For the first time in two seasons, the FGCU men’s basketball team’s starting lineup will not feature All-ASUN honorees Dallion Johnson or Keeshawn Kellman, who both exhausted their NCAA eligibility. To make up for that loss of production, fourth-year head coach Pat Chambers added seven new players to his squad. One of those additions is expected to be among the starting five.
Here is what the Eagles’ starting lineup is projected to look like in its game against New College of Florida on Monday, Nov. 3, on ESPN+.
Point Guard – Rahmir Barno
Last season, Barno started out as FGCU’s starting point guard before seeing his role shrink as the season progressed. He appeared in 25 games and started 10 of them. Averaging 28 minutes per game, Barno averaged 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists – all career highs. Before a hand injury sidelined for all of February and the beginning of March, the Eagles were 8-2 in ASUN play but stumbled to 5-4 in his absence.
Now in his third season with the program, Barno is expected to remain a full-time starter in 2025-26. Chambers looks to Barno to be the team’s primary ball handler, where he’ll lead an FGCU offense that will play with a much accelerated pace. Not only will Barno be the focal point of FGCU’s new offense, but he will also be one of its most important perimeter defenders.
Shooting Guard – Darren Williams
Williams is coming off a freshman season that saw him play 211 total minutes. Despite playing sparingly in 28 games, he showcased his sharpshooting ability and connected on 16 of 34 attempts for 47.1 percent.
The 6-foot-4 guard is expected to be a 3-point specialist and take on a larger role in his sophomore season to complement Barno in FGCU’s backcourt.
Small Forward – Michael Duax
Duax, also in his second year with the program, is gearing up for his fifth year of collegiate basketball. He is coming off a season where he made 34 appearances and 25 starts, averaging 7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He began to find his rhythm in February, when his numbers increased to 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. His stretch of good performances included an 18-point performance against Jacksonville and back-to-back 15 and 16-point performances in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) postseason tournament against Army and Cleveland State, respectively.
In addition to his veteran leadership on a young team, Duax’s versatile play style will be instrumental during ASUN play.
Power Forward – J.R. Konieczny
Konieczny brings a combination of Power Four conference experience, leadership and versatility to FGCU’s frontcourt. In 71 appearances and 23 starts over four years with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, he averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game and was a reliable rotational piece. Konieczny also tallied 52 3-pointers along with 37 steals and 18 blocks in that span.
During the ASUN media day, Chambers said the 6-foot-7 forward had an impressive training camp and called him a three-level player and a great rebounder. Similar to Duax, expect Konieczny’s number to be called upon in a variety of situations.
Center – Tristen Guillouette
At 6-foot-10, the sophomore big man is FGCU’s tallest player. Guillouette played in a bench role last season behind Kellman. In his freshman season, he made four starts in 33 appearances and averaged 2.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists. While Guillouette’s stats don’t say much, he showed flashes in the CBI tournament game against Cleveland State, where he played a career-high 28 minutes and recorded 12 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
With a full year of practice and conditioning under his belt, Guillouette will provide a physical presence and look to fill the role that Kellman played last season for the Eagles.
