The off-season is here across College Basketball and for the second season in a row, FAU basketball is expected to be active in the transfer portal, both in terms of additions and departures. Year one of the John Jakus era finished with an 18-16 record with an entirely new roster and although there will be some detrimental departures, the hope is year 2 Jakus and company will be able to build off their success in year one.
Jakus worked quickly a season ago to assemble a roster that could compete atop the AAC, bringing in players from the high major, mid major and international levels and they battled past through bumps in the road to finish 5th place in the conference. The coaching staff flexed their ability to develop talent, as players from each of those levels improved last season, however this year they will have to show they can do it again.
The portal has been open for less than 2 weeks at this point and so far FAU has lost 2 out of their top 4 scorers to it, as Louisville transfer Kaleb Glenn entered on March 24th and AAC freshman of the year Matas Vokietaitis entered on April 2nd. With full retention not in the cards, look for Jakus to retool quickly in the portal with 5 open scholarships to work with.
Below will be a look at departures, additions, and portal contacts which will be updated as the offseason progresses:
Departures-
Junior F Kaleb Glenn, 6’7, 210 pounds, 12.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG- Portal
Sophomore F Matas Vokietaitis, 7’0, 245 pounds, 10.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG- Portal
Junior G Jack Johnson, 6’4, 185 pounds- Portal
Senior G KyKy Tandy, 6’2, 205 pounds, 8.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG- Graduation
Senior G Ken Evans Jr, 6’5, 205 pounds, 6.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG- Graduation
Outlook- 4/2
After both Kaleb Glenn and Matas Vokietaitis talked about the prospects of returning in end of season press conferences, both opted to hit the portal shortly after it opened and have now left the Owls missing 2 major contributors from this past season. After the success both had during their first season in Boca, it’s not unexpected that they have entered the portal and barring a counter-offer from FAU, Jakus will have to hope their development serves as evidence for current players in the portal on what this staff can do development wise.
As for the seniors, KyKy Tandy and Ken Evans both graduate after one season at FAU and although they each experienced up and down points during the year, each played a valuable role whether it was Tandy as a spark plug or Evans as a perimeter defender and now their contributions will have to be replaced. Tandy and Evans’ departures also up 2 potential starting guard roles and it will be interesting to see how Jakus goes about filling those, whether it’s through new additions, or increased roles for Nico Moretti or Devin Vanterpool.
Jack Johnson also hits the portal after 3 seasons with the Owls and his departure means the loss of a fan favorite and the end of the “We want Jack” chants heard in blowout FAU wins at the ‘Elly.
There are some big time departures this season for FAU unfortunately, however with more time to replace them and hopefully some retention to go around them, there is still a chance for Jakus and his staff to dampen the blow of these losses this offseason.
Currently on Roster/Incoming Freshman
Senior F Tre Carroll, 6’7 233 pounds, 12.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.6 APG
Senior F Baba Miller, 6’11 215 pounds, 11.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.7 APG
Senior G Leland Walker, 6’1 185 pounds, 9.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.5 APG
Junior G Nico Moretti, 6’1 175 pounds, 6.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.4 APG
Sophomore G Max Langenfeld, 6’6 195 pounds, 3.2 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Sophomore G Devin Vanterpool, 6’4 190 pounds, 2.0 PPG, 1.1 RPG
Sophomore C Mantas Kocanas, 6’11 235 pounds, 2.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Freshman G Jakel Powell, 6’5 195 pounds (DNP this season)
Freshman F Amar Amkou, 6’7 210 pounds (DNP this season)
Freshman F Liam Dayco-Green, 6’2 185 pounds (DNP this season)
Incoming Freshman F- Josiah Parker, 6’6 228 pounds, Overtime Elite
Outlook 4/2-
Tre Carroll and Baba Miller headline the remaining group of returners (as of April 2nd) and if the Owls are able to retain both of them that will give them a solid foundation to build on. Carroll and Miller both thrives under Jakus, with Jakus tapping into Carroll’s full potential and producing a career year of 12.2 PPG and 5.2 RPG, while Miller spurned the NBA to come to FAU and also produced career highs of 11.3 PPG and 7.0 RPG, also shooting 34.2% from 3.
Leland Walker and Nico Moretti also provide a foundation in the backcourt, with Moretti seeing real playing time for the first time in his collegiate career a season ago and this year could be a breakout year for the former Illinois transfer. Walker started 33 games last season for FAU, averaging 9.2 PPG and 4.5 APG counteracting inconsistent shooting at times with solid play-making.
Developmentally, Devin Vanterpool had an up and down season offensively however his defense was solid all year and he shined in the AAC tournament, recording 12 points and 5 rebounds, showing a glimpse of what could be in store for his sophomore season. Jakel Powell, Amar Amkou both missed all of last season with injury, while Kocanas played in just 2 games before hurting his leg, however if their offseason development goes as planned there is potentially a path to playing time for all 3 next season.
Josiah Parker, brother of assistant coach Demond Parker, is the lone freshman commit and is also one of the highest rated high school basketball recruits in FAU history and he could potentially see playing time right away, as his 6’6 228 pound frame gives him a size advantage against smaller AAC defenders.
Reported interest/contact in portal as of 4/2:
6’3 Senior G Derrin Boyd, College of Charleston, 13.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.2 APG– Interest, Per The Portal Report
Junior G Christian Henry, Eastern Michigan, 14.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.4 APG- Interest, Per The Portal Report
6’6 G Markhi Strickland, Western Michigan, 11.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.3 APG- Interest, Per The Portal Report
6’4 Junior G Brit Harris, USC Upstate, 11.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.5 APG- Interest, Per The Portal Report
6’5 Junior G Nick Anderson, PVAMU, 18.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 APG- Interest, Per The Portal Report
6’5 Freshman G Isaiah Elohim, USC, 2.1 PPG- Interest, Per Sam Kayser 24/7 High School Hoops
6’8 Junior F Alex Steen, Florida Southern, 17.9 PPG, 10.6 RPG- Interest, Per PDT Scouting
6’3 Junior G Derrian Ford, Arkansas State, 8.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG- Zoom scheduled (date unknown), Per his agents Parker St. Pierre and Ryan Straining of Always On Sports Agency.