It's been 261 days since FGCU fans entered Alico Arena to attend a men's basketball game, but the countdown is almost over. On Wednesday, the Nest will be packed for the Eagles' home opener against Saint Bonaventure.
"We've been talking about it for a while now, so it's going to be good to be back on our home court," said FGCU senior guard Dallion Johnson.
It'll be the first home game at the Nest for many of the Eagles. FGCU has a lot of new faces, with four transfers and six freshmen.
"We got a lot of young guys now," said Johnson. "All the older guys [are] just teaching the younger guys, they're learning from us. If you want to play here, you got to be able to play hard."
They did play hard in the first two games of the season. Although coming up short, FGCU stayed within reach of two tough opponents on the road. The Eagles rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to tie with less than four minutes to play before ultimately falling 73-64 to UNC Greensboro.
Four days later, FGCU faced TCU in a back-and-forth battle. FGCU was down by just a point, 47-46, with 7:02 remaining, but TCU went on a 20-5 run to take the 67-51 victory.
"I like starting out with a tough non-conference because it shows you our weaknesses, what's glaring and what we got to work on," said FGCU head men's basketball coach pat Chambers. "If we're playing teams that are inferior. Well, then it's not reality. And you really don't know what you need to work on because you're so much more superior than the other team. So now we play two teams that are, 'KenPom-wise,' better than us. Then we know exactly what we need to work on as we head into November and December."
The guys in green and blue are using the two losses to learn from them and be better prepared for their next matchups.
"Whenever we play a game, the teams are going to go on runs and stuff," said Johnson. "We got to stay together. Runs [are] just part of the game. So sticking together, playing for one another, playing hard. I feel like the rest is going to take care of itself."
FGCU (0-2) is welcoming a challenge for its first home game as St. Bonaventure (2-0) comes to town.
"I played them a couple of times, obviously back in Rhode Island, same conference," said junior power forward Rory Stewart, who transferred to FGCU from Rhode Island in the off-season. "They'll be fast, they'll be hard-nosed, they'll be physical. But so will we. [We have to] just be ready for what they're going to bring to us. They're not going to come in here expecting us to give them the game. So we just have to match the physicality, match their speed, play the game the way we want to."
They say Wednesday's game will be a test of how well the Eagles can protect their home court and represent FGCU in front of their own fans.
"So excited to be home," said Chambers. "Looking forward to a great crowd. Hopefully, everybody comes out and we sell out."
"If you're watching this, make sure you're here on Wednesday," said Stewart.
FGCU and St. Bonaventure tip off at Alico Arena on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.