ST. AUGUSTINE – The 2020-21 Flagler College men's basketball team has quite an act to follow. Last year's team navigated a season that was often in flux due to the COVID-19 pandemic and put together a tremendous run advancing all the way to the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II National Championships in Evansville, Indiana.
 
Flagler finished with an 18-3 overall record and won the NCAA D2 South Region title as well as the Peach Belt Conference's regular and postseason crowns. Jaizec Lottie became the first player to receive National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-America honors.

So what is next for this year's team?

Chad Warner, who begins his fifth year at the helm of the program returns four starters and brings in some quality new talent to build off what was accomplished last year.

"I really like our team," said Warner. "I enjoy being around them and it's been that way since we started. We have four fifth-year seniors and one sixth-year senior so we have a certain maturity that I have never head as a head coach."

The focus going into the year may be on Lottie, but the Saints are multi-faceted. The 6-foot-2 senior guard finished seventh in the nation in scoring average with 24.4 points per game. Lottie was selected as the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year and earned NCAA D2 South Region Most Valuable Player honors. Warner remarked that Lottie is not only a great player; he is a great leader.

Chris Metzger, a 6-foot-7 forward, returns for his sixth season with Flagler. All he did last year was shoot 71.6 percent from the field, which was second-best in the nation, and average 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He earned second-team all-conference honors and had his biggest game, 26 points on 13-of-15 shooting, in Flagler's rout (92-73) of NCAA Division I member Central Michigan University.

The league coaches voted Jalen Barr, a 6-foot-4 swing, as the PBC Defender of the Year. He led the team in rebounding with a 7.8 per game average and led the team in blocked shots with 28, which ranked No. 17 in D2. Barr was second on the team with 31 steals.  

"Jalen is a force," said Warner. "He's as disruptive as he can be out on the floor and he can guard anybody."

Derrick Ellis, Jr. runs the point and earned third-team all-conference accolades last year. He averaged 9.8 points and 4.2 assists per game. Ellis made is presence known in the conference championship game last spring as he poured in 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting against Georgia Southwestern State University.

Chase Fiddler supplied the Saints with quality play coming off the bench. The 6-foot-5 forward drained 27 three-pointers, one of which was at the buzzer to force overtime at Lander University.

It is not often you get a 1,000-point scorer come into your program, but that is what Warner got in 5-foot-11 guard Curtis Lewis. He poured in 1,598 points at Rockhurst University, grabbed 456 rebounds, and dished out 383 assists. Lewis was the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2017-18 and is a three-time all-conference honoree.

"Curtis had a great career at Rockhurst," said Warner, "but he is an elite human being. He is a great student, a hard worker, and a great leader."

Another transfer on the roster is 6-foot-3 guard Callum Baker. He comes to the Ancient City from NCAA Division I member Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. Baker made 27 treys last year, his second season with the Knights.

The Saints are not just guard-heavy; they will have some muscle inside. Providing a lot of that muscle is Georgia College transfer Kohl Roberts. The 6-foot-7, 270-pound forward scored 1,174 points and grabbed 782 rebounds in his career with the Bobcats. He earned All-PBC first team honors in 2020-21 at Georgia College after averaging 13.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Joining Roberts and Metzger in the paint is returnee Tyler Collier. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward has improved on his game and should see plenty of time this season.

Lawrence Slim, a 6-foot-7 forward, is in his fourth season with the Saints program and averaged 13.8 minutes per game last season. He provided quality minutes in reserve last year.

UNC Wilmington transfer Brian Tolefree is a very athletic 6-foot-4 swing player and is a hard worker. He has the ability to guard any four positions on the floor and has the desire to be a great player.

Spencer Bain, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, provided a spark coming off the bench last year. He made 25 three-pointers, four of which came in a game at Francis Marion University.

Incoming freshman guard Jax Bouknight has impressed in preseason camp. Warner really likes how he has blended in with the team and his overall approach to the game.

The Saints have 19 players on their roster so it will be a challenge for Warner to find the chemistry last year's team had.

"This year will be the most competitive year in the history of college basketball across the board," said Warner. "Everyone was given the opportunity to re-recruit their seniors if they were able to. A lot of teams are returning really good players as well as brining new guys in."

The Saints open their season Thursday night at Valparaiso University in an exhibition game and then open the regular season on Nov. 12 at Anderson University in a Southeast Region Crossover Tournament. Flagler opens at home on Nov. 16 against Rollins College.

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