The echoes of celebration had not yet faded inside the Al Lawson Center. Less than 48 hours earlier, the FAMU Rattlers men’s basketball team had secured its first SWAC home opener victory of the season, a statement win over Southern University that injected belief into a program navigating transition.
But there’s no time to linger in the relentless grind of conference play. Because tonight, under those same bright lights, the Rattlers won’t just be facing an opponent. They’ll be facing a ghost of their recent past.
Grambling State comes to town, and at its helm stands Patrick Crarey II—the man who, just one season ago, was drawing up plays from the Rattlers' sidelines. In his lone year at FAMU he guided a transitioning squad to a 14-17 overall record, a more-than-respectable 10-8 mark in the rugged SWAC, and laid a foundation of toughness. He was, by most accounts, the right man for a difficult job. He was building something. But the stability on the court was fractured by turbulence in the front office.
His future became collateral damage in a protracted struggle between the FAMU Board of Trustees and then-Vice President and Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes. When the Board refused to approve a multi-year contract for the first-year coach, the university offered him a one-year contract which didn't require BOT approval.
After a change of AD's, the university offered Crarey a two-year contract extension mid-season that would raise his base salary to $170,000, and keep him in Tallahassee through 2028. But, for Crarey, the damage was already done. With his basketball team raising eyebrows, along with his coaching stock by the end of the season, and after securing the Rattlers' first-ever SWAC tournament win, he departed immediately after the season’s final buzzer.
FAMU’s response was both swift and stunning. They didn’t just hire a replacement; they made a statement
His name transcends the sport. To many, he is eternal Florida royalty—the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner who led Florida State to a national championship on the gridiron, a first-round NBA draft pick who enjoyed an 11-year career as a savvy, championship-caliber point guard. His resume is the stuff of legend. Now, as the 16th head coach in program history, he is tasked with a different kind of orchestration: building a consistent winner in the SWAC.
His first home conference victory this past Saturday was a blueprint of his philosophy: disciplined defense, unselfish ball movement, and a calm, steady demeanor that mirrors his playing days. It was proof that his vision is taking root.
But tonight is different. Tonight, the X’s and O’s are secondary to the palpable narrative. It’s the new era, led by a transcendent icon, facing the coach who felt he wasn’t shown the faith to finish what he started. It’s Ward’s system versus Crarey’s gritty basketball hustle.
The ball will be tossed into the air, and for forty minutes, it will be about basketball. But before that, and after, the story will linger. It’s a story of what was, what is, and what might have been—a drama played out not in a boardroom, but on the hardwood, under the bright lights of the Lawson Center.
No. 4 (SWAC) Grambling vs No. 6 (SWAC) FAMU tonight at 7 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center.