Florida A&M Rattlers
Head Coach: Robert McCullum (2nd season) – 2017-18 Record: 9-25 (7-9) – MEAC
Game: December 9th, 2018 – McCamish Pavillion – Atlanta, GA
Head coach Profile:
The former Georgia Tech assistant, Robert McCullum enters his second season with Florida A&M after spending a few seasons at the University of Oregon as an assistant coach. Overall, it’s his third stint as a head coach after stints at Western Michigan (2000-2003) and as mentioned above South Florida (2003-2007). As a head coach, McCullum enters the season with a career record of 93-146 including Florida A&M’s dismal 9-25 record a year ago.
Last year:
The Rattlers failed to rattle anybody last season, as they started off 1-15 heading into their conference slate. They would go 7-9 throughout their conference schedule and win one MEAC conference tournament game before Hampton ended their season.
Non-Conference:
As mentioned above, the Rattlers went 1-15 in their non-conference slate with their only win coming against D2 opponent Albany State. The Rattlers faced four major programs in their non-conference schedule losing to each by 15+ points or more including a 67-51 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Overall, the Rattlers stood no chance in their non-conference schedule a year ago and it wouldn’t be shocking if they got out to a similar start this season.
Conference:
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While Florida A&M didn’t find success in their non-conference slate, they were able to find success in their conference slate. The Rattlers were able to pick up seven wins in their conference slate including winning three-straight at one point. They picked up a conference tournament win over Howard as well.
Notable players to watch:
- G Justin Ravenel – SR
The senior guard is the Rattlers returning leading scorer after averaging 8.6 points per game last season.
- C Isaiah Martin – SR
A 7-foot-0 center, Martin certainly has the size to dominate opposing players and averaged 8.1 points last year to go along with 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
Expectations entering 2018-19:
The Rattlers last season struggled mightily early on before finding their footing come January. This season, it may be the same for FAMU as they have lost their top three scorers from a year ago and lack tremendous depth. Overall, it will be another long season for Robert McCullum and his Rattlers.
How the Yellow Jackets match-up:
Overall, this is a type of game the Yellow Jackets should dominate. The Rattlers have only three 10+ win seasons since the turn of the decade and have been consistently one of the worst programs in America. This is the type of game that Josh Pastner should be able to get the starters out of the game early to get the depth pieces some experience which could be vital to success later in the season.