Florida Atlantic needed a spark.

With under seven minutes remaining, their offense had gone stale, and their 11-point lead had shriveled to as little as two points. 

To make matters worse, their normally ever-present big man, Vlad Goldin, had struggled with Temple big Sam Hofman’s ability to stretch the floor.

So, head coach Dusty May went to the bench. And up came a familiar face.

Center Giancarlo Rosado had missed the last few weeks with an injury, but this game was his much-anticipated return.

And with 6 minutes and 47 seconds left, he was tasked with stopping a Temple run and extending FAU’s lead.

“We know what our Achilles Heel is on defense. Vlad protects the rim, and sometimes we overhelp and get sucked in,” May explained. “That happened a few times, [Hofman] goes 4-for-4. So, we felt like the best chance to win the game was to play Tre and Giancarlo and switch.”

And boy, was he the spark FAU needed.

From the minute he stepped in, FAU’s fortunes changed. He played facilitator, defensive weapon, and offensive mastermind all in one, and the home team, behind a spirited crowd, built a 7-0 run to put them up 12.

“His nickname quarterback, so he is throwing that around,” guard Alijah Martin said. “We get that chase action, flash action. It just opens up our offense, and we missed that.”

The return of Rosado was a welcomed one for FAU, who struggled to replace the void left by the 6-foot-8 forward. Tre Carroll and Brenan Llorient provided moments, but no one offered the same impact on the FAU offense. 

And that’s okay. Because ‘G’ is back. And the FAU locker room couldn’t be more excited.

“We were happy. We’ve found out for a week,” Martin said about Rosado’s return. “We dapped him up, hugged him, told him we missed him, and we were ready to lock in.”

Rosado is a part of a group that May called the “unsung heroes.” He doesn’t command the attention, but he’s crucial to the team’s rotation off the bench. He also provides the required energy in the locker room. 

He’s capable of scoring double-digit points on any night, but he’s also comfortable taking the backseat to players like Martin and Johnell Davis.

But tonight, FAU needed a spark. And he stepped up.

The stat sheet may not agree with that, as Rosado only played eight minutes and registered just two points, three rebounds, and two assists. But his impact went far beyond a piece of paper.

He was the facilitator to a Johnell Davis layup to extend FAU’s lead, he stepped out to contest a three-pointer from a Temple guard, and he went up and grabbed crucial rebounds against the Temple bigs. 

It was the little things, but they made a big difference.

“When he’s in, we usually get better shots because he can pull the other big away from the rim – like their big was able to do – and he can quarterback our offense,” said May. “His ability to read the defense, to take what the game gives him, create shots for his teammate. I think you saw that in the first and second half.

“I could go on until tomorrow raving about Giancarlo Rosado, so it’s great to have him back.”

And now that he’s back, FAU will be better.

That group of “unsung heroes” that May and Martin referenced post-game is an important clog in the system that makes FAU go.

They provide their sparks when necessary but also give FAU’s starters solace that they can take a backseat and not see the game collapse.

They’re the group that allows Davis and Martin to play 33 and 30 minutes instead of the 38 or so minutes that they might have to on other teams. They’re also specialty players who can be called upon to provide their tool to the equation.

Tonight, those unsung heroes were Rosado and Brandon Weatherspoon, who scored 16 points on just eight shots. Tomorrow, it might be Bryan Greenlee. 

“We need those guys to come off [the bench] and give us energy,” Martin said. “Anytime they check in the game, it just gives coach confidence to keep going with them and gives us confidence to get off the court because we know they’re going to pick it up.”

That’s the beauty of FAU. And it’s what has them as one of the nation’s most dangerous teams as the calendar flips to March and the games matter a little more.

But more on that later because tonight, FAU needed a spark. 

And Rosado was there.

Photo Credit: Christian Proscia