The formative days for the 2025-2026 Florida A&M men’s basketball team are underway.
Under first-year head coach Charlie Ward, the Rattlers are participating in offseason workouts and on-court training for tipoff this November.
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“Summertime is always going to be a time where you can learn your players and nuances about what you’re trying to accomplish on an offense and defensive standpoint,” Ward told the Tallahassee Democrat.
“Every day we show up, we can grow up. If you’re here, you’re learning something. Just proud of the guys and the coaches who have done a great job assembling a great group. Us learning one another has been a great key as well.”
FAMU is in its fifth week of summer training.
Florida A&M men’s basketball players compete during offseason workouts at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
July is when college basketball teams nationwide start implementing playbooks and schemes for when the regular season begins this winter.
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The Rattlers will return from a 14-17 season and an appearance in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals under former head coach Patrick Crarey II, who left for Grambling State after one season.
“The summer sets the tone for the season,” said FAMU guard Jordan Chatman. “You want to put stuff in early, so we’re a step ahead like everybody else is in the country. As you get to know things and master them by the summer, you won’t be repeating yourself and going over the same thing over and over in November.”
The Rattlers have owned the strength and conditioning circuit. The team works under FAMU’s new sports performance and wellness director, Maurice Sims, in the weight room and during stadium workouts.
The newly hired Ward’s vision for FAMU basketball is coming to fruition through the Rattlers’ work ethic on and off the basketball court.
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“We’re establishing a foundation that will help us long term,” Ward said. “Weightroom-wise, they’ve been doing well. And on the court, they’ve been doing well. Just proud of the guy’s effort and their attention to detail.”
FAMU basketball’s new-look roster meshing and rallying behind coach Charlie Ward
Alongside having a new coach in Ward and his new staff, the Rattlers have their share of newcomers.
Florida A&M head men’s basketball coach Charlie Ward coaches the Rattlers during offseason workouts at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
So far, this year’s FAMU roster, slightly built on NCAA Transfer Portal additions, has 12 players with seven joining the team this offseason.
Among FAMU’s new players is the 2022 Mr. New York Basketball Jaquan Sanders, a guard who transferred from Hofstra. The native of Queens, New York, also had a stint at Seton Hall.
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“I can’t complain about anything. It’s a team full of winners that want to win and compete on the highest level,” Sanders said of his arrival at FAMU. “We want to go out there and prove everybody wrong and do what they say we can’t.”
Seton Hall Pirates guard Jaquan Sanders (20) shoots the ball against Xavier Musketeers guard Desmond Claude (1) during the second half at Prudential Center.
Chatman has been on the Rattlers since the 2022-2023 season. He’s playing for his third head coach during his FAMU tenure: Robert McCullum, Crarey, and Ward.
Last season, Chatman averaged 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, and drained 39 percent of his three-point attempts while starting 22 of his 27 appearances. Chatman returned to FAMU from the transfer portal to play for the 1993 Heisman Winner and 11-year NBA veteran Ward.
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“Everyone’s buying into what [Ward’s] coaching philosophy is,” Chatman said. “We have fast learners. I like this group. Everything’s going well so far.”
Ward has watched the FAMU roster he and his staff constructed compete and build chemistry with each other.However, he’s interested in how players will respond when the inevitable happens ― the going gets tough.
“When it comes to camaraderie, they get along well and challenge each other. They’re very competitive. And once they’re off the floor, they’re learning each other,” Ward said. “But we haven’t had any big adversity right now. But still, when you have a good foundation, when adversity hits, you can navigate your way through it.”
Charlie Ward’s FAMU basketball team will be scrappy, play with ‘chip on shoulder’
![Florida Gators center Jason Jitoboh (33) goes after a loose ball in the second half with Florida A&M Rattlers guard Jordan Chatman (2). The Florida men's basketball team hosted Florida A&M at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. The Gators won 102-62 [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ao6H4zr7JT4GpaTdHF9Lsg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYxOTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/tallahassee-democrat/b708a659e6c6c8c690550107bfb40bb9)
Florida Gators center Jason Jitoboh (33) goes after a loose ball in the second half with Florida A&M Rattlers guard Jordan Chatman (2). The Florida men’s basketball team hosted Florida A&M at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. The Gators won 102-62 [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]
The Rattlers aim to play with pace.
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But they also plan to lock up opposing teams on the defensive end, especially when shots aren’t falling offensively.
“Defense. Coach Ward mentions it a lot,” Chatman said. “Defense is something you can always hang your hat on. The odds of shooting 100 percent are very low, and sometimes your shot will be off. So, if your defense is always consistent, night in and night out, it limits your chances to lose.”
FAMU basketball is about four months away from Ward’s college coaching debut.
And the Rattlers want to make it a memorable first season for their new coach and bring FAMU to HBCU and mid-major basketball prominence.
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Iron sharpens iron.
“Everybody on this team has been working hard,” Sanders said.
“Just a great culture. Charlie Ward always says to push each other every day to be the best version of ourselves. We’re coming in every day with a chip on our shoulder,” Sanders added.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU basketball’s summer will set tone for Charlie Ward’s debut season
