# 2017–18 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles were led by fifth-year head coach Joe Dooley and played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 23–12, 12–2 in ASUN play to win the ASUN regular season championship. In the ASUN tournament, they defeated USC Upstate and North Florida to advance to the championship game where they lost to Lipscomb. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Oklahoma State.
On April 4, 2018, head coach Joe Dooley left the school to become the head coach at East Carolina, where he was previously the head coach from 1995 to 1999. The following day, assistant head coach Michael Fly was promoted to head coach.

## Previous season

The Eagles finished the 2016–17 season 26–8, 12–2 in ASUN play to win the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament, they defeated Stetson, Kennesaw State, and North Florida to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As a No. 14 seed in the West region, they lost in the first round to No. 3-seeded Florida State.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Reggie Reid | 1 | G | 5'11" | 162 | Sophomore | Harlem, GA | Graduate transferred to Texas A&M–Commerce |
| Rayjon Tucker | 3 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Sophomore | Charlotte, NC | Transferred to Little Rock |
| Maxx Bleecher | 4 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Sophomore | Boca Raton, FL | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Kevin Mickle | 10 | F | 6'7" | 220 | RS Junior | Brooklyn, NY | Graduate transferred to Ohio |
| C. J. Williamson | 12 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Orlando, FL | Dismissed from the team |
| Demetris Morant | 21 | F | 6'9" | 209 | RS Senior | Las Vegas, NV | Graduated |
| Marc-Eddy Norelia | 25 | F | 6'8" | 218 | RS Senior | Orlando, FL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Troy Baxter Jr. | 1 | F | 6'8" | 200 | SO | Tallahassee, FL | Transferred in June 2017 from UNLV following his freshman season. Will sit out the 2017–18 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules, but will then have three years of eligibility beginning as a redshirt sophomore in 2018–19. |
| Ricky Doyle | 15 | F | 6'10" | 250 | JR | Cape Coral, FL | Transferred from Michigan in May 2016 following his sophomore season with the Wolverines. He will have two years of eligibility beginning as a redshirt junior in 2017–18 after sitting out the 2016–17 season per NCAA transfer rules. |
| Brady Ernst | 21 | F | 6'10" | 230 | SO | Clinton, IA | Transferred from Indian Hills Community College in April 2017 and will have three years of eligibility remaining, beginning immediately as a redshirt sophomore in 2017–18. |
| Michael Gilmore | 24 | F | 6'10" | 210 | JR | Jacksonville, FL | Transferred in January 2017 from Miami, where he was sitting out after transferring there from VCU in the summer of 2016. Will sit out two semesters per NCAA transfer rules, and will be eligible to begin play in December 2017 following completion of the fall semester. He will be eligible for the duration of the 2017–18 season and the entire 2018–19 campaign. |
| Dinero Mercurius | 31 | G | 6'4" | 200 | JR | Orlando, FL | Transferred in April 2017 from Daytona State College. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining, beginning immediately as a redshirt junior in 2017–18. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Brian Thomas PF | Marietta, GA | | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Darnell Rogers PG | Fort Mill, SC | Believe Preparatory School | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR Rivals: NR ESPN: NR ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 11, 2017* 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Illinois State | W 98–87 | 1–0 | 27 – Johnson | 9 – Carlyle | 7 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (4,335) Fort Myers, FL |
| Nov 13, 2017* 7:00 pm | | at Siena | W 86–53 | 2–0 | 16 – Tied | 11 – Doyle | 4 – Goodwin | Times Union Center (5,387) Albany, NY |
| Nov 18, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Bowling Green | L 80–83 | 2–1 | 18 – Terrell | 7 – Tied | 5 – Goodwin | Stroh Center (2,440) Bowling Green, OH |
| Nov 21, 2017* 7:30 pm, Stadium | | at Middle Tennessee | L 72–85 | 2–2 | 20 – Goodwin | 8 – Terrell | 3 – Tied | Murphy Center (5,017) Murfreesboro, TN |
| Nov 24, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Denver FGCU Shootout | W 79–71 | 3–2 | 20 – Johnson | 8 – Scott | 5 – Terrell | Alico Arena (3,517) Fort Myers, FL |
| Nov 25, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Navy FGCU Shootout | W 70–54 | 4–2 | 19 – Goodwin | 10 – Terrell | 3 – Johnson | Alico Arena (3,597) Fort Myers, FL |
| Nov 26, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | St. Francis Brooklyn FGCU Shootout | W 75–51 | 5–2 | 20 – Terrell | 10 – Scott | 3 – Johnson | Alico Arena (2,929) Fort Myers, FL |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Webber International FGCU Shootout | W 115–61 | 6–2 | 18 – Terrell | 10 – Terrell | 10 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (3,100) Fort Myers, FL |
| Dec 2, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Middle Tennessee | L 76–81 | 6–3 | 26 – Goodwin | 8 – Terrell | 5 – Terrell | Alico Arena (3,931) Fort Myers, FL |
| Dec 5, 2017* 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | | Florida Atlantic | L 88–92 | 6–4 | 23 – Goodwin | 11 – Goodwin | 4 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (3,418) Fort Myers, FL |
| Dec 9, 2017* 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Texas–Arlington | W 85–78 | 7–4 | 23 – Goodwin | 3 – 3 tied | 8 – Goodwin | College Park Center (2,635) Arlington, TX |
| Dec 16, 2017* 8:15 pm, ESPN3 | | Oral Roberts | L 64–83 | 7–5 | 20 – Goodwin | 5 – Simmons | 8 – Johnson | Alico Arena (3,316) Fort Myers, FL |
| Dec 19, 2017* 7:00 pm | | at FIU | L 88–91 | 7–6 | 24 – Goodwin | 9 – Tied | 8 – Goodwin | FIU Arena (509) Miami, FL |
| Dec 22, 2017* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | at No. 11 Wichita State | L 65–75 | 7–7 | 20 – Goodwin | 8 – Goodwin | 3 – Goodwin | Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS |
| Dec 27, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Rhode Island | L 60–80 | 7–8 | 14 – Simmons | 5 – Gilmore | 2 – Tied | Ryan Center (5,347) Kingston, RI |
| Dec 29, 2017* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Florida Memorial | W 76–42 | 8–8 | 19 – Johnson | 5 – 4 tied | 5 – Johnson | Alico Arena (3,320) Fort Myers, FL |
| Dec 31, 2017* 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Florida Tech | W 62–54 | 9–8 | 15 – Mercurius | 6 – Goodwin | 11 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (2,904) Fort Myers, FL |
| Atlantic Sun Conference regular season |||||||||
| Jan 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Stetson | W 90–52 | 10–8 (1–0) | 19 – Johnson | 8 – Thomas | 6 – Terrell | Alico Arena (4,016) Fort Myers, FL |
| Jan 11, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | USC Upstate | W 75–58 | 11–8 (2–0) | 17 – Johnson | 9 – Goodwin | 6 – Johnson | Alico Arena (3,633) Fort Myers, FL |
| Jan 13, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | NJIT | W 68–54 | 12–8 (3–0) | 21 – Goodwin | 10 – Goodwin | 8 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (3,517) Fort Myers, FL |
| Jan 18, 2018 7:30 pm, ESPN3 | | at Lipscomb | W 88–83 | 13–8 (4–0) | 22 – Goodwin | 7 – Simmons | 9 – Goodwin | Allen Arena (1,147) Nashville, TN |
| Jan 20, 2018 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | | at Kennesaw State | W 66–49 | 14–8 (5–0) | 20 – 3 tied | 14 – Pepper | 8 – Cooper | KSU Convocation Center (1,502) Kennesaw, GA |
| Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at North Florida | W 96–87 | 15–8 (6–0) | 19 – Johnson | 11 – Gilmore | 6 – Terrell | UNF Arena (2,248) Jacksonville, FL |
| Jan 27, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Jacksonville | W 68–62 | 16–8 (7–0) | 18 – Johnson | 10 – Gilmore | 2 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (4,427) Fort Myers, FL |
| Jan 29, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | North Florida | W 103–70 | 17–8 (8–0) | 16 – Johnson | 12 – Gilmore | 7 – Johnson | Alico Arena (4,016) Fort Myers, FL |
| Feb 3, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Jacksonville | W 80–55 | 18–8 (9–0) | 25 – Johnson | 6 – 3 tied | 6 – Terrell | Swisher Gymnasium (1,283) Jacksonville, FL |
| Feb 8, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at NJIT | W 75–70 | 19–8 (10–0) | 17 – Terrell | 9 – Goodwin | 4 – Goodwin | Wellness and Events Center (661) Newark, NJ |
| Feb 10, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at USC Upstate | W 88–71 | 20–8 (11–0) | 21 – Scott | 6 – 4 tied | 6 – Tied | G. B. Hodge Center (833) Spartanburg, SC |
| Feb 15, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Kennesaw State | L 93–97 | 20–9 (11–1) | 28 – Goodwin | 8 – Terrell | 4 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (3,825) Fort Myers, FL |
| Feb 17, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Lipscomb | L 87–90 | 20–10 (11–2) | 28 – Goodwin | 7 – Gilmore | 5 – Goodwin | Alico Arena (4,497) Fort Myers, FL |
| Feb 22, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Stetson | W 76–60 | 21–10 (12–2) | 27 – Goodwin | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Edmunds Center (1,150) DeLand, FL |
| Atlantic Sun tournament |||||||||
| Feb 26, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | (1) | (8) USC Upstate Quarterfinals | W 96–76 | 22–10 | 26 – Johnson | 8 – Simmons | 8 – Terrell | Alico Arena (2,832) Fort Myers, FL |
| Mar 1, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | (1) | (5) North Florida Semifinals | W 95–72 | 23–10 | 18 – Goodwin | 6 – Tied | 7 – Terrell | Alico Arena (3,321) Fort Myers, FL |
| Mar 4, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN | (1) | (2) Lipscomb Championship game | L 96–108 | 23–11 | 37 – Johnson | 8 – Simmons | 4 – Tied | Alico Arena (4,633) Fort Myers, FL |
| NIT |||||||||
| Mar 13, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | (7) | at (2) Oklahoma State First Round – USC Bracket | L 68–80 | 23–12 | 23 – Johnson | 6 – Goodwin | 5 – Goodwin | Gallagher-Iba Arena (5,305) Stillwater, OK |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||