Schedule

Roster

ST. AUGUSTINE – The 2019-20 Flagler College men's basketball season tips off on Friday against Southern Wesleyan University (3 p.m.) in the second game of the Southeast Region Crossover at Flagler Gymnasium.

Head coach Chad Warner begins his third season in the Ancient City and is looking forward to this upcoming season.

"I really like our team," said Warner. "We have one senior (Damerit Brown) and a lot of new faces. We have some guards who can really push the pace. We have a great skill level, which makes it fun to coach."

Brown, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Ocoee, Florida, averaged 11.8 points per game and was second on the team with 58 three-pointers. He exploded for 35 points at Georgia Southwestern State University last year and scorched Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for 30 more thanks to eight treys.

One of the new faces to the Flagler roster is Mercyhurst University transfer, Derrick Ellis, Jr. The 5-foot-11 guard helped lead the Lakers to a 26-8 season where they were the NCAA D2 Atlantic Regional champions and then lost to the eventual national champion, Northwest Missouri State University, in the national quarterfinals. The Hartford, Connecticut native averaged 7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He led the team in steals (49) and minutes played (1,049).

"We knew we were getting a good player," said Warner," but he has changed things a lot. I love coaching him. He is low maintenance and takes care of his business off and on the court. Derrick's mentality and approach is exceptional. He has a very mature mindset. As you are building a program, it is huge to have someone like Derrick."

Having Ellis in the backcourt will help Logan Swackhammer, one of two starters returning from last year's club. The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard started 27 games last year in a difficult Peach Belt Conference. He averaged 2.9 assists per game for the Saints with a season-high seven against Young Harris College. Last Tuesday night, he erupted for 18 points in an exhibition game at Florida Atlantic University.

Allante Pickens is another newcomer in the backcourt. The 5-foot-10 junior guard transferred to Flagler from Kirkwood Community College where he helped lead the Eagles to a NJCAA Division II title. He averaged 11.5 points and led the club with 94 three-pointers. Pickens spent his freshman year at Missouri S&T where he averaged 11.1 points.

"Allante is a great shooter and a great scorer," said Warner. "He loves to compete."

Flagler's other returning starter is 6-foot-5 sophomore swing Gedi Juozapaitis. All he did as a freshman was average 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He was even more productive in conference games averaging 15.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. Like Brown, Juozapaitis had a pair of 30+ point games last year. He had 31 points at No. 7 USC Aiken and then poured in 35 at Clayton State University.

"Gedi had a very good year as a freshman and a lot of that was due to him being a hard worker," said Warner. "His work ethic has continued to set himself apart. He cares."

Junior college transfer Alex Pantelic is another guard who figures into Coach Warner's rotation. He is another player who can score as he averaged 14.5 points and added 5.7 rebounds per game last year at Southeastern Illinois College.     

Lawrence Slim got a year under his belt learning Warner's system as a redshirt. He is a 6-foot-7 forward who is another player who likes to play hard and will compete for time at the post.

Another transfer, Damir Hadzic, brings in some Division I experience having played at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock the past two seasons.

"Damir is a very skilled 5-man," said Warner. "He has good size and is very physical. In our system, we ask our 5 to do a lot. He has potential to make a lot of plays."

Chris Metzger is back after averaging 7.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He has battled a couple of injuries in his career and the 6-foot-7 junior forward is looking to build on his success from last year. Metzger had a monster game against Clayton State where he scored 15 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 71-69 victory.

Warner is high on 6-foot-8 freshman forward Tyler Collier. "He has the chance to be a really good player." Despite his height, Collier was the quarterback at Chambersburg (Pa.) Area Senior High School. This will be the first time he has been devoted to basketball full time.