Final Four: Who's on Florida Atlantic's all-time men's basketball team?
Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team has made a surprising run to the Final Four. It’s an accomplishment for any school but even more so for an Owls program with only two 20-win seasons before this year.
FAU has just one previous NCAA Tournament appearance and never won a post-conference tournament game before this season.
Still, the program has had many talented players who made a major impact in Boca Raton.
Here’s a look at the team’s all-time 12-player team and coach.
G/F Damon Arnette
Arnette, who started his college career at Baylor, was a Trans America Athletic Conference first-team selection in 1998-99. He ranks among the program’s all-time leaders in points (1,246), scoring average (16.6 points per game), free throws (312), rebounds (551), offensive rebounds (192) and steals (163).
F Mike Bell (2003-04)
Bell started his career at N.C. State, then played at Palm Beach Community College before transferring to FAU. The 2004-05 Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year still holds the program’s career marks for scoring average (18.5 points) and rebounding average (9.5 rebounds). Bell played internationally for more than a decade.
Dusty's Final Four Diary: Dusty May's Final Four Diary: Seeing NCAA national championship trophy 'breathtaking moment'
FAU unlikely NCAA finalist: Is Florida Atlantic the most unlikely college basketball program to reach the Final Four? | D'Angelo
Listen Now: Listen Now! Miami, FAU experts break down Saturday night's Final Four games
C Raheim Brown (2000-02)
Brown was a welcome addition after transferring from USF before the 2000-01 season. He led the Owls with 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 2001-02, when FAU won the Atlantic Sun Conference championship and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Davis won first-team all-conference honors that season. Davis, who holds the single-season record for offensive rebounds (102), played internationally for more than a decade.
G Earnest Crumbley (2000-03)
Crumbley, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference’s All-Decade team (2000-09), was a key player for the Owls’ first conference championship team and NCAA Tournament team in 2002. Crumbley is the program’s leader in career steals (181) and is second in career points scored (1,559) and assists (505).
G Johnell Davis (2020-present)
Davis’ breakout season couldn’t have come at a better time and certainly is enough to put him on the all-time Owls list. Davis currently leads FAU in scoring and steals and is second in rebounds this season. He was named to the All-Conference-USA first-team as well as named C-USA Sixth Player of the Year. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Fairleigh Dickinson, Davis became the first player in tournament history with 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a single game.
G Michael Forrest
Dusty May’s first recruit at FAU has certainly left his mark on the program. Forrest is the program’s career 3-point record-holder (305), ranks second in points (1,617), fourth in assists (339) and fifth in steals (151). Forrest received an honorable mention on the 2021-22 All-Conference-USA team and has played a key role off the bench for the Owls’ Final Four run.
G Greg Gantt (2009-13)
The Gainesville native is one of the most decorated players in FAU history. A four-year starter, Gantt is the Owls' all-time leading scorer with 1,972 points and was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection. He helped FAU win the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship in 2011, the same year the Owls made their lone NIT appearance.
F Jailyn Ingram (2016-21)
Ingram started 100 games for the Owls and ranks among the program’s all-time leaders in points (1,334) and rebounds (630). Ingram is one of just four players in FAU’s 1,000-point, 500-rebound club.
G Alijah Martin (2020-present)
The third-year sophomore already has crafted quite the resume at FAU. Martin claimed first-team All-Conference USA honors this season after being a third-team all-conference selection in 2021-22. Martin scored his 1,000th career point in the Elite Eight win against Kansas State.
F Carlos Monroe (2005-09)
Monroe finished his career with a number of Owls records, including most career rebounds (717) and most career double-doubles (25). He was a two-time All-Sun Belt selection — including first-team honors in 2007-08. The Cape Coral High School graduate was the first player in program history to score more than 1,000 points and pull down more than 600 rebounds.
F Brett Royster (2007-11)
Royster was an elite defender during his four years in Boca. The two-time Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and 2010-11 third-team all-conference selection holds the FAU record for career blocks (301) and blocks in a season (97). Royster, who played professionally in England, also is second in career rebounds (684).
G Raymond Taylor (2009-12)
Taylor was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection and set the school’s single-season record for assists (177, 5.9 per game) as a freshman in 2009-10. Taylor’s 425 career assists rank third in program history and his 128 career steals rank seventh.
Coach: Dusty May (2018-present)
FAU has only two coaches in its history with winning records in their career at the school: Matt Doherty (15-13 in 2005-06) and May. Despite inheriting a program that had suffered seven consecutive losing seasons, May immediately found success and posted a winning record in each of his five seasons with the Owls. He’s compiled a 101-59 record and a laundry list of firsts this season, including Conference USA regular season and tournament championships, NCAA Tournament win, Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four, plus that 20-game winning streak.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Final Four: Who's on Florida Atlantic's all-time men's basketball team?
