan=1 bgcolor="#CE2029"| .366
| colspan=1 bgcolor="#CE2029"| 2 conf. championships
| colspan=1 bgcolor="#CE2029"| All-time
|-
|}

Current coaching staff

{| class="wikitable" width="70%"
! Name !! Current Title !! Joined
FAU !! Alma mater
|- align="center"
| Mike Jarvis

Mike Jarvis

|| Head Coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

|| 2008 || Northeastern

Northeastern University, Boston

Northeastern University , is a private, secular, coeducational research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Northeastern has eight colleges and offers undergraduate majors in 65 departments...

|- align="center"
| Mike Jarvis II || Associate Head Coach || 2008 || Boston

Boston University

|- align="center"
| Matt McCall || Assistant Coach || 2008 || Florida

University of Florida

The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

|- align="center"
| Tim Kaine || Assistant Coach || 2008 || Winthrop

Winthrop University

Winthrop University is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students. The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South...

|- align="center"
| Brian Berlingo || Head Team Manager || 2006 || Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic University

|- align="center"
| J.R. Fredette || Director of Basketball Operations || 2008 || Mount Ida College

Mount Ida College

Mount Ida College is a private college in Newton, Massachusetts offering professional undergraduate and graduate degrees.-History:The Mount Ida School for Girls was a private all-female high school founded in 1899 by George Franklin Jewett, named after the hill on which it was located in Newton...

|- align="center"
| Amy Fortney || Administrative Assistant || 2007 || Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

|- align="center"
|}

Current roster

{| class="wikitable" width="70%"
! No. !! Name !! Ht. !! Wt. !! Pos. !! Year !! Hometown (Last School)
|- align="center"
| 1 || Shavar Richardson || 6'-2" || 165 || G || So. || Brooklyn, NY (New Creations Christian Prep)
|- align="center"
| 3 || Chris Watson || 6'-6" || 210 || F || So. || Daytona Beach, FL (Lyman High

Lyman High School

Lyman High School is a public high school located in Longwood, Florida, a city located approximately 10 miles north of Orlando. The school, founded in 1924, has been consistently ranked among the best in the state by the Florida Department of Education. It was ranked by Newsweek as the 204th best...

)
|- align="center"
| 5 || Alex Tucker || 5'-11" || 160 || G || So. || San Pedro, CA (Summit College Prep)
|- align="center"
| 23 || Sanchez Hughley || 6'-4" || 225 || G || RS Jr. || Orlando, FL (Lyman High

Lyman High School

)
|- align="center"
| 40 || Brett Royster || 6'-8" || 220 || F || Jr. || Arlington, TX (James Martin High

Martin High School (Arlington, Texas)

James Martin High School is a secondary school serving grades 9-12 located in Arlington, Texas and is part of the Arlington Independent School District. The mascot of the school is the Warrior, and the school colors are black, red, and silver.-History:...

)
|- align="center"
| 55 || Justin Davis || 6'-10" || 240 || C || RS So. || Jacksonville, FL (Mercer University

Mercer University

Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...

)
|- align="center"
| || Greg Gantt|| 6'-3" || 195 || G || Fr. || Gainesville, FL (Gainesville High)
|- align="center"
| || Andre Mattison|| 6'-7" || 215 || F || Fr. || Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

(Coolidge High)
|- align="center"
| || Jordan McCoy|| 6'-6" || 205 || F || Fr. || Orlando, FL (Olympia High

Olympia High School (Florida)

Olympia High School was opened in the fall of 2001 in Orlando, Florida. The first principal was Dr. Janice Pratt, the second was Robert Avossa, and the current principal is Mrs. Jenny Gibson-Linkh. Olympia serves Windermere and Metro West areas as well as some Dr. Phillips area students...

)
|- align="center"
| || DeMonte Simpson || 6'-9" || 260 || F/C || Fr. || Miami Gardens, FL (Monsignor Pace High

Monsignor Edward Pace High School

Monsignor Edward Pace High School is a Catholic secondary school in Miami Gardens, Florida.It was named a Blue Ribbon School in 2002 and one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the country in 2004 and 2005 by the Catholic High School Honor Roll. Pace is member of the National Catholic...

)
|- align="center"
| || Darren Stewart|| 6'-4" || 200 || G/F || Fr. || Knoxville, TN (Bearden High

Bearden High School

Bearden High School is a Knox County, Tennessee, high school located in the Bearden area in the city of Knoxville.The school was founded in 1939. It was named for the family of Marcus De LaFayette Bearden, a farmer who served as a captain in the Union Army during the Civil War.The current building...

)
|- align="center"
| || Ray Taylor|| 5'-7" || 160 || G || Fr. || Plantation, FL (American Heritage School

American Heritage School (Florida)

American Heritage School is an American, private school located in the Plantation, Florida.-History:Founded by William R. Laurie in 1965. American Heritage, is modeled after Southern universities, in both its buildings and curriculum...

)
|}
^*Roster is for the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

NCAA Tournament results

{| class="wikitable" width="55%"
! Year !! Seed !! Result !! First Round
|-
| 2002

2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

|| 15 || First Round || lost to #2 Alabama, 86–78
|}

NIT results

{| class="wikitable" width="55%"
! Year !! Seed !! Result !! First Round
|-
| 2011

2011 National Invitation Tournament

-Colorado bracket:-Boston College bracket:-Virginia Tech bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:* 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...

|| 7 || First Round || lost to #2 Miami (FL), 85–62
|}

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