Florida Gulf Coast Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Eagles

Projected Starters

Dinero Mercurius

Mercurius started 16 games last year and is the most experienced Eagle returning. He led FGCU in three-point shooting at a .414 clip and was sixth in the ASUN. He will be relied upon to be a scorer for the Eagles and he showed flashes of that last year. At 6’4″ he has good size for a guard and could present some matchup problems for the opposing defenses.

Haanif Cheatham

Cheatham transferred to FGCU from Marquette last December and was granted a hardship waiver so he can play right away for the Eagles. The news that Cheatham can play now is huge for FGCU. He will more than likely be the point guard for the Eagles but also has the ability to score. He along with Mercurius could be a very good backcourt combo and could give the other team headaches trying to guard both of them.

Coach Fly thinks he could be “one of the most versatile guards we’ve had in the history of our program.” That is pretty high praise and a lot to live up to. If Cheatham can live up to those expectations the Eagles may not have as big of a drop off as some people thought.

RaySean Scott Jr.

Scott Jr. has pretty good size and has the ability to score. He showed he has the ability to score when he put up a career-high 21 points against USC Upstate last year. He did miss some time last year because of injury and personal reasons so there is concern there, but when healthy he can be a huge asset down low. He is one of the top returning rebounders for the Eagles and they will rely on him to be a force on the boards. If he can stay healthy and on track, he could have a breakout season.

Ricky Doyle

Last season was Doyle’s first with FGCU after transferring from Michigan. He started 13 games for the Eagles but did only average five points per game. They didn’t need him to score last year but he will be relied upon more this year down low. He still may not have big numbers scoring because of the offense the Eagles run, but at 6’10” 253 lbs, he can be a defensive force against opposing teams big guys. He is not afraid of contact and can use his big body to bring down a lot of rebounds and get the fast-paced offense moving for FGCU.

Schadarac Casimir

Casimir is a graduate transfer from Iona who had a lot of his success in this three years there. He has shot over 42% from the three-point arc in his career and could pair with Mercurius and Cheatham to be a lethal three-point shooting group. He should give some needed experience to the Eagles as he has been part of multiple NCAA Tournament teams with Iona. At 5’10” he is not a big guy, but he has found ways to score and will look to continue to do that at FGCU.