2019-2020 Florida SouthWestern Men's Basketball News
As a freshman, Florida SouthWestern's Keon Ellis had to bide his time, playing behind First Team All-Conference guards and eventual Power 5 signees in Charles Manning Jr. and Maddox Daniels. His role changed significantly as a sophomore as he stepped into the limelight of being the Bucs' bonafide star and it was never more evident than in FSW's Suncoast Conference opener in 2020 when he brought us our #3 moment on our countdown of the Top 10 Moments in FSW Athletics in 2019-20, his record breaking 41 point performance against St. Petersburg.
There have been two things that FSW fans could count during the Spring for the past three years. One, unfortunately was their yearly tax bill being due in April, the second, is a little more positive, and it is our #6 moment on our countdown of the top moments of the 2019-20 FSW Athletics Year, the Bucs going undefeated in Suncoast Conference play for the third straight season.
After a series of one after another bad news reports regarding COVID-19 ended their 2019-2020 athletics year in March, the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers got some good news on Thursday as the FCSAA Council of Presidents approved the NJCAA and the FCSAA AD’s plans to play the 2020-2021 seasons as planned, beginning in August.
Today we look at part three of our four part series on the Florida SouthWestern State Teams of the Decade, focusing today on the Bucs' Men's Basketball program. The FSW Men's Basketball program has been nothing short of dominant in their brief history, going 115-15 overall and 46-2 in Suncoast Conference play in their four seasons, including three straight Conference Championships and three straight trips to the NJCAA National Tournament.
While there was no bracket play going on at the NJCAA National Tournament this spring, there were matchups being played out and coming down to the closing minutes in the T3 Bracketology Top Arena Poll. At the end, there was just one left standing and that was Suncoast Credit Union Arena, home of the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers. The Bucs' home digs brought home the title of the NJCAA's top arena with a 59% to 41% victory over Northwest Florida State's Raider Arena in the all Florida final.
The eighth and final Florida SouthWestern State sophomore signed his National Letter of Intent on Monday as point guard Jalen Finch inked with Jacksonville State, giving the Bucs 2020 class a perfect eight for eight moving on to the NCAA Division I level.
The Florida SouthWestern State Men's and Women's Basketball teams will not have the opportunity to continue their reign over the Suncoast Conference next season as the conference will be no longer, with news that FSW will head across Alligator Alley to the Southern Conference next season with State College of Florida joining them on the men's side and Hillsborough, St. Petersburg, Eastern Florida (Women), and Polk State (Men) jumping to the Mid-Florida Conference for the 2020-2021 season.
For the second consecutive season, the Florida SouthWestern State Athletics Department recorded the highest winning percentage of any team in the FCSAA.
While Florida SouthWestern State College recently completed just its fifth year of NJCAA competition, it has already become a hotspot on NCAA Division I coaches' recruiting trail.
After helping the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers to a pair of NJCAA National Tournament berths, big man Simeon Kirkland has signed to continue his career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Florida SouthWestern State sophomore De'Lazarus Keys is heading from one side of the Gulf to the other as the 6'8 big man has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Texas A&M- Corpus Christi for the next two seasons.
Florida SouthWestern State big man Sebastian Guitian will be headed to the NCAA Division I level next season after signing with South Carolina State on National Signing Day Wednesday.
When the Florida SouthWestern Men's Basketball staff recruited Jermaine Marshall last year, the plan was clear, come play for the Bucs for a season and move on to the Division I level. That plan was executed this season and finished on National Signing Day Wednesday as Marshall signed with MAC Champs Akron where he will have three years to play starting this fall.
Florida SouthWestern State guard Berrick JeanLouis has decided on his post-FSW home, signing with Hall of Famer Rick Pitino and the Iona Gaels on National Signing Day Wednesday.
After spending the season as one of the most highly sought after junior college players in the country, Florida SouthWestern State sophomore Keon Ellis has officially signed his National Letter of Intent with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Ellis inked with the Tide Wednesday on National Signing Day, making him the fourth Buccaneer Men's Basketball player in the past two seasons to sign with a Power 5 squad and the third to sign to play in the SEC.
A season ago, Florida SouthWestern State’s Keon Ellis contributed to the Buccaneers as a reserve, playing behind future Division I stars Charles Manning Jr. and Maddox Daniels. In 2019-2020, it was Ellis’ time to shine and he did just that and Monday, he was rewarded for his efforts as he was named a Second Team NJCAA All-American.
