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LOCATION: Miami, FL
CONFERENCE: Sun Belt
LAST SEASON: 13-16 (.448)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 7-7 (t-3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Golden Panthers
COLORS: Blue & Yellow
HOMECOURT: Golden Panther Arena (5,000)
COACH: Marcos Rodriguez (Fla. International '75)
record at school 63-52 (4 years)
career record 63-52 (4 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Jose Ramos (Regents '96)
Tyrone Hart (Howard '76)
Bernard Wright (Grambling State '80)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 11-13-16-21-13
RPI (last 5 years) 217-237-177-87-163
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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The Sun Belt Conference didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat to newcomer Florida International last season. Maybe the rude treatment came from Florida International being picked in some circles, including Blue Ribbon, as the team to beat in the preseason. That shouldn't have come as a surprise, considering FIU had emerged as the chief challenger to NCAA Tournament regular College of Charleston in the Trans America Athletic Conference. Florida International coach Shakey Rodriguez could have easily paraphrased what Dorothy told Toto in that movie about Oz when talking about the team's move to the Sun Belt. "I don't think we're in the Trans America any more." Or, better yet, how about some deja vu comments from Rodriguez himself this time last year? They came just before the Golden Panthers' maiden voyage in their new league: "More than anything else, the Sun Belt is just a better league from top to bottom. ... Game in and game out, we will have a struggle in the Sun Belt."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C+ BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES C+
Florida International could very well be the mystery team that is hard to predict. The Golden Panthers could continue their progress of late last season and emerge as a league contender. But if the chemistry among veterans and rookies, especially between the highly touted Barnes and the other key players, does not develop, then it could be another season of middle-of-the-pack mediocrity. Coach Shakey Rodriguez expects the players, new and old, to mesh. "We should have chemistry between our younger players and veterans," he said. Either way, expect the Golden Panthers to continue to push the ball up the court and apply fullcourt pressure. It's a style that keeps players happy, because just about all of them get to play. "We'll play an up-tempo, pressure game, using nine or 10 players who can generate offense in a hurry and apply a lot of defensive pressure," Rodriguez said. "And that should result in a high-scoring offensive team that can play outstanding defense and is going to be very exciting to watch." But will anybody come to see it? Florida International hoops is one of the poorest-supported programs in the country, if attendance is the testament. After drawing just more than 4,600 for the season opener against Michigan last season, FIU could muster attendance over the 1,000 mark just one more time. And that included a season low of 609 who watched the team beat league foe South Alabama. |
Rodriguez proved the prophet with those comments, although it didn't help that a key scorer missed nine games. But there was one stretch of league games that Florida International would just as soon forget. After beating South Alabama in their Sun Belt debut, the Golden Panthers lost six straight and seven of eight league games. But they turned it around in February. Buoyed by a double-overtime win over eventual regular-season champ Louisiana Tech, FIU piled up six straight SBC wins before falling in the second round of the league tournament. Rodriguez blamed the early drought to aggressive non-conference scheduling, which drained confidence from his players and sapped them physically. "We played an almost unreasonable (schedule) last season with the amount of time we spent on the road and the caliber of opponents we played," said Rodriguez, the former head coach at famed Florida prep power Miami Senior. That will change this time around, he vowed. "We decided to spend a little more time at home," Rodriquez said. "And with the quality of players coming back and our depth, I'm really looking forward to a great year." Much of that will depend upon the emergence of one of the Sunshine State's premier prospects of the past few years former South Miami High School star Lucas Barnes, who transferred to Florida International from neighboring Miami. Barnes, a 6-6 junior, has quite the pedigree a former Florida Mr. Basketball who scored more than 3,000 career points before being selected a second-team Parade All-American. He is expected to take up the slack for departed small forward Raja Bell (16.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 79 assists, 37 steals), an all-league player last season. It just didn't work out for Barnes at Miami, although he did average 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16 games during the 1997-98 season. After sitting out last season, Barnes, considered a capable scorer from the wing, becomes eligible in December. He'll miss only five games. But Florida International need not hang all its hopes on one newcomer, especially with two key returning starters 6-9, 242-pound senior center Darius Cook (10.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and 6-2 junior shooting guard Carlos Arroyo (12.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 93 assists). It was Arroyo whose presence was missed during that mid-season lapse last season. He had to sit with a fracture in his right foot, but he still came back in time to lead the team with 93 assists. The sharpshooting native of Puerto Rico is back full speed and is the team's primary outside scoring threat. He shot .375 from three-point range last season. Cook is the bruising body on the inside who can rotate between center and power forward. He was the team's top rebounder last season and finished fifth in that category as well as field-goal percentage (.498) in the league. Cook will emerge as one of the league's best inside players this season. Making the team go will be a player the Golden Panthers sorely missed last season 6-0 senior point guard Marshod Fairweather, who redshirted after averaging 5.8 points and grabbing 37 steals the prior season. "He's the hardest-working young man I've ever been associated with," Rodriguez said of Fairweather. "We probably would have won four or five more games last year (with Fairweather), because he brings outstanding defense and effort. He contributes a lot of the little things that don't show up on the score sheet." Rounding out the starting five will probably be 6-9 forward-center Karel Rosario (5.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg), a solid inside player who played in all 29 games last season. But he will be pushed by 6-10 freshman Jabahri Brown (Champagnat Catholic/Miami, Fla.), a large but mobile center who averaged 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.7 blocked shots while leading his prep team to back-to-back Class A state runner-up finishes. As for depth, FIU probably has as much quality in that area than at any time under Rodriguez. Backing up at point guard will be 5-9 freshman Fab Fisher (Lutheran HS/Hempstead, N.Y.), a McDonald's All-America nominee who averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 assists while guiding his team to the state semifinal round last season. Junior college transfer Ben Schifferer (Highland (Ill.) CC), a 6-5 junior guard with great range, was the best three-pointer shooter in all of junior college last season at .527. He averaged 15.6 points. At 6-7, Michael Tucker (Shaker Heights HS/Cleveland, Ohio) is the understudy to Barnes at small forward. Considered one of the top defensive players in Ohio last season, he also showed other skills by averaging 15.0 points and 9.0 assists. He was an all-state selection for a team that was runner-up in the state championship. Expected to provide depth down low is Monmouth transfer Richard Weston, a 6-9, 230-pound sophomore who scored 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game two seasons ago for the Hawks. Also signed were 6-3 guard Nathaniel Aaron (University Christian HS/Jacksonville, Fla.), an all-county and all-state tournament pick who averaged 15.7 points and 4.0 rebounds; and 6-2 guard Akin Joseph (Champagnat Catholic/Miami, Fla.), a teammate of Brown who earned all-city honors as a junior. William Copeland, a 5-10 transfer from South Florida, will sit out this season but has three years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2000-2001 season.
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