Northwest Florida State Basketball Visit: FCP's Week

This week the whole Florida Coastal Prep program visited Northwest Florida State College in Niceville to watch Northwest Florida State basketball practice up close. Then four FCP teams headed to Jackson for the Mississippi JUCO/Post Grad Jamboree on Oct. 17-18.

Everyone is safe and back together after hurricane week. If you missed how we handled that stretch, read Safe and On the Road: FCP’s Storm Week. Tuesday’s group photo from Northwest Florida State’s Raiders arena is at the top of this post. See FCP’s post on X for the same moment shared on social.

Why visit a Northwest Florida State basketball practice?

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, our post-grad and high school groups traveled to Niceville, Florida to watch the Northwest Florida State men’s basketball program practice. Thank you to Head Coach Steve DeMeo and the Raiders for hosting us and letting our guys see a high-level practice up close.

JUCO (junior college) is a two-year college path. Many players use it to keep playing, earn credits, and build film before transferring to a four-year school. NWF State’s men’s basketball team is a junior college program that competes in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association). If you want to see where JUCO players go next, our guide to top JUCO conferences where college coaches recruit is a good starting point.

Follow the Raiders on X at @NWFRaiders_MBB.

Who keeps FCP fed during a busy week?

On Monday, Oct. 12, we publicly thanked the chefs who fuel our guys every day. Food that day was made by Iamar. The week before, Madison had the guys going back for seconds. Our chefs go above and beyond, often putting in more hours than anyone in the program.

What is Spartan Spotlight?

On Wednesday, Oct. 14, FCP launched Spartan Spotlight, a weekly countdown of our top plays. Week 1 features the 10 most-watched FCP Shorts on our YouTube channel.

Watch Spartan Spotlight: Week 1 on YouTube (Florida Coastal Prep Sports Academy).

FCP alumni films this week

We shared two alumni stories on X this week: Nathan Mariano’s path from FCP to the NBA G League (Valley Suns) and Brandon Maclin’s journey from FCP to DePaul and the BIG EAST. Both films live on our site in one place: FCP alumni films: Nathan, Brandon, and Kylin. Past Spartans keep building their paths, and you can see more on our college commitments page.

Where did FCP play this weekend?

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17-18, four FCP teams (two post-grad and two high school) were scheduled at the 4th Annual Mississippi JUCO/Post Grad Jamboree at the MBA Facility (Mississippi Basketball & Athletics) in Jackson, Mississippi. The teams that played the All-American Jamboree in Orlando the week before took a break from games. College coaches were expected in the building, and games streamed on BallerTV.

Our guys competed, and we’re thankful for the opportunity. We previewed the trip in Mississippi JUCO/Post Grad Jamboree: FCP’s Week Ahead.

What’s next for FCP families?

Full season schedules for our post-grad and high school programs are coming soon. We’ll share them as soon as they’re ready.

Follow FCP: Instagram @flcoastalprep, X @FLCoastalPrep, and Florida Coastal Prep on Google.