FAU guard Stefan Moody leads the Owls with 14.0 points per game. (Owl Access Photo)
Adjustment Burrow
Florida Atlantic has been tinkering with its rotation during the first four games of the season, but doesn't have too much time remaining to find the right combination with Sun Belt Conference play beginning after Saturday's home opener vs. American.
Originally published on
11/23/2012
by
Marcus Nelson
The last time Florida Atlantic fans saw the Owls play in person, it was in a pre-season exhibition game vs. Lynn.
In a meaningless game, coach Mike Jarvis was tinkering with the rotation of players to try and find the combination that worked the best.
Four games into the season, the tinkering is continuing and when FAU faces American at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Burrow, Jarvis will still be looking for the five players who work best together.
FAU quickly moved from starting feshman Stefan Moody at point guard and put freshman Jackson Trapp in that role – which appears to be working. It wasn't a move borne out of panic, but there was a sense of urgency.
The reason is an expanded Sun Belt schedule in which conference play is starting very early this season. The Owls play their first conference game on Thursday vs. South Alabama – almost a full month earlier than in some recent years.
That's when the games have added importance and not when you want to be tinkering with the lineup. That makes the home-opener against American important as well.
Need To Knows: Eagles @ Owls
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American (2-2, 0-0 Patriot League)
at FAU (1-3, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference)
Scouting Reports
- About The Owls: FAU is 4-0 in home-openers under Mike Jarvis. ...F Jordan McCoy leads the Owls with 7.3 rebounds per game after coming into the season averaging 4.0 rebounds per game in his career. ... FAU trails the all-time series with American 1-3 and has lost the last two games vs. the Eagles.
- About The Eagles: American, coached by former Virginia coach Jeff Jones, is coming off a 67-53 loss vs. San Francisco, coached by former Owls coach Rex Walters. ...The Eagles had just one offensive rebound vs. the Dons. ...American's other defeat this season was a 72-37 loss to Minnesota in the season-opener.
- Projected Starting Lineups
American
Coach: Jeff Jones
G Daniel Munoz 6-0 Sr. (10.2 ppg)
G Jesse Reed 6-5 Fr. (2.2 ppg)
G John Schoof 6-5 So. (6.2 ppg)
F Kyle Kager 6-8 So. (1.5 ppg)
F Stephen Lumpkins 6-8 Sr. (15.5 ppg)
Florida Atlantic
Coach: Mike Jarvis
G Jackson Trapp 6-4 Fr. (7.0 ppg)
G Pablo Bertone 6-2 Jr. (7.3 ppg)
G Greg Gantt 6-2 Sr. (13.3 ppg)
F Jordan McCoy 6-6 Sr. (6.5 ppg)
C Dragan Sekelja 7-0 Jr. (4.5 ppg)