Men's Basketball Makes Climb Back to Top of ASUN

JACKSONVILLE - The 2019-20 season for North Florida men's basketball notched another historic mark in the records books as the Ospreys earned the third ASUN regular season championship in the last six years.

Under the guidance of head coach Matthew Driscoll for the 11th season, UNF boasted a final 21-12 overall record including a 13-3 tally in the ASUN. North Florida eclipsed the 20-win mark in a season for only the third time in program history while the 13 ASUN victories set a new program record for league "dubs".

North Florida's "Birds of Trey" not only led the ASUN but also the nation in three-pointers, making 391 paced by a quartet of players with over 70 treys made. UNF also topped the ASUN in scoring averaging 78.3 points per game.

The Ospreys had three players garner All-ASUN accolades highlighted by first-team distinctions for Garrett Sams and Ivan Gandia-Rosa and second team recognition for Carter Hendricksen. Coach Matthew Driscoll and the UNF staff were chosen the ASUN Coaching Staff of the Year. Wajid Aminu, JT Escobar and Hendricksen were all named to the ASUN All-Academic team.

Team Accomplishments

• Claimed the program's 3rd ASUN regular season title
• Posted only the third 20-win season in program history finishing 21-12
• Best ASUN Record in school history at 13-3
• Finished year with a NET ranking of 175 | Non-Conference strength of schedule rank was 63
• Most All-Conference Selections in a season in Program History
• Led nation in 3-pointers made (391), topping next highest team by 32 treys | Also led nation in 3-point attempts (1,031)
• Set a new UNF single game record with 21 treys against Trinity Baptist
• Boasted a 13-2 record at home in UNF Arena | 13 home victories ranks 2nd all-time in program history | Tallied 10+ home wins for six straight years
• Earned a season sweep plus ASUN tournament opening round victory over crosstown rival Jacksonville
• Held Trinity Baptist to a program record low 39 points while posting a program D1 record victory margin of +76 (115-39 final score)
• Recorded the largest margin of victory in the program's ASUN tenure, topping Kennesaw State by 41 points (86-45 final score)
• Collected a season best six-game win streak during ASUN play
• Advanced to the ASUN Tournament semifinals for the sixth consecutive season
• Earned and accepted an invitation to play in the 2020 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT)* (would have marked program's 3rd national postseason appearance)
• TOP 100 National Rankings: AST:TO ratio (20th) | APG (18th) | BPG (91st) | Fewest TOs (100th) | FT Pct (23rd) | PPG (22nd) | Scoring Margin (95th) | 3PM (1st) | 3PA (1st) | 3PT Pct (15th) | Ttl Assists (16th) | Ttl Blocks (78th) | TOPG (59th)

Individual Highlights

• All five starters for the Ospreys averaged in double figures
• North Florida lineup featured four players that surpassed 1,000 career points (Garrett Sams, Wajid Aminu, Ivan Gandia-Rosa, JT Escobar)
• All 11 players on the roster attempted a 3-pointer with 10 players making one this year
• Garrett Sams and Carter Hendricksen both garnered ASUN Player of the Week honors, twice
• Garrett Sams was named to the All-ASUN first-team | Finished his career ranked 3rd all-time at UNF in scoring (1,538 pts) while ranking 1st for FT made (357) in the D1 era
• Ivan Gandia-Rosa garnered All-ASUN first-team honors | Set a new program record with 608 career assists (Ranked 4th all-time in ASUN history) | Became the first player in ASUN history to lead the league in season assists for three consecutive years (Finished with 211 in '19-20)
• Wajid Aminu became the program's All-Time leader for blocked shots with 203 (Tied 4th all-time in ASUN history) | Also ranks 2nd all-time and 1st in the D1 era for rebounds at UNF with 837 | Named to the ASUN All-Academic team for the third consecutive season while also collecting CoSIDA Academic All-District honors
• JT Escobar led the ASUN with 90 three-pointers and finished career ranked 4th all-time at UNF with 257 | Collected his third ASUN All-Academic recognition
• Carter Hendricksen was selected to the All-ASUN second-team | Tabbed to All-Tournament team in ASUN Championship and the Las Vegas Invitational | Named to the ASUN All-Academic list | Posted the 2nd most rebounds in a game (17) for the D1 era at UNF
• Coach Matthew Driscoll and his staff collected their third ASUN Coaching Staff of the Year accolade
• Driscoll finished the season ranked 4th all-time in the ASUN for career wins (184) and 5th all-time for conference victories (105) | Recorded several milestone victories during the year: 200th career coaching win | 175th victory at UNF | 100th home win | 100th ASUN victory
• TOP 100 National Rankings: Wajid Aminu (BPG - 33rd | Ttl Blocks - 24th) | JT Escobar (3PA - 37th | 3PM - 30th | 3PT Pct - 48th) | Ivan Gandia-Rosa (AST:TO ratio - 17th | APG - 13th | 3PA - 94th | 3PM - 82nd | Ttl Assists - 7th) | Carter Hendricksen (3PA - 52nd | 3PM - 48th | 3PT Pct - 57th) | Garrett Sams (FT Pct - 83rd | 3PT Pct - 35th)

Team Accomplishments

Individual Highlights

Players Mentioned

Wajid Aminu

JT Escobar

Ivan Gandia-Rosa

Carter Hendricksen

Garrett Sams

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