Men's basketball team to play in CSI Battle for Boot tournament

The Eastern Florida State College men's basketball team is in Idaho to compete in the CSI Battle for the Boot tournament this weekend hosted by the College of Southern Idaho.

The tournament hosts some of the top junior college teams in the country and raises awareness for the Jae Foundation, which focuses on mental health awareness through its "Boot-Check" campaign.

This will be the second straight season the Titans will compete in the tournament in Twin Falls, Idaho and reached the finals last season, falling to South Plains.

"Really excited to be a part of it again, it was a great experience for the team last year and really propelled their season," Eastern Florida State College men's basketball coach Zach Ferrell said. "The staff and players spoke so highly about what it was and what it stood for and the teams they competed against that I really wanted to go back this season."

Eastern Florida State College will open the tournament Thursday at 3 p.m. against McCook Community College.  

The Titans are 1-0 on the season as three players scored 20-plus points in the season-opening win against Indian River State College.

Sean Register Jr. led the attack with a double-double in his first game as a Titan, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Teammate Djiby Ly had 22 while Joviel Acevedo-Arroyo had 21 points in the win.

McCook Community College is also unbeaten to start the season as they have won their first two games. Nate Coley and Djibril Diawara are both averaging 23 points per game for the Indians.

The Titans will play three straight days in the tournament with the final scheduled for Saturday.

"Hopefully we will be able to give it our best. Three games in a row is like the state tournament so that is a good prep for later in the season. Hopefully we can show our best," Ferrell said. "There are some great matchups, some really good Division 1 teams and it will be a battle."

Fans can watch the game live online for $10 per game at https://www.scenicwestnetwork.com/southernidaho/