Meet the Dolphins

Jacksonville University men’s basketball is quickly approaching the start of the 2023-24 season, the third under Head Coach Jordan Mincy. For longtime fans and new ‘Phin faithful, get to know this year’s squad better ahead of the season tip-off on November 6. The 10 newcomers are paired with six returners, several of whom have a newness about them as well.

Coach Mincy breaks down the roster ahead of the new season as the Dolphins look to contend for an Atlantic Sun Championship once again.

THE RETURNERS

There are six players who return to the roster this year, four of whom appeared in games for JU last season and two who are set to either return to action or make their Dolphin debut.

Gyasi Powell and Jarius Cook are the two most experienced players from a year ago, with Powell starting 24 of 29 games played and Cook appearing in 21 games, earning five starts as well. Powell is the leading returning scorer, averaging a career-best 9.4 points per game last year. He added four rebounds per contest and dished out 62 assists. He also led the team in three-point shooting percentage, sinking 40 shots from behind the arc for a 41 percent clip. The dynamic guard took a big step forward in his production last season, and Mincy is expecting him to grow again, not just as a player, but also as a leader.

“He is a veteran guy for us, he understands the league. That wealth of experience allows for him to have a leadership role. Not only to have the winning experience his freshman year, but also experience the ups and downs of his sophomore year allows for him to be able to lead from a different perspective.”

For Cook, he enters this season healthier than a year ago, and is hoping that helps the sharpshooter contribute even more in his final campaign. He scored in double-figures five times and made three or more shots from deep on six different occasions. 

“Obviously, he was not able to be at 100 percent last year, which speaks volumes to who he is as a person. In the majority of the games he played in last season, he was not 100 percent healthy. Being able to have him healthy out there, someone with NCAA Tournament experience, is huge. I’m so excited to see him with a clean bill of health and how he’ll play this season.”

There are two names that were on the roster last season that did not appear in a game. Bryce Workman returns after a knee injury cost him all of the 2022-23 campaign, a veteran who has appeared in 112 games in his career to this point. Two seasons ago, he averaged 9.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per contest, while shooting 53 percent from the field in helping the Dolphins to an ASUN Championship Final appearance, and his return should bolster the team on both ends of the floor.

“[His return] means everything. He’s a big-time scorer. We feel like if we had him last year, we have six more wins instead of losses. One of the best scorers in the league with a wealth of experience, coming from a basketball family. He is an older guy who understands what it takes to win games in this league.”

Josiah Sabino, a former Florida Times-Union Player of the Year as a senior at Orange Park High School, redshirted last year as he put on strength and grew as a player in practice on a daily basis. Now, he is ready to slot into the rotation as a dynamic six-foot-four wing.

“We like to call him a ‘three-and-D’ guy, he is very versatile, which stands out. The commitment that he showed to his body from his redshirt-freshman year to now speaks volumes and it goes hand-in-hand with his growth on the court. Being able to understand what his role is going to be, what the expectation level is, what his success-level is very valuable. I think he’ll play some very valuable minutes for us this year and bring energy and an edge to our team.”

THE NEWCOMERS

Six transfers and four freshman all add something unique to a deep roster for the Dolphins this season.

Stephon Payne III (#0) joins JU from Incarnate Word, where the six-foot-nine forward was a force at the rim last season for the Cardinals. He led the team with 39 blocks in his 30 games played, while also scoring in double-figures nine times and grabbing double-digit rebounds twice. He returns home, after starring at Jackson High School locally.

“He is player that we have not necessarily had here in my three years. A guy that is extremely aggressive on the offensive glass, but he is also a rim-protector. He led the conference in blocks as a freshman, he is a guy who is really energetic. We feel like he is a gamechanger, you can switch him one through five and he is also a threat on the offensive glass. We are very excited about his future here and we are glad we got him for the next three years.”

DeeJuan Pruitt (#1) joins the Dolphins after two seasons at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, where the 6-foot-8 redshirt junior was a Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection last year. He was third in the OVC in rebounding last season, averaging 8.5 per contest. He also scored in double-figures 28 times in his two seasons there, and had eight double-doubles last year alone. His size and presence down-low should help JU get back to its outstanding level both defensively and on the glass this season.

“He is built like a tight end, but his game can be physical or he can be very gentle around the rim. He has a guard’s skillset, he can take you in the post and on the perimeter, and is a really good passer. That is one of the things we’ve seen in our practices, how well he passes the ball. We don’t want to call him a scorer or a rebounder, even though he is elite in those areas, but we also think that he is going to be an elite playmaker for us.”

Marcus Niblack (#11) is a veteran point guard who most recently played at Northwest Florida State. A crafty finisher around the rim who is a true floor general, the 6-foot-2 guard has four double-digit assist games in his career and has averaged over four per game this last two seasons.

“He is probably the highest-ranked junior college player we have signed here. He is an old man, when you talk to him you feel like you are talking to a 32-year-old guy who has played overseas for a couple of years. Just the way he controls the game, he understands pace and a lot of times he is an extension of what I want and understands my vision for the program.”

Robert McCray V joins JU from Wake Forest (#13). He redshirted last season for the Demon Deacons, after appearing in 14 games as a freshman. A dynamic athlete out of Columbia, South Carolina, he was the 11th ranked combo guard nationally by 247Sports coming out of A.C. Flora High School.

“He is a God-gifted athlete, with a 44-inch vertical. I would not be shocked if he was an All-Conference player at some point in his career, maybe not this year, but at some point. He has an ability to get to the rim, jump above people and score, but he has also really worked on his shooting and can make shots at a high-rate. He is a guy who can have a lot of big nights for us and play a lot of big minutes.”

Jonathan Kurtas is another SIUE transfer (#12), who played in 64 games in two seasons with the Cougars, starting 26 last year. The 6-foot-10 big man led the team in blocks last season and finished third in the OVC with 1.1 blocks per game.

“We had a connection with him and DeeJuan Pruitt through our assistant Troy Pierce, who was there [at SIUE] for a while. Both of them are winners and we also loved their ability to attack the offensive glass and the ability to rebound. We were looking at DP [Pruitt] and we fell in love with JK [Kurtas] as well. If you watch them on film and how well they play together, it was a no-brainer for us. You see this guy and he is massive. Seven-foot, extremely long, his body is chiseled. It is a blessing for him to be here and his character is unmatched.”

Zach Bell (#22) is another dynamic guard who joins JU from the junior college ranks. He helped Chipola College to the second round of the NJCAA DI Tournament last season, playing in 30 games and scoring in double-figures 10 times, while adding 43 assists and 29 steals on the season.

“You talk about Rob McCray being an unbelievable athlete, in that same sense you put Zach Bell. He has a 42-inch vertical, jumps out of the gym and is extremely hard-nosed, especially on the defensive end. He played at Chipola, which in the JUCO basketball world is elite, one of the best programs out there. He has won everywhere he has been and he embodies how hard we want our guards to play.”

Four freshmen, Jalen Griffith from Chicago, Donovan Rivers from Columbia, South Carolina, Tito Deng, who hails from South Sudan originally, and Lucas Gibb from Miami Beach, will get an opportunity to contribute as they acclimate to basketball at the college level.

“They are extremely talented, bring a wealth of experience and they all come from winning programs. We looked for elite players in their overall skillset. They are not just scorers, drivers or passers, but can do all three categories and that is what we sought out. Most importantly, though, we sought out guys who had character.”

The season tips off at home on November 6 at 7 p.m. and season tickets are on sale now.