FORT MYERS, Fla. – Winners of 18 in a row and owners of the second best record in the country, the No. 2 Florida SouthWestern State College men’s basketball saw head coach Marty Richter and five student-athletes receive postseason accolades.
Coach Richter and sophomore Tremell Murphy were named Suncoast Conference Coach and Player of the Year, respectively. FSW was also represented on the Suncoast Conference’s First Team by Murphy and sophomores Anthony Murphy, ShanQuan Hemphill and Tyler Cheese. The Purple and Aqua also garnered four Second Team selections as sophomore Russell Daniels and freshmen Charles Manning Jr., Tra’Von Fagan and Maddox Daniels were named to the squad.
Along with Suncoast Conference awards, one Buccaneer student-athlete earned an All-State/All-Region selection as Tremell Murphy picked up an NJCAA All-Region VIII/FCSAA All-State nod.
Under the leadership of head coach Marty Richter, the Purple and Aqua, the No. 2 team in all of NJCAA, finished the 2017-18 regular season 28-1 overall record (12-0 Suncoast Conference). The Buccaneers, ranked No. 2 in the final NJCAA Region 8 Coaches’ Poll, earned the program’s first Suncoast Conference championship and secured their second consecutive berth to the NJCAA District VIII Championship. The Bucs also went undefeated at home (18-0) during the regular season and are one of two schools in the state with both its men’s and women’s basketball teams represented in the State Tournament (Eastern Florida).
As a team, FSW leads the nation in opponents’ field goal percentage (36.4 percent) but they also rank in the top 25 nationally in multiple categories, including blocks per game (7.1; 4th), assists per game (21.3, 6th), steals per game (10.9, 10th), defensive rebounds per game (32.1, 10th), field goal percentage (51.5 percent, 12th), opponents’ three-point field goal percentage (29.8 percent, 13th), points per game (92.2; 19th) and total points (2,675, 20th).
Tremell Murphy, a three-time Region 8 Player of the Week and two-time NJCAA National Player of the Week honoree, led the Bucs in scoring (16.7 points) and ranked second in rebounds (6.6). In conference play, the Griffith, Ind. native averaged 16.8 points and 7.6 boards, while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from behind the three-point line. A 2017 Suncoast Conference All-Conference First Team selection, who has a pair double-doubles on the season (eight in his collegiate career), has scored in double figures in 23 of the 24 games, including 15+ points on 16 occasions.
Anthony Murphy, a 2017 Suncoast Conference All-Conference First Team selection, has played in 15 games (10 starts) this season due to an injury sustained in the preseason. He’s averaging 11.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from long distance. The Griffith, Ind. native has scored in double figures 11 times this season, highlighted by a 22-point performance against SCF (Feb. 21) in the regular season finale.
Hemphill, a 2017 Suncoast Conference All-Conference Second Team selection, scored in double figures 23 times during the season, including scoring a career-high 29 points (14-of-22 shooting from the field) in a win over IMG (Jan. 5). Hemphill has recorded a pair of double-doubles this season and has pulled down 5+ boards on 19 occasions. The high-flying Gary, Ind. native ranks third on the team with 14.2 points per game and leads the team with a 61 percent shooting percentage, which also ranks 37th in the country.
Cheese ranks second on the team in scoring (14.7 points) and leads the team in assists (6.7 assists). His 6.7 assists per game are second-best in the stats and rank the 2017 Suncoast Conference All-Conference Second Team selection 13th in the nation. He has scored in double figures 18 times during the season, including scoring a career-high 40 points (13-of-26 shooting from the field and 13-of-15 from the charity stripe) against IMG (Jan. 5). The owner of the program’s first and only triple-double (vs. IMG on Jan. 5, 2018; 40 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists), Cheese has scored 721 points during his career at FSW.
Manning Jr. averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 54.7 percent from the floor, which ranked third on the team. During Suncoast Conference play, he averaged 12.9 points, 5.1 boards and shot 53.1 percent from the field. The Riverhead, N.Y. native scored in double figures 20 times this season, including a career-high 27 points in a win over St. Pete on Jan.13. Manning Jr. pulled down five or more boards on 17 occasions, with his career-high (10) coming on Jan. 13 against St. Petersburg.
A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Fagan averaged 10.0 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds, while shooting 58.2 percent from the floor, which ranked second on the team. Fagan has scored in double figures 17 times this season, including a career-high 24 points vs. Bryant & Stratton (Dec. 30). The NJCAA Region 8 Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 23 has recorded four double-doubles during his rookie campaign.
Russell Daniels leads the team and the state in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.7), which ranks him 16th in the nation. The Baton Rouge, La. native averages 4.8 points and 4.1 assists, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 46.8 from long distance. Daniels has scored in double figures four times this season, highlighted by a 19-point performance in an 86-69 win over then-No. 4 Tallahassee CC.
Maddox Daniels is shooting 41. 3 percent from long range on the season and he’s knocked down a team-high 50 triples to rank second on the team and 29th in the state. The Suwanee, Ga. product is averaging 9.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. Daniels scored in double figures 10 times, highlighted by his career-high 23-point performance at HCC on Jan. 10. The FSW sharp shooter has made a three-pointer in 21 of the 24 contests he’s played in and has 15 games where he knocked down multiple triples.
The FSW men's squad will return to action on Wednesday, March 7 (1 p.m.) against College of Central Florida (No. 2 seed from the Mid-Florida Conference) in the quarterfinals of 2018 FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men's Basketball Championship, while FSW women will start tournament play on Thursday, March 8 at (1 p.m.) and will also face the No. 2 team from the Mid-Florida Conference (Santa Fe). If the teams advance, they'll play on Friday (March 9) and possibly Saturday (March 10) for the State Championship.
FSW will charter a bus for each Buccaneer men's and women's game at the tournament. The cost of each trip is just $15 per person and does not include a ticket to the game. Tickets will be available in session (two games per session) or a full tournament pass. Session tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students, while Tournament Passes are $25 for adults and $15 for students. Kids 3 and under will be admitted free.
Fans wanting to sign up for the bus trip, should call (239) 489-9432. Spots are LIMITED and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis and in order to make each trip happen a minimum of 25 signups is needed.
2018 FSW POSTSEASON AWARD WINNERS
Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year: Marty Richter
Suncoast Conference Player of the Year: Tremell Murphy
NJCAA All-Region VIII/FCSAA All-State: Tremell Murphy
1st Team All-Suncoast Conference: Tremell Murphy, Anthony Murphy, Tyler Cheese, ShanQuan Hemphill
2nd Team All-Suncoast Conference: Charles Manning Jr., Russell Daniels, Tra’Von Fagan, Maddox Daniels
FOLLOW THE BUCS
For the latest news on FSW Athletics, log on to FSWBucs.com or stay connected to the Bucs on social media. Follow the Buccaneers on Twitter @FSWBucs, on Instagram @FSWBucs, on Facebook at Facebook.com/FSWBucs and on Snapchat at BucsSnaps.
SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION ARENA
The Buccaneers compete in the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Suncoast Credit Union Arena is approximately 75,000 square feet and is home to the FSW basketball teams and a student athletic center. The arena seats approximately 3,300 fans and includes six skyboxes, a hospitality event center, competition courts that convert into recreational courts, athletic office space, student, faculty and staff wellness, and an athletic center with a fitness pavilion, men's and women's locker rooms and a weight training area. The arena has two Daktronics displays, on the north and south walls, that each measure 10 feet high by 20 feet wide. Both displays incorporate variable content zoning to each show one large image or they can be divided into multiple windows to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One-hundred feet of ribbon displays have been installed on the east and west walls of the arena. The ribbons provide the opportunity to supplement the content on the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.
FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN
The Florida SouthWestern State College athletic program is a member of the Florida College System Athletic Association (FCSAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Buccaneers are one of 25 schools in the NJCAA Region 8 and are one of six schools in the Suncoast Conference. Florida SouthWestern State College currently supports four intercollegiate athletic programs (Baseball, Softball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball).
Baseball and Softball began their regular season competition in 2016 at the City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. Located on the Thomas Edison (Lee) Campus in Fort Myers is the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena (completed in fall 2016), where FSW’s men’s and women’s basketball teams compete.
THE NJCAA
The movement to form a unique sports association dedicated to America’s two-year colleges arose in 1937 when several track and field coaches gathered in Fresno, California. A year later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rejected a petition from 13 two-year colleges in California to grant their teams and athletes permission to compete at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.
In the spring of 1938, following the NCAA’s rejection, those same 13 two-year colleges gathered again in Fresno to organize and form an association that would promote and supervise a national athletics program exclusively for junior and community colleges…and the rest is history.
On May 14, 1938, the first constitution of the National Junior College Athletic Association was accepted by its charter members and the organization held its first national championship event a year later in May 1939.
The NJCAA has played a vital role in collegiate athletics for the past eight decades and continues to be the leader in championing academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes. This section of the association's website is dedicated to celebrating the NJCAA's rich history and tradition as the national governing body of two-year college athletics.
For more information on the NJCAA log on to www.NJCAA.org.
THE FCSAA
The Florida College System Activities Association, Incorporated (FCSAA) is a statewide non‑profit corporation regulating, coordinating, and promoting intercollegiate activities in: Athletics, Brain Bowl, Forensics, Music, Student Government, Student Publications, and Theatre.
Membership in the Florida College System Activities Association is open to any of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. Each member institution is represented in the policy‑making deliberations of the Association through that institution's President or other designated representative. The institutional representatives constitute the FCSAA Presidents Assembly, the ultimate authority in FCSAA.
For more information on the FCSAA log on to www.TheFCSAA.com.
NJCAA REGION 8 & THE SUNCOAST CONFERENCE
Member colleges of the NJCAA are allotted to a specific NJCAA Region upon membership to the association. Unlike other collegiate organizations that defer to conference affiliation, the NJCAA guarantees each member college's membership within the regional structure of the association. In most cases, region assignment is based upon geographic location of the college.
The region structure of the NJCAA is the primary method used by all sponsored sports of the association in determining qualification for national championship tournaments. In certain sports, two or more regions are partnered to form a competition 'district', which is then used for national championship qualification. The organization of districts varies per sport and is formulated every two years under the authority of the association's board of directors.
FSW is in Region 8 and is joined by ASA College Miami (Region 8 only; non-FCSAA member), Broward College, Chipola College, College of Central Florida, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State College, Hillsborough Community College, Indian River State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Miami Dade College, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Pensacola State College, Polk State College, Santa Fe College, Seminole State College of Florida, South Florida State College, St. Johns River State College, St. Petersburg College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Tallahassee Community College.
The Bucs are also in the Suncoast Conference with Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, South Florida State College, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota. The women’s basketball program is also in the Suncoast Conference, but with only three other teams (Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College and Eastern Florida State College).
For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.