For Jalen Gaffney, landing at Final Four-bound FAU has been a hoops revival in the unlikeliest of places

For the former Westtown School All-American guard and Columbus, N.J., native, continuing his basketball career in Boca Raton, one in the NCAA Final Four has been nothing short of "magical."

Florida Atlantic and former Westtown School guard Jalen Gaffney transferred from UConn in the offseason. His coaches say his work rate and "basketball IQ" are one reason the Eagles are playing in a Final Four.Read moreAdam Hunger / AP

by Kerith Gabriel

Published April 1, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

Jalen Gaffney’s road to basketball redemption landed him in a town many view as a retirement destination.

After three seasons as a touted recruit at the University of Connecticut, the 6-foot-3 guard jumped into the NCAA’s transfer portal for an offseason move to Florida Atlantic University. The mid-major Division I school is located in Boca Raton, a town known for its majestic landscapes, fantastic weather, and as a go-to destination for retirees.

However, the former Westtown School star from Columbus, N.J., views his landing there as a revival for a career still full of promise.

But what appeared a place many would assume a career like Gaffney’s would fall into obscurity has been one placed fully in the spotlight, courtesy of an FAU team that earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four as a No. 9 seed, defeating the likes of Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee, and Kansas State while boasting a remarkable 35-3 record along the way.

FAU will take on No. 5 seed San Diego State on Saturday in Houston (6:09 p.m., CBS). It’s a task Gaffney says he’s ready for after dealing with the likes of those bigger Power 5 standouts to get to this moment.

“Honestly, I’m really just trying to stay in this moment,” Gaffney said following a practice this week at NRG Stadium. “I’m just trying to take it all in and take it one step at a time. … It’s been a crazy ride coming to Florida. I didn’t think this was going to be a Final Four team, but as the season went on I could see how good our team was. To make this run has been magical.”

Gaffney is a consummate contributor to the team, averaging just 4.4 points per game, but coach Dusty May has already noted that Gaffney’s value is not wrapped in his statistics, telling CTInsider.com it’s his “unselfishness and basketball IQ” that set the senior guard apart.

It also helps that he’s part of a team that ran off a 20-game winning streak before a loss to Conference USA foe Alabama-Birmingham on Feb. 2. But since a Feb. 16 loss to Middle Tennessee, FAU is now riding another 11-game win streak, acting as a band of brothers all along the way.

“These guys know to react and play off of each other,” May said last week. “They know which buttons to push and when things aren’t going well, they hold each other accountable and get them re-centered or grounded. The continuity is one of the biggest reasons for our success.”

Small-school success situated in idyllic settings seems to have always suited Gaffney. At the Quaker-based Westtown School in West Chester, where the student-teacher class ratio is 8-1, Gaffney finished his career scoring well over 2,000 points en route to becoming a McDonald’s All-American.

His decision to leave UConn and the bright lights of the Big East Conference was really due to a desire to start fresh somewhere.

But falling into the hands of FAU?

“I mean it’s a great school in Boca Raton, it’s absolutely beautiful down there,” Gaffney joked. “I’m kidding — that is part of the reason, but after talking to coach [May], coach Drew [Williamson], and coach [KT] Church, I felt like they understood me, and they are coaches that really take the time to teach and develop guys and get us better [at] our game. So yeah, I’m happy I made the decision because look at where we landed.”

Where Gaffney and FAU have landed is one win away from the NCAA championship game. Win, and the potential matchup could be against his old team: No. 4 seed UConn will play No. 5 Miami in the other semifinal. It’s not even something Gaffney wanted to delve into however, as the focus is solely on what he needs to do to ensure he gives FAU the best chance of winning the semifinal.

“Right now, my focus, our focus is on San Diego State,” he said. “As a player, these are the moments you dream about having, and here we are. With all I had to go through and the road it took to get here, I just feel really fortunate to have found [this] group of guys and to be in this moment with them, knowing that my family is going to be watching and supporting. This is really one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.”