The high flyer

By Nick Ippolitto

FAU point guard Stefan Moody is 5-foot-10 but he dunks like he’s 6-foot-10.

Ask Moody how he does it, though, and he won’t give you an answer as loud as one of his slams.

“It just feels normal,” Moody said nonchalantly about what it’s like to soar through the air at his height.

Over the summer, during the Fab 48 Tournament in the AAU league, Moody demonstrated his uncanny dunking ability by slamming on an opposing player who was a towering 6-foot-10.

Moody detailed his routine he goes through with every dunk.

”I usually come off, planting my left foot, and having my right foot plant at an angle,” Moody said. “I bend down with both knees. It’s like a leap.“

Because of Moody’s athleticism, the game can come effortless to him at times, but usually he lets the situation dictate what type of dunk he performs.

“In the game I keep it simple — two hands. I’ve done a windmill in a game last year. It depends on what angle I’m coming from,” Moody said. “Also it depends on the situation. If it’s late in the game and I’m tired, I’ll keep it simple.”

To Moody, there’s no scenario where he’s intimidated to go up for a dunk.

“Nah, I don’t care,” Moody said. “It don’t matter.”

The shot-swatter

By Rolando Rosa

6-foot-6 Owls forward Kelvin Penn prides himself on his ability to be the bailout man on the team. Blocking shots is the sophomore’s standout skills.

“Basically, if I see that my teammate has gotten beat, it depends especially where the ball is though, coming down, especially from like the wing area, and I feel like I can come over and get it,” Penn said, “I’m going to come over and pretty much tag the ball.”

Last year, as a freshman, Penn blocked a team-high 42 shots, averaging 1.5 in only 19 minutes per game. He credits his patience and basketball IQ for his ability to block so many shots.

“You’ve got to have great timing. You also have to be smart. You can’t go for every shot,” Penn said. “Sometimes it’s better just to put your hands up. [But] other times when you know you have it, then just go up and get it.”

Penn says blocking shots has always come natural to him, even though he’s an undersized power forward. He enjoys the challenge of competing against larger guys and holding his own.

With a virtually-brand new cast of players, FAU now has a bunch of freshman high-flyers on the team. That isn’t stopping Penn from poking fun at his teammates. He looks around the court and realizes something.

“I think at one point in time I’ve blocked everybody’s shot in here,” Penn said. “I’m almost positive.”

The sharp shooter

By Bryant Ing

In an attempt to educate me about the art of shooting, Owls senior guard Gantt walked me through the mechanics.

First, a shooter’s feet should be shoulder length apart and pointed at the basket.

The knees, Gantt explained, should be bent in an athletic position, cocked like a gun ready to fire.

He specifically explained that when a player shoots, their center of gravity should land in front of where their feet were originally placed, not in the same place or behind.

Lastly, Gantt’s head and eyes were always focused on the basket; according to Gantt concentration isn’t just a matter of mechanics.

“Shooting is … 40 percent mechanics and the rest mental,” Gantt said. “Sometimes your mechanics don’t even matter”.

According to Gantt, confidence is paramount to jump shooting. Gantt contends that if a shooter believes they are going to miss a shot, the mechanical margin of error expands tremendously.

“If I have a doubt in my mind that I’m gonna miss a shot,” Gantt said. “Then the odds are the ball is gonna roll in and roll out.”

Gantt’s mastery of the art of shooting, both technically and psychologically, have brought him within 265 points of FAU’s all-time scoring record, but at this stage of his career he cares more about victories than numbers.

“I’m more concerned about winning another championship.”, Gantt said in reference to FAU’s regular season Sun Belt Conference championship two years ago.