5th Herd Goes for Last Chance for Playoffs

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball team (15-11, 5-5 Southern) will have one last chance to make their playoff hopes alive as they will welcome Miami Dade (16-13, 5-6 Southern) to Hal Chasey Gymnasium Monday night, February 20 at 7 pm.

The series between both teams is tied for this season with the Manatees taking the first game 65-64 and the Sharks taking the second game 71-58. The winner of this game will secure a spot in the FCSAA State Tournament as an at-large team. Overall, the Manatees are 7-7 against the Sharks 

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #25 Indian River State (22-6, 8-2)*#

2. Florida Southwestern (18-8, 6-5)

3. SCF (15-11, 5-5)

4. Miami Dade (16-13, 5-6)

5. Hillsborough (15-11, 2-8) e

*secured spot for tournament

#Southern Conference Regular Season Champions

e(eliminated)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of falling to Florida Southwestern 94-78 on the road. If the Manatees would have won, then they would have secured a spot automatically.

FCSAA Tournament Spots:

So far, Daytona State (25-3, 12-1 Central) and #25 Indian River State (22-6, 8-2 Southern) have secured their spots and have won their conference regular season championship.

Sophomore Soundoff:

Before the start of the game, head coach Tom Parks and the coaching staff will recognize five sophomores on the team: Ronnail Tape, Cobey Harraway, Isaiah Josue, Skylar Wicks and Ametri Moss.

Tape, a native of Fort Myers, is averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. In his last game, he had seven points, one rebound and one block against FSW in his hometown.

Harraway is averaging 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He had nine points and one assist against FSW.

Since transferring from Porterville College (CCCAA), Josue has played a key role off the bench. Currently, he is averaging 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Against FSW, the Miami native had 12 points, two rebounds and one assist.

Wicks, who transferred from Missouri State, is averaging 17.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Against FSW, he had 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. After this season, the native of Jersey City will transfer to Central Michigan University.

Moss, who returned to the starting lineup during conference play and from a hand injury in the beginning of the season, is averaging 9.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He had eight points, one rebound and three assists against FSW.

Alongside the sophomores, freshmen Elijah Terry, Kasheem Grady, Josh Ijeh, Malyk Rebetez and Dresean Knight play their support roles for them.

Terry, who had five points and 11 rebounds against FSW after his 22 point-11 rebound game against Hillsborough, is averaging 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Alabama native has played a key role off the bench for the Manatees.

Grady, like Terry, plays a key role off the bench. Grady is averaging eight points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He was one rebound shy of a double-double as he finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists against FSW.

Ijeh, the lead rebounder, is averaging 4.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. He was limited to two points against FSW.

Rebetez, a key player for passing, is averaging 2.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Knight, who backs up Ijeh, is averaging 2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He had six points and three rebounds against FSW.

Scouting Miami Dade:

The Sharks are coming off of an 86-77 loss to #25 Indian River State and are currently in fourth place in the conference standings.

Freshman Tyriek Weeks leads the way for the Sharks averaging 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while classmate Jimichael Stillwell averages 14.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and Covid-sophomore DJ Harrell averages 12.2 points and 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

How to Keep Up:

The game will air on the SCF Sports Network and fans can keep up with both teams on all social media platforms.

Livestream Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

Social Media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Looks to Keep Playoff Hopes @ FSW

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball team (15-10, 5-5 Southern) will look to secure their spot in the FCSAA State Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Tom Parks with one more win in conference play. The Manatees will travel to Fort Myers for the third time this season as they will face Florida Southwestern State (17-8, 5-5 Southern) Thursday night, February 16 at 7 pm at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

The Manatees are 1-21 against the Buccaneers so far. This game will be the rubber game (series decider) for both teams. The Buccaneers took the first game in Fort Myers by a score of 107-80. The Manatees would return the favor at Hal Chasey Gymnasium by winning the second game 63-62 on a game-winning 3-pointer by sophomore Isaiah Josue.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #25 Indian River State (21-6, 7-2)

2. SCF (15-10, 5-4)

3. Florida Southwestern (17-8, 5-5)

4. Miami Dade (16-12, 5-5)

5. Hillsborough (15-11, 2-8) e

e - eliminated from tournament

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of securing their only sweep in conference play as they defeated Hillsborough 90-85 at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. The win also bumped the Manatees to second place after Miami Dade (16-12, 5-5 Southern) fell to FSW.

Hillsborough is the first team in the Southern Conference eliminated from qualifying for the FCSAA State Tournament.

Pensacola State (10-16, 1-8 Panhandle) is the first team eliminated from the Panhandle Conference.

Possible Scenario Outcomes:

The Manatees do have a solid chance to secure a spot in the FCSAA State Tournament as an at-large bid, but they also have a chance to finish as the runner-up or possibly the regular season champions, but in order to do that here is what needs to happen:

Scenario 1:

Option 1 - If the Manatees attempt for runner-up, then they have to do the following:

1. Win all their remaining conference games

2. Miami Dade must lose their remaining conference games

Top 3 Final Standings (non-official):

1. #25 Indian River State (23-8, 9-3)

2. SCF (18-10, 8-4)

3. Florida Southwestern (19-9, 6-6)

Option 2 - If the Manatees attempt for runner-up, then they have to do the following:

1. The Manatees win three of four conference games

2. Miami Dade must lose all three conference games

Top 3 Final Standings:

1. #25 Indian River State (24-6, 10-2)

2. SCF (17-11, 7-5)

3. Florida Southwestern (19-9, 6-6)

Scenario 2- The Manatees could move to first place and win the regular season championship if the following occurs:

1. SCF win all remaining conference games

2. Indian River loses remaining conference games

Final Standings Top 2:

1. SCF (18-10, 8-4)

2. #25 Indian River State (21-9, 7-5)

Slim Takes Over:

Freshman Elijah Terry played as the hero for the game against Hillsborough as he had a double-double of 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and one block off the bench. Terry is averaging 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. His 22 points were a career-high this season.

Kash Up:

Like Terry, freshman Kasheem Grady has played a versatile role off the bench as he is averaging 7.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Grady had nine points, three rebounds and three assists against HCC.

Hometown Hammer:

Sophomore Ronnail Tape will return to his hometown of Fort Myers for the third time this season. Tape, despite being held to three points and four rebounds against HCC, is averaging 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

No Limits:

Sophomore Skylar Wicks remains one of the Manatees most consistent offensive scorers. Wicks, who will be transferring to Central Michigan University fall 2023, is averaging 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Against HCC, Wicks had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in the win.

Meach Still Got It:

Sophomore Ametri Moss continues his strong role since returning to the starting lineup during conference play. Moss is averaging 9.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Against HCC, he was two rebounds and three assists shy of a triple-double as he finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Soul of Swiss Passes:

Freshman Malyk Rebetez still plays a key role off the bench in passing after Moss returned to the starting lineup. Rebetez is averaging 2.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Rebetez had two points, two rebounds and three assists off the bench against HCC.

Rebound Cleaning:

While he has not score in many games, freshman Josh Ijeh remains a key role in the Manatees inside defense game and rebounding. While he was held to six points and four rebounds with no blocks against HCC, Ijeh is still averaging 4.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

Zigging Through:

Sophomore Isaiah Josue plays a key role off the bench like Terry and Grady. Josue is averaging 8.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Against HCC, the Porterville College transfer had 12 points (all from the 3-point line), four rebounds and two assists off the bench.

Wild N' Crazy:

Sophomore Cobey Harraway and freshmen Dresean Knight are the key wildcards in the game. Harraway is averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while Knight is averaging 2.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Against HCC, Harraway had six points, three rebounds and four assists, while Knight had two points, one rebound and one block.

Scouting FSW:

The Buccaneers are coming off of a 79-56 win over Miami Dade and are tied for third place in conference.

Sophomore Bradley Douglas leads the way averaging 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Classmate Jadarian Tracy and Tyson Brown follow Douglas averaging 12.9 and 11.9 points per game respectively. Tracy, who was named the FCSAA Region 8 Player of the Week, is also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while Brown averages 9.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

How to Keep Up:

The game will air livestream on the FSW Athletics Fan Zone for anyone unable to attend the game. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on their social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Livestream Link -  https://www.fswbucs.com/fswbucslive

Social Media -

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Sweeps HCC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball team (15-10, 5-4 Southern) secured their first and only conference sweep of the season as they defeated Hillsborough (15-11, 2-8 Southern) 90-85 at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. With the win, the Manatees are now 19-19 overall against the Hawks.

"It's a big round for conference play and it's hard to beat a team three times in conference," said head coach Tom Parks. "Hillsborough has continually improved over the years since I have been here and they have a lot of fight, which showed tonight after they didn't give up against us. They lead a lot of the game through coach Coleman's style, so hats off to them for the fight."

"I thought our guys did a really good job for the most part making plays down the stretch, getting rebounds, dunks and layups while pushing the ball down the floor."

"While we started off rough in the beginning and did not play as a team, we had to turn it around in the second half," said sophomore Ametri Moss "We rebounded better than them (HCC) and played together with intensity to get the win and that was our mindset. It felt amazing getting the sweep over them, being that this is my last season with the team."

"Overall, we played really well," said freshman Elijah Terry.  "We were sluggish in the first half where we were making difficult shots that were hurting us, so when the second half came in, we stepped it up and didn't take our foot off the gas and got the win. It felt good getting the sweep over Hillsborough and we look to keep that same intensity when we play FSW."

The first saw the Manatees score their first 10 points off of the hands of sophomore Skylar Wicks, but the Hawks lead from shooting by sophomore Jasper Floyd. While the Manatees tried to counter with Moss scoring, the first half would go in favor of Hillsborough by a score of 44-38.

At the start of the second half, the Manatees started to build up their offense with a little bit of a secret weapon. As the Manatees took advantage of miscommunication from the Hawks and take their first lead thanks to back-to-back 3-point shots by sophomore Isaiah Josue before Terry lead the offense with several monster dunks. In the end, the Manatees took over the second half and took the win at home.

Four Manatees scored in double figures in the game. It was Terry that lead the way as he secured his second collegiate double-double of a career-high 22 points (9-for-13 FG, 4-for-4 FT), 10 rebounds, three assists and one block off the bench.

"Slim has the ability to be a mismatch problem for the other team," said Parks on Terry. "While we don't use him often as a five, he can play really well there. The thing about him is we don't call a play for him because no one ran a play for him, but he had ways to help the team whether he's scoring, rebounding or getting his hands ready. That's his nature."

Moss would follow with 14 points (6-for-14 FG, 1-for-1 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists and one steal.

"I just had to step up in the second half," said Moss on his game. "I wasn't able to find my rhythm on the offensive side in the first half, so I had to step up and get involved with my team to get the win."

Wicks and Josue would round out the order with 12 points each. Wicks (4-for-7 FG, 2-for-5 3PT, 2-for-2 FT) added four rebounds, three assists and a steal, while Josue (4-for-7 FG, 4-for-5 3PT) had four rebounds, two assists and three steals off the bench.

Freshman Kasheem Grady added nine points (4-for-9 FG), three rebounds and three assists, while classmate Josh Ijeh and sophomore Cobey Harraway had six points each. Ijeh (3-for-5 FG) added four rebounds and one assist, while Harraway (3-for-9 FG) added three rebounds and four assists.

Sophomore Ronnail Tape (three points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal), redshirt freshman Zach Smith (two points and two assists) and freshmen Malyk Rebetez (two points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal) and Dresean Knight (two points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block) also contributed in the game.

For the Hawks, Floyd lead the way with 35 points (12-for-21 FG, 4-for-6 3PT, 7-for-8 FT), six rebounds, two assists and four steals, while sophomores Georden Rogers and Dominic Gooden each had  15 points. Rogers added five rebounds, one assist and two steals, while three rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Florida Southwestern (17-8, 5-5 Southern) defeated Miami Dade (16-12, 5-5 Southern) 79-56. The Sharks will take on #25 Indian River State (21-6, 7-2 Southern) Thursday night, February 16 at 7 pm.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #25 Indian River State (21-6, 7-2)

2. SCF (15-10, 5-4)

3. Florida Southwestern (17-8, 5-5)

4. Miami Dade (16-12, 5-5)

5. Hillsborough (15-11, 2-8) e

e - eliminated from tournament

Up Next:

The Manatees will head on the road to Fort Myers as they will face FSW at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena Thursday night, February 16 at 7 pm.

5th Herd Looks for Sweep Over HCC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball team (14-10, 4-4 Southern) look to get their first sweep in conference play as they welcome Hillsborough (15-10, 2-7 Southern) to Hal Chasey Gymnasium Monday night, February 13 at 7 pm.

The Manatees are 18-19 overall against the Hawks, which include the earlier wins in conference play (80-72 at home; 76-70 at Hillsborough).

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #25 Indian River State (21-6, 7-2)

2. Miami Dade (16-11, 5-4)

3. SCF (14-10, 4-4)

4. Florida Southwestern (16-8, 4-5)

5. Hillsborough (15-10, 2-7)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of two straight losses in conference after losing to Miami Dade (71-58) and #25 Indian River State (121-101). They are currently in third place in conference play.

Possible Scenario Outcomes:

The Manatees do have a solid chance to secure a spot in the FCSAA State Tournament as an at-large bid, but they also have a chance to finish as the runner-up or as the regular season champions, but in order to do that here is what needs to happen:

Scenario 1:

Option 1 - If the Manatees attempt for runner-up, then they have to do the following:

1. Win all their remaining conference games

2. Miami Dade must lose their remaining conference games

Final Standings (non-official):

1. #25 Indian River State (23-8, 9-3)

2. SCF (18-10, 8-4)

3. Florida Southwestern (19-9, 6-6)

4. Miami Dade (16-14, 5-7)

5. Hillsborough (16-13, 2-10)

Option 2 - If the Manatees attempt for runner-up, then they have to do the following:

1. The Manatees win three of four conference games

2. Miami Dade must lose all three conference games

Final Standings:

1. #25 Indian River State (24-6, 10-2)

2. SCF (17-11, 7-5)

3. Florida Southwestern (19-9, 6-6)

4. Miami Dade (16-14, 5-7)

5. Hillsborough (16-13, 2-10)

Scenario 2- The Manatees could win the regular season championship and move to first place if the following occurs:

1. SCF win all remaining conference games

2. Indian River loses remaining conference games

Final Standings Top 2:

1. SCF (18-10, 8-4)

2. #25 Indian River State (21-9, 7-5)

Sky High Chippewa:

Sophomore Skylar Wicks continues to lead the way for the Manatees offensively as he is averaging 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The upcoming Central Michigan transfer had 22 points, six rebounds and a steal against Miami Dade and 26 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals against Indian River State.

The Assassin's Creed:

Classmate Cobey Harraway follows behind Wicks averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, despite scoring in single digits for the last three games.

The Janitor's Cleaning Boards:

Freshman Josh Ijeh remains as one of the Manatees leading rebounders and inside defenders. Ijeh is averaging 4.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.

Classmate Elijah Terry has also been playing his role behind Ijeh in rebounding. Terry is averaging 6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. In his last two games, Terry had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals against Miami Dade and 16 points, three rebounds and four blocks against Indian River State.

Meach Takeover:

Since returning to the starting lineup for conference, sophomore Ametri Moss has been playing a key role for the Manatees. Moss is averaging 9.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He had six points, four rebounds and one assist against Miami Dade and 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists against Indian River State.

Hammering Spikes:

Sophomore Ronnail Tape remains as another versatile player in the rotation for the starting lineup. Tape is averaging 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Despite having only two points against Miami Dade, he was able to bounce back with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists against Indian River State.

Wildcard Game:

As far as the wild cards on the team, sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue and freshmen Kasheem Grady, Malyk Rebetez and Dresean Knight are key ones.

Josue, who came off of hitting the game-winning shot over FSW, is averaging 7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The transfer from Porterville College (CCCAA) was held scoreless with three rebounds against Miami Dade before recovering with four points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Grady, who plays a versatile role off the bench, is averaging 7.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He had five points and three rebounds against Miami Dade and nine points, three rebounds and three assists against Indian River State.

Rebetez, who is the team's leading player for assists, is averaging 2.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He had three points, two rebounds and two assists against Miami Dade and six points, five rebounds and five assists against Indian River State.

Knight, who is also a key role player in defense, is averaging 2.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. After being held scoreless against Miami Dade, Knight had one of his best outings this season as he had a season-high 11 points, three rebounds and a season-high six blocks.

Scouting Hillsborough:

The Hawks are in last place in conference and are entering the game on a four-game losing streak after falling to Miami Dade by a score of 79-61.

Sophomore Georden Rogers leads the way for the Hawks averaging 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Classmates Jasper Floyd and Dominic Gooden follow averaging 13.2 and 13 points per game. Floyd also averages 6.4 rebounds per game, while Gooden averages three rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Sophomore Delon Gooden Jr (10.9 ppg, three rpg and three apg), Nicolas Strachen (nine ppg and 5.4 rpg) and Nari Jordan (5.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 1.4 bpg) also play key roles in the Hawks rotation.

How to Keep Up:

The game will air on the SCF Sports Network and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms.

Livestream Link -  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

Social Media -

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Looks for Second Series Win

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball team (14-8, 4-2 Southern) will look to take their second series of conference play as they travel to Miami to take on Miami Dade (14-11, 3-4 Southern) at the Gibson Center Gymnasium Saturday afternoon, February 4 at 4 pm.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. Indian River State (19-5, 5-1)

2. SCF (14-8, 4-2)

3. Miami Dade (14-11, 3-4)

4. Hillsborough (15-7, 2-4)

5. Florida Southwestern (14-8, 2-5)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of one of their biggest wins in their program history as they defeated Florida Southwestern State 63-62 at Hal Chasey Gymnasium on a game-winning shot. It was the Manatees’ first ever win against FSW in their program history.

In addition, the Manatees are now in second place in the Southern Conference Standings.

Zigging Along:

Sophomore Isaiah ‘Ziggy’ Josue was the hero for the Manatees in that game after scoring the game-winning 3-pointer and finished with 19 points and two rebounds. Josue is averaging 8.5 points, three rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Kashing in:

Freshman Kasheem Grady has been one of the biggest benefactors off of the Manatees bench. Grady is averaging 7.7 points and three rebounds per game. Against FSW, Grady had 10 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

Meach 2.0:

Sophomore Ametri Moss returned to the starting lineup for conference play and has been making some noise. Moss is averaging 9.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He had 21 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win against FSW. In fact, in both games against FSW so far, Moss has scored 20 or more points.

Sky High:

Sophomore Skylar Wicks still leads the way in scoring despite being held to two points against FSW. Wicks, who will transfer to Central Michigan University after this season, is averaging 17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, three assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Classmate Cobey Harraway follows averaging 12.3 points and four rebounds per game. Harraway had eight points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block against FSW.

Rebound Game:

Sophomore Ronnail Tape and freshmen Josh Ijeh and Elijah ‘Slim’ Terry play the main roles for defense and rebounding.

Tape, despite being held to two points against FSW, secured eight rebounds in the game. He is averaging 7.9 points and five rebounds per game.

Ijeh is averaging five points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He had two points and two rebounds against FSW.

Terry was held to two points and three rebounds against FSW. Nevertheless, he averages 6.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Freshman Dresean Knight also plays a key role on defense. Knight is averaging 2.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

Scouting Miami Dade:

The Sharks are in third place in conference and are coming off an 84-71 loss to Indian River State.

Freshmen Tyriek Weeks and Jamichael Stillwell lead the way averaging 15.2 and 14.1 points per game respectively. Weeks also averages 8.1 rebounds per game, while Stillwell averages nine rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Against Indian River State, Weeks had 18 points and seven rebounds while Stillwell had 11 points, six rebounds and four steals.

Sophomore DJ Harrell averages 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Harrell did not play against Indian River State.

Overall, the Manatees are 7-6 against the Sharks, which includes the earlier 65-64 win at Hal Chasey on Wednesday, January 18.

How to Keep Up:

The game will air on the Miami Dade College Athletics YouTube channel and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all forms of social media.

Livestream Link: https://www.youtube.com/@MDCAthletics

Social Media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Zigzags Game-Winner Over FSW

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue's game-winning 3-point shot helped he SCF basketball team (14-8, 4-2 Southern) end one of their biggest drought against any team they played as they defeated Florida Southwestern State (14-8, 2-5 Southern) by a score of 63-62. The win marks the first win for the Manatees against the Buccaneers in their program history.

"I don't really think about not beating FSW, but to me it's just another game," said head coach Tom Parks. "I think as a coach when you work yourself up for one win because of certain reasons, you lose sight of what's really important, so we had this one circled because its the next one. I think that we knew that this would be a big one for us since we only get them one time at home this season, so it was one of our goals to get this win at home. I wouldn't call it an upset because we have a competitive team and beat a lot of good teams this year and working hard, but it feels good because this was a big conference win for us."

"We stayed with FSW the whole game," said Josue. "We just trusted the process despite missing the last two free throws, but the team believed in me and we got it back. We had faith in each other to get the win. It was a big win."

"Overall, I felt we did really good," said freshman Kasheem Grady. "We were a bit shaken in the first hafl, but we came back and fought hard to the end and never gave up as a team, We were just dogs today. It feels amazing that we beat FSW for the first time in our program's history."

In the first half, both teams started off a little slow, but soon the Buccaneers would take the early lead going up by as much as nine points, but with Josue and sophomore Ametri Moss leading the offense and strong rebounding by classmate Ronnail Tape, the Manatees were able to stay on track and keep the deficit to single digits, despite losing the first half 36-31.

In the second half, the Manatees did not want to go down without a fight as Moss, Josue and Grady pushed the Manatees to give them their first lead before the Buccaneers regained the lead by one point.

With 11 seconds left and the Buccaneers up 62-60 thanks to a free throw, the Manatees would have possession of the ball. As it looked like Harraway was about to drive the ball to tie the game, he made a last-second pass to an open Josue in the left corner for an open 3-point shot with 1.4 seconds left in the game. The Buccaneers would try to get one last shot attempt, but it was to no avail as the Manatees secured the historic win.

"My dad always told that I had to be prime time, which I was thinking when I made the game-winning shot," said Josue on the last 11 seconds. "It was a big time play that we got the win."

"As a coach, when we're at the free throw line with the other team having no timeouts, we play this back and forth whether we should call a timeout or not and the guys were wondering the same thing," said Parks on the last 11 seconds of the game.  "I decided not to call a timeout and told them 'just push, just push' and they followed along smoothly where we had multiple dominoes fall. The cool thing about Ziggy's shot was great, but the beauty of it is he has been a big help for us with high expectations while continuing to work with him and his resiliency of breaking his habits. Ziggy had a great game and I'm glad he took the shot and I was confident he did it.

In the end, three Manatees scored in double figures. It was Moss that lead the way as he finished with 21 points (10-for-13 FG, 1-for-1 3PT), four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Josue would follow with 19 points (7-for-11 FG, 3-for-5 3PT, 2-for-5 FT), two rebounds and two assists off the bench.

"I felt like I could have rebound the ball more," said Josue on his game. "But this time on the offensive side, I played really well."

Grady would round out the order with 10 points (3-for-7 FG, 2-for-4 3PT, 2-for-2 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore Cobey Harraway had five points (3-for-12 FG, 2-for-6 3PT), two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

"I just went out there and played hard to help the team win," said Grady on his game. "I'm just there with them."

In rebounding, Tape lead the way with eight boards to go along with two points, one assist and one steal.

Sophomore Skylar Wicks (two points, two rebounds and two assists) and freshmen Elijah 'Slim Terry (two points, three rebounds, one assist and one block), Josh Ijeh (two points, two rebounds and one steal) and Dresean Knight (one block) also contributed in the game.

For the Buccaneers, Jadrian Tracy lead the offense with 22 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Dezdrick Lindsay had 12 points, two rebounds and a block.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Indian River State (19-5, 5-1 Southern) defeated Miami Dade (14-11, 3-4 Southern) 84-71.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. Indian River State (19-5, 5-1)

2. SCF (14-8, 4-2)

3. Miami Dade (14-11, 3-4)

4. Hillsborough (15-7, 2-4)

5. FSW (14-8, 2-5)

Up Next:

The Manatees will head on the road for their next conference game as they will travel to Miami to take on Miami Dade College Saturday afternoon, February 4 at 4 pm.

5th Herd Takes Series Over HCC

Tampa, Fla - The SCF basketball team (13-8, 3-2 Southern) pushed themselves hard in their latest conference game as they defeated Hillsborough (15-7, 2-4 Southern) 76-70 at the Dale Mabry Campus Gymnasium in Tampa. With the win, the Manatees take the series over the Hawks and are now 18-19 overall. In addition, the Manatees now move into second place in the standings.

In the first half, the Hawks would make a couple of lead changes, but the Manatees would regain the lead with two seconds left and would take the first half 34-30.

In the second half, the Manatees would go up by as much as 12 points and would eventually finish the second half with the win and the series.

Three players would score in double digits. It was sophomore Ametri Moss that would lead the way as he finished with his first collegiate double-double of 20 points (8-for-14 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 3-for-4 FT), 11 rebounds and three assists. Freshman Kasheem Grady would follow with 15 points (4-for-11 FG, 3-for-6 3PT, 5-for-5 FT), three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block off the bench, while sophomore Cobey Harraway rounded out the order with a double-double of 10 points (3-for-9 FG, 2-for-7 3PT, 2-for-4 FT) and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore Skylar Wicks added eight points (3-for-8 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), five rebounds, two assists and one block, while classmate Ronnail Tape had seven points (3-for-7 FG, 1-for-1 FT), seven rebounds and three assists.

On defense, freshman Josh Ijeh lead the way with six blocks to go along with six points (3-for-7 FG) and eight rebounds.

Sophomore Isaiaih 'Ziggy' Josue (six points and two rebounds), redshirt freshman Zach Smith (two steals and one assist) and freshmen Elijah 'Slim' Terry (two rebounds, three assists and one steal), Dresean Knight (two rebounds, two steals and a block) and Malyk Rebetez (two points, two rebounds and two assists) also contributed in the game.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Miami Dade (14-10, 3-3 Southern) upset RV Florida Southwestern (14-7, 2-4 Southen) 63-54.

Indian River State (18-5, 4-1 Southern) defeated Mid-Florida Academy 141-62.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. Indian River State (18-5, 4-1)

2. SCF (13-8, 3-2)

3. Miami Dade (14-10, 3-3)

4. HCC (15-7, 2-4)

5. RV FSW (14-7, 2-4)

Up Next:

The Manatees return home to Hal Chasey Gymnasium to welcome Florida Southwestern Wednesday night, February 1 at 7 pm.

5th Herd Looks to Take Series @ HCC

Bradenton, Fla - Looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss at home, the SCF basketball team (12-8, 2-2 Southern) will look to bounce back as they travel to Tampa for their next conference game to face Hillsborough (14-6, 1-3 Southern) at the Dale Mabry Campus Gymnasium Saturday afternoon, January 28 at 4 pm.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. Indian River State (16-5, 3-1)

2. RV FSW (14-5, 2-2)

3. SCF (12-8, 2-2)

4. Miami Dade (13-9, 2-2)

5. HCC (14-6, 1-3)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off losing to Indian River State by a score of 103-69 at Hal Chasey Gymnasium.  They are currently tied for second place in standings with RV Florida Southwestern and Miami Dade.

Locked In:

Sophomore Skylar Wicks will lock his sights back NCAA DI as he has officially committed to Central Michigan University with three years of eligibility remaining. Wicks is currently averaging 18.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and two steals per game. Against Indian River State, he had 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

Following behind Wicks is classmate Cobey Harraway. While he was held to three points against Indian River State, Harraway still averages 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Block Party:

Freshmen Josh Ijeh and Dresean Knight have been leading the way on the blocking game for defense. 

Ijeh is currently averaging 5.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He had two points, six rebounds and five blocks against Indian River State.

Knight, who plays as a backup, is averaging 2.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He had two points, three rebounds and four blocks off the bench against Indian River State.

Kash Defender:

Freshman Kasheem Grady has been playing alongside of the defensive end to go with his scoring. Grady is currently averaging 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and one steal per game. Against Indian River State, the Georgia native had 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and a career-high six steals.

Mighty Tape:

While he was held to two points and two rebounds against Indian River State, sophomore Ronnail Tape has remained a key part of the lineup for the Manatees. Tape is averaging 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Lockdown D:

Sophomores Ametri Moss and Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue and freshman Elijah 'Slim' Terry have played more fierce defense this season.

Despite being held to two points and two rebounds, Moss is averaging 7.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and one steal per game.

Josue is averaging 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He had 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Terry is averaging 6.7 points, six rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals against Indian River State.

Wild Plays:

Redshirt freshman Zach Smith and freshman Malyk Rebetez remain as the wild cards of the team. Smith is averaging 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, while Rebetez is averaging 2.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Scouting HCC:

The Hawks are coming off of an upset win over RV Florida Southwestern (then #20 in the nation) in Tampa by a score 65-64. They still remain in last place in the Southern Conference.

Sophomore Georden Rogers and Dominic Gooden are averaging 13.9 and 13.7 points per game. Rogers also averages 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while Gooden averages 3.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

After transferring from Northwest Florida State, sophomore Jasper Floyd is currently averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Classmates Delon Gooden Jr (10.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg and three apg) and Nicolas Strachen (9.1 ppg and six rpg) also play key roles in the Hawks rotation.

How to Keep Up:

The game will air on the HCC YouTube channel and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms.

Livestream Link -  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCacuu9UlGv5bxz2LvF-Q5w/videos

Social Media -

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Falls to Indian River

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball team (12-8, 2-2 Southern) fell to even in conference play as they dropped their game to Indian River State (16-5, 3-1) 103-69 at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. With the loss, the Manatees fall into a three-way tie for second place in conference.

In the first half, both teams started off slow briefly, but the Pioneers would run the offense the majority of the time. While the Manatees did get into double digits on the boards, the Pioneers would maintain the lead as they took the first half 58-33.

In the second half, the result looked more of the same for the Manatees as the Pioneers would continue to push the lead further and would get the win in the end.

Four Manatees scored in double figures. It was sophomore Skylar Wicks that would lead the way as the former Missouri State Bear finished with 19 points (7-for-17 FG, 2-for-6 3PT, 3-for-4 FT), seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Freshman Kasheem Grady would follow with 15 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 4-for-5 FT), four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a career-high six steals off the bench, while Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue had 14 points (3-for-11 FG, 1-for-4 3PT, 7-for-8 FT), eight rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Freshman Elijah 'Slim' Terry rounded out the order with 10 points (3-for-7 FG, 4-for-5 FT), four rebounds, two assists and four steals.

On defense, freshmen Josh Ijeh and Dresean Knight lead the way in blocking. Ijeh had five blocks, two points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals, while Knight had four blocks to go with two points, three rebounds and one steal.

Sophomores Ronnail Tape (two points, one rebound, one assist and three blocks), Cobey Harraway (three points, four rebounds, one block and one assist) and Ametri Moss (two points and two rebounds) also contributed in the game.

For the Pioneers, Micah Octave lead the way with 32 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Jayshane Woodard had a double-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Hillsborough (14-6, 1-3 Southern) upset #20 Florida Southwestern (14-5, 2-2 Southern) 65-64.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. Indian River State (16-5, 3-1)

2. #20 FSW (14-5, 2-2)

3. SCF (12-8, 2-2)

4. Miami Dade (13-9, 2-2)

5. HCC (14-6, 1-3)

Up Next:

The Manatees return to the road as they travel to Tampa to take on Hillsborough Saturday afternoon, January 28 at 4 pm.

5th Herd Back in Action vs Indian River

Bradenton, Fla - After a game that literally went off the ceiling, the SCF basketball team (12-7, 2-1 Southern) remain at home for their next line of conference play at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. The Manatees will welcome Indian River State (15-5, 2-1 Southern) Saturday afternoon, January 21 at 4 pm.

The Manatees are 5-18 overall against the Pioneers.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of one of their most recent comebacks this season after defeating Miami Dade College 65-64 at home. They are currently in a three-way tie for first place in conference, but are in third place in the overall standings.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #20 FSW (14-4, 2-1)

2. Indian River State (15-5, 2-1)

3. SCF (12-7, 2-1)

4. Miami Dade (13-9, 2-2)

5. Hillsborough (13-6, 0-3)

Second Half Heroes:

Sophomore Skylar Wicks is one of the main offensive players that leads the way offensively. Wicks is currently averaging 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Wicks lead the team off the bench with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal against MDC.

Classmate Cobey Harraway also plays a key role in the offense despite going scoreless against Miami Dade on Wednesday. Harraway is averaging 13.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Pounding the Boards:

Sophomore Ronnail Tape and freshman Josh Ijeh continue to be the key rebounders and defenders for the Manatees. Tape, who had 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks against Miami Dade, is currently averaging 8.6 points and five rebounds per game, while Ijeh, who had four points, five rebounds and a block, is averaging 5.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.

New Starts:

Sophomore Ametri Moss and freshman Kasheem Grady were placed in the starting lineup against Miami Dade. It was both their first starts this season.

Moss, who has scored in double digits in three straight games, is currently averaging 8.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He had 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists against Miami Dade.

Grady, who earned his first collegiate start in his career, is averaging 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds, had eight points, four rebounds and six assists against Miami Dade.

Slim Flow:

Freshman Elijah 'Slim' Terry has been more of the hybrid player offensively and defensively. Terry is averaging 6.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He had 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks against Miami Dade.

Wild Impact:

Sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue and freshmen Dresean Knight and Malyk Rebetez have been the wild card players of the team.

Josue is averaging 7.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He had five points against Miami Dade.

Knight, a primary defender, is averaging 2.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He had four points, two rebounds in his last outing.

Rebetez played in the second half and had three assists against Miami Dade. The Swiss native is averaging 2.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Scouting Indian River State:

The Pioneers are part of the three-way tie for first place in conference with SCF and #20 Florida Southwestern State, but are in second place in the overall standings. They are currently coming off of a 92-80 win over Hillsborough.

Freshman Jayshayne Woodard currently lead the team averaging a double-double per game (17.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game) and 3.4 assists per set.

Redshirt sophomore Jyre McCloud and true sophomore Micah Octave also play key roles for the Pioneers scoring. McCloud is averaging 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists, while Octave averages 14.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game.

Other players that contribute for the Pioneers include sophomore Pablo Tamba (11.9 ppg, and 4.3 rpg) and Antoine Jacks (7.8 ppg and 5.3 apg).

How to Keep Up:

The game will air on the SCF Sports Network and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms.

Livestream Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

Social Media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Saved By the Ceiling vs Miami Dade

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Ametri Moss' game-winning layup and a costly inbound from off the ceiling helped the SCF basketball team (12-7, 2-1 Southern) come from behind and secure the win over Miami Dade (13-9, 2-2 Southern) by a score of 65-64. With the win, the Manatees are now 7-6 against the Sharks and have moved up to a three-way tie for first in conference with #20 Florida Southwestern and Indian River State.

"While I'm trying not to look like a 'Debbie Downer' I was very excited that we won this game over Miami Dade," said head coach Tom Parks. "If I look back from last season, I thought we would take any kind of we can get in conference. I just think that sometimes I have high expectations for this team and they have high expectations in themselves. I can't remember the last time we had a game where all cylinders have been firing at the same time, which is nerve-racking and promising at the same time. I'm happy with the win, especially coming back from a 17-point deficit in the second half and coming back with 10 to 12 minutes left. I'm proud of the guys' effort to make a comeback like this, which is not easy for any team to do because many would give up after and the guys took the moment to fight to the end."

"We came out kind of slow and didn't come in with a lot of energy and aggression in the first half and Miami Dade jumped out at us and took us off our game a bit" said sophomore Ronnail Tape. "After that, we realized that we had to play harder than them to get the win and that's what we did in the second half, we took our shots, made stops and rebounded the ball."

"While we didn't play a good 40 minutes of basketball and they (Miami Dade) played harder in 30 of them and us fight in the last 10, we finally woke up," said freshman Elijah 'Slim' Terry. "I'm glad we did and at the end of the day, we made some big shots and had some good defensive possessions to help us close out the game."

"First half, I thought we had a slow start and we were just getting warmed up," said freshman Kasheem Grady. "Overall, we did great. We never gave up and kept fighting to the end. Everyone was playing and keeping each other up and just making sure we stayed positive to the end."

The first half was a slow start for both teams for the first three minutes of the game until the Sharks got a board with a 3-pointer before freshman Josh Ijeh hit a layup to put the Manatees on the board. Later into the game, the Sharks would take the offensive end on the 3-point shot, but the Manatees were able to cut it close to single digits with Moss and Grady leading the path. Despite the deficit, the Sharks too the first half 34-28.

At the start of the second half, the Manatees started to struggle on offense as the Sharks went on a 5-0 run until Grady made two free throws to give the Manatees their first points of the second half, but the Sharks would push back and be up by as much as 17 points.

After a media timeout, Terry would open the offense a bit for the Manatees with a 3-pointer un the right corner, but that would barely faze the Sharks as they would come back with one of their own, yet little did the Sharks know was that the Manatees were on the path of a comeback from part of the bench from Terry and sophomore Skylar Wicks as they would cut the deficit to single digits.

With five minutes left, with the score 59-53 Miami Dade, Wick would get fouled and sent to the line to shoot two successful free throws before Terry cut the Sharks lead to four points. A costly foul from the Sharks would send Terry to the free throw line to shoot two successful free throws before cut the deficit to one point with a midrange shot on the left wing with a 1:36 left.

With 41.7 second left in the game, the Sharks would inbound the ball, but as sophomore Elijah Hoard tried to extend the Sharks' lead to three, he would miss a long midrange shot to set up the opportunity for Moss as the native of Clarksville, Tennessee would secure the defensive rebound and go coast-to-coast with a layup and give the Manatees the lead with 18.2 seconds left.

After a Manatee timeout, the Sharks would inbound the ball with freshman Jamichael Stillwell holding the possession. As Stillwell went for the layup, but would miss his chance. As Wicks secured the rebound and drew the one-and-one foul, he would miss the layup and the Sharks would secure the rebound before calling the timeout with 0.9 seconds left.

As the Sharks would inbound the ball again, they would make a costly mistake as the ball would hit the ceiling of Hal Chasey Gymnasium and would be ruled out of bounds before the Manatees regained possession and got the win.

Four Manatees would score in double digits. It was Wicks that would lead the way one rebound shy of a double-double as he finished with 13 points (5-for-14 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 2-for-3 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. In fact, all of Wicks' points were in the second half.

Terry would follow with 11 points (4-for-9 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 2-for-2 FT), five rebounds and two blocks.

"I always try to bring my energy every day," said Terry on his game. "Sometimes my points are not even, but I try to stay on the offensive and defensive glass and try to get my teammates going different ways that others don't, so that was my job today of being the energy guy to bring it every game."

Tape and Moss would rounded out the order with 10 points and seven rebounds each. Tape (5-for-11 FG) added two assists and two blocks, while Moss (4-for-11 FG, 2-for-2 FT) added three assists.

"At first, I felt like I was moving way too fast when I was throwing up my shots, but when the second half started my teammates helped me out a lot and recovered some big shots for me," said Tape on his game. "When I got back in, I just took a breather and was able to finish the game."

Grady, who earned his first start of the season, had eight points (2-for-9 FG, 2-for-6 3PT, 2-for-2 FT), four rebounds, one steal and a career-high six assists.

"It felt amazing," said Grady on his first start. "Just getting my first collegiate start was memorable and I hope to get more soon. I was just ready to work."

"I felt like I could have done better on shooting, cutting to the basket and communicating with my teammates, but I thought I had a decent game overall."

Sophomores Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue (five points) and Cobey Harraway (two rebounds, one steal and one block) and freshmen Josh Ijeh (four points, five rebounds, two steals and a block), Dresean Knight (four points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal) and Malyk Rebetez (three assists) also contributed in the game.

For the Sharks, Elijah Hoard would lead the way in scoring with 14 points, three rebounds and one steal. Tyreik Weeks would follow with a double-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks before fouling out, while Jamichael Stillwell rounded out the order with 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Indian River State (15-5, 2-1 Southern) defeated Hillsborough (13-6, 0-3 Southern) by a score of 92-80. The Hawks will take on #20 Florida Southwestern (14-4, 2-1 Southern) Saturday afternoon, January 21 at 4 pm.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #20 FSW (14-4, 2-1)

2. Indian River State (15-5, 2-1)

3. SCF (12-7, 2-1)

4. Miami Dade (13-9, 2-2)

5. Hillsborough (13-6, 0-3)

5th Herd Set for MDC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball (11-7, 1-1 Southern) will return to Hal Chasey Gymnasium for their second conference game at home as they welcome Miami Dade (13-8, 2-1 Southern) Wednesday night, January 18 at 7 pm.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #22 FSW (14-4, 2-1)

2. Miami Dade (13-8, 2-1)

3. Indian River State (14-5, 1-1)

4. SCF (11-7, 1-1)

5. Hillsborough (13-5, 0-2)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of their first loss in conference as they fell to #22 FSW 107-80 in Fort Myers. They are currently tied for third in conference with Indian River State.

Sophomores Skylar Wicks, Cobey Harraway and Ronnail Tape have been lead the way for the Manatees in scoring.

Wicks is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists against FSW.

Harraway averages 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists against FSW.

Tape, who has returned to his hometwon of Fort Myers twice this season, is averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He had nine points, four rebounds and two steals against FSW.

In rebounding, alongside Tape and Wicks, freshmen Josh Ijeh and Elijah 'Slim' Terry leads the path. Ijeh is averaging 7.6 rebounds per game to go along with 5.3 points and 2.8 blocks per game, while Terry averages 6.2 rebounds to go along with 6.2 points per game.

Defensively, apart from Wicks and Ijeh sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue and freshman Dresean Knight played a part of it. Josue is averaging eight points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while Knight, a primary blocker, is averaging 2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

Sophomore Ametri Moss and freshman Kasheem Grady played as the primary key roles off the Manatees' bench.

Moss had one of his best offensive games this season over FSW as he had 26 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Currently, he is averaging 8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Grady is averaging 6.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Grady had 10 points, one rebound, one assist and one block.

Scouting Miami Dade:

The Sharks are tied for first place in the conference standings with FSW, but are coming off of a 84-73 loss to Indian River State.

Freshman Tyriek Weeks leads the way for the Sharks averaging 16.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, while classmate Jimichael Stillwell averages 14.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and Covid-sophomore DJ Harrell averages 12.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Series History:

Overall. the Manatees are 6-6 against the Sharks. Last time both teams met, the Manatees won the series 2-1 (69-67: SCF; 85-81: MDC; 68-67: SCF).

How to Keep Up:

The game will air on the SCF Sports Network and fans can keep up with both teams on all social media platforms.

Livestream Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

Social Media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Falls to #22 FSW

Fort Myers, Fla - The SCF basketball team (11-7, 1-1 Southern) fell in their first conference game as they lost to #22 Florida Southwestern (14-4, 2-1 Southern) 107-80 at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

The first half saw the Manatees cut the deficit by as much as six points and while they tried to pull a couple of punches, it was not enough for them as the Buccaneers would take the first game of the series.

Four Manatees scored in double figures in the game. It was sophomore Ametri Moss that would the Manatees for the second straight game as he finished with a career-high 26 points (7-for-12 FG, 12-for-13 FT), two rebounds, four assists and three steals off the bench.

Sophomore Skylar Wicks followed with 11 points (4-for-16 FG, 1-for-5 3PT, 2-for-2 FT), four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steals, while classmate Cobey Harraway and freshman Kasheem Grady followed with 10 points each. Harraway (3-for-9 FG, 2-for-6 3PT, 2-for-2 FT) added four rebounds and three assists, while Grady (4-for-6 FG, 2-for-4 3PT) added one rebound, one assist and two blocks.

Sophomore Ronnail Tape rounded out the order with nine points (2-for-8 FG, 2-for-6 3PT, 3-for-4 FT), five rebounds and two steals.

In rebounding, freshman Elijah 'Slim' Terry lead the way with 10 rebounds to go along with four points, one assist and three steals.

Defensively, apart from steals from Moss and Terry, freshman Dresean Knight lead the way with four block to go along with three points and two rebounds, while classmate Josh Ijeh had five points, six rebounds, three steals and one block.

Sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue (one assist), redshirt freshman Zach Smith (two points, one rebound, one steal and one block) and freshman Malyk Rebetez (one rebound and one assist) also contributed in the game.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Indian River State (14-5, 1-1 Southern) defeated Miami Dade (13-8, 2-1 Southern) defeated 83-74.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #22 FSW (14-4, 2-1)

2. Miami Dade (13-8, 2-1)

3. Indian River State (14-5, 1-1)

4. SCF (11-7, 1-1)

5. Hillsborough (13-5, 0-2)

Up Next:

The Manatees will return home to continue conference play as they welcome Miami Dade Wednesday night, January 18 at 7 pm.

5th Herd Ready for FSW

Bradenton, Fla - After a successful start to their non-conference season, the SCF basketball (11-6, 1-0 Southern) will be put to another test for their first road game in Southern Conference play. The Manatees will return to the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers to take on #22 Florida Southwestern (13-4, 1-1 Southern) Saturday afternoon, January 14 at 2 pm.

Earlier in the season, the Manatees played in the FSW Classic in Fort Myers where they defeated South Georgia Tech 68-59 (January 3).

Southern Conference Standings:

1. Miami Dade (13-7, 2-0)

2. SCF (11-6, 1-0)

3. #22 Florida Southwestern (13-4, 1-1)

4. Indian River State (13-5, 0-1)

5. Hillsborough (13-4, 0-2)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of opening Southern Conference play at home. They would defeat Hillsborough by a score of 80-72. Currently, they are in second place in conference.

The Manatees are 3-9 in their conference opener and 6-6 when opening conference at home

Meach Back in the Game:

Sophomore Ametri Moss came off one of his best games this season as he had 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block against HCC. Moss is currently averaging 6.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game since returning from a hand injury.

Wick's Second Half Moment:

For sophomore Skylar Wicks, he pulled off one of his newest milestones against HCC as he secured his first collegiate double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds with all of his points coming from the second half. Wicks is currently averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and two steals per game.

Harraway Hot Hands:

Like Wicks, sophomore Cobey Harraway has also been shooting a hot hand as of late. Harraway is currently averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. The Seattle native had 15 points, four rebounds and three steals against HCC.

Hammering Return Home:

Sophomore Ronnail Tape, who will return to his hometown of Fort Myers, is currently averaging 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Tape had four points, seven rebounds and three steals against HCC before fouling out. Last time in his hometown, he had 12 points and seven rebounds against South Georgia Tech.

Rebound Life:

Freshman Josh Ijeh has been one of the lead rebounders and blockers for the team. Ijeh is averaging 5.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. Against HCC, the Englishman had four points, three rebounds and two blocks.

Classmate Elijah 'Slim' Terry has also been a key rebounder off the bench. Terry is averaging 6.4 points and six rebounds per game. He had three points and five rebounds against HCC, while coming off of his first collegiate double-double against South Georgia Tech

Zigging and Zagging:

Sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue has been key off the bench for the Manatees. Josue is averaging 8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. The Miami native had six points, five rebounds and four assists against HCC.

Wild Life to be:

Redshirt freshman Zach Smith and freshmen Malyk Rebetez and Dresean Knight remain as key wild card players.

Smith is averaging 3.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Rebetez is averaging 2.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Knight is averaging 2.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

Scouting FSW:

The Buccaneers, who are in third place in conference, are currently ranked #22 in the NJCAA Top 25 National Polls, but are coming off of a upsetting loss to Miami Dade (50-49). They won their first conference game against Indian River State (91-89).

Redshirt sophomore Bradley Douglas leads the way for the Buccaneers averaging 16.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Douglas had 18 points, three rebounds and one assist against Miami Dade. During the game against North Florida Prep, the transfer from Santa Fe College scored his 1,000th career point at home and currently has 1,053 in his career thus far.

Classmates Tyson Brown and Jadarian Tracy follow averaging 11.5 (Brown) and 11.4 (Tracy) points per game respectively. Brown, a double transfer from Robert Morris University and Western Texas College (NJCAA), also averages 9.7 rebounds (4.1 offensive) and 1.3 blocks per game, while Tracy, a transfer from St. Joseph's University, add 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Series History:

The Manatees have yet to beat the Buccaneers as they are 0-20 against them. Last season, the Manatees lost the final game to FSW by three points (66-63 @ SCF), which was the closest game in single digits since February 19, 2020 (loss 76-69).

How to Keep Up:

The game will air livestream on the FSW Athletics Fan Zone for anyone unable to attend the game. Fans can also keep up with the Manatees on their social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Livestream Link -  https://www.fswbucs.com/fswbucslive

Social Media -

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Takes Conference Opener in Ugly Fashion

PC via Twitter: @SCF_Basketball

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF basketball team (11-6, 1-0 Southern) were put to the test to start their part in Southern Conference play as they defeated Hillsborough (13-4, 0-2 Southern) 0-0 at Hal Chasey Gymnasium 80-72 to open Southern Conference play. With the win, the Manatees are now 17-19 against the Hawks.

"It feels good to have a good win like this tonight, especially in conference," said head coach Tom Parks. "Today, the guys stepped up in different moments of the game. Despite the outcome, the game was incredibly 'ugly', but I feel like we're a team that always wins 'ugly' and if we continue to win like that, I'm ok with it, but we still have a lot of layers that we need to cover on our team and that we can work on offensively and defensively that we're not getting to, even we were able to put up 80 points. I feel like we're starting to fill up roles on our team as we should with 11 games left in the season, but the guys are stepping up and making plays when they need to. We had a much better second half and it showed us being able to outscore them (HCC), but it was a fun for us."

"In the beginning we were a little more sloppy and ugly than how we want it to be," said sophomore Cobey Harraway. "Obviously, I think we came out pretty and traded punches with HCC and we would have liked to punch them while dodge some of the punches they threw, but we went into the half down two possessions and figured out what we needed to do in the locker room at halftime and came out strong in the second half. With the way we play, we usually get the other teams tired in the first half, so when we play the second half, the other team is usually dead and that's when were at our best and kept pushing."

"We had a rough start and then had to switch it up to turn the game around," said sophomore Ametri Moss. "We had some great plays in the beginning and stuck through it the whole time and turned it around in the second half. We got the lead and kept it up. We did amazing."

"I think we did good overall," said sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue. "We just got to do better coming out the gate. I felt on my end, I got to hold myself more accountable and not turn the ball over as much to keep me and my team in the game motivated, even if we stay motivated during the game. We just have to keep working together for 40 minutes."

The opening to the first half was slow for both teams with the Hawks scoring their first points off of a 3-pointer, while sophomore Ronnail Tape got the Manatees' first points by free throws. Soon, the Hawks would take the upper advantage off of missed opportunities by the Manatees offense, but the Manatees would fight back and cut the deficit to four. The Hawks would take the first half 37-33.

In the second half, the Manatees would wake up on the offensive end thanks to defense from Josue and Moss that would eventually give the Manatees their first lead of the game. While the Hawks tried to cut the Manatees' lead to one point, the Manatees would fight back with sophomore Skylar Wicks 3-point shooting and rebounding. With a final rebound and free throw from freshman Elijah 'Slim' Terry, the Manatees would seal the deal for their first conference win of the season.

Three Manatees would score in double figures. It was Moss and Wick that would lead the way as they both finished with 18 points a piece. Moss (8-for-10 FG, 3-for-5 FT), five rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks off the bench, while Wick (5-for-16 FG, 3-for-6 3PT, 5-for-6 FT) secured his first collegiate double-double by adding 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks).

"My mindset was to help my teammates get the win," said Moss on his game. "Our focus was defense and that's what will win us championship while offense wins us our games. I was a little worried at first, but it worked out for me in the end."

"Meech is someone I can expect things from him because he's a great player," said Parks on Moss. "He's super talented on both ends on the floor that many teams are not able to do and I'm just excited to see him in this rhythm since returning from his injury. He's someone that wants this really bad and he's the guy I root for. He really provides a spark for us that will help us in conference."

"Many teams are going to try and stop Sky from his scoring and force him to take tough shots," said Parks on Wicks. "He bought into it in the beginning, but in the second half, he settled down and was very solid."

Harraway would round out the order with 14 points (4-for-11 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 5-for-6 FT), five rebounds, one assist, three steals and two blocks. 12 of his points were in the first half

"The great thing about our team is that we have a lot of guys that can produce and score while some guys score more in the second half," said Harraway on his game. "While I may have had less touches in the second half, I went in at the end of the day and did what I needed to do as my goal to provide for the team."

"Cobey is 'Cobey'," said Parks on Harraway. "He does what he does and continues to do that every day and he never has a bad day."

In rebounding, apart from Wicks, Grady and Tape would lead with seven and six rebounds respectively, while Josue finished with four points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Grady added nine points (4-for-11 FG, 1-for-5 3PT), two assists and one steal, while Tape had four points, two steals and one block before fouling out.

"I felt like I could have played a lot better when I control the ball and finding my teammates," said Josue. "It's sometimes can be difficult for me, especially trying to score with the ball, but my defense is what always converses to offense."

Terry (three points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block), redshirt freshman Zach Smith (one rebound and one assist) and freshmen Josh Ijeh (five points, four rebounds and three blocks), Malyk Rebetez (three points and one assist) and Dresean Knight (two points) also contributed in the game.

For the Hawks, four players scored in double figures. Geordon Rogers lead the way with 16 points, six rebounds and a steal. Dominic Gordon followed with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal, while Caleb McCray and Jasper Floyd rounded out the order with 13 points each. McCray added three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block before fouling out, while Floyd added four rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Notes:

The win for the Manatees was done on the day before coach Parks' 35th birthday. 

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Miami Dade (13-7, 2-0 Southern) pulled off an upset for themselves as they defeated #22 Florida Southwestern (13-4, 1-1 Southern) 50-49. The Sharks will take on Indian River State (13-5, 0-1 Southern) Saturday afternoon, January 14 at 4 pm.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. MDC (13-7, 2-0)

2. SCF (11-6, 1-0)

3. #22 FSW (13-4, 1-1)

4. IRSC (13-5, 0-1)

5. HCC (13-4, 0-2)

Up Next:

The Manatees return to Fort Myers for their first conference game on the road as they face #22 FSW Saturday afternoon, January 14 at 4 pm.

5th Herd Open 2023 with a Win

Fort Myers, Fla - Freshman Elijah 'Slim' Terry lead a strong scoring and rebounding game as the SCF basketball team (10-6) got up to double digits in the win column after defeating South Georgia Tech (3-10) 68-59 in the two-day Florida Southwestern Classic at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, hosted by #25 Florida Southwestern. With the win, the Manatees are now 2-0 against the Jets and 4-0 against teams from Georgia this season.

"We started off slow at first," said Terry. We were not making many shots, but then we gave an outstanding effort on the offensive glass which brought us back into the game that caused us to pull it out for our first win of 2023. Now we can look to focus on our conference opener."

The first four minutes were slow for both teams with the Manatees going 0-for-7 at the 3-point line and the Jets starting points being free throws from freshman Ryan Djoussa before the Jets extended the lead to 6-0.

For six and half minutes in the first half, the Manatees went on a scoring drought and were down 10-0 until a floater by sophomore Ametri Moss finally put the Manatees on the board.

With less than 10 minutes left in the first half and the Jets up 14-4, Terry would cut the lead to single digits after making one of two free throws before he and sophomore Ronnail Tape cut the lead to five points after a couple of layups. Moss would then put the Manatees on double digits after a putback before the Jets called timeout.

After cutting the Jets' lead by two points, redshirt freshman Zach Smith would tie the game at 19 apiece after a key steal and layup before the Jets retook the lead.

A costly illegal screen from freshman Noah Barnett and a technical foul from the Jets' bench would send sophomore Skylar Wicks to shoot two free throws before giving the Manatees their first lead of the game with a dunk from an assist from classmate Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue. Sophomore Cobey Harraway would then extend the lead to four with a mid-range corner shot from an assist from freshman Kasheem Grady. After two free throws from Josue, the Manatees would take the first half 32-27.

At the start of the second half, the Jets would open the scoring range with a layup before Harraway got the Manatees first points with a 3-point shot, but both teams would be in a sluggish mode for the first seven minutes of the second half until the Manatees sparked their offense from Terry, Harraway and Josue, rebounding from Terry and Tape and defense from freshman Josh Ijeh pushed the lead all the way to the end for the Manatees to get their 10th win.

Terry would lead the way for the Manatees as he finished with his first collegiate double-double with a season-high 16 points (6-for-11 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 3-for-4 FT), 16 rebounds (10 offensive), one assist, one steal and two blocks.

"It was a pretty big moment and eye opener for me," said Terry on his first collegiate double-double. "It's alway just been my energy that helps. It may not always show on the stat sheet but if I don't bring my energy everyday to practice or the game, then it effects the entire team."

Tape, the hometown hero, rounded out the order with 12 points (5-for-12 FG, 2-for-3 FT), seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

Harraway and Josue each had eight points, while Smith had seven points (3-for-4 FG, 1-for-2 3PT). Harraway (3-for-10 FG, 2-for-7 3PT) added three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block, while Josue (3-for-5 FG, 2-for-2 FT) added three rebounds, three assists and two steals and Smith added two rebounds and one steal.

Defensively, aside from Tape and Terry's blocks, Ijeh had four blocks and eight rebounds (four offensive) despite being held scoreless.

Grady (six points, one rebound, three assists and a steal), Wicks (six points, seven rebounds, one assist and three steals) and Moss (five points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal) also contributed.

For the Jets, Aaron Pitts lead the way with a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Nathan Wilson also secured a double-double of 12 points, 17 rebounds, one assists, two steals and a block, while Justin Evans rounded out the order with 10 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Notes:

Originally, the Manatees were scheduled to face Eastern Georgia State, but that game was cancelled.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

#25 Florida Southwestern (11-4) defeated North Florida Prep 110-46. The Buccaneers will face Indian River State (13-4) Saturday afternoon, January 7 at 4 pm to open their part of conference play.

Indian River State (13-4) defeated Santa Fe College (8-6) 86-85 Monday, January 2.

Hillsborough (13-3) fell to #6 Tallahassee CC (16-1) 95-71 on December 16, 2022. The Hawks will take on Miami Dade College Saturday afternoon, January 7 at 4 pm to open their part of conference play.

Miami Dade (11-7) fell to St. Pete College (4-11) 59-54.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. HCC (13-3)

2. IRSC (13-4)

3. #25 FSW (11-4)

4. SCF (10-6)

5. MDC (11-7)

Up Next:

The Manatees will return home to open Southern Conference play as they welcome Hillsborough Wednesday night, January 11 at 7 pm.

5th Herd Closes 2022 vs Chipola

Panama City, Fla - The SCF basketball team (9-6) closed out 2022 in a heartbreaker as they fell to #2 Chipiola (17-0) 81-74 at the Visit Panama Beach City Tournament in Panama City, hosted by Gulf Coast State.

The first half saw in the favor of the Manatees as they took the first half 35-32. While they continued to try and knock the Indians off from their game, costly errors plagued the Manatees as they could not hold on to the lead as the Indians retained kept their streak alive.

Three Manatees scored in double figures. It was sophomore Skylar Wicks that lead the way as he finished with 16 points (5-for-15 FG, 3-for-8 3PT, 3-for-4 FT), four rebounds, six assists and one block. Freshman Kasheem Grady would follow with 14 points (5-for-14, 4-for-9 3PT), three rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks off the bench, while sophomore Cobey Harraway rounded out the order with 12 points (4-for-12 FG, 3-for-9 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), two assists, one steal and two blocks.

On the defensive game, freshman Josh Ijeh lead the way with his second collegiate double-double of 12 rebounds (six offensive) and 11 blocks to go along with  eight points (3-for-4 FG, 2-for-2 FT), one assist and one steal. Sophomore Ronnail Tape also finished with eight points (3-for-7 FG, 1-for-1 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue (six points, two rebounds and one assist) and Ametri Moss (four points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal) and freshmen Elijah Terry (two points, three rebounds and one assist) and Malyk Rebetez (three points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals) also contributed in the game for the Manatees.

For the Indians, Derrick Butler would lead the way with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists. Cliff Davis and Jatarion Warren would each hit 13 points off the bench. Davis added six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Warren added seven rebounds, two steals and a blocks. Deyton Albury would round out the order with 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Up Next:

The Manatees will open 2023 on neutral grounds as they travel to Fort Myers for the FSW Classic, hosted by Florida Southwestern. They will face South Georgia Tech (3-8) and Eastern Georgia State (6-5), January 2 and 3.

5th Herd Closes 2022 on Neutral Grounds

Bradenton, Fla - After taking a couple of weeks off for Christmas break, the SCF basketball team (9-5) return to action and a second chance against a nationally ranked team to close 2022. The Manatees will head to neutral grounds as they will face #2 Chipola College (16-0) Friday afternoon, December 30 at the Visit Panama Beach City Tournament in Panama City, hosted by Gulf Coast State.

The Manatees are 12-14 in 2022, which includes the conference matchups from last season.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of splitting on neutral grounds at the Florida JUCO Shootout in Daytona. They would fall to Gulf Coast State (76-63) before bouncing back with a win over Pensacola State (69-65).

Splash Herd:

Sophomores Skylar Wicks and Cobey Harraway lead the path for the Manatees' offense. Wicks is averaging 20.3 points (47.5% from the 3-point line), 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while Harraway is averaging 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds. 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. 

Wicks snapped his streak of scoring in double digits against Gulf Coast State after being held to seven points, two rebounds and three assists before bringing it back with 16 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals. 

Harraway would finish with 15 points, one three assists and five steals against Gulf Coast State and 10 points, one rebound and one assist against Pensacola State.

Tape's Hammer:

Since being placed in the starting lineup, sophomore Ronnail Tape has increased his numbers amazingly from his freshman year. Tape is averaging 8.6 points (3.1 points last season) and 4.5 rebounds (4.4 rebound last season) per game. At the Florida JUCO Shootout, the Fort Myers native had 10 points and six rebounds against Gulf Coast State before finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Dish Power:

Aside from Wicks, freshman Malyk Rebetez and sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue have been leading the way in assists majorly. 

Rebetez is averaging 4.2 assists per game to along with averaging 2.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. The Swiss native had a combined two points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals at the Florida JUCO Shootout.

Josue is averaging 3.2 assists per game to go along with 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds. The transfer from Porterville College (CCCAA) lead with 16 points, six rebounds, one assist and four steals against Gulf Coast State and nine points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals against Pensacola State.

Defending and Boarding:

Alongside Tape, freshmen Josh Ijeh and Dresean Knight have been the main rebounders and blockers for the Manatees in the rotation and bench. Ijeh is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game to go along with 5.6 points and 2.2 blocks per game, while Knight averages 2.3 rebounds, three points and 1.7 blocks per game.

At the Florida JUCO Shootout, Ijeh had a combined five points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks, while Knight had a combined eight points, three rebounds and three blocks.

Wild Showdown:

Sophomore Ametri Moss and freshmen Elijah 'Slim' Terry and Kasheem Grady are the wild card players so far this season.

Moss, who was returning from injury, is averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He had seven points, two rebounds and three assists at the shootout.

Terry, who plays a key role off the bench, is averaging 6.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He had eight points, 11 rebounds and three assists the last two games.

Grady is averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds. He had three points and one rebound against Pensacola State. The Georgia native returned with the team after serving a two-game suspension.

Scouting Chipola College:

The Indians are currently ranked tied for #2 in the nation and are coming off of a sweep at the Florida JUCO Shootout in Melbourne where they defeated St. Pete College (87-65) and Florida Southwestern (70-69) before defeating Enterprise State CC 97-34 Saturday, December 17.

Sophomores Derrick Butler and Deyton Albury lead the offense scoring 13.8 and 12.6 points per game respectively. Butler is also averages 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while Albury averages 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Classmate Jamil Safieddine averages 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Sophomore Paul Greene leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rebounds per game) while averaging 9.3 points per game, while freshman Jerald Colonel lead the defense averaging 1.9 blocks per game to go along with averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

How to Keep Up:

The game will air on the Gulf Coast State College Athletics YouTube page and fans can keep up with the Manatees on all social media platforms

Livestream Link - https://www.youtube.com/@gulfcoastcommodoreathletic6104/videos

Social Media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SCFMensBasketball

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SCF_Basketball

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scfbasketball/

5th Herd Splits at JUCO Shootout

Daytona, Fla - The SCF basketball team (9-5) were put at a challenge on neutral grounds as they split at the Florida JUCO Shootout, hosted by Daytona State. The Manatees fell to Gulf Coast State College (9-6) 76-63 before defeating Pensacola State (9-6) 69-65.

SCF vs Gulf Coast State:

While the Manatees tried to keep up with the Commodores, it was ultimately not enough for them for them to mount a strong enough comeback as the Commodores took the rematch.

It was sophomore Isaiah 'Ziggy' Josue that lead the Manatees offense as he finished with a game-high 16 points (6-for-14 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 3-for-6 FT), six rebounds, one assist and four steals. Classmates Cobey Harraway and Ronnail Tape would follow and round out the order with 15 (Harraway) and 10 (Tape) points respectively. Harraway (6-for-12 FG, 3-for-7 3PT) added one rebound, three assists and five steals, while Tape (4-for-9 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 1-for-2 FT) added six rebounds.

Sophomore Skylar Wicks snapped his scoring streak of double digit scoring as he was held to seven points (2-for-9 FG, 4-for-4 FT), two rebounds and three assists.

In rebounding, freshmen Josh Ijeh and Elijah 'Slim' Terry lead the way with nine and seven rebounds respectively. Ijeh added five points (2-for-5 FG, 1-for-2 FT), one steal and a season-high five blocks, while Terry added four points (1-for-6 FG, 1-for-4 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), two assists and one steal.

Sophomore Ametri Moss (four points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block) and freshmen Malyk Rebetez (three rebounds, four assists and four steals) and Dresean Knight (two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal)  also contributed in the game.

SCF vs Pensacola State:

In the game against the Pirates, the Manatees were hoping to put their loss to the side as they were put to the test offensively and defensively, but ultimately the Herd was able to seal the win on a final free throw.

Three Manatees scored in double figures. It was Wicks and Tape that lead the way against the Pirates as they finished with 16 points each. Wicks (7-for-19 FG, 1-for-7 3PT, 1-for-4 FT) added five rebounds, one assist and two steals, while Tape (6-for-8 FG, 2-for-3 3PT, 2-for-3 FT) added eight rebounds. Harraway rounded out the order with 10 (4-for-9 FG, 2-for-4 3PT), one rebound and one assist.

Josue added nine points (2-for-3 FG, 1-for-1 3PT, 4-for-4 FT), three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, while Knight added six points (3-for-4 FG), one rebound and one block.

Moss (three points, one rebound, two assists and one steal), redshirt freshman Zach Smith (one rebound and one assist), Ijeh (four rebounds, one assist and two blocks), Rebetez (two points, three rebounds and one assist), Terry (four points, two rebounds and one steal) and freshman Kasheem Grady (three points, one rebound and one assist) also contributed in the game.

Other Southern Conference Scores:

Miami Dade (10-5) swept their portion of the Florida JUCO Shootout in Melbourne as they defeated Polk State (5-8) 75-52 and St. Pete College (2-11) 54-46. The Sharks will take on Time to Ball Prep Wednesday night, December 14 at 7:30 pm.

RV Indian River State (11-3) were swept at the Florida JUCO Shootout in Melbourne as they fell to #7 Tallahassee CC (12-1) 82-75 and Polk State 83-76. The Pioneers will take on Palm Beach State (5-5) Wednesday night, December 14 at 7:30 pm.

Florida Southwestern (8-4) split their portion of the Florida JUCO Shootout in Melbourne as they defeated Eastern Florida State (9-4) 82-61 before falling to #3 Chipola (15-0) 70-69. The Buccaneers will face Polk State Thursday night, December 15 at 7 pm.

Hillsborough (13-1) swept their part of the Florida JUCO Shootout in Daytona as they defeated Florida State College at Jacksonville (4-7) 99-81 before defeating Santa Fe College (6-5) 80-70. The Hawks will take on Santa Fe College Wednesday night, December 14 at 7 pm.

Up Next:

The Manatees will take a couple of weeks off for Christmas break and will return to action on neutral grounds as they will face #3 Chipola College Friday afternoon, December 30 at 3 pm.