FULL-TILT
October 14, 2024.
 
That's the day it all started. Well, publicly, at least.
 
Head coach Bart Lundy walked out on to the Klotsche Center floor, microphone in hand, and announced to the crowd that had gathered at the annual Black & Gold scrimmage those three words: "Tilt The Floor".
 
Now the team already understood the assignment. After a summer session of blood, sweat, and tears, the Panthers knew what to expect from the upcoming campaign inside of the locker room.
 
But now Coach Lundy took the next logical step and made it public with the declaration that the team … would play fast. That when the Panthers got the ball, the floor would tilt and they would play downhill.
 
He closed with this: "We need our crowd to help us TILT THE FLOOR this season".
 
And make no mistake … oh, that they did.
 
It started with a bang. In fact, it opened with a blitz of 43 fastbreak points in the season opener against Lakeland, a 118-62 victory.
 
It was a definitely sign of things to come.
 
As the point guard, Themus Fulks was able to take full advantage of the situation.
 
"I was extremely excited because I knew we would have the chance to play fast, get up and down, shoot a lot of three's, and get my teammates involved," Fulks said. "This was probably my first time playing this style and this pace. It was probably one of my favorite seasons as a player from that aspect."
 
Not only did Fulks end up leading the Horizon League in assists – in fact, his 5.9 not only topped the conference but sits inside the Top 25 in the NCAA (currently No. 22) this season – but he ended up leading the team in scoring.
 
"I always want to get my teammates involved as much as possible – get them shots, get them confidence, get them going early in the game, during the game," Fulks said. "It means a lot to end up near the top in the nation in assists."
 
His 14.6 per-game average paced the offense and marked over a 50 percent higher mark than his NCAA career average coming into the season (9.3 ppg) and a significant jump from the 10.6 ppg he averaged a winter ago at Louisiana Lafayette.
 
"I was always just trying to make the right play – when you're on the fastbreak and it's two-on-one, try and get the ball to my teammates and get some points on the board," Fulks said. "But if I could take advantage of it, the fastbreak points, those are the easiest baskets."
 
As the season was coming down the stretch, the team found itself steadily rising to the top … the summit of the national leaders for "most fastbreak points" of any program in the entire NCAA.
 
They closed with a flourish, averaging 29.7 fastbreak points per game over the final three contests.
 
At the conclusion, it reached a number … 18.38 … a number so impressive it will be hard to displace from the mountaintop as the remainder of the NCAA Tournament and season comes to a close.
 
Top of the charts is a real bragging point … with the closest teams chasing being Power 5 schools such as Florida and Michigan State. A No. 1 ranking to have and to be proud of forever.
 
"I feel like we played a very fun brand of basketball," Fulks said. "People liked to watch us play. It was fun as players … I mean practice wasn't fun all of the time having to keep up with the pace and everything. But Coach gave us the freedom to take advantage of opportunities. It was a great time."