Sports

Salty Florida Basketball Coach Puts Finger In Face Of College Student During Tense Handshake Snub

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Pat Chambers Nasir Mann Florida Gulf Coast Queens Handshake Snub Dunk
© Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Florida Gulf Coast head coach Pat Chambers refused to shake the hand of Queens forward Nasir Mann at the conclusion of their postseason college basketball game on Monday night. It was extremely soft.

He would not acknowledge his opponent because of a dunk attempt at/after the final buzzer.

Chambers took over the program in Fort Myers in 2022 after the Eagles became famous for their miraculous Cinderella run in March Madness under Andy Enfield 10 years prior. The 54-year-old college basketball coach inherited a team that won 22 games in 2021-22. He has failed to hit or exceed the 20+ win mark during his tenure thus far. An unfortunate result in the ASUN Tournament ended his third year on a low note with a home loss to the Royals.

Florida Gulf Coast held a three-point lead at halftime. Keshawn Kellman had one of the best and most violent dunks of the season in the second half.

It didn’t matter. Queens came back to win by six on the road to advance to the ASUN semifinals. Nasir Mann, a transfer from McNeese State, tried to end the evening with an exclamation point. He tried to throw down a disrespectful dunk long after the final buzzer echoed throughout the gym. It missed.

The attempt did not go over well with the Eagles. Chambers refused to shake the hand of Mann and actively circled back to put a finger in his face.

Although I can see how the dunk could be considered insulting, I find the actions of Pat Chambers to be an even worse look for FGCU. He is a full-blown adult who would not shake the hand of a college student because the college student hurt his feelings after his team squandered a lead at halftime and lost a postseason game at home. An assistant coach had to push the 54-year-old away from the 23-year-old to prevent further embarrassment. That’s a bad look. Grow up!