Florida Senate - 2023 (NP) SR 1734
By Senator Berman
26-03558-23 20231734__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing and celebrating the
3 incredible accomplishments of the Florida Atlantic
4 University men’s basketball team and the university’s
5 commitment to both academic and athletic excellence,
6 creating a collegiate brand that is nationally
7 renowned.
8
9 WHEREAS, based in Boca Raton, Florida Atlantic University
10 (FAU) is a public research university within the State
11 University System with an outstanding track record of providing
12 access, excellence, and social mobility to its diverse student
13 body located across six campuses spanning 110 miles of the
14 Southeast Florida coastline, and
15 WHEREAS, the FAU men’s basketball team, the Owls, was
16 established in 1988 and joined Division I in 1993, where they
17 first held membership with the ASUN Conference, previously known
18 as the Trans America Athletic Conference, and
19 WHEREAS, FAU moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2004 and
20 to Conference USA in 2013, and will join the American Athletic
21 Conference in July 2023, and
22 WHEREAS, the FAU men’s basketball team achieved a final
23 overall record of 35-4 for the 2023 season, the best in team
24 history, and
25 WHEREAS, FAU’s 20-game winning streak was not only a school
26 record, but the longest of any team in the nation during the
27 2023 season, and
28 WHEREAS, FAU entered the AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll
29 for the first time in school history, reaching 19th in the
30 nation, and
31 WHEREAS, FAU began the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed,
32 the team’s second appearance in tournament history and its first
33 in 21 years, and
34 WHEREAS, FAU defeated Memphis 66-65 for its first
35 tournament win in team history, capped by a Nick Boyd score with
36 2.5 seconds remaining and Giancarlo Rosado leading the team with
37 15 points, and
38 WHEREAS, FAU defeated Fairleigh Dickinson University 78-70,
39 led by Johnell Davis’s 29-point, 12-rebound, 5-assist, and 5
40 steal performance, and
41 WHEREAS, FAU defeated No. 4 seed University of Tennessee
42 62-55 at Madison Square Garden, thanks to a second-half push led
43 by Michael Forrest’s 8-0 run, which gave FAU its first lead
44 since the opening minute of the game, and
45 WHEREAS, FAU defeated No. 3 seed Kansas State University
46 79-76 at Madison Square Garden, with a well-rounded performance
47 featuring 14 points from Vladislav Goldin, 13 points from
48 Johnell Davis, 17 points from Alijah Martin, and 16 points from
49 Bryan Greenlee, and
50 WHEREAS, FAU made its first-ever Final Four, one of nine
51 teams to ever make it as a No. 9 seed or below, and one of five
52 teams to make it after entering without a previous tournament
53 win, and
54 WHEREAS, FAU valiantly fell 72-71 to San Diego State
55 University off a last-second buzzer beater at NRG Stadium in
56 Houston, despite Alijah Martin’s 26-point, 7-rebound, and 1
57 steal game, and
58 WHEREAS, FAU’s Final Four appearance will likely have long
59 lasting positive impacts for the university, its athletic
60 programs, and this state, NOW, THEREFORE,
61
62 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
63
64 That the incredible accomplishments of the Florida Atlantic
65 University men’s basketball team are recognized and celebrated,
66 as is the university’s commitment to both academic and athletic
67 excellence, creating a collegiate brand that is nationally
68 renowned.
69 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate congratulates team
70 members Leo Beath, Nicholas Boyd, Tre Carroll, Johnell Davis,
71 Michael Forrest, Jalen Gaffney, Isaiah Gaines, Vladislav Goldin,
72 Bryan Greenlee, Jack Johnson, Brenen Lorient, Alijah Martin,
73 Alejandro Ralat, Giancarlo Rosado, and Brandon Weatherspoon on
74 their teamwork, blazing new trails for the FAU men’s basketball
75 program.
76 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate recognizes the
77 diligent work of Head Coach Dusty May, along with Assistant
78 Coaches Todd Abernethy, Kyle Church, and Drew Williamson,
79 Assistant to the Head Coach Brandon Gilbert, and Director of
80 Operations KT Harrell, in shaping the Owls into a team of
81 winners who defy expectations.
82 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate also recognizes the
83 university staff who contribute to the operation of the
84 basketball facility and to the overall success of the team and
85 the university and the extraordinary efforts of all involved in
86 the accomplishments of the FAU 2022-2023 men’s basketball team.