Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida, near Fort Myers. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second-youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It offers 58 bachelor's degree programs, 25 master's degree programs, 6 doctoral degree programs, and 12 graduate certificates.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles refer to the fifteen intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Florida Gulf Coast University, located in unincorporated Lee County, Florida near Fort Myers, in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and tennis; women's-only: softball, swimming and diving, indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball; and men's-only: baseball. The Eagles compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the ASUN Conference (ASUN). FGCU is also notable as the youngest institution competing in NCAA Division I, having been officially founded in 1991 and started classes in 1997. Their mascot is Azul the Eagle.
The 2012–13 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by second year head coach Andy Enfield, played their home games at Alico Arena and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished A-Sun play with a record of 13–5 to finish in second place. In only their second year of full NCAA eligibility, the Eagles won the Atlantic Sun tournament, beating top-seeded Mercer in the championship game, to earn their first ever bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 15 seed in the south region. Guard Sherwood Brown was named the A-Sun player of the year.
Andrew William Enfield is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at Southern Methodist University. He came to national prominence as head coach at Florida Gulf Coast when it made an unexpected run to the Sweet 16 round of the 2013 NCAA tournament as a No. 15 seed.
The 2013–14 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. FGCU was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference and were the defending A-Sun Tournament champion. They played their home games at Alico Arena.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles women's basketball team is the women's basketball team that represents Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Karl Wade Smesko is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. He previously served as the founding head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast women's basketball team from 2002 to 2024.
David Tollett is an American college baseball coach who has been the head coach of Florida Gulf Coast since 2002, the program's first season. Under Tollett, the Eagles have appeared in two NCAA Division I Tournaments and won Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) regular season championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019, and 2021.Tollett's 2017 season was the most successful in program history as the Green and Blue won a program record 43 games, claimed the program's first ASUN Tournament championship, and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time. After starting the season 24–3 and defeating then #2 and eventual National Champion Florida, then #1 FSU and Miami in the same season for the first time ever, FGCU rose to as high as #9 in the Collegiate Baseball News poll - marking the highest ranking ever achieved by any athletics program in school history. Following the hot start to the season, Tollett was named the Perfect Game Midseason Coach of the Year. The Green and Blue suffered a number of tough losses in April, but ended the regular season by sweeping its way through its final three conference series and earned the No. 3 seed in the ASUN Tournament. After falling into the loser's bracket following a loss on day two, FGCU won an improbable four elimination games in less than 30 hours and defeated top-seeded Jacksonville twice, including an extra-inning thriller in the winner-take-all championship. With the ASUN's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in hand, the Eagles earned the No. 2 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional and defeated No. 3 Michigan, 10–6, in its first-ever NCAA tournament game. Tollett was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2019. Worst loss of career came during the 2013 season when Tollett and the Eagles lost to an NAIA school, Ave Maria. Tollett has had 47 players at FGCU drafted or signed as free agents in Major League Baseball including Chris Sale, Casey Coleman, Richard Bleier, Jacob Barnes, Jake Noll, and Kutter Crawford.
The 2016–17 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. FGCU played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida and were led by fourth-year head coach Joe Dooley as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the regular season 26–8, 12–2 in ASUN play to win the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament, they defeated Stetson, Kennesaw State, and North Florida to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Florida State.
The 2016–17 ASUN Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2016, followed by the start of the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began on January 24, 2017 and concluded on February 23, 2017. The season marked the 39th season of ASUN Conference basketball, and also the first under the conference's current branding with the ASUN name.
The 2017–18 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles were led by fifth-year head coach Joe Dooley and played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 23–12, 12–2 in ASUN play to win the ASUN regular season championship. In the ASUN tournament, they defeated USC Upstate and North Florida to advance to the championship game where they lost to Lipscomb. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Oklahoma State.
The 2017–18 North Florida Ospreys men's basketball team represented the University of North Florida during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by ninth–year head coach Matthew Driscoll and played their home games at UNF Arena on the university's campus in Jacksonville, Florida as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). The Ospreys finished the season 14–19, 7–7 in ASUN play to finish in a tie for fourth place. In the ASUN tournament, they defeated NJIT before losing in the semifinals to Florida Gulf Coast.
The 2018 ASUN men's basketball tournament was the conference postseason tournament for the ASUN Conference. The tournament was the 39th year the league has conducted a postseason tournament. The tournament was held February 26, March 1, and 4, 2018 at campus sites of the higher seeds. Lipscomb defeated regular season champion Florida Gulf Coast in the tournament championship to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the school's first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Michael Fly is an American college basketball coach and former head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The 2018–19 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles were led by first-year head coach Michael Fly and played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Brett Comer is an American college basketball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach at Stetson and played for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles during their "Dunk City" NCAA tournament run in 2013.
The 2021–22 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by fourth-year head coach Michael Fly, played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida as members of the East division of the ASUN Conference. They finished the regular season 21–11, 10–6 to finish in third place in the East division in ASUN play. They defeated North Alabama in the first round of the ASUN tournament before losing to Bellarmine in the quarterfinals. They received an invite to The Basketball Classic, formerly known as the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
The 2022–23 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by first-year head coach Pat Chambers, played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). They finished the season 17–15, 7–11 in ASUN play, to finish in a tie for ninth place. As the No. 10 seed in the ASUN tournament, they lost to Queens in the first round.
The 2023–24 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team represented Florida Gulf Coast University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by second-year head coach Pat Chambers, played their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida as members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season 14–17, 8–8 in ASUN play, to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the ASUN tournament, they lost to Queens in the first round.
The 2024–25 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles women's basketball team represents Florida Gulf Coast University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Eagles, led by first-year head coach Chelsea Lyles, play their home games at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida, as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
