Florida A&M basketball is ready for tipoff.

On Monday, the 2024-2025 hoops season will begin for the Rattlers.

FAMU women’s basketball hosts Howard at 6:30 p.m. inside the Al Lawson Center. The Rattlers return from a 9-21, 8-10 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference season under second-year head coach Bridgette Gordon.

Gordon nicknames her second season leading FAMU women’s basketball ‘The Pressure’s On.’

“I’m super excited about year two,” Gordon told Melvin Beal on this week’s James Colzie Show. “We did so well last year. Everybody is expecting bigger and better this year.”

FAMU men’s basketball will start the Patrick Crarey II era on the road at Texas Christian. The Rattlers look to rebound from a 6-23, 4-14 in the SWAC 2023-2024 season.

The Rattlers will tip off against TCU at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Fans can watch the game on ESPN Plus.

“We came here to win. We can talk about a lot of different things, but we came here to win,” Crarey said. “Our job is to assess our program from the ground up, which we did as soon as I got the job. Now, it’s just putting us in the best position to be successful this season, starting Monday at TCU.

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play and compete in the SWAC, where we feel we’re going to be very good this year.”

Last season, FAMU women’s basketball earned a postseason spot by qualifying for the SWAC Tournament. It was the Rattlers’ first playoff appearance since 2019 as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Gordon accomplished the feat after being hired three months before the season and not having a full recruiting cycle.

The Rattlers faltered to Grambling State in the SWAC quarterfinals.

“I thought it was very important for my young players and the players I was bringing back to get a taste of that so they know what it takes to go to the next level,” Gordon said of FAMU ending its postseason drought.

“I knew I would have an opportunity to recruit some young ladies here who were going to get back to where we needed to go and stay there.”

FAMU basketball teams looking to strengthen turnaround efforts

Crarey is tasked with turning around FAMU men’s basketball.

Crarey may have to win now as he’s under a one-year contract worth $150,000 after being hired away from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens this April.

The odds are not in FAMU men’s basketball’s favor, as SWAC voters predicted the Rattlers to finish 11th out of 12th in the league this season.

Crarey thinks otherwise as he’s flipped FAMU basketball’s roster through the NCAA Transfer Portal, landing Division I talents Milton Matthews from North Carolina A&T and Sterling Young from Charlotte.

Six of the Rattlers’ 16 players return from previous rosters ― Roderick Coffee III, Jordan Chatman, Miles Hall, Ja’Derryus Eatmon, Saiyd Burnside, and Alex Andrews.

“Just grateful for the opportunity here at Florida A&M,” Crarey said. “I have a big sense go out here and prove to the people who support and love us that they made the right decision and that we’re going to be very good as a program moving forward.

“And to do it for the doubters, too.”

FAMU women’s basketball junior guard Olivia Delancy remains on the roster. The preseason All-SWAC second-teamer Delancy averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals last season.

New FAMU women’s basketball additions include guard Tahnyjia Purifoy, a former All-American Honorable Mention at Chipola College, and guard Cheyenne McEvans, who joins the Rattlers from Syracuse.

SWAC voters predict FAMU women’s basketball will finish fifth this season.

“I needed some dogs. I don’t like cats, but if I had to have an alley cat, not a house cat,” Gordon said. “But the main thing to me is their character. If you come here with good character, skillset, and coachability, then I can bring the best out of you.”

FAMU basketball set to make first impressions in Monday night games

The SWAC has altered its format, splitting men’s and women’s weekday games. SWAC men’s basketball will play on Monday, while women’s play on Thursday.

Doubleheader formats are reserved for Saturdays.

Knowing that much of its crowd comes from the men’s basketball games, Gordon has done the groundwork to increase attendance by promoting her team to campus and the local community.

Monday’s game between Rattlers women’s basketball and Howard will be a SWAC vs. MEAC showdown and Greek Night to honor fraternities and sororities on FAMU’s campus.

“I told my young ladies, I’m going to do what I have to do to get them there ― but [they’re] going to have to do their job to keep them coming,” Gordon said.

Crarey is ready to put his stamp on FAMU men’s basketball.

His analytical-driven approach may lead the Rattlers to new heights it hasn’t reached in recent years.

“It’s a new situation ― something that they’ve never seen before ― a new brand of basketball,” Crarey said. “We’re not scared. We’re ready to go.”

Florida A&M Basketball Teams Opening Week Schedule

FAMU women's basketball

• Monday, Nov. 4: vs Howard at 6:30 p.m.

• Thursday, Nov. 7: at Florida at 5:00 p.m.

FAMU men's basketball

• Monday, Nov. 4: at TCU at 8 p.m. Eastern Time

• Thursday, Nov. 7: at SMU at 9 p.m. Eastern Time

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 teams enter new season thinking about constant progress