New coach. New faces. More needed, at least for practice purposes.”We’re looking for a guard and a big man to practice with the team,” Coach Mike Jarvis confirms.With that in consideration, the men’s basketball team held its first tryout under the Jarvis regime on Sunday, Oct. 19.Twenty-one prospects made it out of bed for the 8:30 a.m. tryout, which was conducted by assistant coach Matt McCall. However, only 18 participated, because three did not complete the necessary paperwork.The hopefuls ranged from freshmen to fifth-year seniors, from 5’8″ prospective guards to 6’8″ post players. Something most, if not all, players who showed up were not aware of was that fact that they were trying out to practice, as opposed to trying out for the actual roster. “We’re actually looking for somebody to practice,” Jarvis says. “If a player gets called, he is only getting called to practice. If he looks good in practice, we will then evaluate whether we will add him to the home roster or [traveling squad].”That was probably the last thing on any of the participants’ minds as they began the activities with a warmup jog up and down the court. A series of calisthenics followed before the action began.The basketball session of the tryouts began with a series of rather basic half-court drills, such as layup drills, right hand layup drills and other similar exercises. The coaches used these drills to evaluate the prospects’ grasp of the game’s fundamentals such as ball handling skills and mid-range shots. Players were even allowed to dunk to display their raw athleticism. After the fundamentals were demostrated, it was time for the players to show off their actual ability to play the sport. The players were lined up and told to count themselves off up to six. Three teams of six were formed to set up a series of “shirts vs. skins” five-on-five matchups. Each team had a sixth person subbing in and out at the team’s discretion. It was during these five-minute matchups that it became clear who actually had a shot at getting that call and who should have just stayed home. The play was sloppy at times as players attempted to stand out – even if it meant playing with reckless abandon or absurd selfishness.It was apparent who had a true grasp of the game. A select few players did keep their cool amidst the chaos going around them, played a controlled basketball game and attempted to keep their teams under control. The tryouts concluded with a series of one-on-one drills followed by a speech by Coach Jarvis addressing the players. One thing that was noticeable to those who had tried out for the team in previous years was the absence of any significant running activities.”I was so glad we didn’t have to run those two miles,” says Chris Coleman, a fifth-year senior who tried out for the second time.Coleman was referring to the mandatory two mile run that prospects had to complete in 12 minutes or less in order to be considered for the squad.When asked why there was no such running, Coach Jarvis simply said he didn’t know what the coaches in the past did. Jarvis, however, was relatively pleased with what he saw, saying, “[The quality of athletes] was about what you would get at any tryout.”Neither Coach Jarvis nor McCall would comment on any specific player. McCall said only that “Any player they chose would get a call by Monday or Tuesday [Oct. 20 or 21].” In the end, on Oct. 21, it was Coleman who got the call to be a part of the team’s action. He began participating in practices on Oct. 23 and suited up for the team’s Nov. 6 exhibition against Lynn.
FAU defeated Lynn 73-69 in the exhibition opener for both teams? 1,292 fans attended; larger than any regular season crowd last year.? Carderro Nwoji made a three-pointer on the game’s first shot and finished the game with four three’s.? FAU played man-to-man defense the entire game.? FAU shot 16-31 from the free throw line, Jarvis says “It was awful. It gives us the something to work on.” LU shot 13-20 from free throw line? FAU led by 15 with 4:59 left in the first half, LU led by 3 with 3:13 left in game? Xavier Perkins cut through the lane for a wide open dunk on an assist from Carlos Monroe in the first half? FAU high scorers: Monroe 21 pts, Perkins 18 pts. LU high scorers: Chris Hall 18 pts, Randy Jones 15 pts. ? Perkins had a banged up knee and tweaked it toward the end of the game. He says, “It’s a day to day process. I’m doing my treatment. I’ll be back at 100 percent soon.”? Perkins hit two free throws with 13 seconds left. Monroe grabbed the rebound, then was immediately fouled.
