2024–25 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team

2024–25 Charleston Cougars men's basketball
ConferenceCoastal Athletic Association
Record24–9 (13–5 CAA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaTD Arena
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
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. The Cougars finished the season 24–9, 13–5 in CAA play to finish in third place. They defeated Monmouth in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament before losing to UNC Wilmington in the semifinals.

Previous season

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

Departures

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  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. 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. 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. 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. 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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