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2024–25 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team

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2024–25 Charleston Cougars men's basketball
ConferenceCoastal Athletic Association
Record24–9 (13–5 CAA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaTD Arena
Seasons
← 2023–24
2025–26 →
2024–25 CAA men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Towson 16 – 2   .889 22 – 11   .667
UNC Wilmington † 14 – 4   .778 27 – 8   .771
Charleston 13 – 5   .722 24 – 9   .727
William & Mary 11 – 7   .611 17 – 15   .531
Campbell 10 – 8   .556 15 – 17   .469
Monmouth 10 – 8   .556 13 – 20   .394
Northeastern 9 – 9   .500 17 – 15   .531
Drexel 9 – 9   .500 18 – 15   .545
Elon 8 – 10   .444 17 – 16   .515
Hampton 8 – 10   .444 17 – 16   .515
Hofstra 6 – 12   .333 15 – 18   .455
Delaware 5 – 13   .278 16 – 20   .444
Stony Brook 4 – 14   .222 8 – 24   .250
North Carolina A&T 3 – 15   .167 7 – 25   .219
† 2025 CAA tournament winner

The 2024–25 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team represented the College of Charleston in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by first-year head coach Chris Mack. The team played its home games at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association.

Previous season

[edit]

The Cougars, led by third-year head coach Pat Kelsey, finished the season 27–8, 15–3 in CAA play to win their second-straight regular season championship. The team defeated Monmouth, Towson, and Stony Brook in overtime to win their second-straight CAA tournament.[1] They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Alabama, a team that went on to that year's Final Four.[2]

After the season head coach Pat Kelsey left the program to coach at the University of Louisville, and Chris Mack was later hired as the 25th coach in Charleston history.[3][4]

Offseason

[edit]

Departures

[edit]
Charleston departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jordan Crawford 0 G 6'2" 180 FR Charlotte, North Carolina Transferred to Eastern Kentucky[5]
Frankie Policelli 1 F 6'9" 225 GS New Hartford, New York Graduated
Reyne Smith 2 G 6'2" 190 JR Ulverstone, Tasmania Transferred to Louisville[6]
Khalil London 3 G 6'3" 185 FR Wyandanch, New York Transferred to Tennessee State[7]
Bryce Butler 4 G 6'5" 205 GS Latrobe, Pennsylvania Graduated
Kobe Rodgers 11 G 6'3" 180 JR Cincinnati, Ohio Transferred to Louisville[8]
Ben Burnham 13 F 6'7" 220 JR Fort Mill, South Carolina Transferred to Virginia Tech[9]
Mayar Wol 15 F 6'8" 185 FR Raleigh, North Carolina Transferred to Eastern Kentucky[10]
James Scott 23 F 6'11" 210 FR Fayetteville, North Carolina Transferred to Louisville[11]

Incoming transfers

[edit]

Mack's new coaching staff quickly made use of the transfer portal and signed Derrin Boyd, a graduate student from Lipscomb who led his team with 17.6 points per game last season, earning an All-ASUN Second Team selection.[12] Two sophomores who had previously played for the Serbian U-19 National Team then committed to Charleston, Đorđe Ćurčić from Saint Louis and Lazar Đjoković from Xavier, reuniting on the court for the first time since the 2023 U-19 World Cup.[13] Another international player, Stef van Bussel, signed to the Cougars after playing for the Netherlands National U-18 and U-16 Teams, the Bayer Giants Leverkusen of the German pro league, and the Saint Louis Billikens.[14] That same day another sophomore, Deywilk Tavarez, transferred in from Delaware State after averaging 17.0 points per game as a freshman and winning MEAC Rookie of the Year.[15] The coaching staff then signed AJ Smith, a junior from The Citadel, who led Charleston's crosstown-rival in scoring with 16.2 points per game last season.[16][17] The transfer class was finalized with the addition of senior Elijah Jones, who led Green Bay in rebounding last season and won the NJCAA National Championship in 2023.[18]

Charleston incoming transfers
Name Number Pos Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school Years remaining Date eligible
AJ Smith 1 G 6'4" 215 JR Charlotte, North Carolina The Citadel 2 October 1, 2024
Elijah Jones 3 F 6'7" n/a SR South Holland, Illinois Green Bay 1 October 1, 2024
Derrin Boyd 4 G 6'3" 210 GS Princeton, Kentucky Lipscomb 1 October 1, 2024
Deywilk Tavarez 5 G 6'2" n/a SO Pennsauken, New Jersey Delaware State 3 October 1, 2024
Stef van Bussel 15 C 6'10" 255 SO Ommel, Netherlands Saint Louis 3 October 1, 2024
Lazar Đjoković 17 F 6'10" 230 SO Gornji Milanovac, Serbia Xavier 3 October 1, 2024
Đorđe Ćurčić 44 G 6'2" 185 SO Čačak, Serbia Saint Louis 3 October 1, 2024

2024 recruiting class

[edit]
College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Joey Scarpitti
G 		Lakewood, OH St. Edward (OH) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Apr 25, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (0)
Justas Stonkus
G 		Plungė, Lithuania BC Žalgiris-2 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Apr 26, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (0)
Jaxon Prunty
SF 		Lexington, SC Lexington High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) May 2, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 3/5 stars   Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   (78)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Preseason

[edit]

In the conference's preseason poll, the Cougars were picked to finish in second place.[19]

Despite the change in head coach, 2024 First Team All-CAA member Ante Brzovic decided to return for his senior season, as did Irish National Team guard CJ Fulton.[20][21]

Roster

[edit]
2024–25 College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Jaxon Prunty 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Lexington HS Lexington, SC
G 1 AJ Smith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr The Citadel Charlotte, NC
F 3 Elijah Jones 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Green Bay South Holland, IL
G 4 Derrin Boyd 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Lipscomb Princeton, KY
G 5 Deywilk Tavarez 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Delaware State Pennsauken, NJ
G 6 CJ Fulton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Lafayette Belfast, Northern Ireland
G 7 Evan Kilminster 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS So Australian Institute of Sport Newcastle, Australia
G 8 Justas Stonkus 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr BC Žalgiris-2 Plungė, Lithuania
F 10 Ante Brzovic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Southeastern Oklahoma State Zagreb, Croatia
G 14 Cade Higgins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr IMG Academy Fort Worth, TX
C 15 Stef van Bussel 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Saint Louis Asten, Netherlands
F 17 Lazar Đjoković 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Xavier Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
G 31 Jack Miller 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Ocean Township HS Ocean Township, NJ
G 33 Joey Scarpitti 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr St. Edward HS Cleveland, OH
G 44 Đorđe Ćurčić 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Saint Louis Čačak, Serbia
F 50 Adam Comer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Broome HS Spartanburg, SC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: September 4. 2024

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
12:00 pm, YouTube 		vs. Southern Illinois
Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase 		W 90–80  1−0
  27 – Brzovic   9 – Brzovic   7 – Fulton  Sanford Pentagon (2,300)
Sioux Falls, SD
November 8, 2024*
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		South Florida W 86–71  2−0
  34 – Brzovic   9 – Brzovic   6 – Fulton  TD Arena (5,457)
Charleston, SC
November 15, 2024*
7:00 pm, YouTube 		Florida Atlantic
Field of 68 Tip-Off 		W 119–116 2OT 3−0
  39 – Brzovic   13 – Brzovic   6 – Tied  TD Arena (4,963)
Charleston, SC
November 17, 2024*
4:00 pm, YouTube 		Liberty
Field of 68 Tip-Off 		L 47–68  3−1
  15 – Đjoković   8 – Đjoković   4 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,858)
Charleston, SC
November 20, 2024*
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at The Citadel
Rivalry 		W 76–61  4−1
  22 – Brzovic   14 – Brzovic   6 – Brzovic  McAlister Field House (3,231)
Charleston, SC
November 24, 2024*
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Rhode Island L 53–91  4–2
  10 – Smith   6 – Brzovic   4 – Boyd  Ryan Center (3,778)
Kingston, RI
November 27, 2024*
1:00 pm, FloHoops 		Northern Kentucky W 79–64  5–2
  22 – Boyd   13 – Brzovic   6 – Tied  TD Arena (4,718)
Charleston, SC
December 3, 2024*
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		Tusculum W 94–71  6–2
  17 – Đjoković   6 – Smith   7 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,388)
Charleston, SC
December 10, 2024*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Saint Joseph's W 78–75  7–2
  18 – Smith   5 – Tied   9 – Fulton  Hagan Arena (2,062)
Philadelphia, PA
December 16, 2024*
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		Wofford W 77–67  8–2
  21 – Brzovic   7 – Brzovic   8 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,748)
Charleston, SC
December 22, 2024*
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		vs. Oregon State
Diamond Head Classic Quarterfinals 		L 65–74  8–3
  13 – Tied   8 – Đjoković   4 – Fulton  Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
December 23, 2024*
5:30 pm, ESPNU 		vs. Loyola Chicago
Diamond Head Classic Consolation 2nd Round 		W 77–68  9–3
  30 – Tavarez   6 – Brzovic   5 – Brzovic  Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
December 25, 2024*
3:30 pm, ESPNU 		vs. Charlotte
Diamond Head Classic 5th Place Game 		W 84–81  10–3
  32 – Brzovic   14 – Brzovic   7 – Fulton  Stan Sheriff Center (4,163)
Honolulu, HI
CAA regular season
January 2, 2025
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		Hampton W 94–67  11–3
(1–0) 		 26 – Boyd   9 – Brzovic   6 – Tavarez  TD Arena (5,070)
Charleston, SC
January 4, 2025
2:00 pm, FloHoops 		Towson W 77–69  12–3
(2–0) 		 20 – Tied   11 – Brzovic   5 – Tied  TD Arena (5,116)
Charleston, SC
January 9, 2025
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Hofstra W 67–61  13–3
(3–0) 		 23 – Brzovic   11 – Brzovic   12 – Fulton  Mack Sports Complex (1,504)
Hempstead, NY
January 11, 2025
2:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Monmouth L 73–84  13–4
(3–1) 		 20 – Tavarez   9 – Tavarez   7 – Fulton  OceanFirst Bank Center (1,904)
West Long Branch, NJ
January 16, 2025
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Campbell W 67–61  14–4
(4–1) 		 15 – Tied   15 – Đjoković   6 – Fulton  Gore Arena (1,359)
Buies Creek, NC
January 18, 2025
5:00 pm, FloHoops 		Northeastern W 87–85  15−4
(5−1) 		 32 – Tavarez   9 – Brzovic   6 – Fulton  TD Arena (5,132)
Charleston, SC
January 23, 2025
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		UNC Wilmington L 83–85  15−5
(5−2) 		 24 – Boyd   9 – Đjoković   9 – Fulton  TD Arena (5,090)
Charleston, SC
January 25, 2025
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Elon W 78–62  16−5
(6−2) 		 20 – Smith   12 – Brzovic   5 – Brzovic  Schar Center (2,657)
Elon, NC
January 30, 2025
6:00 pm, CBSSN 		Stony Brook W 81–74  17−5
(7−2) 		 25 – Tied   11 – Fulton   11 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,727)
Charleston, SC
February 3, 2025
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		at William & Mary L 75–90  17−6
(7−3) 		 20 – Brzovic   11 – Đjoković   6 – Fulton  Kaplan Arena (3,461)
Williamsburg, VA
February 6, 2025
6:00 pm, CBSSN 		North Carolina A&T W 66–63  18−6
(8−3) 		 24 – Brzovic   9 – Brzovic   8 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,600)
Charleston, SC
February 8, 2025
6:00 pm, FloHoops 		Elon W 88–83 OT 19–6
(9–3) 		 27 – Brzovic   10 – Tied   5 – Tied  TD Arena (5,007)
Charleston, SC
February 13, 2025
7:00 pm, CBSSN 		at UNC Wilmington L 66–86  19–7
(9–4) 		 14 – Smith   8 – Brzovic   6 – Fulton  Trask Coliseum (5,200)
Wilmington, NC
February 15, 2025
6:00 pm, FloHoops 		at North Carolina A&T W 69–59  20–7
(10–4) 		 20 – Tavarez   6 – Brzovic   11 – Fulton  Corbett Sports Center (1,201)
Greensboro, NC
February 20, 2025
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Northeastern W 73–62  21–7
(11–4) 		 20 – Brzovic   11 – Tavarez   6 – Fulton  Matthews Arena (1,227)
Boston, MA
February 22, 2025
12:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Drexel L 55–64  21–8
(11–5) 		 16 – Brzovic   6 – Brzovic   4 – Tied  Daskalakis Athletic Center (1,723)
Philadelphia, PA
February 27, 2025
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		Delaware W 94–84  22–8
(12–5) 		 27 – Brzovic   9 – Đjoković   10 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,939)
Charleston, SC
March 1, 2025
6:00 pm, FloHoops 		Campbell W 87–65  23–8
(13–5) 		 25 – Boyd   8 – Tied   10 – Fulton  TD Arena (5,165)
Charleston, SC
CAA tournament
March 9, 2025
8:30 pm, FloHoops 		(3) vs. (6) Monmouth
Quarterfinals 		W 79–78 OT 24–8
  22 – Brzovic   8 – Tied   5 – Fulton  CareFirst Arena (2,580)
Washington, D.C.
March 10, 2025
8:30 pm, CBSSN 		(3) vs. (2) UNC Wilmington
Semifinals 		L 67–68  24–9
  18 – Boyd   11 – Đjoković   5 – Fulton  CareFirst Arena (2,367)
Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Awards and honors

[edit]
Conference honors
Honors Player Position
All-CAA First Team Ante Brzovic F
All-CAA Third Team Derrin Boyd G
All-CAA Third Team CJ Fulton G
CAA All-Rookie Team Justas Stonkus G
CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year CJ Fulton G

Source[22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Cougars Reyne Supreme Again in CAA". College of Charleston Athletics. March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Cougars End Season in NCAA First Round". College of Charleston Athletics. March 22, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  3. ^ McGavic, Matthew. "Louisville Officially Hires Pat Kelsey as Men's Basketball Head Coach". Sports Illustrated Louisville Cardinals News, Analysis and More. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  4. ^ "Chris Mack Named Next Head Charleston Men's Basketball Coach". College of Charleston Athletics. March 28, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  5. ^ "Defending ASUN Champion Colonels Announce Additions For 2024-25 Title Run". Eastern Kentucky University Athletics. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  6. ^ McGavic, Matthew. "What Reyne Smith and James Scott Bring to Louisville". Sports Illustrated Louisville Cardinals News, Analysis and More. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "Men's Basketball Inks Four Transfers for Upcoming Season". Tennessee State University. April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  8. ^ McGavic, Matthew. "Report: Charleston Transfer Guard Kobe Rodgers Commits to Louisville". Sports Illustrated Louisville Cardinals News, Analysis and More. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  9. ^ Miller, Andrew (April 4, 2024). "Former CofC forward Ben Burnham commits to Virginia Tech". Post and Courier. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  10. ^ "Colonels Add Former Top-100 National Recruit". Eastern Kentucky University Athletics. May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  11. ^ McGavic, Matthew. "Charleston Transfer Center James Scott Commits to Louisville". Sports Illustrated Louisville Cardinals News, Analysis and More. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  12. ^ "Derrin Boyd Signs with Charleston Men's Basketball". College of Charleston Athletics. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Miller, Andrew (April 13, 2024). "College of Charleston coach Chris Mack gets 3 verbal commitments to program". Post and Courier. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "van Bussel Joins Cougar Roster". College of Charleston Athletics. April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Mack Inks MEAC Rookie of the Year". College of Charleston Athletics. April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  16. ^ Miller, Andrew (April 18, 2024). "Citadel basketball's top scorer transfers to crosstown rival College of Charleston". Post and Courier. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "Mack Signs AJ Smith to Cougar Roster". College of Charleston Athletics. May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  18. ^ "Jones Signs with Cougars". College of Charleston Athletics. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  19. ^ McQuiggan, Miles. "Towson Tabbed as CAA Men's Basketball Favorite; Charleston's Brzovic Selected as Preseason Player of the Year". caasports.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Hartsell, Jeff (April 3, 2024). "CofC big man to return to Cougars; Charleston Southern nabs 2 transfers". Post and Courier. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Miller, Andrew (April 2, 2024). "College of Charleston 'right fit' for new coach Chris Mack". Post and Courier. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Smith, Dylan. "2025 CAA Men's Basketball Awards Unveiled; Towson's Tejada Tabbed Player of the Year". caasports.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
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