The Florida Southern men’s basketball team was watching on television what teams will be competing in the Division II NCAA Tournament at head coach Mike Donnelly’s house last Sunday.
Once the announcement was made that the Moccasins would be the No. 3 seed in the NCAA South Regional bracket, raucous cheers erupted. The entire house was in a frenzy like everyone’s favorite song had just come on.
Even though it was the 33rd time in school history that Florida Southern would represent Polk County in the NCAA Tournament, Florida Southern junior forward Luke Anderson, a former Lakeland High School basketball player and the Mocs’ top player, said it was a moment for the ages.
“It was one of the best moments for me at Florida Southern,” Anderson said. “It’s awesome that my teammates and coaches trust me enough to be a leader. We have so much talent around me, so it helps me out big time.”
That talent has led the Mocs to a 21-9 record — the second time in three years the team has hit the 21-win mark.
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The team is led by Anderson, who averages a team-leading 20 points and 8.3 rebounds. Anderson, a former All-County player for the Dreadnaughts, is a versatile player who can score from the outside and inside, and of course, is a big contributor rebounding-wise.
The 1,000-point scorer is the beneficiary of a talented group: sophomore forward Alex Steen averages 17.2 points and 10.9 rebounds, graduate forward Akol Arop is up to 13.2 points and 8.2 rebounds and junior guard Dominick Denny puts up 11.8 points.
With this infusion of talent on the roster, the Mocs are rolling into the tournament having won five out of the last seven games. Notable wins on the year include victories over No. 8 UNC Pembroke on Nov. 5 and No. 1 Nova Southeastern University on Jan. 3.
There was even a stretch in which 10 players missed games due to injury but Florida Southern still went 5-1.
“We have eight seniors on our team. We have so much experience because of that,” Anderson said. “Honestly, everyone has had moments this season where they stepped up and made a big play. Without those plays, we wouldn’t be here.”
The Mocs will play No. 6-seeded Clark Atlanta (25-5) at noon Saturday in Ft. Lauderdale. Florida Southern will also have live video on its website.
“We just got to play with a chip on our shoulder. If we do that, we will have a good chance,” Anderson said.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland’s Luke Anderson leads Florida Southern to tournament bid
