After an offseason of anticipation, Monday night was the official beginning of a new era of FAU basketball and the new era looked a lot like the old, as the Owls dominated Indiana State 97-64 to start their 2024-2025 campaign 1-0.
It was a special atmosphere to start the season, as John Jakus debuted as Head Coach at the John Wooden Family Fieldhouse which is run by Athletes In Action, the organization he started his collegiate coaching career with overseas. AIA went all out for the event, bringing in local Schools to serve as the student sections for each team and bringing in Wilberforce Universities Marching Band, “The Hounds of Sound,” which split in half to serve as each team’s band.
For Jakus, this event wasn’t just a basketball game, as he got an opportunity to speak about his faith and everything that goes into making a total athlete, rather than just what occurs on the court. It was also a chance to play in front of the community where Jakus lived for 7 years prior to starting his coaching journey overseas, a community that showed out in full force for Jakus, bringing 20+ people all wearing “fear the beard” themed Jakus shirts.
“I lived here for seven years before we moved overseas as a family, and those are people that are in my life, some of my best friends. And in coaching, you move a lot. These guys transfer. It’s just normal to travel the world, and my wife and I moved a bunch, but I would say the place we stayed the longest was when we were young in our marriage, and there’s a bunch of people that took care of us at that time in our life, and they supported us when we were in ministry with athletes in action, and when we lost our job overseas and had to come back because my son’s autism, those were the people that made it possible to have a year off and a year away to take care of him. So they mean the world to me. I didn’t know they were going to do that with a T-shirt. That guy’s ugly, so they should probably put on another t-shirt. But besides that, their relationship means the world to me,” Jakus said.
There may have been something special in the air as Jakus returned to a place that meant so much to him, as FAU found themselves in a battle early on, trailing 15-12 after Indiana State connected on 3 straight triples. However, after the game was evened up at 18 heading into the 12 minute media timeout, the Owls closed the half on a ferocious 35-10 run to close the half, heading into the break with a 53-28 lead and they never looked back.
One could imagine that during the 12 minute media timeout, FAU made major adjustments which is what led to their domination during the remainder of the game, however that was not the case in this one, rather the Owls used the timeout to recollect and get back to the game plan. It was also an early showing of an ability to overcome adversity, as trailing early in the first game of the season it would have been easy to panic, however according to Jakus once the Owls fell back on their game plan they were able to use their size and athleticism to dominate this game, limiting ISU offensively at times by forcing them to commit 21 turnovers, which the Owls turned into 35 points.
“No defensive changes, maybe a time out, and some yelling, little accountability, reminder what the scout is. And then, once they made the adjustment, I think our length and athleticism took over. We have a chance to be a good defensive team. I don’t know that we’re totally there yet, but you could see probably 20 minutes tonight, it looked like it should, and we’ve just got to keep climbing until we get it to 30 to 35 minutes of the game. But I think at some point it was 13 to 16 stops in a row, and the way they responded to confrontation as a group made me really proud of them, so I was thankful for that,” Jakus said.
It was a unified effort for the Owls from the jump in this one, as they had 6 players in the score column within the first 10 minutes and it carried on throughout the game. Nico Moretti finished with a team high, coming off the bench with 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting, also with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, combining with Tre Carroll who scored 8, and Kaleb Glenn who added 9, to account for 36 of the Owls 40 bench points.
It wasn’t just the Moretti show in this one, as his spirited performance early on led a charge which caught on with his teammates. Ken Evans Jr, Leland Walker, KyKy Tandy, Baba Miller and Matas Vokietaitis, the 5 starters in this one all finished in double figures, with both Miller and Vokietaitis finishing a perfect 4 of 4 from the field, chipping in 13 and 10 points respectively.
Although all 5 starters finished in double figures, the Owls bench production this season is something that will be paramount if they are going to be successful. The Owls were without both Carroll and Moretti in their final preseason game which was a loss to Auburn and Jakus believes this game showed not only how valuable they are to this team, but the bench as a whole.
“I think we want to lead our league in bench scoring. That’s been a goal for us for a while. We want to play a bunch of people. Nico and Tre were hurt during the last exhibition. I know maybe the score went on Twitter, but our story didn’t go on Twitter. We actually went through a lot over the last four days, and having him (Moretti) back is fantastic. You can see the difference maker that he is, but the way he moved the ball tonight, the way he shared and then they couldn’t keep him out of the paint. At a certain point, they had to collapse. And we shot more threes tonight than we have in the last two exhibitions. So I was thankful for the bench Tre, Kg (Kaleb Glenn), a Bunch of people played a role, but Nico really led us tonight,” Jakus said.
Moretti dominated tonight and after the Owls brought in 3 transfer guards who averaged double figures last season in Evans, Walker and Tandy, it was Moretti, who averaged 1.5 points per game and played in only 18 games last season for Illinois, who stole the show in the season opener. He scored in a variety of ways, both putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket, while also converting on 3 of his 4 3 point attempts, but it wasn’t just scoring, it was his aggressive play style, which translated to his teammates on both ends of the court.
The FAU staff made very calculated moves in building this roster this offseason and although to some, Moretti statistically may have looked like an afterthought, this game proved that every member of this team is going to play some sort of role. For Moretti however, this game was a showing of trust from his teammates and coaching staff, as although he hadn’t contributed much at the collegiate level coming into this season, they trusted him to lead in game one.
“It was huge. I’m coming off two years where I really didn’t see the court too much, and that’s definitely a lot to do with the coaching staff and my teammates to trust me, that confidence to go out there and do good,” Moretti said.
It was an efficient night for FAU, as they finished 55% from the field, and their starting front court in Miller and Vokietaitis did not miss a shot they attempted from the field. FAU also assisted on more than 50% of their made baskets, showing early connectivity between a team which is made up of a lot of guys who did not play with each other last season.
There was no selfish aspect to the Owls game tonight, as everyone did whatever needed to be done on both ends of the court and in turn it led to a dominating game 1 victory. For Baba Miller, his performance tonight echoed that of his team, as he found personal success through being willing to do whatever is needed for his squad.
“I feel like my focus is just to go out there and try to help the team win. So if that means getting rebounds or making open shots, I’m gonna do it. And today, I made all of them. It might happen again next game. It might not, but I got open shots thanks to my teammates and the good passes they gave me,” Miller said.
6 months of playing against each other in the FAU practice gym went into this effort tonight for the Owls and it is a big win for a program that is looking to build on the success of the past 2 years. Although it is just the first game, it is an important one that shows the potential of a team that worked hard to unify as a group in a short amount of time.
There is still work to be done, as despite the big win, there are still things that can be ironed out, however every accomplishment is worth celebrating and that is what the Owls intend to do. Jakus believes that his squad earned the right to celebrate this victory, and they will do so over the next 24 hours, but they will get back to work on Wednesday and prepare for their home opener on Friday.
“The turnover percentage and our offensive rebounding margin, those will be two things we work on this week. And then I thought, we came out really excited because We’ve been playing against each other for six months. We were ready to go, and then once we did our job, I think we relaxed. So turnovers, rebounding, and we should relax, but we’re going to celebrate this and spend the night here and then take off on a plane tomorrow. The worst thing you can do in life is have a gift and not celebrate it. So we’ll work on that stuff on Wednesday and Thursday,” Jakus said.
As for the home opener, the Owls will take on D2 Coastal Georgia on Friday night, which is a potential tune up game, as the following Tuesday FAU takes on a UCF squad who just upset #13 Texas A&M. No matter who the opponent is, Jakus came to FAU because Eleanor R Baldwin Arena was a top-25 atmosphere in the country and in the first regular season game of the Jakus era at home, he hopes to see everything that legendary atmosphere was made of.
“We’re here because we heard of the legendary ‘Pack the Elly.’ Last year it was voted in the top 25 home environments, and we hope we walk into that on Friday, we’re looking forward to it,” Jakus said.
Previous In-game updates
1H First half 16 minute timeout
Things started out smoothly for the Owl, as KyKy Tandy hit the first 3 pointer of the day for the Owls and it gave them a boost of energy from there. Kaleb Glenn came off the bench and hit his first 3 point attempt of the day, giving the Owls a 12-6 lead with 16:19 to play. Matas Vokietaitis hit his first 2 shots at the rim, including one off of an offensive rebound.
1H First Half 12 minute timeout
After the Owls used 2 3’s to jolt their lead to 6 early on, ISU had a 3 point answer of their own and in a big way, as over the next 4 minutes they went on a stretch where they hit 3 in a row to regain the lead 15-12, and hit one more to tie the game at 18 with 11:08 to play, however after Camp Wagner’s triple, ISU over-celebrated and were assessed a technical foul. Nico Morretti was playing really agressive for the Owls and it was paying off, as he drew 2 fouls on drives and cashed in a contested layup.
1H First Half 8 Minute timeout
After the Owls allowed ISU to hit 3 straight triples to take the lead and grab momentum, FAU responded after Wagner’s technical foul and shifted momentum. The Owls went on a 10-0 run in between the 2 media timeouts, getting 5 of those points from Moretti, including 2 buckets off turnovers, 1 from Moretti and 1 from Tandy.
1H 4 minute media timeout
That 10-0 run catapulted to a 27-3 run, as the Owls found a way to limit the Sycamores chances from 3 and it completely stymied their offense. Nico Moretti was leading the way offensively early, with 12 points on 4/5 shooting, cashing in from deep and putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim. As a team, the Owls were hitting at a 54% rate from 3, however they were also getting out in transition with 12 fast break points and 18 off turnovers.
Halftime
After the Owls allowed ISU to stay in the game early with their solid 3 point shooting, the Owls closed the door after the U12 media timeout. The Owls closed the half on a 35-10 run, playing really sound on both ends of the court, finishing with 7 steals and 18 points off turnovers and on the other end, the Owls found their stroke from 3 as they hit at a 50% clip. Nico Moretti lead the way with 14 points on 5/6 shooting, however it was a team effort as the Owls had 8 players in the score column with 23 points off the bench. It was a dominating first half for FAU and they will look to finish strong over the final few minutes.
2H 16 minute media timeout
The Owls started out with a bang on a Baba Miller dunk off a turnover and the momentum continued from there, as despite hitting a trio of triples early in the half, ISU still found themselves down nearly 30. Kyky Tandy converted an and 1 basket at the rim, continuing the aggressive play from the first half and it spread to those around him. After Tre Carroll hit a basket at the rim and drew a foul, the Owls lead grew to 63-37, which was the score heading into the U-16 break.
2H 12 minute media timeout
The Owls kept on doing what they had been doing all game and that was getting a diverse scoring effort and limiting the Sycamores chances offensively. Nico Moretti continued his strong play, as he came off the bench with 14:47 to play, and with 14:07 to play he cashed in from 3 for the 3rd time of the day, and with 11:51 to play he converted from the midrange to extend the Owls lead to 72-47 with 11:51 to play which was the score headed into the break.
2H 8 minute media timeout
FAU came out of the 12 minute break with 2 bursts of energy, a Baba Miller alley-Oop slam and Matas jam off of a turnover which kept them cruising with momentum.
A Walker drive to the rim and ensuing free throws, and Tandy 3 off a turnover gave the Owls an 81-53 lead heading into the break.
2h 4 minute media timeout
The Owls sparked another run prior to the 4 minute timeout, as they went on a 13-0 run, 6 of them from Tre Carroll, who was attacking the basket and either converting or getting to the line. The FAU run forced ISU to call a timeout as their defecit was nearing 40, and a 4-0 ISU run prior to the media timeout made our score 94-59 heading into the final break.
Final 4 minutes
The Owls actually closed out the final 4:45 of this game without making a field goal, but with their lead hovering between 30-40, it did not effect the outcome. ISU closed the game on a 10-3 run over the final 4 minutes, but it was to no avail as FAU closed out a 97-64 victory.