For basketball fans, here’s your chance to see two of the top 100 players in the country, and a coach who now has 500 wins in her career.
The Florida SouthWestern State College Buccaneers men’s and women’s basketball teams are both ranked nationally, and bring fast-paced, dunk-filled excitement to Southwest Florida every time they take the court.
The men’s basketball team is ranked fifth in the NJCAA Division I National Men’s Basketball Top 25 and they are coached by Marty Richter. Players Tremell Murphy and Tyler Cheese were just ranked 21st and 52nd, respectively, by the JUCORecruiting.com’s 2018 Junior College Basketball Top 100 Player Rankings.
Kristie Ward, our women’s head coach, just recorded her 500th career win. The team is ranked 22nd in the NJCAA Division I National Women’s Basketball Top 25.
In just our second season, both teams have proven to be competitive on the court and engaged in our community. They are out there helping many worthy organizations. Our women’s basketball team has worked with the Jevon Kearse Thanksgiving turkey giveaway and the Christmas toy drive at the Stars Complex, Toys for Tots, and Habitat for Humanity. Our men’s basketball team has been involved with the Fort Myers Beach cleanup, numerous youth clinics/camps, and Hurricane Irma cleanup.
Our baseball and softball teams have brought national attention to FSW with their performances on the diamond. In their first two seasons, the baseball team, coached by Jamie Corr, has had two players drafted by major league teams. Our softball team, coached by Robert Iamurri, has risen to national prominence by participating in the national tournament both seasons. Last year, they were the Florida state champions and finished third in the NJCAA national tournament. The team has also had several players recruited to continue their careers for NCAA Division I colleges.
Both teams are also engaged with our community by volunteering with several elementary schools and a number of 5K races in Fort Myers, visiting local children’s hospitals and partnering with the city of Fort Myers for Feed the Homeless.
When athletics was relaunched in 2014, it was part of FSW’s plan to add yet another element of student life. We also know that athletics are a way to bring the community and the college closer together.
We signed an agreement with the city of Fort Myers and Lee County government to have City of Palms Park as our home for our baseball and softball teams. The park had remained almost empty since the Red Sox moved to JetBlue Park/Fenway South, and this partnership provided a world-class facility where you have free parking and the chance to see two outstanding teams compete.
The baseball and softball schedules for their third season of competition at City of Palms Park are posted on our athletics webpage at FSWBUCS.com.
Both basketball teams start conference action play this month, and we’re inviting everyone to join us for our 2018 Buc Bash on Wednesday, Jan. 17. We’ll celebrate with tailgate activities in the parking lot of our Suncoast Credit Union Arena at 4 p.m. There will be food, music and more. It’s the preview to a doubleheader: Our women’s team takes on Eastern Florida at 5:30 p.m., followed by our men’s team at 7:30 p.m. when they take on Polk State.
We invite you to see these teams in action! It’s family entertainment that is affordable while still offering you the chance to see first-class competition. For more information about our FSW Bucs teams, go to FSWBUCS.com. For your tickets, go to FSWARENA.com.
Join us to cheer for your FSW Buccaneers!
Sanders is interim director of athletics for Florida SouthWestern State College.
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