By Bill Levy
Brett Comer’s number of clutch plays for the Florida Gulf Coast University men’s basketball team keeps growing, as the 4,251 fans in attendance who witnessed the Eagles’ 83-78 victory over Furman on Friday night will most likely attest. The 6’3” senior from Winter Park, FL scored 19 points and had ten assists, but the way he took over the game late is what most likely will stick out in peoples’ minds.
After FGCU (9-2) built a 76-64 lead late in the game, the Paladins went on a 9-0 run to close the margin to 76-73 with under two minutes remaining. It was shortly after that Comer converted a 3-point play after getting fouled on a tough layup near the basket to put the Eagles up 79-73. Though Furman’s Stephen Croone the countered with a 3-pointer of his own to make it 79-76, Comer again answered by driving hard to the basket before getting fouled. His two free throws put the Eagles up by five at 81-76. The scoring was closed out on a Furman field goal and two free throws by the Eagles’ Julian DeBose.
“I just saw openings, and I went with them,” Comer said, in explaining his decision to drive to the basket those two times late in the game.
Besides the fans, someone else who can speak firsthand as to what Comer means to the Eagles is Furman head coach Niko Medved.
“(FGCU) is a good team,” Medved said.” Comer is great player. I think he is one of the best guards in the country. He took over late in the game. We just weren’t able to get over the hump.”
The first half saw the Eagles take a 38-34 lead with Christian Terrell connecting on three 3-pointers and Comer assisting on three alley-oop dunks by Demetris Morant.
The second half opened with another Comer to Morant alley-oop, which was the start of a 29-20 Eagles’ run that gave them their biggest lead of the game at 67-54 with slightly over five minutes left in regulation. Furman (2-9) then outscored FGCU 19-9 to narrow the gap to 76-73 and set up Comer’s heroics.
Comer also shared the spotlight on this night with Cape Coral product and Mariner High School graduate Kendrec Ferrara, a 6’9” junior forward who had 13 points and five rebounds for the Paladins.
“He (Ferrara) is an unbelievable person,” Medved said. “I never met a better kid. He is a guy we really like to go to.”
It was evident many fans like to follow his career, as he had his own cheering section, including East Lee County High School principal Brian Mangan, who was formerly Ferrara’s principal at Mariner. Mangan, who was at the game courtesy of the Lehigh Acres Gazette, is just one many people who are proud of what Ferrara has accomplished.
This night however belonged to FGCU though both players and coaches admitted they did not play as well as they are capable of.
“We grinded it out,” said Comer. “I think that speaks to being a good team; that we can do what it takes to win while me may not have played our best.”
It also speaks to having a player capable of making clutch plays.