Mocs Open 2023-24 Saturday in Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic

LAKELAND, Fla. - Florida Southern College men's basketball tips off the 2023-24 campaign Saturday, Nov. 4 when the Moccasins play host to the 2023 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic inside the George W. Jenkins Field House. The Mocs open the season against Virginia Union with a 5:45 p.m. tip on Saturday before facing No. 8 University of North Carolina Pembroke at 5:45 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. This year's tournament is year two of an original three-year agreement between Small College Basketball and Florida Southern College Athletics, with the remaining year of 2024.  
 
"We have an older team this year with a lot of experience, so our program once again has very high expectations this season," Head Coach Mike Donnelly said ahead of the 2023-24 open. "We have a group of guys who have played together for a few years now, and I know they are eager to start playing this weekend. Our newcomers are not only talented, but they provide game experience as well which we believe will help bolster our roster and improve our overall depth this year. College Basketball is a long season, so we are just focused right now on improving every day. The guys have worked incredibly hard. They are a competitive group. I'm excited to watch us compete this weekend against two outstanding basketball programs."
 
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. 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]
 
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 2023 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Nov. 3-5 in Lakeland where Florida Southern will tussle with the Panthers of Virginia Union and then the 8^th-ranked Braves of the University of North Carolina Pembroke (UNC Pembroke).
 
In the group of 10 teams to play at George W. Jenkins Field House for the opening weekend of the season, nine were at least receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Coaches' Poll with UNC Pembroke and Central Oklahoma inside the top-10 at eighth and ninth, respectively.
 
A complete listing of teams playing in the 2023 SCB Hall of Fame Classic, eight being newcomers to the tournament, are No. 8 UNC Pembroke, No. 9 Central Oklahoma, No. 16 Bentley, No. 18 Colorado School of Mines, No. 20 Emporia State, No. 25 Mercyhurst, Virginia Union (RV), Florida Southern (RV), Missouri – St. Louis (RV), and Cedarville.
 
In the 2022 SCB Hall of Fame Classic, Florida Southern topped Flagler (RV) 96-80 on the opening day for the Moccasins before knocking off No.5 West Texas A&M on Sunday night 92-90 to go 2-0 at the event, where then-sophomore Jadin Booth was named the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Most Valuable Player on his way to an All-American season.

Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Weekend Schedule of Events
Fri., Nov. 3 - 
1:30 p.m. - Hall of Fame Inductees Press Conference - Live at Hampton Inn, Live Streamed at www.fscmocs.com.live
2:30 p.m. - SCB Participating Coaches Press Conference - Live at Hampton Inn, Live Streamed at www.fscmocs.com.live
7:30 p.m. - Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Live at the Polk Theater, FREE ADMISSION

Sat., Nov. 4 - 
11:00 a.m. - #18 Colorado School of Mines vs #16 Bentley
1:15 p.m. - (RV) Missouri St. Louis vs Cedarville
3:30 p.m. - #9 Central Oklahoma vs #25 Mercyhurst
5:45 p.m. - (RV) Florida Southern vs (RV) Virginia Union
8:00 p.m. - #20 Emporia State vs #8 UNC Pembroke

Sun., Nov. 5 - 
11:00 a.m. - #18 Colorado School of Mines vs#25 Mercyhurst
1:15 p.m. - #16 Bentley vs (RV) Missouri St. Louis
3:30 p.m. - #9 Central Oklahoma vs Cedarville
5:45 p.m. - (RV) Florida Southern vs #8 UNC Pembroke
8:00 p.m. - #20 Emporia State vs (RV) Virginia Union

The 2023-24 Squad
Florida Southern's 2023-24 roster features 10 returners and six newcomers including three transfers and two first-year student-athletes. The Mocs return five of the team's top-six scorers from last year's season behind Jadin Booth's 22.0 points per game, looking to replace E.J. Dambreville's 18.1 ppg and 9.9 rebounds per game production.
 
The Mocs' added a 6-5 forward from Nebraska Omaha, Akol Arop as a graduate student transfer along with a pair of guards from Bryant University, Erickson Bans, a redshirt sophomore, and Joe Moon IV, a redshirt junior. Along with those three new Mocs, Sam Walters and Luke Reilly join as true freshmen while Conor O'Connell transitions to donning the jersey after serving the past few years as a student-assistant for head coach Mike Donnelly's staff.
 
"We feel great about this year's recruiting class," stated Head Coach Mike Donnelly. "We specifically were searching for players who directly impacted winning, and we believe we identified and recruited guys who will help our program make a huge jump next year. We like the balance (3 transfers and 2 HS recruits), the versatility, and the experience of this year's recruiting class. We can't wait to start working with our newcomers on the court!"

Akol Arop (Omaha, Neb.) - Graduate Student - Forward - 6'5 - 210 lbs
Transfer from D1 Nebraska Omaha. Averaged 5.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg in 48 games with 20 starts the last two seasons. Began his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska. Played 21 games as a freshman at Nebraska and sat out as a medical redshirt in 2020-21. Named the 2019 Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year after averaging 19.4 ppg, 10.9 RPG, and 2.6 bpg as a senior at Creighton Prep. Has one year of eligibility remaining.

Erickson Bans (Pawtucket, R.I.) - Redshirt Sophomore - Guard - 5'11 - 175 lbs
Transfer from D1 Bryant University. Redshirted during the 2022-2023 season. Appeared in 48 games with six starts in two seasons at Bryant. Named the 2020 Gatorade Rhode Island Player of the Year after averaging 30.1 ppg, 6.0 apg as a senior at Shea HS. Scored 2,605 points in HS which is the most in Rhode Island Interscholastic League history. Has three years of eligibility remaining.   

Joe Moon IV (Detroit, Mich.) - Redshirt Junior - Guard - 6'1 - 180 lbs
Transfer from D1 Bryant University. Battled through injuries at Bryant but managed to appear in 28 games in three seasons. Scored over 28 points a game as a senior at John Glenn HS where he holds the career and single-game scoring records. Mr. Basketball Nominee in the state of Michigan as a senior. Has two years of eligibility remaining.

Sam Walters (Charlotte, N.C.) - Freshman - Guard - 6'3 - 190 lbs
Team captain at Myers Park HS. Started every game on a team that finished ranked #21 in the country. Averaged 6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.0 spg and connected on 25 3-point FGs. Helped team win North Carolina HS State Championship this past season and received sportsmanship award. Honor Roll student.

Luke Reilly (Glastonbury, Conn.) - Freshman - Guard - 6'1 - 180 lbs
Two-year captain at East Catholic HS. Averaged 12.0 ppg and shot 43% from 3-point range this past season. Named the 2022 Hoophall Tournament MVP in Springfield, Mass. Helped the team win back-to-back Connecticut HS State Championships in 2022 and 2023. Overall HS record was 84-9. Honor Roll student.

The 2023-24 Coaching Staff
In his 21^st season as a collegiate head coach, and ninth at the helm of the Moccasins, Mike Donnelly will look to improve on the 2022-23 finish and his 333-238 coaching record. While leading Florida Southern, he has guided the Mocs to a 138-86 (.616) in eight complete seasons with an 83-51 Sunshine State Conference record.
 
Under Donnelly's direction, all eight teams have played in the SSC tournament with three trips to the NCAA tournament. Donnelly has coached the Mocs to seven 10-win seasons including three 21-win seasons, which was highlighted by the 2019-20 season when Florida Southern stood at 29-2 overall and the no. 1 team in the South Region before the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Joining Coach Donnelly for his ninth season on staff is Associate Head Coach Mike Makubika. Returning for his second season on the bench, and sixth overall with the program is Luke St. Lifer '18, a 2018 alumnus.
 
Coach Donnelly added a new face to the end of the bench in Ryan Kardok. Kardok was most recently at the University of South Florida (2022-23) with other Division 1 stops at the University of Miami (2013-15), Bowling Green (2015-19), and James Madison (2019-2020).
 
Student assistants for the 2023-24 year under Donnelly are Reagan Orr, returning for another year, while the Mocs add Stratton Ponder to the staff.

2023-24 NABC Preseason Coaches' Poll – RV Florida Southern 20
After posting a 19-9 record last season and a trip to the Sunshine State Conference tournament, Florida Southern opens the year receiving votes (RV) in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coaches Preseason Poll with 20 votes. The Moccasins will look to make a statement in the opening weekend facing off against Virginia Union (40) who also received votes in the national poll.
 
The Mocs are slated to face seven teams that enter the year that received at least seven votes in the poll, including two matchups against 2022-23 defending NCAA National Champions Nova Southeastern, which the Sharks see themselves ranked No. 2 in the poll entering the 2023-24 year after losing six of their key players to the transfer portal.

2023-24 SSC Preseason Coaches' Poll – T1 Florida Southern 94 points (6 FPV)
After finishing tied for second in last year's regular season, Florida Southern topped the SSC preseason coaches' poll, tying the 2023 defending National and Sunshine State Conference Champions, Nova Southeastern with 94 points.
 
The Mocs edged the Sharks in first place votes 6-to-5, but the two teams stood on top by 16 points to third place, Embry-Riddle. Saint Leo (71) and Tampa (60) rounded out the top-5 of the poll while Palm Beach Atlantic (50), Rollins (45), Barry (42), Florida Tech (31), Lynn (28), and Eckerd (12) closed the 11-team poll in order.

"DII basketball is on fire right now with many schools picked low in their conference preseason polls winning big-time exhibitions games versus high-major DI programs," said men's basketball Head Coach Mike Donnelly. "Preseason rankings are fun, but we know the only thing that matters is our performance and play on the court. We are 100 percent locked in our preparation to officially start our season this weekend."
 
The 2023-24 Schedule
The Mocs will play 29 games over the four months of the season which features 19 home games to be played on Streamline Sale Court at the George W. Jenkins Field House. The Mocs will open with year two of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, Nov. 4-5, before 10 additional home games before the New Year.

"I believe this year's schedule is one of the toughest and most challenging that we have had in my nine years at Florida Southern," Head Coach Mike Donnelly said. "I know our fans will enjoy the opportunity to watch us play in Jenkins Field House against some of the best Division II programs in the country both in and out of conference."

2023-24 Florida Southern Men's Basketball Home Schedule  
Nov. 4 – Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic - Virginia Union, - 5:45 p.m.
Nov. 5 – Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic – UNC Pembroke, - 5:45 p.m.
Nov. 10 – Savannah State, - 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 11 – Auburn Montgomery, - 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 18 – Lincoln (PA), - 4:00 p.m.
Nov. 24 – Thanksgiving Classic – Catawba, - 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 – Thanksgiving Classic – North Georgia, - 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 29 - Tampa (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 - Embry-Riddle (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 16 - Mocs Christmas Classic - Findlay, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17 - Mocs Christmas Classic – Clayton State, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 30 - Palm Beach Atlantic (SSC), - 6:00 p.m.
Jan. 3 - Nova Southeastern (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 - Lynn (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 31 - Eckerd (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 - Barry (SSC), - 7:30 p.m. 
Feb. 14 - Saint Leo (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 - Florida Tech (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 28 - Rollins (SSC), - 7:30 p.m.
March 5 – SSC Quarterfinals
March 7 – SSC Semifinals
March 10 – SSC Championships

 
Get in the game and show your support for the Florida Southern College Athletics Department today!
 
Whether you're a passionate fan looking to secure your season tickets or a generous donor wanting to make a lasting impact, contact Kris Doorey, Director of Athletics Development, at kdoorey@flsouthern.edu or 863-680-4109. Join us in fueling the success of our student-athletes and becoming an integral part of their journey toward greatness.5