FSC Men's Basketball Opens 2022-23 Saturday in Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic

Florida Southern College men's basketball opens the 2022-23 season Saturday, Nov. 5 against Flagler College at 5:45 p.m. in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The Moccasins will serve as hosts of the SCB HoF Classic for three consecutive seasons, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

"We have had a really productive preseason, but we are now solely focused on preparing for two very challenging games to open the season this weekend," Head Coach Mike Donnelly stated. "We are still a work in progress at this point, but all of our returners have improved and our newcomers have shown a lot of growth and improvement over the last couple of months. We are very excited and optimistic about this year's team."
 
Season Opener / Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
Tournament Central - https://www.fscmocs.com/scb
Ticket Prices: $25 weekend pass, $15 single day (gets you into all five games on either day), Kids 12 & Under FREE
Directions - https://www.flsouthern.edu/about/maps-directions.aspx
 
The Moccasins are hosts of the 2022 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Nov. 4-6 in Lakeland, Fla. where Florida Southern looks to take on Flagler and West Texas A&M, two teams that have appeared in the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons. Southern hosts nine perennial teams in Division II men's basketball including conference foe Nova Southeastern, who went into the final four a year ago undefeated, before falling to Black Hills State in the national semifinals.
 
Joining Florida Southern in the 2022 SCB HoF Classic are the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Dallas Baptist University, Flagler College, Hillsdale College, Lincoln Memorial University, Northwest Missouri State University, Nova Southeastern University, Valdosta State University, and West Texas A&M University.
 
Flagler comes to Lakeland for just the sixth-ever matchup between the Saints and Mocs where Florida Southern holds a 5-0 record in the all-time series. The last matchup came in 2007-08 when FSC came away with a 111-80 victory. This will serve as the first-ever meeting between the two teams under current head coach Mike Donnelly. The Saints are coming off back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament having advanced to the national tournament in 2021 before falling to Northwest Missouri State in the final four; the Bearcats and Saints will compete on Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. in Lakeland, Fla.
 
West Texas A&M travels to Lakeland for the first meeting between the two programs. The Buffs too, like Flagler, are coming off back-to-back runs in the NCAA tournament having advanced to the national title game in 2021 before falling to Northwest Missouri State. West Texas A&M, like Florida Southern, were hot heading into the 2019-20 postseason tournament where both programs were eyeing a run at the national title before the CoVID-19 pandemic canceled the season. The Buffs will face off against Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 5 in the season opener at 8 p.m. before playing the Mocs on Nov. 6 at 5:45 p.m.
 

There's Still Time for Season Tickets!
There is still time for you to support the Mocs on and off the court by joining the Sixth Man Club. Membership for the 6^th Man Club to support the men's basketball program can be purchased for $225. For more information or questions about joining the 6^th Man Club, please contact Kris Doorey, Director of Athletics Development at kdoorey@flsouthern.edu or 863-680-4109. [Download 6^th Man Club information here]

 
The 2022-23 Schedule
Florida Southern's strong 2022-23 schedule will see the Mocs at home 16 times over the course of the year while hitting the road in 11 matchups. Southern men's basketball will host three tournaments this year, including the season opening Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Nov. 5-6. Following the SCB HoF Classic, the Mocs will host the annual Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 25-26 and the Mocs Christmas Classic Dec. 17-18.
 
"We worked really hard putting together this year's schedule," Head Coach Mike Donnelly said. "Obviously, our 20-game Sunshine State Conference schedule is always difficult, but we feel we have a great opportunity to play some terrific non-conference opponents this season."
 
Donnelly continued, "We are excited to play 16 home games in front of our loyal and supportive fans this year, and our supporters will be able to watch a lot of high-level basketball to start the season as we host the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic in early November. We know our schedule is challenging once again this year, and we are looking forward to preparing for the 2022-23 season."
 
The Mocs open Sunshine State Conference play on Nov. 19 against Palm Beach Atlantic at home and have four other SSC contests scheduled before the New Year. FSC hosts Eckerd on Nov. 30 before a pair of road SSC matchups at Barry (Dec. 3) and at Florida Tech (Dec. 10). The Mocs close the 2022 calendar year with a home game against Lynn on Dec. 29.
 
Sixteen Sunshine State Conference games in the months of January and February begin on New Year's Day at Nova Southeastern while the Mocs first game in 2023 inside Jenkins Field House is slated for Jan. 11 against Saint Leo.
 
Home games for the Mocs in George W. Jenkins Field House will remain with a 7:30 p.m. scheduled tip, aside from tournament games.
 
Florida Southern closes the regular season on Feb. 25 against Barry at home before looking to the 2023 Sunshine State Conference Men's Basketball Championship with the first round slated for Feb. 28.


The 2022-23 Squad
Florida Southern returns three of the top six scorers off the 2021-22 team including leading scorer and rebounder, redshirt senior E.J. Dambreville. The Dorchester, Mass. native tallied 14.9 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game while averaging 34.3 minutes per game, having started, and played all 28 games a year ago. Luke Anderson and Jadin Booth also return having hovered around 8.0 ppg and 7.3 ppg, respectively, while Anderson, a Lakeland, Fla. native, was third on the team in blocks with 14.
 
The Mocs welcomed in several talented newcomers during the offseason including a trio of transfers – Tray Alexander, Connor Raines, and Noah Louis - and three freshman – Alex Steen, Riley Buccino, and Donovan Smith.
 
Tray Alexander (Freeport, N.Y.) – Redshirt Sophomore - Guard - 5'10 - 175
Transfer from D2 Saint Rose College (NY). Alexander was a two-year starter and two-year team captain where he averaged 13.3 points per game (ppg), 5.8 assists per game (apg), 3.7 rebounds per game (rbg), and 2.2 steals per game in 2021-2022. Connected on 44 3FG's and shot 82.9% from the FT line. 12^th in the nation in assists per game. Averaged 9.1ppg and 7.6apg in 2020-2021.  Has three years of eligibility remaining.  
 
Connor Raines (Beacon Falls, Conn.) – Redshirt Junior - Guard - 6'5 - 190
Transfer from Blinn College (TX). Raines averaged 10.0ppg, 4.0rbg, and 2.0apg and started 26 games this past season.  Connected on 38 3FG's and shot 38% from 3FG. Shot 79.6% from the FT line. Spent his first two years at D1 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Played in 44 games and started eight times at UTRVG and averaged 4.0ppg. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
  
Noah Louis (Miami, Fla.) – Graduate – Forward - 6'8 - 210
Transfer from D2 Georgia Southwestern. Averaged 8.4ppg, 5.2rbg and 1.0blk and shot 60.8% from the field as a junior during the 2020-2021 season. Saw limited action this past season due to injury and received a medical redshirt. Louis has two years of eligibility remaining.
 
Alex Steen (Panama City, Fla.) – Freshman – Forward - 6'7 - 200
Team captain at Arnold High School. He averaged 23.0ppg, 13.0rbg, and 2.0 blocks a game this past season. Steen was named First Team All-County and Third Team Florida All-State. He scored over 1,000 career points. Honor Roll student.
 
Riley Buccino (Centerton, Ark.) – Freshman – Guard - 6'3 - 180
Senior captain and four-year starter at Bentonville West High School. Scored over 1,000 career points and is the school's all-time leading scorer. Buccino averaged 18.6ppg and shot 48.0% from the floor this past season. Named First Team All-State. Honor Roll student.
 
Donovan Smith (St. Paul, Minn.) – Freshman – Guard - 5'10 - 165
Averaged 14.1ppg, 3.1rbg and 4.6apg this past season at Spire Academy. Connected on 51 3FG and shot 40.4% from 3FG. Played his first three years of high school ball at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Minn.


The 2022-23 Coaching Staff
In his 20^th season as a collegiate head coach, Mike Donnelly returns for his eighth season at Florida Southern where he has a career coaching record of 314-229 (.578) with a 119-77 (.607) mark at Florida Southern. Donnelly has six 10-win seasons when leading the Mocs and three 21-win seasons, including a 29-2 mark in the 2019-20 season that was cut short due to the CoVID-19 pandemic.
 
Donnelly is joined by Associate Head Coach Mike Makubika, who too is in his eighth season at Florida Southern College. Joining Donnelly and Makubika on the sidelines this year, replacing four-year assistant Greg Langston, is 2018 alumni Luke St. Lifer. Coming back for another year of service to the Mocs' program are student assistants Reagan Orr and Conor O'Connell.

 
Luke St. Lifer
Luke St. Lifer joins the Mocs after three years at Division I Bryant University and one year at Division II Le Moyne College.
 
"We are very fortunate to be able add Luke to our staff," FSC Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike Donnelly stated. "Luke is a rising star in the coaching profession. It's always special to add former players to our staff, and I know how passionate Luke is about Florida Southern and our basketball program. Luke understands the expectations here at Florida Southern as he was a member of the 2015 National Championship team. It is exciting to welcome Luke back home!"
 
St. Lifer, a native of Mountain Lakes, N.J., spent four years as a member of the Florida Southern men's basketball team one as a student manager and three as a player. The 2018 Florida Southern College graduate was a student manager for the 2014-15 NCAA DII National Champion Moccasins before joining the team for the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 seasons.
 
St. Lifer played in 22 games for the Mocs where he finished his career with 17 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. He earned NABC Honors Court following his junior season while also earning Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll twice in his career. He served on the FSC student government as a freshman.
 
Prior to Florida Southern, St. Lifer served as the Director of Basketball Operations at Division I Bryant University for the past two seasons. He completed three years on the staff at Bryant after joining the 2018-19 season as the Director of Basketball Analytics before heading over to Division II Le Moyne College for 2019-20. St. Lifer returned to Bryant for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
 
While on staff, the Bulldogs had two of the best seasons in program history. In 2020-21, the Bulldogs went 15-7, entered the mid-major top-25 and advanced to the Northeast Conference Championship. In 2021-22, Bryant won its first-ever NEC Regular Season and Tournament Titles, advancing to the NCAA DI Men's Basketball Championships. While at Le Moyne, St. Lifer helped the Dolphins go 19-9 and advance to the NCAA tournament.
 
St. Lifer spent the summer of 2017 as the Director of Player Development Intern at Green Bay and gained experience as a summer camp coach at Iowa and Georgia Tech while also serving as a summer coach at the Robert Jacobson Sports Foundation and John ByDook Basketball Academy.
 

2022-23 SSC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Florida Southern men's basketball was picked to finish fourth in the 2022-23 SSC preseason poll, as voted on by the conference coaches. The Moccasins earned 71 total points, falling just shy of Embry-Riddle (73) in third place, and finished two points ahead of Rollins (68) in fifth place. Nova Southeastern earned 99 points and had nine of the 11 possible first place votes, which slotted the Sharks as the top pick to repeat as winners of the SSC. The Mocs are coming off their fifth-straight winning campaign which saw them advance to the SSC Tournament for the 44^th-straight season.

"It is always an exciting time of year when the conference preseason rankings are released," Head Coach Mike Donnelly commented.  "As always, our goal is to win another SSC championship and we are looking forward to battling against the other talented teams in our conference. I know this will be another challenging, yet exciting season."
 
 
 
2022-23 Florida Southern Men's Basketball Home Schedule
Nov. 5 – Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic - vs. Flagler, 5:45 pm
Nov. 6 – Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic – vs. West Texas A&M, 5:45 pm
Nov. 19 – Palm Beach Atlantic (SSC), 7:30 pm
Nov. 25 – Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic – vs. Anderson, 7:30 pm
Nov. 26 – Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic – vs. Wisconsin-Parkside, 7:30 pm
Nov. 30 – Eckerd College (SSC), 7:30 pm
Dec. 17 – Mocs Christmas Classic – vs Post University, 7:30 pm
Dec. 18 – Mocs Christmas Classic – vs University of Fort Lauderdale, 7:30 pm
Dec. 29 – Lynn University (SSC), 7:30 pm
Jan. 11 – Saint Leo University (SSC), 7:30 pm
Jan. 18 – University of Tampa (SSC), 7:30 pm
Jan. 21 – Florida Tech (SSC), 7:30 pm
Jan. 28 – Nova Southeastern University (SSC), 7:30 pm
Feb. 8 – Rollins College (SSC), 7:30 pm
Feb. 18 – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (SSC), 7:30 pm
Feb. 25 – Barry University (SSC), 7:30 pm
Sunshine State Conference Championship Tournament – Feb. 28, March 2, March 5