FORT MYERS, Fla.- The Florida SouthWestern State Men's Basketball team saw their season come to a premature end this year because of COVID-19, but it wasn't before they were able to put together a number of record breaking performances.  The Bucs won their third straight Suncoast Conference Championship and went 29-1 in the regular season while spending the final six weeks of the year as the #1 ranked team in the NJCAA. 

 

The season kicked off with high expectations for FSW who spent the final five weeks of the 2018-2019 season as the #1 ranked team in the land before finishing 5th at the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson. The Bucs were ranked in the top five in a number of preseason rankings including dawning a #3 ranking by the NJCAA to open the year.  

 

The first day of November marked day one of the 2019-2020 season for the Bucs as they tipped off against Broward in Suncoast Credit Union Arena.  Five Bucs scored in double figures for FSW as they cruised past the Seahawks 80-63.  One day later, a much anticipated matchup was on tap as the 3rd ranked Bucs took on the 5th ranked Eastern Florida State Titans.  It was a grueling battle between the top two ranked teams in Florida, but in the end, it was FSW coming out on top 72-60 to open the season 2-0.  

 

After a pair of classic wins in Miami to improve to 4-0, the Bucs took on Miami Dade at home in what promised to be a high flying affair. The game lived up to its billing as FSW lit up the scoreboard for 116 points and threw down 18 electrifying dunks in a romp against the Sharks to improve to 5-0. 

 

The Bucs made their first trip outside the state of Florida in mid-November, knocking off Triton, who finished the season in the top 25, before blowing past Wake Tech to move to 7-0. 

 

The weekend before Thanksgiving the Bucs faced another tough test as they hosted preseason top 20 ranked Snow College from Utah at home in Fort Myers.  The Bucs got out to a good start, leading by 12 at the half, but the Badgers roared back behind some hot shooting in the second half, drawing to within two with a late three before tying the game and sending it to overtime with just 4.3 seconds left on the clock. Snow scored the first seven of the extra period before FSW made their run to tie the game with 21 seconds to go. Working for the last shot, the Badgers got it, finding a hole in the Bucs' defense to score with 1.5 seconds left to win the game 81-79. The loss snapped a 50 game home winning streak for the Bucs.  

 

The Bucs rebounded from the loss by closing out November with two more wins to improve to 9-1 on the year and picked up three more victories before heading to Ocala for the 2019 Florida Juco Shootout at 12-1.  

 

In their first contest in Ocala, the Bucs downed Palm Beach State 76-52 to setup a rare regular season showdown with Chipola on Sunday night.  It was a nip and tuck affair all the way through but an early second half run by the Indians put the Bucs in trouble, down nine with under nine minutes remaining.  The Bucs tied the game with a pair of free throws with just 20 seconds to go and then got a steal and a score to win it 68-66 to head into the holiday break at 14-1. 

 

The Bucs earned two more wins after Christmas to close out 2019 at 16-1 before kicking off Suncoast Conference action to begin January. 

 

In their conference opener against St. Petersburg, Keon Ellis put on a show for the Bucs, scoring a school record 41 points on 14-22 shooting to lead FSW to a 92-77 victory.  

 

The Bucs continued their winning ways on the road at Hillsborough and hammered Victory Rock and State College of Florida to earn their 20th win on the year and improve to 3-0 in conference action.  

 

The Bucs downed Polk State on the road 94-79 and continued their dominance of Suncoast Conference competition with wins over St. Petersburg and Hillsborough to close out a 7-0 January and move to 23-1 on the year.  

 

After six weeks as the #2 ranked team in the country and after another win over SCF, the Bucs took over as the nation's top ranked team for the second straight season.  Things didn't come easy in their first date after the promotion though as the Bucs got their first test of the new year, sneaking past Polk State late for an 81-75 victory to remain unbeaten at 8-0 in conference action. 

 

The Bucs finished a season sweep of St. Petersburg with a 16 point win at home and followed that by drubbing Hillsborough on the road 93-59 thanks in part to Jermaine Marshall's fifth straight double-double to set a new program record with their 20th straight win.  

 

On Sophomore Night in Suncoast Credit Union Arena, State College of Florida gave the Bucs all they had, but it still wasn't enough as FSW came away with a 76-69 win late to close out their home slate. In their regular season finale, the Bucs went on the road and took down Polk State to wrap up their third straight undefeated Suncoast Conference Championship at a perfect 12-0.  

 

The Bucs went to the postseason as the team to beat, ranked #1 in the National Rankings for the sixth straight week at 29-1 on the year. But with the target on their backs, FSW struggled in the opening round of the FCSAA State Tournament, never finding their rhythm in a 75-68 loss to eventual tournament champs Gulf Coast State.  

 

The loss put the Bucs on the top of the list for the NJCAA At-Large committee who then gave FSW a #6 seed for their third straight trip to the NJCAA National Tournament where they were set to take on the winner of the Colby/Monroe game in the second round after receiving an opening round bye. 

 

That game and the Bucs' trip to Hutchinson never happened though as the tournament was first postponed and then canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, bringing a premature close to the Bucs' season at 29-2.  

 

Accolades poured in for the Bucs at the conclusion of the season as eight players and Head Coach Eric Murphy were honored by the Suncoast Conference in their year end awards.  Murphy picked up his second straight Coach of the Year honors wile Ellis was named the conference's Player of the Year after a dominating campaign.  Jalen Finch, Jermaine Marshall, and De'Lazarus Keys all joined Ellis on the First Team while Berrick JeanLouis, Ralph Bissainthe, Simeon Kirkland, and Terry Roberts were all tabbed as Second Team members.  Ellis was later named  a First Team selection and has been nominated for NJCAA All-American honors which will be released on Monday.  

 

A number of Bucs made their way into the all-time record books at FSW as Ellis broke the career steals mark with 114 while also swiping a single season best 64, three ahead of teammate Terry Roberts who takes over the #2 spot. Ellis' 562 points on the year broke an FSW single season record as did Marshall's 255 rebounds and his 12 double-doubles on the year. 

 

The Bucs will have a lot to replace to make another run at things next season as they will lose six sophomores as well as a pair of freshman to the Division I ranks from a group that went 59-5 in the past two years.  Ralph Bissainthe has signed at Central Michigan University while Keon Ellis, Berrick JeanLouis, Jermaine Marshall, and Sebastian Guitian have all made Division I commitments and will be signing on National Signing Day, April 15th.  The Bucs other three sophomores have multiple Division I offers and will likely be making their commitments in the upcoming weeks as well.