Men's and Women's Hoops Practices Open Friday, Oct. 16
10/15/2009 2:42:34 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida men's and women's basketball teams will officially begin practice for the 2009-10 season on Friday, Oct. 16.
The practices coincide with UNF's first Varsity Club Weekend for athletics. UNF is welcoming back former student-athletes from baseball, men's and women's basketball, softball and swimming and diving for a weekend-long event starting on Friday, Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m.
The Osprey women will scrimmage from 5:30-6 p.m. and the men will follow with a full practice from 6-9 p.m.
Media availability for men's head coach Matthew Driscoll, women's head coach Mary Tappmeyer and select players from both teams will take place at a media luncheon on Monday, Oct. 19, at Noon at the Boathouse in the new UNF Student Union directly across from UNF Arena.
Driscoll, who is beginning his first season at UNF and his first as a Division I head coach, likened the start of practice to one of our most famous holidays.
“I'd probably compare it to Christmas,” said Driscoll. “You know when you were a kid and every year you do it but it's still the same excitement, even though it's as a head coach this time. Whether it's Midnight Madness or not, it just spurs that natural ignitability inside you to get excited and to just get after it. So I'd compare it to Christmas, first born, and how you have those kinds of excitements, though my wife wouldn't compare it to that though.”
He also wants his players to enjoy it.
“You never temper it, you always let it go, let it flow, let them kind of get after it,” said Driscoll about that first practice. “But our practices are so regimented and are so fast paced. We're going from one thing to another and another that there's really not a thought process involved.”
But he also understands there is a process involved.
“We have 15 freshmen on the roster,” said Driscoll. “It says senior, junior, whatever on the roster. But these guys have never been a part of our terminology. They've never been a part of our system, they've never been a part of our philosophy. I know not everybody's going to be perfect and as a coach I have to work my way through that as well too. We want to be great at a few things instead of good at everything, because if we're good at everything, we can't win. We've got to be great at transition defense, be great at contesting shots and we've got to be great at defensive rebounding. If we're great at those three things then we're going to be competitive and we're going to be able to compete in everything. I promise you that.”
The Ospreys went 8-22 last season and 6-14 in the Atlantic Sun Conference, finishing 10th out of 11 in league play.
UNF opens its season with a home exhibition game vs. Ave Maria (Ave Maria, Fla.) on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at UNF Arena. After Driscoll's UNF coaching debut, the Ospreys travel to Notre Dame, Ind. to face the Fighting Irish in the regular season opener on Saturday, Nov. 14. North Florida returns to Jacksonville for its home opener vs. Savannah State on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at UNF Arena.
The full schedule can be found at UNFOspreys.com.
Driscoll welcomes a 15-player roster that includes six returning players, five freshmen, a junior college transfer, a Division I transfer and two preferred non-scholarship freshmen.
Returning for UNF are senior guards Eni Cuka and Germaine Sparkes, senior forward Stan Januska, junior forward Kyle Groothuis, and sophomore forwards Zack Riggins and Matt Sauey.
Entering as freshmen are guards Stephen O'Reilly (5-11, St. Croix US Virgin Islands, Country Day HS/South Kent Prep School (Ct.)) and William Wilson (5-10, Vero Beach, Fla., Sebastian River HS), forward/guards Andy Diaz (6-7, Miami, Fla., Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS) and Jerron Granberry (6-4, Miami, Fla., Coral Reef HS), and forward David Jeune (6-6, Okeechobee, Fla., Okeechobee HS).
The two freshmen preferred players are forwards Logan Bridges (6-7, Mt. Dora, Fla., Mt. Dora HS) and Etienne Effenberg (6-6, Neuwerk, Germany, Bishop Verot HS (Fla.)).
Junior guard Brad Haugabrook (6-0, Newark, N.J.) is joining the Ospreys from Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. He also spent one year at Northwood University in West Palm Beach, Fla. The other transfer is sophomore guard Parker Smith (6-3, Columbus, Ga.) who spent his freshman year at Tennessee State. Smith must sit out the 2009-10 season and will become eligible for the 2010-11 season.
A season ticket for basketball is $120 and includes all men's and women's home games, a total of 28 games on 19 event dates, including nine Atlantic Sun Conference double headers. A special rate is available for UNF Alumni ($110) and UNF Faculty and Staff ($105). A Family 4-pack is also available for the season at $360. Select seating areas require an Osprey Club membership (per seat donation).
Single-game pricing is $10. Children 2-and-under and any current UNF student with a valid Osprey1 Card are admitted free. Student guest passes are $5 and limited to one per student.
For more information or to purchase basketball season tickets call 904-620-BIRD (2473) or email ospreytickets@unf.edu.
UNF just completed the final year of the four-year reclassification period to a full-fledged member of Division I athletics. The Ospreys began their transition from Division II athletics to Division I at the start of the 2005-06 season and beginning this year will be eligible for all postseason play on the NCAA Division I level.
