It was about 10 p.m. inside the Florida Atlantic Arena. The court lights were still shining bright, a ball was bouncing and shoes could be heard squeaking on the court.

However, it was unusually quiet for the arena. Most of the time, the red and blue seats are filled with students and fans yelling and cheering their team on.

That night, there was was no sign of a human being in the stands, no shot clock, no scoreboard and no players on either bench.

That’s because there was only one player’s shoes squeaking, one ball bouncing and the lights were shining bright on just one person: Gerdarius Troutman.

FAU men’s basketball had finished facing the University of North Texas about a half an hour earlier. The Owls lost the game 70-64 and attempted 39 3-pointers, a record for three-point shots taken under head coach Michael Curry.

Of those 39, Troutman took 11 and only knocked down two of them. He was unhappy with his performance in the game, and he decided to remain in the arena after it.

Troutman, still in his uniform, started his post-game solo practice with a layup, a jump shot and then his favorite, the deep ball. Aided by former Owl William Gibbons — who grabbed every rebound and kicked it back to Troutman — the 6-foot-3-inch guard started getting hot, then hotter and hotter.

He knocked down four in a row, then five, then six and he continued until he reached his 10th. He missed it.

“I’ve been around basketball enough to know everyone will have bad shooting nights,” Curry said. “We have full confidence in [Troutman]. Staying after the game versus North Texas just shows how much he’s willing to work.”

Staying after a game to work on his shot and practice is not something the Butler, Georgia native does very often. After a broken foot suffered at the end of his sophomore season at Gordon State, he’s learned to pace himself and work smarter, not harder.

But after his subpar performance in the loss versus North Texas, he knew he needed the extra practice. He wanted to get back to the basics.

“It was just me going back to my roots,” said Troutman. “That night was just very frustrating and I needed to get my rhythm back. So I went out and shot right after the game.”

In the three games following the loss to the Mean Green, Troutman has knocked down 15-of-25 3-pointers, averaging 14.6 points per game to lead FAU during the stretch.

“[Staying after the game] helped me out a lot,” Troutman said. “In the next three games I was able to get my rhythm back. I was thinking way too much. With shooting, you just have to do it.”

Weighing in at just 175 pounds, Troutman has the smallest stature among Conference USA rosters, but he has no problem banging with the big boys.

When he was a kid, Troutman’s cousins would take him to play “dirt ball” in his hometown of Butler, a city about two hours north of Atlanta.

“Dirt ball” refers to playing basketball wherever they see fit, whether it is on a regular basketball court, or on unpaved, bumpy roads where truck drivers would yell at them to move. They were rarely able to get into a gym, and when they did, they’d usually break into it and play basketball until sundown, or until they were spotted by someone.

Troutman was the youngest among his male cousins, who were all in high school when he was just in the sixth grade.

When Troutman began playing legally in the high school basketball gym, he discovered a knack for shooting. He would knock down two, three, four in a row, and that’s what kept him on the floor playing with the older guys.

“I’ve been playing with older people since I was like eight,” the sharpshooter said. “Growing up, playing with older people just made me better. So when I started playing with kids my own age, it was a lot easier.”

Troutman said that a man named Barry Bazinsky — a shooting coach that has worked with NBA superstars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony — really helped him become the sniper he is today. Bazinsky gave Troutman all the techniques he needed to become a great shooter, such as staying square on the shot, following through and learning how to adjust his shot after every attempt.

If the ball went wide-left the first attempt, Troutman learned how to fixed it. He did this by training with Bazinsky every year from sixth grade to his senior year of high school.

“He taught me everything that made me a good shooter,” Troutman said. “[The most important thing] was shooting is all about repetition and muscle memory. And I worked on that basically all and every summer until I got better.”

Troutman used all the advice given to him throughout high school and junior college. The guard averaged 22.4 points per game in his senior year at Taylor County High School, but was unable to receive scholarship offers from Division I colleges.

However, his two-year career at Gordon State was enough to earn some phone calls from Division I programs, specifically FAU and South Carolina State University. Troutman eventually chose FAU, after buying into the free-flowing offense that would would create opportunities for him on the court.

“I know coming into games I’m going to get a lot of open shots,” Troutman said. “I don’t have to press nor try to do too much. I know my teammates are going to look for me so I don’t have to stress and worry about not getting the ball.”

Most Made Three-Point Field Goals in a Season In FAU History

97 Ryan Hercek, 1999-2000

88 Earnest Crumbley, 2002-03

85 Greg Gantt, 2009-10

84 Greg Gantt, 2012-13

82 Earnest Crumbley, 2003-04

76 Quinton Young, 2004-05

71 Gerdarius Troutman, 2016-2017

68 DeAndre Rice, 2006-07

66 Paul Graham III, 2008-09

66 DeAndre Rice, 2005-06

66 Marquan Botley, 2013-14

Highest Three-Point Percentage in a Season in FAU History (min. 50 made)

47.9 DeAndre Rice, 2006-07 (68- for-142)

46.9 Quinton Young, 2005-06 (53- for-113)

42.3 Gerdarius Troutman, 2016-2017 (71-for-168)

41.5 Quinton Young, 2004-05 (76-for-183)

40.8 Ryan Hercek, 1999-00 (97-for- 238)

40.2 Earnest Crumbley, 2003-04 (82-for-204)

Highest Three-Point Percentage in Conference USA in 2016-17

47.1 Egor Koulechov, Rice

43.8 Austin Loop, Marshall

42.3 Gerdarius Troutman, FAU

41.3 Jacobi Boykins, LA Tech

40.4 Stevie Browning, Marshall

Most Three-Point Field Goals Made in Conference USA in 2016-17

99 Austin Loop, Marshall

85 Jacobi Boykins, LA Tech

75 Pancake Thomas, Western Kentucky

74 Marcus Evans, Rice

72 Egor Koulechov, Rice

71 Gerdarius Troutman, FAU

Hans Belot Jr. is the sports editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him at @Don_Phenom_.