TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Florida A&M men's basketball program quadrupled it's win total last season from the year before, going 8-21. This year, the Rattlers hoping for even bigger results, as for the first time since 2014, they can participate in postseason play.
FAMU's APR related sanctions were lifted back in February, so that means head coach Byron Samuels is working with a full scholarship amount. He said there's a buzz in the air, and just about the entire team is here this summer working out and building team chemistry.
Come August 1st, the Rattlers hit the court to prepare for a week long trip to Canada for a tournament, and Samuels said he can't wait to get started.
"I'm excited about it, the kids are excited about it, their parents are excited about it, and we just feel like it's a blessing," he said. "It's another one of those steps. A lot of teams take these trips to get an eyeball on their team. It'll give us a chance to see what we have, to tweak some things and just maybe one step ahead of where we were in the previous two years."
The Rattlers begin that prep without leading scorer Malcolm Bernard, who decided to transfer after the season was over. Samuels not worried though, as he said kids leaving programs happens across the country.
Florida A&M has seven kids coming in to the program, five of which are junior college transfers.
"We're excited about the pieces that we have," said Samuels. "I think more importantly, these kids are excited about the progress they're making, and the progress they're teammates are making. I love the kids that we have. We have enough. We have enough to have the type of success we anticipate having this year. That's where our focus has to be on."
The trip to Canada is slated from August 12th through the 18th. They'll play four Canadian Universities, as well as tour the country.
