Men Jump 11 Spots to Claim #11 Ranking in National Poll

The first official national poll of the NJCAA's basketball regular season was released Tuesday afternoon. After being ranked #22 in the preseason poll on October 23^rd, the FSCJ Men's Basketball Team moved up 11 spots on Tuesday to claim the #11 spot in the country.

The preseason ranking at #22 was the first time in FSCJ school history that the men's basketball team had been officially ranked as a top team in the country, and now the new #11 spot in the poll is the first and highest ranking FSCJ Men's Basketball has achieved.

FSCJ's unprecedented jump 11 spots in the poll and national recognition comes after a hot start to the season where the Manta Rays have started 4-0. Three of the four wins are versus NJCAA Division-I opponents, with the most recent two coming in dominating fashion. FSCJ defeated Division-I Miami Dade College 86-46 in the first game of the Veterans Classic at Indian River State College on Friday November 8^th. Less than 24 hours later, FSCJ defeated the Division-I hosts of Indian River 95-64 to win the classic outright.

"Honestly and surprisingly, the guys don't seem to care too much about the rankings," said Head Coach John Putyrski. "They work very hard, and you would think they'd want recognition for that, but they're just so focused on beating the next opponent, and that shows real maturity."

The men's basketball team returns to Jacksonville for a 7-game homestand that tips-off when they host the "FSCJ Classic" this weekend and features Division-I and Division-II junior colleges from all over the country. The lineup of colleges includes: #17 Chandler-Gilbert Community College from Arizona who FSCJ faces first Thursday evening at 6pm, Marion Military Institute from Alabama who FSCJ faces Saturday at 4pm, and Snead State Community College who FSCJ plays Sunday at 1pm and is a rematch of the 2024 Gulf South District Championship that FSCJ won in Bay Minette, Alabama to advance to the national tournament last season. Florida Gateway College and the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie will also be participating but do not matchup against FSCJ.

View the complete national rankings here and follow us on Instagram and X @FSCJMBB for more exclusive updates.