FAU coach Mike Jarvis has seen his Owls win all three home games this season. (FAUOwlAccess.com file photo)
Incomplete lesson
>FAU vs. Hofstra Preview: Nearly two months into the season the Owls are still learning to play a complete game.
Originally published on
12/28/2009
by
Chuck King
BOCA RATON – Heading into Florida Atlantic’s toughest three-game stretch of the season, coach Mike Jarvis said he expected to learn a lot about his team.
What did he discern from road losses to Miami, Georgia and Maryland?
“I learned that we can be pretty good at times and not so good at other times,” Jarvis said.
The Owls led Georgia at halftime, outscored Miami in the second half and played Maryland to a draw near draw outside of a four-minute stretch in the first half. Lapses in concentration and fundamentals during each of those games, though, resulted in double-digit losses.
On Monday, those poor stretches sent Jarvis back to a common refrain for this season.
“I want to see if one of these days we can play a 40-minute game,” he said.
FAU (5-7) will get another shot at completeness on Tuesday when it plays host to Hofstra (7-5) at 7 p.m.
Hofstra enters the game losers of its last two. The teams have one common opponent: Manhattan. The Pride defeated the Jaspers at home 44-37 on Dec. 9, while the Owls lost on the road 73-66 in their fourth game of the season.
“This is every bit as tough as the games we just played,” Jarvis said. “To be honest with you, it may not look like it on paper but you don’t play games on paper.”
Tuesday’s contest marks the end of the Owls’ non-conference slate this season. FAU’s final 16 regular-season games come against Sun Belt foes.
Hofstra (7-5)
at FAU (5-7)
About the Pride: Freshman guard Chaz Williams is coming off back-to-back career-high 14-point games against St. John’s and Davidson. Junior Charles Jenkins (19.3 ppg. 4.4 rpg.) earned the Haggerty Award last year as the top player in the New York metropolitan area. …Hofstra has never lost to FAU in four tries, with the last meeting coming during the start of the 2001-02 season.
About the Owls: FAU is 3-0 in the Burrow this season, defeating Florida Tech, Albany and Warner. Brett Royster, Demonte Simpson and Justin Davis have combined to average less than 16 points per game.
Projected starting lineups
Hofstra/ Head Coach: Tom Pecora
- G Nathaniel Lester 6-5 Jr. (10.1 ppg)
- G Chaz Williams 5-9 Fr. (7.4 ppg)
- G Charles Jenkins 6-3 Jr. (19.3 ppg)
- F Miklos Szabo 6-9 Sr. (7.1 ppg)
- F Greg Washington 6-10 Jr. (7.0 ppg)
FAU/ Head Coach: Mike Jarvis
- G Ray Taylor 5-6 Fr. (17.5 ppg)
- G Greg Gantt 6-2 Fr. (13.6 ppg)
- G Sanchez Hughely 6-4 Jr. (8.3 ppg)
- F Brett Royster 6-9 Jr. (9.1 ppg)
- F Demonte Simpson 6-9 Fr. (5.9 ppg)