Three springs ago, Florida Atlantic was the Final Four darling of America — Dusty May’s Owls, all swagger and shot-making, beating Kansas State at the buzzer in the Elite Eight and falling to San Diego State on Lamont Butler’s buzzer-beater in the national semifinal. It was the greatest run in program history, and it changed everything: May left for Michigan, the roster turned over, and John Jakus — the former Baylor assistant — took over a program trying to turn a miracle into a standard. Year three of the Jakus era is a full rebuild. The pieces, though, are fascinating.
The numbers tell the story. Jakus’s first team went 18-16 and reached the NIT, losing to Dayton at home. Last year: 9-6 in non-conference play, 9-9 in the American — an average season by the record, and the portal made sure it wouldn’t repeat itself. Four of fifteen players stuck around. The rest scattered — to Michigan State, Xavier, Cincinnati, Texas — and Jakus rebuilt with a strategy: size, skill, and a global recruiting net.
The one constant is Kanaan Carlyle. The junior guard, an Indiana transfer, was the Owls’ leading scorer last season and the only proven high-major bucket-getter on the roster. Around him, Jakus went big — literally. Seven-footer Fawaz Ifaola arrives from Colorado. Seven-footer David Musis, the first Israeli-born player in program history, signed in July after starring for Ramat Hasharon in the Israeli National League and playing for Israel’s U-16 and U-18 national teams; he turned 18 two days before signing and dropped a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double in May. “David is a special player and a special person,” Jakus said. “I want to thank our staff and department for their efforts in recruiting and attracting this talented team to Paradise.”
The guard room got a reload too: Braeden Speed, who led Loyola Maryland in scoring; Jelani Hamilton, who averaged 18 a game for Georgia State; USC transfer Isaiah Elohim; UCLA transfer Devin Williams. Freshman Josiah Parker arrives with American Conference Preseason Freshman of the Year honors. Add 7-1 junior Vincent Neugebauer, 6-11 Belgian Xander Pintelon, French forward Maxim Logue and Italian guard Niccolo Moretti, and this is one of the most internationally flavored rosters in the country — Senegal, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Canada, Australia, Israel.
The schedule is a showcase. The season opens Nov. 2 at home against LIU — and what an opener: the Sharks went 24-11 last year, made the NCAA Tournament as a 16 seed, and are coached by 17-year NBA veteran Rod Strickland. The Paradise Madness event hits Oct. 7, with exhibitions against Keiser (Oct. 21) and The Citadel (Oct. 25). In conference play, the Owls get Wichita State and Memphis at home at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena — “Paradise,” as everyone in Boca calls it.
The program’s history is still young — FAU basketball dates to 1988, with NCAA bids in 2002, 2023 and 2024 — but the 2023 run set a standard that won’t fade. Michael Forrest’s buzzer-beater against Kansas State. The near-miss against San Diego State. Johnell Davis, Vladislav Goldin, Alijah Martin — names that will live in Boca forever. Every FAU team from here on out gets measured against that March, fairly or not.
Jakus knows what he’s fixing. His second year was defined by what he called an anomaly — a top-60 offense paired with the 281st-ranked scoring defense in the country. The seven-footers are the fix: rim protection, rebounding, and a defense that doesn’t have to outscore everybody. The roster finally has the size to match the system.
What success looks like: an AAC contender by February, a top-four seed, and a defense that climbs out of the 200s. The Final Four feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago. In Boca, they’re betting this is the year the Owls start writing the sequel.
The building is part of the pitch. The Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena — “The Elly” to the students — turned into a madhouse during the Final Four run, and the program has been selling that atmosphere ever since. Boca Raton in winter, a packed student section, the beach ten minutes from campus: FAU’s recruiting pitch writes itself, and the international flavor of this roster proves it works on every continent.
The American is no soft landing, though. Memphis, Wichita State, UAB, Temple — the league has depth and NCAA Tournament pedigree, and the Owls will have to earn every seed line. The non-conference slate, headlined by the LIU opener, is built to test a young roster early. If Carlyle is an all-conference guard, the seven-footers protect the rim, and Parker is as advertised, FAU has the highest ceiling of any rebuild in the league.