By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

It may be a bit early to be thinking about basketball, but not at Florida Christian College in Kissimmee.

Coach Jake Deer takes his team to UCF today and Sunday, where it will demonstrate plays for about 1,500 coaches gathered at the Nike Championship Basketball Clinic.

Deer, who attends the Nike clinic annually, said he approached Nike representatives at last year’s clinic in Las Vegas when he learned the event was coming to Orlando and offered his team to do demonstrations.

“I made a pitch, and they said, ‘OK.’ They’ve been great about it. The team got new uniforms and shoes from Nike. It’s great for our program,” Deer said.

FCC began practice for the National Christian College Athletic Association South Region regular season Monday at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

The team will be at UCF most of today and again Sunday morning.

The Nike clinic draws elite NCAA coaches like Syracuse Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, Don Meyers, the Northern State, S.D., coach who owns a NCAA-record 923 wins, Florida’s two-time national champion Billy Donovan, Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenburg, George Mason’s Jim Larranaga, Butler’s Brad Stevens and new UCF Coach Donnie Jones.

Deer said he will take 14 of his 18 players to UCF for the clinic.

“They’ll mostly do on-court demonstrations. It’s a great opportunity for our guys to interact with the biggest names in coaching. They’re bound to learn a lot,” Deer said.

Deer also is excited about his team’s prospects for the upcoming season.

The Suns are coming off their best-ever campaign (13-15) with a good nucleus from that team returning.

Sophomore point guard Terrence Taylor (selected as Freshmen of the Year in the NCCAA South Region), 6-8 junior center Samuel Stephens, sophomore guard JoJo Wood and sophomore power forward Kevin Raymond all return.

Newcomers include 6-4 guard Josh Smith and Central Florida Christian Academy sharpshooter Jose Burgos.

“With the core unit returning and a great recruiting class, we should improve upon what we started last season,” Deer said.

The Suns will hold its  Orange and Black scrimmage Oct. 12 at 7 p.m., and its  alumni scrimmage Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.

The team visits Johnson & Wales Nov. 2 for the regular-season opener. The Suns host Freewill Baptist Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. for its home opener. All home games are on campus.