JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The University of North Florida men’s basketball team quickly caught the attention of college basketball fans nationwide.
In its first three games of the season, UNF upset South Carolina, Charleston Southern, and Georgia Tech.
The Ospreys entered the season with eight new players on their roster.
“The newness is the newness, but like everything else, you’re either going to swim in the pool or you’re gonna drown,” head coach Matthew Driscoll said. “You just gotta take these guys, and help them understand what you’re about, what your standards are about.”
Driscoll said that because of the early season growing pains, he adjusted his usual preseason prep and doubled down on conditioning.
“I never was a ‘hit for a long time’ person, because I was always concerned with the bodies and what they were gonna look like. However, we were so far behind with all the newness, we had to change,” Driscoll said.
Ospreys senior guard Nate Lliteras said he respected the process.
“Coach just recruits good people, and characters that just blend well together and have the same goals. Nobody’s out here trying to do anything for just them,” Lliteras said.
Driscoll said the Ospreys’ core identity remains unchanged.
“We’re gonna shoot threes, layups, and dunks, wide open dunks,” Driscoll said. “We’ve been taking 29, but I’d like 35, maybe 40.”
Click HERE for the UNF schedule.