2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers basketball team

2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers basketball
2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers basketball
ESPN HBCU Hoops Invitational champions
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Record	9–13 (6–5 SWAC)
Head coach	Charlie Ward (1st season);
Assistant coaches	Jarrod Lazarus; Rob Lewis; Gene Granger;
Home arena	Al Lawson Center

2025–26 SWAC men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Bethune–Cookman	10	–	3	.769	13	–	13	.500
Alabama A&M	8	–	5	.615	15	–	11	.577
Southern	8	–	5	.615	12	–	14	.462
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	8	–	5	.615	11	–	15	.423
Jackson State	8	–	5	.615	9	–	17	.346
Florida A&M	7	–	6	.538	10	–	14	.417
Texas Southern	7	–	6	.538	9	–	15	.375
Alabama State	6	–	7	.462	9	–	17	.346
Grambling State	5	–	7	.417	11	–	14	.440
Prairie View A&M	5	–	8	.385	10	–	16	.385
Alcorn State	5	–	8	.385	6	–	19	.240
Mississippi Valley State	0	–	12	.000	1	–	25	.038

† 2026 SWAC tournament winner As of February 16, 2026

The 2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers basketball team represents Florida A&M University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rattlers, led by first-year head coach Charlie Ward, play their home games at the Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Florida as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Previous season

The Rattlers finished the 2024–25 season 14–17, 10–8 in SWAC play to finish in seventh place.^[1] In the SWAC tournament, they defeated Prairie View A&M in the first round, before falling to Jackson State in the quarterfinals.

On April 11, 2025, it was announced that head coach Patrick Crarey II would be accepting the head coaching position at Grambling State.^[2] On April 15, the school announced the hiring of former NBA player and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward as the team's next head coach.^[3]

Preseason

On October 8, 2025, the SWAC released their preseason polls. Florida A&M was picked to finish eighth in the conference.^[4]

Preseason rankings

SWAC Preseason Poll
Place	Team	Votes
1	Bethune–Cookman	232 (12)
2	Southern	214 (5)
3	Jackson State	208 (1)
4	Alabama State	183 (3)
5	Texas Southern	182
6	Alabama A&M	163
7	Grambling State	151
8	Florida A&M	115
9	Prairie View A&M	99
10	Alcorn State	74
11	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	70 (1)
12	Mississippi Valley State	25
(#) first-place votes

Source:^[4]

Preseason All-SWAC Teams

Preseason All-SWAC Team
Team	Player	Year	Position
Second	Jordan Chatman	Senior	Guard

Source:^[4]

Roster

2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown
G	0	Lenard Taylor Jr.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Baltimore, Maryland
G	1	Antonio Baker Jr.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	Savannah, Georgia
G	2	Jordan Chatman	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sr	Birmingham, Alabama
G	3	Jaquan Sanders	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sr	Far Rockaway, New York
G	4	Anquan Boldin Jr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Delray Beach, Florida
G	8	Amir Rahman	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Brentwood, Tennessee
F	10	Kaleb Washington	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sr	Atlanta, Georgia
G	11	Micah Octave	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Boca Raton, Florida
G	12	Anthony Knowles	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Miami, Florida
G	13	Devere Palmer Jr.	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jr	Queens, New York
G	14	Malcolm Stute	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Fr	Washington, D.C.
F	22	Tyler Shirley	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	RS Sr	Atlanta, Georgia
C	34	Miles Ndalama	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jr	Ndola, Zambia
F	55	Tuscan Onuoha	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	RS Jr	Sydney, Australia

Head coach

Charlie Ward (Florida State)

Assistant coach(es)

Jarrod Lazarus (Florida State)
Rob Lewis (Florida State)
Gene Granger (Charleston Southern)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 17, 2025

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025* 8:50 p.m., ESPN+	at South Florida	L 67–102	0–1	16 – Octave	8 – Octave	3 – Boldin Jr.	Yuengling Center (6,531) Tampa, FL
November 8, 2025* 1:00 p.m., SWAC TV	Kennesaw State	L 72–92	0–2	16 – Palmer Jr.	9 – Octave	3 – Tied	Al Lawson Center (704) Tallahassee, FL
November 11, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at UCF	L 60–97	0–3	12 – Knowles	6 – Ndalama	3 – Tied	Addition Financial Arena (10,057) Orlando, FL
November 17, 2025* 6:30 p.m., SECN	at Georgia	L 57–87	0–4	16 – Boldin Jr.	6 – Shirley	3 – Washington	Stegeman Coliseum (5,971) Athens, GA
December 2, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Jacksonville	L 82–85 ^OT	0–5	20 – Sanders	5 – Tied	5 – Tied	Swisher Gymnasium (862) Jacksonville, FL
December 5, 2025*	vs. Barber–Scotia ESPN HBCU Hoops Invitational Semifinals	Canceled^[5]					State Farm Field House Orlando, FL
December 6, 2025* 3:30 p.m.	vs. Florida Memorial ESPN HBCU Hoops Invitational Championship	W 60–58	1–5	12 – Washington	12 – Shirley	3 – Tied	State Farm Field House (348) Orlando, FL
December 15, 2025* 7:00 p.m.	Albany State	W 93–77	2–5	25 – Chatman	6 – Tied	7 – Baker Jr.	Al Lawson Center (602) Tallahassee, FL
December 17, 2025* 7:00 p.m.	Jacksonville	W 72–65	3–5	17 – Baker Jr.	6 – Tied	3 – Tied	Al Lawson Center (791) Tallahassee, FL
December 19, 2025* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Tarleton	L 54–78	3–6	17 – Chatman	5 – Boldin Jr.	3 – Shirley	EECU Center (811) Stephenville, TX
December 21, 2025* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+	at TCU	L 56–80	3–7	16 – Sanders	5 – Tied	5 – Sanders	Schollmaier Arena (4,962) Fort Worth, TX
December 28, 2025* 3:30 p.m., ACCNX	at Georgia Tech	L 65–89	3–8	21 – Washington	5 – Tied	4 – Sanders	McCamish Pavilion (5,967) Atlanta, GA
SWAC regular season
January 3, 2026 5:30 p.m.	at Bethune–Cookman	L 83–87	3–9 (0–1)	22 – Sanders	9 – Octave	3 – Tied	Moore Gymnasium (864) Daytona Beach, FL
January 10, 2026 7:00 p.m.	Southern	W 67–59	4–9 (1–1)	17 – Shirley	8 – Octave	3 – Tied	Al Lawson Center (1,005) Tallahassee, FL
January 12, 2026 7:00 p.m.	Grambling State	W 91–84	5–9 (2–1)	24 – Sanders	8 – Octave	4 – Tied	Al Lawson Center (901) Tallahassee, FL
January 17, 2026 6:30 p.m.	at Arkansas–Pine Bluff	W 71–67	6–9 (3–1)	18 – Sanders	8 – Octave	7 – Octave	H.O. Clemmons Arena (2,423) Pine Bluff, AR
January 19, 2026 8:00 p.m.	at Mississippi Valley State	W 62–48	7–9 (4–1)	16 – Sanders	9 – Baker Jr.	6 – Sanders	Harrison HPER Complex (167) Itta Bena, MS
January 24, 2026 6:00 p.m.	Alcorn State	W 66–58	8–9 (5–1)	17 – Ndalama	6 – Tied	7 – Sanders	Al Lawson Center (1,101) Tallahassee, FL
January 26, 2026 7:00 p.m.	Jackson State	L 65-66	8-10 (5-2)	17 – Washington	5 – Tied	4 – Sanders	Al Lawson Center (1,005) Tallahassee, FL
January 31, 2026 5:00 p.m.	at Alabama A&M	L 65-72	8-11 (5-3)	16 – Shirley	9 – Shirley	3 – Shirley	AAMU Event Center (4,988) Huntsville, AL
February 2, 2026 7:00 p.m.	at Alabama State	L 66-79	8-12 (5-4)	22 – Shirley	13 – Octave	3 – Sanders	Dunn–Oliver Acadome (1,324) Montgomery, AL
February 7, 2026 6:00 p.m.	Texas Southern	L 57-62	8-13 (5-5)	18 – Octave	10 – Octave	2 – Tied	Al Lawson Center (1,080) Tallahassee, FL
February 9, 2026 7:00 p.m.	Prairie View A&M	W 100-96	9-13 (6-5)	15 – Washington	9 – Tied	7 – Sanders	Al Lawson Center (903) Tallahassee, FL
February 14, 2026 3:30 p.m.	at Jackson State						Williams Assembly Center Jackson, MS
February 16, 2026 8:00 p.m.	at Alcorn State						Davey Whitney Complex Lorman, MS
February 19, 2026 8:30 p.m.	Alabama A&M						Al Lawson Center Tallahassee, FL
February 21, 2026 6:00 p.m.	Alabama State						Al Lawson Center Tallahassee, FL
February 26, 2026 8:30 p.m.	at Southern						F. G. Clark Center Baton Rouge, LA
February 28, 2026 7:30 p.m.	at Grambling State						Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center Grambling, LA
March 5, 2026 7:30 p.m.	Bethune–Cookman						Al Lawson Center Tallahassee, FL
SWAC tournament
March 9–12, 2026	vs.						Gateway Center Arena College Park, GA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern.

Sources:^[6]^[7]

References

^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". swac.org. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
^ "Patrick Crarey embraces expectations as new GSU hoops coach". Ruston Daily Leader. April 11, 2025. Archived from the original on April 11, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
^ "Charlie Ward Named Head Men's Hoops Coach At Florida A&M". Heisman. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c "SWAC Announces 2025 Men's Basketball Preseason Selections". Southwestern Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
^ Antilla, Liv (December 5, 2025). "FAMU claim of forfeit contested in HBCU basketball tournament". The Herald (Rock Hill). Retrieved December 6, 2025.
^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Florida A&M. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
^ "Florida A&M Rattlers 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 17, 2025.

[1] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". swac.org. Retrieved November 17, 2025.

[2] "Patrick Crarey embraces expectations as new GSU hoops coach". Ruston Daily Leader. April 11, 2025. Archived from the original on April 11, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.

[3] "Charlie Ward Named Head Men's Hoops Coach At Florida A&M". Heisman. Retrieved November 17, 2025.

[poll-4] "SWAC Announces 2025 Men's Basketball Preseason Selections". Southwestern Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 16, 2025.

[5] Antilla, Liv (December 5, 2025). "FAMU claim of forfeit contested in HBCU basketball tournament". The Herald (Rock Hill). Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[6] "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Florida A&M. Retrieved November 17, 2025.

[7] "Florida A&M Rattlers 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 17, 2025.

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Florida A&M Rattlers basketball
Venues	Jake Gaither Gymnasium (1963–2009) Al Lawson Center (2009–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons Records lost 1932–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26