JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's basketball plays the second and final game of a season-opening road trip nearly 3,000 miles away from the First Coast as the Ospreys lace up at the Alaska Airlines Arena to play the University of Washington Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 p.m. EST.
GAME DETAILS
- Date: Friday, Nov. 11
- Time: 11 p.m. EST // 8 p.m. PST
- Location: Seattle, Wash.
- Opponent: Washington Huskies
- Watch: Pac-12 Network
- Live Stats: Statbroadcast
- Radio: The Varsity Network
All-Time Series: First-ever meeting
An Osprey Win Saturday Would....
- Be UNF's third Power Five win in program history
- Be North Florida's first-ever win against a Pac-12 team
- Be North Florida's first win in just its second game in the Evergreen State
- Be UNF's first Power Five win since defeating Illinois Nov. 13 of 2015.
PROJECTED UNF STARTING FIVE (STATS FROM LAST YEAR)
LAST TIME OUT
SPOKANE, Wash. - North Florida men's basketball started the season with one of its toughest tests to open a year in program history as the Ospreys played at No. 2 Gonzaga, dropping the opener Monday, Nov. 7.
Carter Hendricksen became the eighth Osprey to eclipse 200-career three-pointers, leading UNF in scoring with 16 points as North Florida (0-1) came up short, 103-64, against the Bulldogs.
NORTH FLORIDA NOTES
COACH DRISCOLL ON TOMORROW'S GAME
"After watching the video from Monday's game, it's clear that understanding, accepting and transferring what we've learned will be critical in tomorrow night's game. Once again, we are poised to play a Power Five opponent, believing in our preparation and connectivity during this arduous non-conference slate. This group remains confident that "the next right thing" approach is necessary as we continue to press on." -- Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
WHOLE SQUAD READY
- UNF's 2022-23 roster is 13 student-athletes deep, featuring nine returners, eight of which earned time last year, as well as four newcomers.
- All of UNF's returners made their season debuts at Gonzaga, while four Ospreys made their UNF debuts. Two, including Mark Flakus and Jah Nze, made their collegiate debuts.
- Oscar Berry and Trent Coleman joined in earning their first minutes in the Navy and Gray.
GAME THREE AGAINST THE PAC-12
- North Florida has faced a Pac-12 team in consecutive seasons.
- UNF played at No. 2 UCLA last year as well as Arizona State, while making its first trip to Seattle to take on Washington tomorrow night.
ADD IT TO THE BIO
- Fifth-year senior Carter Hendricksen became the eighth Osprey in program history to reach 200-career three-pointers after knocking down a trey in the opening minutes at Gonzaga Monday night.
- Hendricksen paced the Ospreys with 16 points, earning the 60th double-digit scoring performance of his career in the process.
- Hendricksen joins some elite UNF names in the 200 three-pointer club, including Jerron Granberry, Ivan Gandia-Rosa, Garrett Sams, JT Escobar, Dallas Moore, Beau Beech and Parker Smith.
FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA
- North Florida men's basketball is 2,982 miles away from its home city of Jacksonville.
- The Ospreys are playing a road game at the DI school farthest from Jacksonville in the contiguous 48 states of the USA.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
- The Washington Huskies are coming off a 17-point season-opening win against Weber State Monday, Nov. 7.
- UW's Keion Brooks scored 20 points to lead the way as the Huskies pulled away late after Weber State stayed within a double-digit margin for much of the way.
- The Huskies will miss the contributions of the Pac-12's leading scorer in Terrell Brown Jr. who graduated after last season.
- Washington has stayed local for much of its roster, with seven hailing from the Evergreen State and five from Seattle.
- The Huskies do return nine letterwinners, but just one starter, Jamal Bey, who scored 9.4 points per game a year ago.
- UW did benefit from the transfer portal as four transfers from Division I programs joined the Purple and Gold. The names include: Keion Brooks Jr. (Kentucky), Franck Kepnang (Oregon), Braxton Meah (Fresno State) and Noah Williams (Washington State). Together they have played in 278 games across their career.
- Ironically, UNF faced Brooks Jr. last year in Lexington, Ky., as he played for the Wildcats, starting 33 games in 2021-22.
- Handling the head coaching duties is sixth-year head coach Mike Hopkins. A two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Hopkins registered 22 years as an assistant coach at Syracuse, helping the Orange win the 2003 National Championship, headlined by Carmelo Anthony's lone year at the collegiate level.
- Hopkins shortly served as the interim head coach for nine games with Syracuse in 2016-17.
- The Huskies' best year under Hopkins came in 2018-19 when UW went 27-9, finishing first in the conference before getting bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- UW went just 5-21 in 2020-21 before posting a 17-15 mark last year.
- The Huskies went 11-6 at home a year ago.
- UW was picked to finish ninth of 12 teams in the Pac-12 Preseason poll, finishing ahead of Utah, Cal and Oregon State.
- Some notable UW men's basketball alums include Markelle Fultz (Magic), Terrence Ross (Magic), Dejounte Murray (Hawks), Marquese Chriss, Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter among others.
OTHER NOTES
PRESEASON ALL-ASUN
- Jose Placer and Carter Hendricksen were both tabbed to the All-ASUN Preseason team.
- UNF joined Liberty as the only two teams in the ASUN Conference to have two honorees on the preseason squad.
RETURNING MINUTES AND POINTS
- After having one of the youngest teams in the nation last year, North Florida returns as a veteran team.
- The Ospreys bring back 81 percent of their scoring and 74 percent of minutes played from last season.
- All told, UNF has nine returners and four newcomers, with five of the nine returners being regular starters last season.
AWARDS AND HONORS IN 2021-22
- Jose Placer and Carter Hendricksen both took home ASUN All-Academic honors to close the 2022 season. For Hendricksen, it was his third-career honor.
- Hendricksen also joined former teammate, Wajid Aminu, as a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree a year ago. Despite battling injury during the 2021-22 season, Hendricksen still managed to average 12.2 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per contest, bringing him past 1,000-career points and 500-career rebounds.
- Shooting guard Jarius Hicklen put the ASUN on notice last year, averaging 12 points per game over 30 games and 15 starts. Initially not starting at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, Hicklen's consistency, combined with some injuries on the UNF roster, brought him into a starting role that he did not let go of. The Dallas, Texas native was named ASUN Newcomer of the Week and ASUN Player of the Week one time apiece last year. He started his collegiate career with two seasons of basketball at Division II Oklahoma Baptist before transferring to North Florida.
LOOKING AT THE 2022-23 SEASON
- UNF is set to play 31 games including 14 at home. The Ospreys play a 13-game non-conference ledger, with 18 league games lined up as the ASUN expanded to 14 teams.
- The Ospreys will play six first-time opponents in Gonzaga, Washington, South Carolina State, Houston, Duquesne and Davis & Elkins.
- UNF also has Pittsburgh and Kentucky on the schedule for this year, marking the second-straight year UNF has taken on Kentucky.
CSI COMPANIES COURT
- North Florida men's basketball practiced away from its home court for all of the summer and much of the preseason as the UNF Arena was undergoing renovations that included the construction of the new CSI Companies Court. UNF didn't practice in its home gym until Oct. 24 and instead practiced at the UNF Fieldhouse adjacent to the gym, or at the Florida State College of Jacksonville (community college) across the street from campus.
- The CSI Companies Court features a gray and navy look, with the state of Florida and UNF banner logo donning the center of the floor. UNF's location in Jacksonville is emphasized with a star located on the floor, while Osprey talons mark the sidelines.
- The UNF Arena was also renovated with brand new lighting and sound system, as well as other aesthetic touch ups. The Bank of England Hospitality Suite is also nearing completion, providing a premier experience for donors.
NOTABLE
- Head coach Matthew Driscoll picked up his 200th-career win last year. He is the winningest coach in program history.
- UNF had arguably the best blocking trio in the league last year, with three student-athletes averaging at least 0.9 blocks/game. Jadyn Parker led the way with 1.6, Dorian James swatted 1.1 per game and Jonathan Aybar blocked 0.9 shots per contest. Parker set the UNF single game blocks record with nine last season at Stetson.
- No stranger to tough schedules, UNF opened the year last year with a stretch of games against Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Grand Canyon, Arizona State and UCLA before playing a home game. The Ospreys played one home game before going back on the road to take on Kentucky.
