TAAC report

SportsLine.com Report
April 15, 2000

Poor FAU.

In Sidney Green's first season at the helm of a Division I program, the Owls managed only one win over Division I competition, and had to wait all the way until the TAAC Tournament in March to get it.

The season was a disaster for Florida Atlantic, which managed only a close victory over NAIA member Nova Southeastern during the regular season, and lost every conference game -- nearly all of them convincingly.

The Owls finished the regular season at 2-28, winning their only games on the first day of both December and March, with lots of losses in between. Among its non-conference schedule, the Owls lost by 18 points or more to every team they faced, which included Bethune-Cookman, Fresno State, Creighton, Hawaii, South Florida, Miami, and Green's alma mater, UNLV.

Despite the woeful season, Green's team never did give up, and did show signs of improvement. The Owls were extremely young, with only one senior and four freshmen seeing significant playing time.

The team's lone senior, shooting guard Ryan Hercek, finished the season as the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers made, and often carried the Owl offense with his stroke from the perimeter.

Of the freshmen, forward/center Marques Williams was the most polished, leading the team in scoring during conference play and led the team in rebounding for all games.

Frank Baxley, Motiejus Reimeris, and Emmett Murphy are all a part of the team's future, but have a lot of growing up to do, something their painful first seasons will aid them in.

A glance at 2001

Frankly, nothing could be worse than the 2000 season, where the Owls plummeted to the bottom of the RPI rankings for all of Division I.

There is a bright spot. South Florida transfer Raheim Brown comes over to help solidify the frontcourt. Brown, a 6-foot-10 forward, was ranked among the top 100 players in the country when he was playing for Colonial HS in Orlando, and started for the injured Scott Johnson during his freshman year at USF.

Together with Williams, Brown will elevate the Owl post attack to among the best in the TAAC. The backcourt will feature point guards Murphy and Tim Griesser, who both return, but will have to cut down on costly turnovers for FAU to make any significant improvements.

The Coach

Green survived a season he described as "the worst I have ever experienced, either as a coach or as a player." As discouraging as the tumultuous season was, Green is even more adamant about his desire to turn the program around.

"I am more committed to FAU than ever," says Green, who agreed when he signed on at FAU last year to stay until the end of 2004-5 season. "I've got unfinished business to take care of."

The university is standing behind Green.

"We have confidence in him," says FAU President Anthony James Catanese. "He is a man whose life is based on high ethics and hard work, and we know he has the ability to develop a successful program. It takes more than one season for a coach to make real team-building progress."

Year two should definitely be better than the first, but that's not saying much.

Who'll Be Back

Griesser and Murphy will be back to split the point guard duties, with Murphy the likely starter despite leading the TAAC in turnovers while coming off the bench half the time. Tony Lee, an athletic swingman, may play at the off guard this year, with Darius Skeete, Baxley, and Reimeris are also all interchangeable between the two and three. Backup big man Robert Peterkin, a former Rice transfer, is also back.

Who's Gone

Hercek will be missed. He was not afraid to take the big shot and make things happen when the offense got stagnant. The only four year player who carried over from the Kevin Billerman era, Hercek helped mask the blowouts, if only a little.

Key Newcomers

Transfer students Brown and Nick Neumann, who under NCAA regulations had to sit out the 1999-2000 season, will finally get their chance to play. Brown is the centerpiece and will be an impact player.

Neumann, a 7-foot center, came to FAU from Binghamton University, where he scored a season-high 18 points in 1998-99 and led the team with 19 blocks. Green's not done making additions either.

"I'm confident that we'll land a promising recruiting class and that they will respond well to my up-tempo coaching style," Green said.