New coach, new faces, new era for FSCJ men's basketball

New coach, new faces, new era for FSCJ men's basketball
October 31, 2023

The Florida State College at Jacksonville Men's Basketball team has undergone significant changes since last season's penultimate finish in Region 8. John Putyrski was hired as head coach in late August to lead and rebuild the program. FSCJ has been picked to finish last in the FCSAA Preseason Region 8 Coaches Poll. A rebuilding season is the last thing on Coach Putyrski's or his players' minds however. With 3 returners and 12 new faces, the "NewWave BlueWave", as they've dubbed themselves, are looking to make a splash right away despite the low expectations placed upon them.

The FSCJ men's basketball team returns 1st Team All-Conference guard Tarence Guinyard, along with forwards Raheem Taplin and Roderick Gardner. The remainder of the roster is filled with new faces, with the exception of forward Calvin Brown who played one game for FSCJ during the 2021-22 season before transferring to Florida Gateway College and now making his return to Jacksonville.

First year head coach, John Putyrski had his hands full working to fill a roster at such a late date, but he is confident in what the team he has put together can develop into.

"My priority in recruiting was character," said Coach Putyrski. "Sustainable success in college basketball stems from that, especially when building a program the campus and community can be proud of and rally behind. I am confident that with the right character and my dedication in player development we can contend with any competition we face."

The Sunshine State is represented well with the new additions and in the sophomore class that includes the aforementioned Calvin Brown. Joining Brown are St. Augustine native Mark Brown, who joins FSCJ after transferring from Region 8 foe Hillsborough Community College and Jacksonville native Bennie McDuffie, who transfered back home after a season at Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, Maryland.

With a team comprised of two-thirds freshmen, FSCJ will be relatively young compared to their competition. Florida freshmen class include guard Alex McCray from Gainesville, Aiden Fletcher and Kevins Charles from Orlando, and hometown Jacksonville signees Abraham Garjah, Gary Anderson and Jordan Smith. Freshmen Eddie Mitchell from Decatur, Alabama and Kuol Reech from Geelong, Australia round out Coach Putyrski's freshman class. Local Jacksonville players Diego Dionisio and Marcus Click will redshirt this season, saving a year of eligibility and will begin competition for FSCJ during the 2024-25 season.

FSCJ's preseason featured scrimmages and jamboree games against NJCAA Division I competition in and around Florida, including Daytona State, Southern Union (AL), Wake Tech (SC), and Gordon State (GA). Preseason competition ended with a 78-74 home exhibition victory versus 4-year college Trinity Baptist. The regular season begins November 3rd in Melbourne, Florida at the Jim Grimes Classic where FSCJ opens against East Georgia State College.

"The main points of the nonconference schedule are to put us in position to compete for an at-large bid to the National Tournament and to prepare us for tough conference play," said Coach Putyrski. "Our schedule does that with out-of-district opponents from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. I would've liked to schedule more Division I Region 8 opponents, but many teams' schedules were set before I arrived."

FSCJ then, like most Region 8 Florida junior colleges, has taken advantage of the opportunity to schedule post-graduate preparatory schools.

"It is a great engagement and recruiting tool for our program to be able to compete against some of the best prep competition in the state, and specifically the Jacksonville area," Coach Putyrski stated. "It allows us to be even more active with our local and statewide recruiting without sacrificing strong competition level in our opponents. I am excited for the challenging schedule we've been able to assemble in such a short time."

View the team's complete roster and schedule—including results, updates, and streaming options—here.