College basketball: FGCU men surging ahead with new players in this second summer session

There are lots of new faces, a few more than expected, at Florida Gulf Coast University's men's basketball summer workouts that began Friday. 

The two-time defending Atlantic Sun tournament champion Eagles expected two additions after losing starting graduated forwards Demetris Morant, the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, and Marc-Eddy Norelia, a former all-conference first-teamer, and eyeing highly touted junior forward Michael Gilmore's eligibility after the first semester. 

But after the out-of-the-blue departure of graduate forward Kevin Mickle, a tough defender off the bench, and the somewhat mutual and late decisions to transfer by sophomore backup point guard Reggie Reid and sophomore swingman Rayjon Tucker, the Eagles added two more immediately eligibles as well as the last signee, 6-foot-8 junior forward Troy Baxter, who will sit this season per NCAA rules after transferring from UNLV. 

FGCU men add UNLV sophomore forward Troy Baxter with last scholarship

So when the Eagles began reloading Friday for the upcoming season that tips at home against Illinois State on Nov. 11 there were five newcomers on hand, including 6-10 sophomore forward Brady Ernst of Indian Hills Community College (and before that, Iowa State), 6-4 shooting guard Dinero Mercurius of Daytona State (South Florida), 5-3 true freshman point guard Darnell Rogers of Fort Mill, South Carolina, and 6-9, 240-pound true freshman power forward Brian Thomas of Kell, Georgia, the class's first signee. 

FGCU's Summer B schedule began with a positive workout on Friday. 

"It was good to get back out there," fifth-year FGCU coach Joe Dooley said on Tuesday, before the second short summer practice and during the first new players availability to reporters. "We were able to do some drills and sort of get a feel for some of the new guys and having to teach them some things, which is all part of it. Some of the terminolgoy, some of the footwork, is different. So we're just trying to figure out what they know and what we need to teach them.

"The guys had great energy. We had good enthusiasm. I thought the older guys did a really good job of leading and the new guys did a good job of paying attention."

NCAA rules allow teams to practice for up to eight summer weeks -- all the Eagles are enrolled in FGCU's Summer B schedule and all are on hand and healthy; some participated in two weeks the last summer session -- at eight hours per week. Two of those weekly hours can be used for hands-on coaching. Dooley, who has led the Eagles to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and strong showings against much higher seeds, is using those two hours in 30-minute increments. 

Senior point guard Brandon Goodwin, the reigning ASUN Newcomer of the Year after his first season with the Eagles, also Friday's workout a big thumbs up before Tuesday's practice. 

"It felt really good," Goodwin said. "Familiar faces with our coaches and returning guys and the new faces with our freshmen and transfers. We've got good talent coming in with Brady, Brian, the big man, Dinero, the shooter, Darnell. So we've got a lot of good guys coming in and our returning guys are pretty much veterans at this time. (Senior forward) Trey (Antravious Simmons) is looking good. (Starting junior guard) Zach (Johnson) is looking great. He's been in the gym every day. (Senior starting guard) Christian (Terrell) has put on some weight. 

"I think we're taking a step up in where we want to be and Friday was a great workout for us. Everybody was talking. Everybody was competing. It was fun."

The summer goal besides conditioning and improving strength in the weight room?

"Add a thing or two to our returning guys' games, continue to get better," Dooley said. "Get a lot of shots up and hopefully get our skill level a little bit higher."

The summer practices and workouts are closed to reporters per NCAA rules. 

Huge on conditioning, Dooley, who runs several miles each day, said his players showed up in passing shape. Some of them, like Goodwin, the Eagles' returning leading scorer (18.5 ppg), were in great shape. 

"Good enough to get through the workout, which is to be expected," Dooley said. "Obviously some of the guys did a nice job of working while they were at home. If we had a practice today for three hours, I don't think we'd be able to do that. But it's June and July and we're not supposed to be there."

The time of his life: The interesting journey of FGCU's Brandon Goodwin

Also fairly new to FGCU practices is Ricky Doyle, the 6-10, 253-pound junior center who transferred from Michigan and is eligible for the upcoming season after a year with the Eagles. The old-school center and Bishop Verot alum who started much of his two seasons with the Wolverines had surgery for sleep apnea in November. About a week later, he learned an appendix had burst and also was diagnosed with a non-cancerous tumor in his colon. Doyle had been a big hit at the earlier practices, but was not able to finish the season with the Eagles after another surgery. He's expected to not only start, but to star with the Eagles this season. 

"One of the big things is it was good to have Ricky back out there and healthy," Dooley said. 

Doyle was beaming Tuesday. 

"It was a long recovery, but I've been feeling pretty good," Doyle said.

For the newcomers, the first workout under the demanding Dooley -- who makes no secret to recruits that he will really work them -- was eye-opening. 

"It felt like something I've never dealt with before," Mercurius said. "It was something new. I definitely enjoyed myself and I appreciate it. He does a good job with the players as far as demanding a lot from them and pushing them to places they've never been before."

2017-18 Partial FGCU Men's Basketball Schedule 
Nov. 11 Illinois State, 1 p.m.
Nov. 13 At Siena, Loudonville, N.Y., TBA
Nov. 18 At Bowling Green (Ohio), TBA
Nov. 21 At Middle Tennessee, Murfreesboro, TBA
Dec. 2 Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Dec. 5 Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m.
Dec. 9 At UT Arlington (Texas), TBA 
Dec. 16 Oral Roberts, 8:15 p.m.
Dec. 19 At Florida International, Miami, TBA

Dec. 22 At Wichita State, TBA
Dec. 27 At Rhode Island, Kingston, TBA 
Jan. 6 *Stetson, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11 *USC Upstate, 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 *New Jersey Institute of Technology, 7 p.m.
Jan. 18 *At Lipscomb, Nashville, TBA
Jan. 20 *At Kennesaw (Ga.) State, TBA
Jan. 24 *At Jacksonville, TBA 
Jan. 27 *North Florida, 7 p.m.
Jan. 29 *Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 *At North Florida, Jacksonville, TBA 
Feb. 8 *At New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, TBA
Feb. 10 *At USC Upstate, Spartanburg, S.C., TBA
Feb. 15 *Kennesaw State, 7 p.m.
Feb. 17 *Lipscomb, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22 *At Stetson, DeLand, TBA
Feb. 26-March 4 ASUN Tournament (all games on home floor of higher seed)
*=ASUN game

FGCU Men's Basketball 2017-18 Roster
No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos. Hometown High School Previous School(s)
0 Brandon Goodwin 6-2 180 SR G Norcross, Ga. Norcross HS UCF
2 Joshua Ko 6-1 167 SR G Kailua, H.I. Kalaheo HS Pitt
5 Zach Johnson 6-2 195 JR G Miami Norland HS
11 Christian Terrell 6-5 187 SR G Jacksonville Providence HS 
13 RaySean Scott 6-7 213 SO F Compton, Calif. Compton HS
14 Rendijs Feikners 6-2 172 SO G Riga, Latvia Tallwood HS Elevation Prep Academy
15 Ricky Doyle 6-10 253 JR C Cape Coral Bishop Verot HS Michigan
23 Christian Carlyle 6-6 210 SO G Jacksonville Bishop Kenny HS 
24 *Michael Gilmore 6-10 210 JR F Jacksonville Rickards HS VCU/Miami
32 Antravious Simmons 6-9 250 SR F Miami South Miami HS VCU
33 Dolan Mahoney 6-4 2-- JR G Bradenton IMG Academy
** Troy Baxter 6-8 195 F Tallahassee Oldsmar Christian HS UNLV
Brady Ernst 6-10 230 SO F Clinton, Iowa Clinton HS Iowa State/Indian Hills CC 
Dinero Mercurius 6-4 200 JR G Orlando Faith Baptist Christian USF/UTRGV/Daytona State
Darnell Rogers 5-3 150 FR PG Fort Mill, S.C. Shiloh HS 
Brian Thomas 6-9 240 FR PF Kell, Ga. Kell HS
Head Coach -- Joe Dooley
Assistants -- Michael Fly, Tom Abatemarco, Aaron Miles
Director of Basketball Operations -- Tyler Schwab
Video Coordinator -- Lawrence Brenneman
Assistant of Coordinator of Operations -- Chase Goldstein 
*-Eligible at semester
**-Sitting out this season per NCAA transfer rules