Florida Gulf Coast University men’s basketball head coach Pat Chambers said on May 12 that defense and rebounding remain the foundation of his program as he enters his fifth year leading the Eagles.
Chambers said these core principles have shaped the team’s identity and contributed to recent successes in conference play. “I think the first two years you’re trying to pour the cement and lay the foundation of the identity of what you want FGCU to be,” Chambers told David Wasson on the Mic Check Sports podcast. “You want a little bit of Andy Enfield with a little bit of Joe Dooley, right? And I want a little bit of Jay Wright with a little bit of my old college coach Herb McGee. So you’re trying to package all that together, and I think we’ve created an identity. I think we defend, we rebound, we try to push pace.”
The Eagles led their conference in field goal percentage defense for two consecutive seasons, holding opponents to 44.7% shooting from the field in 2025-26 and 42.5% in 2024-25. If they maintain this performance into next season, it will be their first time leading for three straight years since earlier successful runs between 2015-16 and 2017-18.
In addition to defensive achievements, Florida Gulf Coast also led its conference in rebounds per game for the first time during Chambers’ tenure by averaging nearly 37 rebounds per contest last season. The team previously topped rebound margin statistics but had not led total rebounds until now.
These efforts helped FGCU win multiple games in its conference tournament for the first time since reaching national postseason play several years ago. The team also achieved its longest home winning streaks since previous seasons, including an overtime victory against Central Arkansas on senior day.
Looking ahead, Chambers said: “We learned,” adding that past experiences have prepared returning players for future challenges: “Now we’ve had these experiences, got (eight) guys back. Let’s see if we can take the next step.”
