Florida Gulf Coast suspends Julian DeBose 3 games

Julian DeBose, a redshirt junior guard at Florida Gulf Coast, will be suspended for the team’s first three games of the season, it was announced on Saturday. There aren’t a lot of details about the suspension, but unlike forward Erik McKnight’s suspension last season, it will not be extended beyond the initial 3 games. The Florida Gulf Coast Men’s Basketball twitter account made the suspension public:

DeBose, who transferred to FGCU before last season, spent two seasons at Rice. As a sophomore, he finished second on the team with 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. When his suspension is over, he will likely be a contender for a starting position after starting all 31 games during his final season with Rice.

Last year, Florida Gulf Coast Athletic Director Ken Kavanagh issued McKnight a 6-game suspension for a violation of team rules. That suspension was later raised to 12 games, and McKnight has since transferred to Long Beach State.

Feb 27, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Rice Owls guard Julian DeBose (15) attempts a three-pointer in the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

The suspension could make next week’s matchups against UC-Santa Barbara and Ohio a lot more difficult to win. While it might not be a huge issue in the long run, the UCSB and Ohio games are two of Florida Gulf Coast’s best opportunities to pick up quality victories.

Last year’s Atlantic Sun tournament champion Mercer left for the Southern Conference, taking a pair of matchups with a potentially quality opponent off the schedule. If the Eagles are able to win the Atlantic Sun tournament, they’ll need every quality win they can get to keep from being sent to another near-impossible situation with a 15 or 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.