By james art 
JACKSONVILLE, FL – North Florida men’s basketball rings in 2024-25 season as well as 16th year under head coach Matthew Driscoll Monday, November 4th at 7:00pm from Columbia, SC when the Ospreys take on the Gamecocks.
The contest will be streamed on SECN+, with live stats available via statbroadcast.
GAME DETAILS
Who | North Florida vs. South Carolina
What | Opening of the 2024-25 season
When | Monday, November 4
Where | Columbia, South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena
Projected starters
Sophomore, Guard | Jalen Smith
Senior, security | Oscar Berry
Sophomore, Guard | Jasay Miles
Senior, security | Nate Literas
Freshman, Forward | Josh Harris
The familiar faces
North Florida men’s basketball returns five players, all of whom started the majority of last year’s games or were starters throughout their collegiate careers… Nate Literas started the most games among any returning player, making 31 starts in 31 contests while averaging 10.4 points per game, the most among returning players… Jalen Smith was pushed to the starting guard position last year after junior guard Ametri Moss suffered a season-ending injury early in league play…left guard from Ocoee, Fla., went on to earn all-conference freshman honors… Oscar Berry is the most veteran Osprey in Navy and Gray this year, having played two years with UNF after beginning his collegiate career at Fairleigh-Dickinson … after making his first collegiate start not far from his home in Coral Gables last December, is now a sophomore Jasay Miles returns after 19 starts and averages 5.7 points per game.
Summary of newcomers
UNF’s roster features eight newcomers, not including the redshirt freshman Mason Lee who came out last year after joining UNF from nearby Providence School in Jacksonville … four are true freshmen including Josh Harris, Arden Begay, Taylor Thompson and Dante Oliver … the other four newcomers bring significant experience as transfers, two of whom have already earned degrees Liam Murphy and Nestor Diachok … Murphy had 12 points and seven boards per game at Columbia as a freshman, while Diachok scored over nine points per game for Southern Utah … Alex Vargo joins Ospreys via Garrett College, scoring over 26 points per game while lighting up Southern Maryland with 47 in one contest…he began his collegiate career at Youngstown State after scoring 1,634 points at Wheeling Park HS…shooter Camryn Oriol returns to his home state of Florida after earning league freshman of the year honors in 2022-23 … he was named conference player of the week once last season.
Coach Driscoll for Monday’s game
“Wow, this is the 16th season for our team, but it feels like the first year all over again. Our energy, effort and drive for efficiency on the part of our players and coaches has also not diminished in the slightest over the years. This group, like many in the past, really depend on the non-conference roster to establish cohesion, proper rotations and most importantly, our identity, nothing like this time of year when you find your niche and reveal the talents and treasures you’ve been given .” — Head Coach Matthew Driscoll
History of the series
UNF and South Carolina are meeting for just the second time in series history … the last and only meeting between the two teams was on Nov. 14, 2014 in Columbia, SC … the last time UNF opened the season against South Carolina, The Ospreys went on to win the Atlantic Sun Championship … Dallas Moore scored a game-high 21 points against the Gamecocks.
Reconnaissance of the enemy
South Carolina is making an NCAA tournament appearance in 2023-24, its first since the 2017 season … head coach Lamont Parris, the reigning SEC Coach of the Year, is 2-0 in his first seasons with the Gamecocks … South Carolina’s roster includes eight players in-state … six letterwinners return for the 2024-25 season after making the Big Dance a year ago … preseason all-league selection Collin Murray-Boyles returns an average of 10.4 points per game from last year … Austin Herro, brother of Miami Heat guard Tyler Hero enters the season as a redshirt freshman for the Gamecocks.