Florida Gateway falls short to Pasco-Hernando
LAKE CITY, Fla. (BVM) — Florida Gateway College discontinued its men’s basketball program in 1995. It went 23 years without competition until 2018, when the school decided to relaunch the basketball program. But it’s like it never missed a beat. In its short time since its reincarnation, the men’s basketball team has been the NJCAA Division II Region 8 champion twice.
This season, with a chance to become the three-time consecutive Region 8 champion, the Timberwolves fell short. Led by coach Charles Ruise, the TWolves season was ended by a familiar foe, the Pasco-Hernando State College Bobcats.
Florida Gateway won the regular season series 3-1, but the Bobcats won when it mattered most. As the only two teams in their conference, every year they face off in the conference championship. This time, a last-minute layup won the game for PHSC, helping them advance to the Region 10 bracket, a tournament that the Timberwolves competed in the previous two seasons.
Of their 12-man roster, five were sophomores and will be heading elsewhere. The remaining seven will be expected to step up and get the Timberwolves back to the Region 10 tournament next season.