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| Photo courtesy of Chattanooga Sports Information |
With the 2024-25 basketball season now officially in the books, it's officially transfer portal season. It always seems that the first thing that hits are the players that are leaving your program, which is then promptly followed by who is returning and who you're welcoming in to replace the players that you lost.
In the first portal update of spring/summer, I will be taking a look at reigning NIT and SoCon regular-season champion Chattanooga, SoCon Tournament champion Wofford, and a Furman team that won 25 games and made their third SoCon title game appearance in the past four seasons.
After covering the teams in the first three parts of this series of articles, the final one will be reserved for ranking the teams heading into the summer and who I think the favorites will be for the title this coming season, as well as ranking the top 15 individual freshman recruits and transfer portal additions for the league.
First, lets take an early broad look at some of the comings and goings during the portal season to this point. Looking into the crystal ball heading into the 2024-25 basketball season, it would appear that Chattanooga, Wofford and Furman will all enter the season as solid favorites to compete for the league title once again, however, the order in which these are released doesn't necessarily reflect where I think each will finish, but more the fact that the three teams mentioned above were the top three of the four that competed in one of the two major postseason tournaments last March.
Part two of the article will take a look at Samford, East Tennessee State, VMI and UNC Greensboro and the final article of the three-part portal/recruiting update will take a look at Western Carolina, Mercer and The Citadel.
A fourth part of the article will sum up the previous three and give my early preseason thoughts and rankings heading into the remainder of the summer, as well as
Portaling
There have already been some significant departures from the SoCon thus far, with three players who played their basketball in the Volunteer State having already left the league, as well as having made known their new landing spot.
So far, the SoCon has lost its top offensive player, top defensive player and the nation's leader in three-pointers made to the transfer portal. ETSU's Quimari Peterson, who was named the SoCon's 2024-25 Player of the Year after leading the league by averaging a league-best 19.5 PPG, decided shortly after ETSU's quarterfinal setback to Wofford, that he was moving on to play his final season elsewhere.
Peterson recently announced that he would be continuing his career at Washington, as he will play his final season in the Big Ten. In fact the Bucs, who finished third in the SoCon this past season with a 19-13 overall record and a 12-6 record in SoCon play, lost the league's top two players, according to the SoCon's postseason awards.
Karon Boyd, who was named the SoCon's Defensive Player of the Year, decided to move on after spending two years in Johnson City. He will be playing his final season with the Wichita State Shockers, which plays in the American Athletic Conference. Boyd upgraded his conference by a little, but his move is more lateral and makes a little less sense than the one made by Peterson.
Boyd was one of the top rebounders in the SoCon this past season, especially on the offensive glass. His 2.90 offensive rebounds-per-game ranks him second in the SoCon and 60th in the nation. His value to Brooks Savage's squad over the past couple of seasons was almost immeasurable. Boyd was widely considered the top "glue guy" in the Southern Conference over the past couple of seasons.
ETSU actually played Wichita State this season, which was a return home of sorts for Jaden Seymour, who was in his final season of eligibility with the Bucs, as the Bucs suffered a 95-86 setback in December at Koch Arena.
Over at NIT Champion Chattanooga, there is the success story of Honor Huff, who finished his 2024-25 season as the nation's leader in three-pointers made (131), has also decided to move on for his final season as a college basketball player. Huff not only made a lot of three-pointers, but he also ranked 26th nationally in three-point (41.5%).
Since UTC's 85-84 win over UC Irvine in the NIT title game, Huff has announced where he will spend his final season of college basketball, as he will play for West Virginia and new head coach Ross Hodge. Huff made some absolutely clutch shots in Chattanooga's NIT run, with his memorable "call me" gesture in UTC's 80-73 win over Loyola-Chicago getting some national run.
The good news for Chattanooga is there are some significant pieces set to return this season, with guys big men Sean Cusano, Collin Mulholland, Makai Richards, and Latif Diouf all announcing recently that they would be returning for the 2025-26 season.
Even the team that won the SoCon Tournament--the Wofford Terriers--who retained the most scoring production in the Southern Conference coming into the season--finished out the season losing some significant returning pieces to the transfer portal, with both big man Jeremy Lorenz and guard Justin Bailey both announcing they would be on the move at the end of the season.
Also, the bizarre story of Chase Cormier finally was announced officially after the season after he announced shortly before that he was taking a redshirt year. Anthony Arrington Jr, who was a role player off the bench, also announced he was entering the transfer portal.
Bailey, who spent one season at Wofford after transferring in from USC Upstate, finished off his lone season on North Church Street averaging 9.6 PPG and shot an impressive 45.6% (57-of-125) from three-point range for the season.
Both Lorenz and Bailey have announced their future destinations, with Lorenz moving on to play for the Depaul Blue Demons next season, while Bailey has announced he will be spending the 2025-26 season playing in the SEC at the University of Georgia.
Belal El-Shakery, who was one of the more promising players on the roster in terms of improvement before suffering a season-ending injury just eight games into the season, announced he would be entering the transfer portal. Walk-on Don Douglas also announced he would be entering the portal.
A good talent base is back for head coach Dwight Perry, despite the losses, as guys like guards Kahmare Holmes and Luke Flynn along with an outstanding freshman class coming in should keep the Terriers in the upper echelon of the Southern Conference next season.
Samford, which finished fourth off its 2023-24 championship-winning season and was invited to play in the NIT after winning 22 games in 2024-25, not only lost almost all of its offensive production to the portal that it brought in during the off-season to the portal, it also lost its head coach, in Bucky McMillan, who moved on to become Texas A&M's newest head coach in 2025-26 after winning 99 games, two regular-season titles and a SoCon Tournament title in five seasons at Samford.
The Bulldogs, who officially announced their new head coach, Lennie Acuff recently, have the most work to do in the transfer portal. The Bulldogs will have to replace big man Jaden Brownell, guard Trey Fort, forward Riley Allenspach, guard Josh Holloway, forward Hamed "Larry" Olayinka, guard Lukas Walls, and guard Isaiah West have all hopped in the transfer portal, with the Bulldogs and new head coach Acuff easily having the most work ahead of them in the portal.
Guard Zion Wilburn and forward Caleb Harrison, who were both freshman this past season, have announced they would return to play for Acuff. Harrison initially announced he was entering the transfer portal but later decided to return to Samford. Among the more high-profile additions for the Bulldogs in the portal process is Dylan Faulkner, who comes over from Lipscomb and was a solid scorer in the paint before injuries limited him during the 2024-25 season.
As far as players having announced commitments, Jaden Brownell has announced he will be playing basketball for the USC Trojans in the 2025-26 season, while others have made visits but have not made official commitments.
Furman, which won 25 games and joined Chattanooga and Samford in the NIT this past March, finished fifth overall in the SoCon standings after posting an 11-7 record. Though it was the Paladins' second-straight season finishing the regular-season in fifth spot, made it to the title game for the third time in four years, however, would drop a 92-85 contest to No. 6 seed Wofford in the championship game.
With that said, Furman has had two announcements for the portal, although its likely that graduate senior PJay Smith Jr., won't win an appeal for an extra year of eligibility. The former NCAA Division II guard was outstanding in his senior season for the Paladins, averaging 17.6 PPG and ranked second in the SoCon and ranked tied for ninth nationally in total threes made with 111 triples. His 41.3% clip from long-range this past season ranked him just three places behind UTC's Huff nationally at 29th in the nation.
While Smith awaits his fate from the NCAA to see if he can try and play his final season at a high major, the only other scholarship player announcing a move to this point is freshman Tommy Humphries, who announced just after the season that he would be entering the transfer portal and moving on after playing a more limited role than expected after coming to the liberal arts school in Greenville, S.C., from Minneapolis, Minn. Humphries recently announced that he would be transferring to play for St. Thomas.
Furman, at least so far, has among the highest retention rates among the SoCon programs so far, with the Paladins announcing they would be bringing back forward Ben VanderWal, center Cooper Bowser, forward Davis Molnar, guard Tom House, guard Eddrin Bronson, and forward Charles Johnston have all announced they were back.
For the second season in a row, Furman will have to replace its top assistant coach, in Associate Head Coach Chad Warner, who has moved on to join Minnesota's Niko Medved next season. Warner was instrumental as an offensive coach since joining the staff prior to the 2022-23 season. The Paladins must also replace assistant Kip Owens, who spent one season at Furman before opting to join his former collegiate head coach
Like Furman, VMI and Western Carolina brought back a good amount of talent from last season, and were teams that didn't end up exploring much when it came to transfer portal additions during the portal window. With that said, both the Catamounts and Keydets were able to maintain most of their key pieces from last season, with WCU losing most of its offensive talent due to graduation rather than players transferring out.
For VMI, which should be picked in the upper half of the league next season, the major big departure from this season's team, which won 15 games, is Augustinas Kiudulas , who leveraged his one season in Lexington to land himself an upgrade in program for his junior season, as he is off to Colorado State.
As far as Ryan Ridder's first run through the portal season at Mercer, it's been solid so far, although the Bears will have to find replacements for scoring talent Ahmad Robinson, who finished the 2024-25, as well as the Bears' most talented scorer in the paint, in Alex Holt. One of the more high-profile additions made from the transfer portal during the spring was Kyle Cuffe Jr., who comes to Mercer from
For both Keydet and Catamount fans, it's been a nice change-up in that respect. Just like last year, I will take a look at all things portal, as I go through team-by-team first, and then at the end I will look at the teams I think that graded out the best during the portal season, while looking at the teams that I think were not-so-hot when it came to making transfer portal additions during the off-season.
Finally, just like a year ago, I'll rank the top 15 portal additions individually, and then give my super early preseason SoCon power poll heading into the 2025-26 season. The SoCon has been able to major some pretty massive portal losses over the past couple of seasons to maintain a ranking inside the top half of college basketball in terms league strength. It proves that much of the time the portal is not as much about the talent you bring in, as it is talent assessment and development of that program that fits a particular system.
No one develops talent better than...
If you look at the two programs that have managed that the best over the past two seasons, it's no secret that those two programs most would agree have the two top coaches in the SoCon, in Chattanooga and Furman. Chattanooga has really done the best job of any team collectively in the past two seasons, while Furman under Richey has seemingly gotten it right more of the the anyone in the league when it comes to talent evaluation and talent development.
Both Dan Earl and Bob Richey have had great success dipping into the NCAA Division II talent pool and not only bringing quality talent from that lower level and not only have those players been able to contribute as role players, but more often than not, those players brought up have developed into stars regardless of the fact that it's a step up in level of competition.
Earl and the Mocs leveraged one of the best seasons in program history by having a core group of players that were brought up from NCAA Division II that helped supplement both star guards Trey Bonham and Honor Huff and was enough to yield a SoCon regular-season title, as well as helping the Mocs become the first team in Southern Conference history to ever win the National Invitational Tournament in early April. Without Garrison Keeslar, Frank Champion, and Jack Kostel, the Mocs wouldn't have won the SoCon regular-season or NIT.
The two NCAA Division I transfers--graduate transfer Bash Wieland and Pacific transfer Makai Richards--were also equally important to the success by the Mocs, and when each came to the Scenic City, they were highly-decorated players at their previous programs, but at Chattanooga, they became both reliable and in-turn, Chattanooga as a team became dependant on the roles each player played within the season to be successful. Without either one, Chattanooga wouldn't have one anything, especially Richards, who had to step up in a major way after Champion's season and career prematurely ended with an injury just prior to the SoCon Tournament.
While Chattanooga and Earl have found incredible "fits" and assessed talent maybe better than any staff in the league, Furman's Richey has been something of an "old gangsta", or "OG". That's not only because Richey has been bringing in undiscovered hidden gems since he was a young assistant at Charleston Southern from 2006-11, bringing in five players that would almost immediately change the trajectory and history of that program, and not only that, helped add to a very limited tradition of success at the NCAA Division I program for the Bucs.
Richey had helped locate Jamarco Warren (1,968 career points, 2nd in CSU history), Saah Nimley (1,866 career points, 3rd in CSU history), and Arlon Harper. Richey's recruiting efforts had been crucial to the success.When I wrote an article nine years ago for mid-major madness as a profile sketch on Bob Richey as a Furman assistant, I found a very interesting quote by Niko Medved hidden within the article, and retrospectively and years later, it makes a lot of sense now as to why Medved, who just recently took his dream job at his alma mater Minnesota, said what he said. The quote is below.
"We are very fortunate that Bob decided to stay at Furman," said then head coach Niko Medved. Bob is a talented young coach and an outstanding recruiter. He has a gift for connecting with people and will be an intricate part of helping Furman basketball reach new heights."
In this quote is noticeable that Furman was a program that would have been easy to leave at that time in its history, and yes, Medved had to decide that Richey is one of the guys he first wanted to retain from Jeff Jackson's staff at Furman, but also that Richey had other opportunities waiting on him. I know of at least one mid-major program in the Palmetto State that offered him more money and was and is still a better program throughout its history than Furman, however, Richey chose to stay.
Richey's ability to recruit and evaluate talent has come through time and time again and so much so that it's becoming almost comical to ask how Furman is ever going to replace its outgoing scoring and star talent. That was never more true than last season when the Paladins had 70% of their scoring leave via the portal.
I'll never forget how Earl found Jake Stephens and offered him his only NCAA Division I opportunity and developed that guy into not only a mid-major star, but a player with NBA potential when absolutely every other coach passed on the Bunker Hill, West Virginia product.
That can also be said of Furman's Richey, who developed Jalen Slawson out a small private school in North Charleston (Pinewood Prep), who had more attention than Stephens did out of high school, but it was a tall reach to ever see Slawson being an NBA Draft pick after playing a total of 19 minutes as a true freshman, finishing the season with more fouls than points.
The rest of Slawson's career at Furman speaks for itself, as the unrefined talent would find his niche and would develop at a rapid pace under Richey and staff.
On the heels of Furman's 2023 Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles, Slawson would become the first SoCon player drafted into the NBA since Steph Curry in 2009 when he was the 54th pick of the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. He would be the first Paladin drafted to the NBA in almost four decades, and first since George Singleton in 1984.
Significant SoCon Production Lost To Portal:
Quimari Peterson (ETSU-to-Washington)
Karon Boyd (ETSU-to-Wichita State)
Kenyon Giles (UNCG-to-Wichita State)
Donovan Atwell (UNCG-to-Texas Tech)
Honor Huff (Chattanooga-to-West Virginia)
Trey Fort (Samford-to-Michigan State)
Jaden Brownell (Samford-to-Southern Cal)
Justin Bailey (Wofford-to-Georgia)
Jeremy Lorenz (Wofford-to-Depaul)
Augustinas Kiudulas (VMI-to-Colorado State)
Notable Outgoing Talent Due To Being Out of Eligibility:
Nick Anderson (Furman)
PJay Smith Jr. (Furman)
Garrett Hien (Furman)
Trey Bonham (Chattanooga)
Kyler Filewich (Wofford)
Corey Tripp (Wofford)
Alex Holt (Mercer)
Jaden Seymour (ETSU)
Bernard Pelote (Western Carolina)
Team-by-Team Portal Updates and Grades: (1-3 Chattanooga, Furman and Wofford)
1. Chattanooga (29-9, 15-3 SoCon/SoCon Regular-Season Champions and NIT Champions)
--When Dan Earl came to Chattanooga, he knew he'd have to go about figuring out the transfer portal in a really quick fashion, but he probably never thought the NIL/transfer portal era would ever become as chaotic as it has over the past couple of seasons.
Entering the 2024-25 season, Earl and staff gave the appearance of being wily veterans of the portal, and the Mocs approach has been one undertaken by a handful of other successful mid-major programs, and that is accomplished players at the lower levels an opportunity to not only play at the NCAA Division I level, but giving players the chance to step in and play a meaningful role almost immediately.
Every one of Chattanooga's portal additions from this past season ended up being a success, and that success has probably been a model that more around the country will look to capture within their own programs.
With that said, all three of UTC's lower division additions were seniors, and they must be replaced in the immediate. Add to that the fact that both Honor Huff is leaving the program to spend his final season at West Virginia, while Trey Bonham has also moved on.
The good news is that the program prestige is now to a level at which it has become a program that is sought out by other players in the portal rather than the ones having to do a lot of the seeking.
The Mocs, despite the major offensive losses, have got a loyal core of players returning to the fold, and that should ensure Chattanooga is among the favorites to claim the Southern Conference title once again next season. Of particular not are the players returning in the frontcourt for the 2025-26 season, which showed strong progression as the season moved forward, with Collin Mulholland, Sean Cusano and Makai Richards all making a strong impact on winning in the Scenic City this past season.
There was at least one unforseen departure, however, with 6-7 forward Isaiah Otyaluk deciding to enter the transfer portal--a player that Earl had had high hopes for. All told, the Mocs will bid farewell to a total of 11 different players, who have either moved on due to graduation or to the transfer portal.
Another loss that might have seemed a little shocking if you would have mentioned that he would move on after things not panning out in the Scenic City would be rangy wing guard Noah Melson, who had showed so much promise last season to have seen his playing time dwindle like it did this season.
Melson, I would imagine, will end up having a pretty solid career and showed some flashes in his short time in a UTC Mocs uniform, with a 2024 win at ETSU being one of the prime examples of that. His effort in a win at Alabama A&M early in the season was also another, however, losing his place in the rotation along with battling an injury would prove to be enough to send him into the portal.
Most of the losses for the Mocs though, weren't totally unexpected. The additions the Mocs have made so far in the transfer portal have also been especially noteworthy.
The Mocs picked up one of the earliest portal committments when they added former VMI guard Brennan Watkins, who spent last season in exile from the SoCon, which will allow his immediate eligibility in 2025-26. Watkins, who was originally recruited and signed by Dan Earl during his final season in Lexington, is an accomplished scorer and perimeter threat. The rising senior guard saw his numbers take a dip and his role diminish during his only season in Fargo, as he would end up finishing the season averaging 6.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG.
He ended up playing a key role for an NDSU team that finished the season with 21 wins and was a team that was among the most prolific in the nation when it came to shooting the three. Unlike his previous season at VMI, which saw him serve a role as being one of the team's primary scorers, he wouldn't be asked to do that in Fargo. He ended the season shooting a solid 36% (39-of-109) from three-point range and enjoyed his best outing of the season against St. Thomas out of Minnesota, as he posted 18 points in an 89-85 home loss to the Tommies in the conference opener.
All told, Watkins would end up posting double-figure scoring performances in a total of six games during the season. The 6-0 guard from Kearney, MO., ended up playing primarily point guard for the Bison last season, and finished second on the team in total assists, with 84 helpers on the season (2.9 APG). He will add both experience and shooting acumen to the Mocs backcourt for the upcoming season.
His most productive season as a college basketball came a year earlier at VMI, as he finished the season averaging 15.2 PPG to lead the Keydets in scoring, but suffered an injury that would severely limit him in the final month of the regular-season. In addition to his team-leading scoring average for the Keydets, he would also add 3.0 assists-per-game and knocked down 47 three-pointers.
Jordan Frison and Teddy Washington Jr. will also be competing for time at point guard along with Watkins, as all three should give the Mocs a good talent base and good depth at the position. An added bonus is also each has complimentary strengths, making the Mocs especially versatile according to who is in the game at that particular time.
Frison comes to UTC from NCAA Division II Pittsburg State and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Frison will give the Mocs an element of quickness and scoring ability that they had with Trey Bonham. The 6-0, 170-lb guard from Memphis, TN., will now return to his home of the Volunteer State.
Frison ended the 2024-25 season leading the Gorillas in scoring average, as he finished the season averaging 18.4 PPG and averaged a team-leading 6.1 APG. Frison finished the season as the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year. About the only thing Frison struggled to do last season was shoot the three, finishing the season connecting on just 30.3% (33-of-109) from long range during the 2024-25 season.
Washington Jr. comes to Chattanooga from Southeast Missouri St (SEMO) and Chattanooga will mark the third stop in career as a college basketball player. He spent time at SEMO last season and prior to that, he was at Texas A&M Corpus-Christi for three years. He will have one year of eligibility remaining when he arrives at UTC.
The 6-2, 175-lb point guard comes off a 2024-25 season which saw him average 13.9 PPG and 5.5 APG. He was also a solid perimeter threat during the 2024-25 season, connecting on 38.6% (58-of-201) from long range. He enjoyed his stop game of the 2024-25 season in a contest against SIU Edwardsville, posting 28 points, seven rebounds and five steals.
Washington also had 28 points in a SEMO win over Eastern Illinois, and posted 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals against Chattanooga in a 79-72 loss this past season. That was enough for the Chattanooga staff to come calling shortly after Washington entered the transfer portal. Washington finished the season as a first-team All-OVC selection, as well as being a selected to the league's All-Newcomer team.
He started 22 of 32 games for SEMO this past season. Washington is great penetrating off the dribble and is good shooting from the perimeter coming off dribble handoffs and screens, but maybe the most underrated part of his game is what he will give the Mocs as an on-ball defender and should instantly be one of the SoCon's better defensive guards.
The Mocs also made a
couple of good additions to their roster at the shooting guard positions, as
both Jikari Johnson and Billy Smith will both be a big part of the plans
for the 2025-26 Mocs. Both come to the Scenic City as accomplished scorers, with
Johnson coming to Chattanooga after having played a majority of his career at a
lower level, beginning with JUCO and then playing at both Division III Ferrum
College and last season Division II Trevecca Nazarene, and will now get his
opportuinity to play at the NCAA Division I level with his one season of
eligibility remaining.
Johnson, a 6-4
shooting guard, has been successful at every level and he will look to close
his career strong with Earl's Mocs. He's also the exact type of player that can
excel within Earl's system.
Last season playing
for head coach Kevin Carroll at Trevecca Nazarene at the NCAA Division II level,
Johnson finished the season averaging 20.9 PPG and 5.0 APG, while shooting 41%
from three-point range last season. No matter the level in his career, Johnson
has found a way to excel. He is an outstanding shooter with good athleticism and
will give the Mocs a versatile scoring threat that can score at all three
levels, while also being solid on the defensive end of the floor. He finished
the season leading the Trojans with 81 made three-point field goals last
season.
Johnson enjoyed his
best outing of the season against Valdosta State in what was a 96-84 loss for
the Trojans, posting 36 points on a 13-of-24 shooting performance, which
included a 4-for-11 effort from three-point land.
Bellarmine gave Chattanooga Bash Wieland last
season, and Wieland ended up being one of the Mocs’ best “gets” from the transfer
portal, and this time around, the Mocs found another player from the Louisville-based
school that recently made the transition to the NCAA Division I level, picking
up another shooting guard, in 6-7 shooting guard Billy Smith. Smith averaged 14.0
PPG , 2.8 RPG, and 2.6 APG during the 2024-25 campaign with the Knights.
Smith saw his
three-point field goals more than double from his sophomore campaign to his junior
season, as he connected on 36 deep balls in his first season with the Knights,
while finishing his second season in the program with 77 long-range efforts,
connecting a solid 38.7% (77-of-199) clip from long range. He shot a solid 37.3%
(113-of-303) from long-range in his two seasons with the Knights. He started
his career at Miami of Ohio before transferring to Bellarmine prior to the
2023-24 season.
The rising senior
shooting guard enjoyed his best career game in an 86-82 loss by the Knights to
Ball State in mid-December last season, as posted 33 points on an 11-of-15
shooting effort, which included an impressive 6-for-8 effort on shots beyond the
three-point arc.
The latest addition in UTC's foray into the transfer portal was to find another skilled player that would try and mimic the type of role that Garrison Keeslar and to a large extent, Bash Wieland were able to play for the Mocs this past season, and Dan Earl not only was able to do that, but he might have even been able to consolidate the skillset that both Wieland and Keeslar gave the Mocs in their respective roles this past season, and do so in one player, with the addition of 6-6 forward Sebastian Hartman from Eastern Washington.
Freshman Additions:
Chattanooga ended up
signing three players out of high school, which includes a pair of shooting guards
and a power forward. Tate Darner is a 6-4 shooting guard out of Santa Fe Catholic
School in Lakeland, FL, where he was a three-star recruit coming out of high
school, according to verbalcommits.com.
The Darner name might
be somewhat familiar to SoCon basketball fans, who have followed the league for
some years, as his uncle, Tige Darner, played four years at Appalachian State,
where he was an accomplished player for the Mountaineers from 1994-98 for both
Buzz Peterson and first for Tom Apke.
Tate’s father, Linc
Darner, is the head coach of NCAA Division II member Tampa after a five-year stint
as the head coach at Green Bay, where he led the Phoenix to the 2016 NCAA
Tournament.
Darner is both a
prolific scorer and an elite shooter and is ranked as one of the top shooting
guards coming out of the state of Sunshine State. Darner chose Chattanooga
among nine offers he held during the recruiting process, choosing to play for
the Mocs over programs like Jacksonville, Stetson, Youngstown State, Dartmouth,
North Florida, Upstate and Boston University.
Darner stands a chance
to contribute this season in some capacity, but likely with the other additions
made by Chattanooga during the portal recruiting season, will likely redshirt.
The Mocs also added even
more depth at point guard back in the fall signing period by bringing in another
shooting guard, in 6-2 Zach Bleshboy out of Pope High School in Marietta, GA. Like
Darner, Bleshboy comes to Chattanooga with some impressive credentials and
comes from one of the top recruiting hotbeds in the country, in the Atlanta-Metro
area, and he possesses the versatility to play either point guard or off the
ball.
Heading into his
senior season, Bleshboy was ranked as the 20th best prospect in the
Peach State, including being ranked as the fourth-best point guard in the
entire state. Bleshboy chose Chattanooga over 11 offers he held coming out of
high school, choosing the Mocs over programs like Boston University, Kennesaw
State, NJIT, Murray State, Southern Illinois, Towson, Boston and Ohio University.
Like Darner, Bleshboy ranks as a three-star recruit and stands a better chance
of seeing court time this season because of his versatility, but like Darner,
will likely redshirt.
A player that will likely not redshirt now due to Isaiah Ityaluk transferring out of the program is Chattanooga third early signee back in November—6-9 power forward Joshua Bowman out of Huntsville, AL. Bowman played his prep basketball at Huntsville High School.
Bowman was more of a late-bloomer during his prep career, having an
outstanding senior season, as he saw both minutes and offensive production
increase. A good athlete and improving perimeter threat that has the potential
to be a good defensive performer in the post for the Mocs, which could see him
contribute minutes sooner rather than later for UTC.
Early 2025-26 Outlook:
 |
| Chattanooga Center Collin Mulholland |
With five regulars returning to the fold, with much of that core talent residing in the post, with the return of guys like Collin Mulholland, Sean Cusano, Makai Richards and Latif Diouf are set to give the Mocs one of the top front courts in the Southern Conference heading into next season.
Though Frank
Champion’s injury just prior to the Southern Conference Tournament might have,
on the surface, looked like a negative, in the long run it is likely going to
pay off as a very big positive for Chattanooga, as you can’t put a price on the
kind of experience guys like Mullholland, Cusano, Diouf and Richards were all
able to get as a result, playing in high-stakes games, first in the Southern
Conference Tournament, then in the NIT, as the Mocs made their historic run through
the tournament.
For a guy like Mulholland,
who finished the 2024-25 season averaging 6.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG, his game
seemingly saw a significant rise in two games in the Southern Conference
Tournament and all five in the NIT. The player they refer to as “Big Maple”
ended the campaign seeing action in 36 of 38 games, including making five
starts, posting six double-figure scoring performances on the season, with half
of those coming in postseason games.
His 19-point effort in the NIT Championship Game win over UC Irvine came up huge, and without Big Maple, the Mocs don’t even win game one of the tournament at Middle Tennessee State. That’s because “Big Maple” scored a career-high 21 points in UTC’s 109-103 triple overtime win over the Blue Raiders. He contributed a strong 19 points in the championship game against the UC Irvine Anteaters, which was a game that saw the Anteaters purposefully playing off the redshirt freshman big man, and eventually, in some big moments, Big Maple would make UC Irvine pay.
It certainly wasn't his best shooting performance from the perimeter of the season for the big red head from the perimeter, but his 5-for-17 performance from long range in the championship game was just enough to make the Anteaters pay in the championship game.
For the season, Mulholland continued to improve his shooting from beyond the arc, and in that way, he's very comparable to Jake Stephens early in his career at VMI, who continued to perfect his shooting and threat as a lethal shooter from beyond the arc. Mulholland would complete the season a solid 35.2% (31-of-88) from long range.
In the crucial win over the Blue Raiders in the NIT, Mulholland ended finishing that contest by connecting on 6-of-10 shots from the field, including a 3-for-7 from three-point range. Like Keeslar, Mulholland was a bit of an underrated passer this past season, and I think he also did a great job taking care of the basketball this past season, posting 51 assists and only 27 turnovers.
Sean Cusano showed flashes for the Mocs during the 2024-25 season, and after spending almost the entire 2023-24 season injured, he would come up in some big moments for Chattanooga this past season. All told, Cusano would log time in 38 games, with four starts this past season. He finished the season with four double figure scoring performances, which included a season-high 16-point effort in UTC's 20-point win over NAIA Johnson University. He finished the game going 5-for-7 from the field, which included a 2-for-2 effort from three-point land.
Cusano would finish out his second season in a Mocs uniform by shooting 29.9% (20-of-67) from three-point land, while shooting 45.0% (58-of-129) from the field for the season. Like Mulholland, I expect to see Cusano's game to also reach a higher level come next season.
Makai Richards is another player that ended up showing a huge upside, and as he got more comfortable with time in the lineup, you could tell he was developing into a pretty polished player that stands a great chance to perhaps even challenge for a starting spot in the upcoming season. That remains to be seen, however, but he does give the Mocs an element of physicality and toughness underneath the basket, and he's also decent athletically.
Richards will have one season of eligibility after transferring into Chattanooga prior to the start of the 2024-25 season. Like Mulholland, the 6-10, 225-lb big man was especially big for the Mocs after Champion went out of the lineup with a season-ending knee injury just prior to the Southern Conference Tournament.
Richards raised more than a few eyebrows with his
early-season performance against one of the perennial mid-major powers, in St.
Mary’s, as the Pacific transfer would end up posting a season-high 19 points in
what was an 86-74 loss to the Gaels. Richards would go 8-of-12 from the field,
which included finishing the contest with one of his two made three-pointers on
the season, as he finished 1-for-1 from long range.
As the season progressed, his role would end up reaching into the
double-figure scoring column three more times during the season, posting 17
points in a solid win over Bryant, while finishing out the postseason with two
more double-figure scoring efforts, posting 10 points in the SoCon Tournament
quarterfinal win over Mercer, and added 10 points in UTC’s NIT semifinal win
over Loyola-Chicago. Richards will return as a key piece to the puzzle for Dan
Earl’s team in 2025-26, and his role and minutes increased during the
postseason with the injury to Champion. He will be a viable building block for
the Chattanooga frontcourt moving forward into next season.
Another player with tremendous upside in the frontcourt heading into the
2025-26 season is Latif Diouf.
Like Richards, Diouf would see his role increase as the season progressed
and then met with some adversity with a minor injury, however, would return
late in the season to have an impact on Dan Earl’s winning formula.
The 6-9, 240-lb true freshman from Gouda, Netherlands started out the
season as being one of the impact players in the paint for the Mocs while
Champion worked his way back from an injury.
Diouf would start the first nine games of the season and would log action in a total of 31 games with nine starts, and showed a very high skill level in his action on the floor this season. His passing skills are exceptional; however, he needs to work on improving his perimeter shooting during the off-season. He enjoyed his best scoring performance in the second game of the season against St. Mary’s, posting eight points in 20 minutes of action. Diouf finished the season averaging 3.1 PPG and 2.6 RPG, while posting an impressive overall field goal percentage of 63.8% (60-of-94) for the season.
I also look for Diouf to make a dedicated effort to improve his perimeter shooting during the off-season, as he displayed the ability to have a pretty good mid-range jumper in his first season with the Mocs after moving into the program from Pacific last spring.
Overall, the quartet of players returing in the front court for the 2025-26 season should rank among the SoCon's top front courts next season.
UTC's core group underneath understands what it takes to win, and the portal additions made by Dan Earl fit his system and though it's still relatively early in the spring, I would venture to guess that the Mocs have added enough scoring and shooting to ensure they will once again be a contender for the SoCon regular-season title, as well as being in the mix for the Southern Conference Tournament crown--the one real goal that eluded Chattanooga last season. The thing that is exciting about this group added during the transfer portal window are better than the shooters the Mocs added last season in the transfer portal window.
The Mocs, who routinely rank among the best nationally in three-point field goals made, attempted, as well as efficiency, were again impressive last season, despite not being quite as impressive from top-to-bottom as a shooting basketball team last season, knocking down 372 long-range efforts last season, as the Mocs were once again in the Top 10 nationally in three-pointers made for the season, as well as being second behind only Furman in threes made (380) last season.
Starters Lost: (5)--G-Trey Bonham (eligibility up), G-Honor Huff (transferred to West Virginia), F-Garrison Keeslar (eligibility up), F-Bash Wieland (eligibility Up), F-Frank Champion (eligibility up)
Others Lost: (5)--G-Jack Kostel (out of eligibility), G-Noah Melson (transferred out to Fairleigh Dickinson), F-Isaiah Otalyuk (transferred to Drury), F-Frank Champion (out of eligibiliy), G/F--Bash Wieland (out of eligbility)
Best Returning Player: C-Collin Mulholland
Potential Breakout Player in 2024-25: F-Latif Diouf
Best Transfer Portal Get: G-Terry Washington Jr. (SEMO)
Best Freshman Addition: G-Tate Darner
Overall Portal/Recruiting Synopsis and Grade: A
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| Furman Center Cooper Bowser |
2. Furman (25-10, 11-7/5th in SoCon/NIT Participant)
In many ways, Bob Richey's Furman Paladins will enter the new season with far less question marks than they encountered a year ago, which is easy to say after the Paladins had to replace 70.8% of their scoring during the off-season a year ago.
However, with that said, head coach Bob Richey and his staff might have done their best to date of replacing that scoring lost, as well as show the rest of the league just how good not only they were at recruiting talent to a system, but also adding lower-level talent and developing that talent in-season.
It wasn't as if the sharp-shooting Nick Anderson (Barry) or big man with a good a good touch from the arc, Charles Johnston (Cal State Monterrey Bay) were the first NCAA Division II additions the Paladins have made in recent seasons, either, as both Conley Garrison and now, PJay Smith Jr., have also joined Anderson as having made a huge impact of Paladin basketball. Both Anderson and Smith Jr. would close out their careers by teaming to form one of the best shooting guard tandems for one season in Furman basketball history, as the two were among the nation's best perimeter shooters for the entire basketball season, as the duo finished the season connecting on a combined
Though the Paladins ultimately had what could best be described as a roller-coaster season, the Paladins in the end, would prove to be that team we all saw ball out throughout the non-conference slate, racing out to 13 wins in their first 14 games this season. As one might in a league as tough as the Southern Conference, things would eventually even out and the Paladins would meet with adversity as the season wore on.
After all, even good teams do that. In the end, however, the non-conference run by Furman proved not to be a fluke, as the Paladins won six of their final eight games, including four-straight down the stretch of the regular-season to capture the fifth-place spot in the league standings just as they had last season.
When Furman knocked off heavy favorite and regular-season champion Chattanooga, 80-77 OT, in one of the two Southern Conference semifinal matchups, the Paladins looked to be well on their way back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years after having not made it for 43.
However, facing off against lower-seeded and battle-tested Wofford in the SoCon Tournament Championship game would be ulitamately a bridge too far for the Paladins, as the more experieneced and less-portal happy Terriers won the title game for the first time in six years, knocking off Furman, 92-85, in what was a banger of a league title game.
Still, the 25 wins for the Paladins were enough to get Furman an at-large invite to a postseason tournament with some prestige attached to it, as the Paladins were one of three mid-major programs from the SoCon chosen to participate, joining regular-season champion and eventual NIT Champion Chattanooga and 2023-24 defending SoCon Champion Samford.
Chattanooga knew it was going to the nation's oldest college basketball tournament (NIT) before even beginning the Southern Conference Tournament, due to a high enough metric ranking in several categories, which gave the Mocs enough to meet a certain criteria and ultimately they would have somewhere to play if things didn't go as expected in Asheville, which is exactly what ultimately ended up happening.
Samford, which Furman defeated three times during the season, including once more for good measure by 17 in Asheville, had no idea they might be selected for an invite to the NIT, with some of the Bulldogs' players having to prematurely return from vacation to board a plane in time to face a good George Mason team in Fairfax.
Furman had a big road test in the opening round as well, taking on 2023 NIT Champion North Texas in Denton. Though the Paladins fought hard and even led the game at the half, but ended up falling to the eventual NIT Final Four qualifiers, 75-64. It was a great deal better than Samford, which won an impressive 22 games off its school-record 29-win season a year earlier, as the Bulldogs were soundly beaten at the hands of the George Mason Patriots, 87-69, in Fairfax.
The Paladins will return seven scholarship players for the 2025-26 season, and though those players aren't really regarded as big offensive threats, or at least they weren't this past season and also weren't really called upon to be those types of players. In the past, this same question has been asked multiple times during Bob Richey's career as head coach, and yet Furman has always seemingly had that "next man up" mentality with each passing season.
This season, Furman will have to have that, "next man up" attitude once again, as the Paladins will have to replace their top two scorers from the 2024-25 and overall, in PJay Smith Jr. (17.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.9 APG) and Nick Anderson (14.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.3 APG), however, it was far different a situation at this point in the late spring a year ago than it is currently.
The sharp-shooting guard duo connected on 207 of the team's league-leading 380 triples last season, or just over half the team's three-point field goals, connecting on a combined 54.4% of Furman's made three-pointers. The Paladins finished the season ranking sixth in the country in threes made-per-game (10.9) and finished the 2025 SoCon Tournament by making 42 triples in three games, which was just one off of Chattanooga's tournament record of 43 made threes in the 2023 edition, which it did over the course of four games.
There is far less worry this summer, as there are more answers returning than questions to be asked and glib assumptions of doom and gloom to be made. While there is some question in terms of perimeter scoring, it's a far cry from losing 70.8% of production like head coach Bob Richey and staff were faced with doing last off-season.
It still is, however, a significant chunk of points the Paladins must replace, as almost 40 PPG of scoring production between three of the four seniors have moved on, in Smith, Anderson and center Garrett Hien, as Anderson and Smith combined to average 32.2 PPG between the two of them alone.
With guys like Cooper Bowser, Ben VanderWal and Charles Johnston returning in the paint, like Chattanooga, Furman should have one of the front courts in the Southern Conference for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Bowser is the player that should take a major step forward this coming season and will likely head into the season as an all-conference candidate. The 6-11 rising junior from Woodbridge, VA., finished off the 2024-25 season averaging 8.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG, while leading the SoCon in total blocks last season, swatting away 1.6 shots-per-game. Bowser shot an impressive 64.6% from the field this past season, which ranked him third overall in the Southern Conference in field goal percentage last season.
Bowser is Furman's leading returning scorer coming into the season, and finished the 2024-25 season with some outstanding performances, with a couple of those coming against the league's defending champion, Samford. In both regular-season games against the Bulldogs this past season, Bowser finished with 21 and 16 points, respectively, against Samford.In Furman's 72-70 win over Samford in late January, Bowser finished the game with 21 points on a perfect 8-for-8 in the contest, which also included a solid 5-for-7 effort from the charity stripe in the win and ended up being one of his better performances from the free throw line of the season.
One of the areas that Bowser will likely look to improve during the off-season is being more of a presence in the mid-range game, and if he develops a consistent mid-range jumper, he would easily be the top big man in the Southern Conference heading into the 2025-26 season.
If you're looking for perhaps Furman's most important and most well-rounded player heading into the 2025-26 season, then you should look no further than 6-7 forward Ben VanderWal (). VanderWal and Davis Molnar are the lone two remaining holdovers from that team that won the SoCon title three years ago, but VanderWal is the only one that saw minutes returning off that team.
He will be a key leader for the Paladins in the upcoming season. In many ways, the only thing holding VanderWal back from being just a good player to being a great one in this league is his shooting ability. If the senior from Elmhurst, Ill., ever gets that part of his game figured out, he is easily an all-league player.
He was a good shooter from both the mid-range and perimeter in high school but has lost confidence in his shot since beginning his play at the NCAA Division I level. But as head coach Bob Richey has said so many times throughout VanderWal's time on campus, he has winning DNA. When VanderWal played more than 23 minutes per game last season, the Paladins were nearly unbeatable with something like an 85% winning percentage.
He does the little things well, and that has been enough to make up for his lack of shooting ability from the perimeter. He's also not a great foul shooter, finishing the 2024-25 season as just a 52.6% shooter from the charity stripe. He also finished just 4-of-22 (18.2%) from three-point range this past season after connecting a 16-for-58 (27.6%) clip in his very first season with the Paladins.
In the 2024-25 season, VanderWal averaged 5.7 PPG and a career-best 5.5 RPG. VanderWal ended up being most vital on the offensive glass, as well as being a solid defender and is good at cutting to the basket with elite athleticism. VanderWal has a chance to have a big senior season for the Paladins in 2025-26.
He finished his junior campaign posting double-figure scoring efforts on four occasions last season, including posting a season career high in a Paladin win over Montreat, as he finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in what was a 100-75 win for the Paladins. VanderWal's top performance of the season was perhaps in a loss, as he posted 15 points and 12 rebounds in a loss at VMI.
VanderWal is an example of perseverance and after coming to Furman as one of the most highly touted players out of the state of Illinois, it would have been easy to transfer out and look for a new beginning, which seems to be all the craze in this day and age.
If Furman is going to have a chance at winning a title this season, it's going to have a lot to do with the impact that VanderWal has in his senior season. I expect his offensive numbers will go up this season, and dare I say, he might even be a factor on the perimeter, although at this point, that would just be a bonus as to what he already adds to the mix with that "winning DNA."
Charles Johnston's impact as a evolving big man in the paint this season will present even more challenges for the opposition to account for. We found out how good of a shooter the player from down under was last season, and he showed that from the very outset of the season against, delivering a 25-point scoring performance in an early-season win over Jacksonville last season.
In that contest, Johnston finished the contest by connecting on 8-of-9 shots from the field, which included an impressive 4-for-5 effort from three-point range. However, after solid performances at home against Wofford and on the road at VMI, which both were losses for the Paladins, Johnston would hit a bit of a shooting slump. He would miss 19 of his next 22 efforts from three-point land following a 5-for-10 effort in a loss at VMI.
Fortunately for Bob Richey and the Paladins, Johnston would find his shooting touch back just in time for the Southern Conference Tournament, going 5-for-7 from three-point range in games against Chattanooga and Wofford in the tourney.
Johnston has only played basketball for five years, which is remarkable when you really think about how much he already has a good grasp of as a player and how much room he has for improvement over his final two seasons at Furman. One thing you almost hear in unison about the 6-11 forward is that he has a magnetic personality and is a great locker room leader.
Though he will be just a junior next season and has only one year under his belt in the program, he will be looked to as one of the leaders for this team moving forward. He is an emotional leader on the floor as well, which we've seen come up big time in a positive fashion, with Jordan Lyons probably coming to mind the most in that respect from recent memory.
Though he's still learning the sport, it's easy to see that he has plenty of skill that can be honed and developed over the next couple of seasons by the Paladin staff.
One of the things that hindered him in his first season with the Paladins were nagging knee and foot issues, and that placed him on a bit of a minute's restriction throughout non-conference play to save him as much as possible for when league play commenced.
Ironically, it was some of those non-conference games that ended up being some of Johnston's better performances. Like Bowser, coaches will look to develop strength and a more refined game around the basket, and he might even be a little ahead of the game as a mid-range shooter because that is where he has expertise.
Aside from his performance in the early, 78-69, win over Jacksonville last season, Johnston also added a solid eight points off the bench in a key road win over FGCU, and also added six points in 12 minutes off the bench in a big road win over Harvard in Furman's final non-conference game. He carried that performance over to Southern Conference play, as he posted 17 points and seven rebounds in Furman's 29-point win at Western Carolina to open Southern Conference play.
Johnston would also add his first double-double performance in Furman's 91-82 road loss at VMI in late January, as the big Aussie added 18 points and 11 rebounds. There is also the thought that he is skilled enough as a passer to help put him to a similar role as Garrett Hien has been over the past couple of seasons since Jalen Slawson has graduated, but there is still some improvements to be made in terms of fundamentals and overall skill before that might be a reality.
The biggest area that you could really see Johnston affect the season and learn more and more as the season progressed was on the defensive end in of the floor, and he came up big in late-season road wins in that area against Samford and Wofford, affecting the game by using his size and wingspan to get into passing lanes and make ball deflections.
If he could be a somewhat consistent shot-blocker around the basket along with Bowser, it would be an added bonus. It will be interesting to see how much the Paladins might utilize Johnston's assets in a 1-3-1 zone, much the same as the Paladins did late last season.
This past season, Johnston finished the campaign by averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG last season, while shooting 42.7% from the field and 38.8% (33-of-85) from three-point range. The coaching staff will likely hope that Johnston can be more of an impact player on the backboards this coming season after being one of NCAA Division II's top rebounders in 2023-24, ranking fifth nationally in the nation in rebounding average (10.7) in his lone season at Cal State Monterrey Bay.
Davis Molnar will add another glue guy to the fold, and his experience and know-how were key in some games in conference play last season. When he was in the game, good things seemed to happen. Molnar finished the 2024-25 season by averaging 3.5 PPG and 2.7 RPG, as he saw action 33 of 35 games for the 'Dins last season. Molnar brings a physical edge off the bench and gives the Paladins some grit and toughness in the paint.
Rounding out the front court for the Paladins heading into the 2024-25 season is Mason Smith--a player that head coach Bob Richey and staff expect to take some big steps in a positive direction this season, and could end up being one of the elite shooters in the Southern Conference before his time is finished with the Paladins.
Smith is a 6-7, 200-lb rising sophomore that came to Furman with some high marks out of Davidson Day School, and the Paladins recruited Smith hard only to see him commit to Greg Gary at Mercer initially. However, when Mercer fired Gary, the Paladins were the beneficiaries of Mercer's administration deciding to go in a different direction, as Smith decided to commit to Furman.
Smith was given some opportunities to find his way into a regular spot into the rotation early on in the season, however, he couldn't really find his way into his a regular-spot, and part of that was the adjustment to the collegiate level, as well as for a really good shooter, which I think Smith absolutely is. He is one of the top shooters on Furman's team, although it might not have shown as much last season. Smith ended up logging action in 17 games this past season for the Paladins, and he would end up showing glimpses as a shooter throughout the season.
He would end up connecting on 18 field goals in his rookie season with the Paladins, with 10 (10-of-39/25.6%) of those coming from long range.
Smith scored in double figures in a pair of games against lower competition, as he would post 11 points in the season opener against Columbia International, while he would post 20 points in a win over Ogelthorpe. In those two games, Smith would connect on 6-of-15 from three-point range and was a combined 12-of-24 from the field in both of those double-figure scoring performances.
In the other 15 games Smith would log action in for the Paladins last season, he would finish a combined 6-of-29 from the field, which included a 4-of-15 mark from long range. Part of the adjustment for Smith will be to get in the weight room and change his body a little, but the good news is the extra bonus is that he is athletic enough to be a versatile player and take the ball to the rack.
For me, I expect Smith to have maybe a progression similar to Marcus Kell at some point in his career when the minutes allow for it and if he ends up sticking around this season, however, I am not really sure if that "Kell-like" progression will come this upcoming season or more likely the 2026-27 season.
While Furman looks to be up there with Chattanooga and maybe Samford in terms of being the best in the SoCon early-season outlook with everything still fluid and portal additions still to be made, the Paladins also appear to be in good shape in the backcourt, depending on how you look at it.
Yes, they lost a great deal of talent and scoring with the graduation of both Nick Anderson and PJay Smith Jr., however, what is also evident that some solid talent has stuck around during the off-season, and as we've seen in the past at Furman under Bob Richey, Paladin guards typically take a major jump in year two with the program.
That was true with past players in the Furman program, going all the way back to even a guy like Devin Sibley, who was recruited by Bob Richey as an assistant under Niko Medved, and while he was the SoCon Freshman of the Year in 2014-15, his game would really reach new heights as a sophomore, and by the time he was a junior in the 2016-17 season, when Sibley would become the second Paladin in a row to be named SoCon Player of the Year.
Even Stephen Croone was that way--a player that Richey located and was able to to convince to stay committed to Furman through a coaching transition after Jeff Jackson was fired and Niko Medved was hired--and while Croone was good in year one, which was the 2012-13 season, his progression in year two saw him become an elite scorer in the league, as evidenced by becoming the first Paladin in 41 years to accomplish that feat in a single performance.
The trend would continue with Jordan Lyons, who really came into his own as a player in year three in the program, making a huge leap in his offensive numbers from year two to year three, as he saw his scoring average improve by 8.0 PPG.
Mike Bothwell had two major leaps as a player in his career, with the first coming from year one to year two, increasing his points per game average by almost 7.0 PPG, and then from year two to year three, Bothwell went from averaging 11.0 PPG to almost 16 per outing.
JP Pegues' over the final month-and-a-half of his sophomore season could be the biggest reason why Furman claimed its first NCAA Tournament berth in 43 years, and now most recently, PJay Smith, who increased his scoring total by nearly 8.0 PPG from year one to year two leaves a vacancy that has to be filled at point guard.
The question isn't really whether the production will come at this point, but more is how that production will come. Will it come from the transfer portal, where the Paladins remain in talks with at least one recruit that has Furman as one of his final top choices, or will Richey's trust reside in a Eddrin Bronson and a cast of talented newcomers on the way this coming season.
As we have seen in the past, Richey is big on using that redshirt year to develop players, which is precisely why other players from the past have been able to develop into dynamic players, but there have also been cases when the talent was so evident from the start that they had to learn on the run, which is the case with guards from the past like Sibley, Croone, Lyons, Bothwell and Pegues.
For guys like Bronson, the redshirt year will likely pay off more this year than it was able to last season, and that is due largely to the foot injury suffered by Bronson in the latter portion of the summer, forcing a prolonged rehab to try and get back, allowing less time to focus on some of the other essentials to try and get ready for his first season of mid-major college basketball inside one of its most-competive leagues.
With that said, you could see the product, who hails from Tampa, FL, by way of Tampa Catholic continue to develop as the season progressed, and after shooting the ball well down the stretch in non-conference play and one of the performances that stands out most to those who covered the SoCon and the Paladins throughout the 2024-25 season was the performance that Bronson delivered in Furman's lopsided loss at Kansas.
For the game, Bronson would finish the contest with a then career-best 14 points, as he finished 4-for-10 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range in the game.
Though the Paladins would drop the contest, in lopsided fashion, 86-51, it was a tremendous confidence boost for the redshirt freshman player to go into an environment like Phog Allen Fieldhouse and delivering a leading performance the way Bronson was able to do. It was one of several performances throughout the course of the season that Bronson needs to bottle and use that as momentum to carry him forward into what has the potential to be an explosive redshirt sophomore season.
Bronson is strong, versatile and athletic, but perhaps most of all and the reason why he will once again be a major part of Furman's success moving forward in 2025-26 is his defensive capabilities. That alone should ensure he sees a lot of court time heading into the 2025-26 season, and I think he will be a part of the starting rotation for head coach Bob Richey heading into the 2025-26 season.
It may be better to say it this way, and that is that it's not a question of whether or not Bronson will play or start, but it's just where that might be being the biggest overall burning question. Bronson improved as the season progressed in taking care of the basketball, and credit has to go to head coach Bob Richey for putting the young man in some high-pressure situations.
One of the first times I can remember there being a real trust from Richey towards Bronson was in the 75-71 loss to Chattanooga at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena last season in a game, which raced out to a 22-6 lead only to see the Mocs' championship pedigree come up big in the clutch down the stretch in that game.
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| Ed Bronson |
Against the Mocs in the four-point loss, Bronson had made the second of three starts that he have during the 2024-25 season, posting his second-highest minutes of the season, logging 34:04 against UTC. That came on the heels of playing a season-high 35:10 of court time in Furman's narrow, 72-70, win over a very good East Tennessee State, which also included chasing around Quimari Peterson and John Buggs III while on the defensive end of the floor in that contest.
In all honesty, it was a game that offered a big learning opportunity for Bronson and it was against a team with the best guard tandem in the league, as well as the most savvy and veteran backcourt duo in the SoCon.
The loss to Chattanooga in the first meeting between the two was also the first time I had noticed that Furman as a team looked like they got run ragged in the second half by the Mocs, and by the end of it, Chattanooga had not only won the game, but exhausted Furman in the process. It seemingly wore as much on Furman's backcourt as any part of the team, and in particular, PJay Smith Jr. and Bronson.
Overall, Bronson had a solid game overall against the Mocs, contributing nine points and two assists, as he ended the game connecting on 3-of-7 shots from the field, which included going 1-for-3 from long range. He ended up guarding both Honor Huff and Trey Bonham for most of the night and did a solid job, holding them in check, as they are difficult for anyone to completely shut down.
Though he wouldn't score in 22 minutes of action in Furman's 80-77 overtime win over top-seeded Chattanooga in the Southern Conference Tournament, it was Bronson that would ultimately make the play that would ultimately go a long way in helping the Paladins all but clinch the upset win, as Bronson was "johnny on the spot" in stealing Garrison Keeslar's inbounds pass--a player that led the nation in assist-turnover-ratio and set an NCAA Division I single-season record in that category--and gave the Paladins the possession of the basketball and a three-point lead with 12 seconds left, forcing Keeslar to commit the foul.
But not only did Bronson steal the ball, he also made an incredibly quick decision to get the ball out his hands and into the hands of the reliable hands of Nick Anderson--the team's best free throw shooter. Anderson would make one of two shots, giving the Paladins the all-important two-possession lead.
Bronson finished his first season for the Paladins seeing action in all 35 games, which included making three starts on the season. He finished his first season for the Paladins enjoying a solid campaign, as he ended up averaging 5.5 PPG and 5.7 RPG last season, but shot only 32.7% (66-of-202) from the field and just 29.8% from three (37-of-124).
Bronson has a huge upside, and his shooting numbers aren't indicative of the type of shooter he can be, but he is mostly a raw athlete, with a lot of Mike Bothwell's similar attributes as a physical slasher in the paint, while also being a better athlete than Bothwell.
Bronson is a good ball-handler, and it stands to reason that would could see a similar adjustment for him this season, as we did in JP Pegues' sophomore campaign, as he could exclusively play the point, but I think there will be some mix-and-match, and by playing Bronson some at the two or the three, it will allow him to affect the game in more ways, and that's a credit to being so versatile to be able to contribute in a number of different ways.
Finally on Bronson: If his final game of the 2024-25 season against North Texas is any indication--a game the Paladins lost 75-64 in Denton last season--then it could be a hint of things to come for the rising redshirt sophomore. He finished out that contest with a career-high 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three-point land in what was easily his best game of the season. It was the first time since the Kansas game that Bronson looked like he was feeling 100% and let the game come to him.
In many ways, Furman's hopes to get back to the championship circle will hinge on how well Bronson adjusts in year two, while showcasing the gains he got from the adversity he faced due to a late off-season injury last season, as well as the overall maturity he gained from his redshirt season.
While Anderson and Smith have exited stage right, it's never as if Bob Richey's teams are completely barren of shooting talent, but rather if shooters move on, it's more like "next shooter up" and that's what made the 2023-24 season so bizarre. It was the only campaign in which Furman lacked a real pure and constant threat from three-point land, yet it wasn't as if the team lacked for shooters. The chemistry was off, and so was the spacing, leading to Furman's worst perimeter shooting team under Richey.
In the off-season, Furman almost exclusively added shooters to the mix, with the likes of Anderson, Tom House and Charles Johnston all added to bolster the Paladins' overall shooting touch from all points on the floor, but mostly from three.
It once again made the Paladins hard to guard, and as a byproduct of adding three shooters you had to account for at all times from the transfer portal, it would allow a player like Smith to see his game soar to new heights in his final season of college basketball after transferring into Furman from Lee University two years earlier.
He had the kind of final college season that ended up being the byproduct of what Richey was able to add out of the portal during the off-season. That is once again the hope as we move forward and towards the 2025-26 season.
The good news for Furman is that though the Paladins do lose two outstanding shooters to graduation, they do bring back an outstanding shooter and a player in, Florida State transfer Tom House, that can score points in a hurry with his ability to get hot from deep.
House's ability to shoot the basketball was especially evident late in the season, as he posted some big games in the lineup towards the latter portion of the 2024-25 season, particularly against Mercer in mid-February and the Paladins' SoCon Tournament opener against Samford--games in which Tom House scored 26 and 21 points--and shot the cover off the basketball. He combined to go 12-of-16 from beyond the arc.
For the season, House averaged 7.1 PPG and 2.6 RPG, while shooting 40.6% (54-of-133) from three-point range. House solved his confidence issues with that career-high 26-point effort against Mercer changed House's season entirely. Early in the season, when a shot or two wouldn't fall, House was reluctant to keep shooting. That all changed with that late season win over Mercer.
House will be a player that will see a big role increase this coming season, as he will be looked to as one of the Paladins' main scorers, as well being their primary deep threat. He will also be challenged to be a leader on both ends of the floor, as well as being one off the court. It has the potential to be a big season for House and one that, if things go well, could yield SoCon all-league plaudits at the end of the journey.
Like Wofford last season, Furman didn't need much from the portal going into the process, and could afford to be a little patient with who they wanted to add in a couple of key areas. The prevailing theory is that the Paladin staff went into the off-season looking at two areas in which, if they could get two players at those positions, would end up bolstering one of the league's most veteran and one its deepest rosters of players heading into the season.
Even head coach Bob Richey in his final post-game press conference of the 2024-25 season, which followed what was a 75-64 loss to North Texas in the NIT, made known that the Paladins would be looking to add an experienced point guard and one small forward or another shooting guard to the mix during the off-season. With seven coming back, and five highly-touted recruits on the way in, it left two scholarship spots to be filled.
The Paladins have already achieved one of the two by going out and signing Clemson transfer small forward Asa Thomas. Like VanderWal, Thomas hails from the Land of Lincoln and has a chance to become the latest success story to really shine at Furman in recent years from the state of Illinois. It really started during the past decade with Hinsdale, Ill., native Matt Rafferty, who would eventually go on to have a career worthy of being a Furman Basketball Hall-of-Famer sometime in the future I would imagine.
Thomas is very much a player that fits the Furman profile when it comes to locating a player that can shoot the three, offers scoring versatility and is solid defensively. Thomas is 6-7, 200 lbs and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Thomas originally came to Clemson from Lake Forest, Ill., as a three-star prospect two years ago with what appeared to be a bright future ahead in the Clemson shade of Orange rather than the one worn by his home state institution Illinois, however, Thomas' 2023-24 season would be cut way short due to having to have shoulder surgery.
During his high school career, Thomas ended setting a record for three-pointers made in both a career (295) and in one season (98), as well as ranking second in Lake Forest High School, finishing his career with an impressive 1,746 career points. Thomas' shooting abilty from long range will be a nice compliment to the skill-set that VanderWal brings to the table.
It will be interesting to see just where Thomas fits in the rotation for Richey's Paladins during the 2025-26 season, and whether it will be as the first man off the bench behind VanderWal or if he could even play some at the two, especially with his ability as a perimeter threat. Thomas also brings above average athleticism to the mix for the Paladins.
Freshman Additions:
Furman's freshman class, at least on paper, has the potential to be one of the best in school history, and is certainly one that reserves evaluation in that regard for a later date, especially with the transfer portal readily available, with players ready to transfer out on a whim to the bigger programs that offer the most NIL.
That being said, this freshman class, at least on paper, looks pretty darn impressive. If the Paladins don't end up picking up a point guard from the transfer portal, it's quite possible head coach Bob Richey and staff might look to a couple of freshman signees to potentially fill that void and add some depth in the immediate.
Landing four-star recruit Alex Wilkins out of Boston and three-star recruit Abijah Franklin of nearby Wren High School in Powdersville, S.C., is just the tip of the iceberg, and when you add in a third guard Collin O'Neal, who is rated highly out of Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, gives the Paladins another athletic option at wing, but is versatile enough at other positions on the floor.
O'Neal is very much in the same mold of Eddrin Bronson, which means he's powerful and athletic, with good enough ball-handling skills to penetrate and distribute and create his own shot in traffic. Add to that, that he's also a perimeter threat and he is a three-level scorer.
Furman's success of getting guards out of that region of Tennessee is all that much of a new story, as it has been kind of a trend that has been apparent in other eras of Paladin basketball, with that trend even dating back to former standouts like Bubba Smith (Henderson/Furman'98) and others more recent like Devin Sibley (Knoxville/Furman '18), JP Pegues (Nashville/Furman '24) and PJay Smith Jr. (LaVergne/Furman '25).
O'Neal has the potential to be the latest out and out star from the Volunteer State, and he could end up adding depth at either point guard or shooting guard in 2025-26. O'Neal was heavily recruited by both SoCon rivals East Tennessee State and Wofford among other solid mid-major offers like Florida Gulf-Coast in the recruiting process.
Franklin is coming off a strong season for Wren High School in the state of South Carolina and was named the Region 3A State Player of the Year and finished out the 2024-25 season leading the Wren Hurricanes to a 25-5 record, while leading the state in scoring by posting 888 points and averaging 31.5 PPG for the season. He garnered first-team all-state accolades in both his junior and senior seasons.
Franklin is a three-level scorer, but his main strength is his athleticism and ability to get to the basket and create his own shot off the dribble. Franklin, a three-star recruit, chose to attend Furman over South Carolina State, Appalachian State and Jacksonville.
Wilkins is the player that, in my opinion, will have a chance to see the most extensive action on the floor in the 2025-26 season, and while I think all three will be given the opportunity, it's Wilkins' cerebral game offensively and length at 6-5, which allows him to play bigger than that on the defensive end, getting into passing lanes, which will allow him to see the biggest role as any of the five signees.
That's just an opinion though, but it's no secret as to what he can do and how big of an impact he can have. Wilkins' recruitment and stock rose significantly during his senior season, and like O'Neal and Franklin, brings a great amount of versatility to the guard spot, but he looks like the guy that, if Furman doesn't sign a point guard from the transfer portal, could end up providing the key depth at the position behind Ed Bronson as soon as this upcoming 2025-26 season.
During his senior season at the Brooks School in North Andover, MA., Wilkins star shined brightly, as he averaged 25.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG. 3.2 APG and shot 52.4% from the field, which included a solid 37.5% from three-point land. Wilkins also excelled as a foul shooter, connecting at an 88.5% clip from the charity stripe.
Then came HS Playoff Alex Wilkins, and as good as his numbers were during the regular season at Brooks, like most good players do, he stepped it up a notch in the postseason. Wilkins led Brooks to wins in the first two rounds with 28 and 31 points before his buzzer-beating effort in the state title game gave Brooks a memorable way to finish off it season against a talented Rivers School, allowing Brooks to capture the NEPSAC Class B title.
Wilkins need to add some muscle and strength, but his ability as a passer and three-level scorer could see him make an impact far sooner than later. Wilkins ended up with almost 30 NCAA Division offers and ended up choosing Furman in the end. For Wilkins, it was a close battle between Furman and Davidson, but the Paladins program won the recruiting battle in the end. If there is a comparable former Paladin player, look no further than Mike Bothwell.
The final two additions to the latest recruiting class for Furman are 6-6 wing Cole Bowser and 6-9 power forward Owen Riger, that will give the front court some added depth.
It's my prediction that one of these two players stands the most likely chance to redshirt from this class, but both come into the Furman program with an eye on playing right away and will have the opportunity to do so. In fact, there's also the chance that all five could play as soon as the 2025-26 season.
Cole Bowser is of course Cooper Bowser's little brother, and he comes to Furman from DeMatha Catholic, as he will join services with his brother this coming season--6-11 Cooper Bowser--as the duo looks to join some other great brother tandems to have starred in the league in its rich history, including guys like Ramon and Damon Williams at VMI, as well as being the latest tandem of brothers to suit up for the Paladins since Charley Reddick and Colin Redick suited up for the 'Dins from 2009-14.
Bowser chose Furman among eight offers from others like Bryant, Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Towson and George Washington to name a few of those. The 6-6 small forward is athletic and an outstanding defender, which will give him a chance to play this coming season. He's also versatile, but excels as a long-range threat.
Ritger is another player that is versatile, and the 6-9 power forward gives Furman a true four in the paint, rather than having to develop a five into four, which the Paladins have had to do in recent seasons. His ability as a rebounder as well as a shooter from beyond the arc will give the Paladins plenty of ability to stretch the floor when he's in the lineup.
He comes to Furman out of the basketball hotbed of Atlanta, GA, playing his prep basketball at Marist High School in Atlanta. He was rated the No. 4 power forward in the Peach State prior to the start of the 2024-25 season.
He's going to be a player that will likely get a chance to play this coming season because Furman doesn't really have a true four, and while Johnston can play the four position, as can Bowser, Ritger will give the Paladins an added measure of strength and gives the Paladins a true post presence and one that can also shoot the three.
Ritger ended up choosing Furman among 15 offers he held coming out of high school, as he chose the Paladins over offers from Chattanooga, Bucknell, Mercer, Loyola (MD), Kennesaw State, Ohio, Miami (OH), Indiana State and Wofford to name a few.
Finally, the Paladins added one other recent addition to their 2025-26 freshman signing class, with the addition of 5-11 point guard Gunnar Lewis out of Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville. The Division II-AA Mr. Basketball averaged 20.3 PPG as a senior and scored more than 1,400 career points. He was also a 38% shooter from three-point land, as well as an 88% free throw shooter over the course of his career at CPA. Lewis will be one of only two players on the Furman roster shorter than
Early 2025-26 Outlook:
Others Lost: (3)--F-Tommy Humphries (transfer portal/St Thomas); F-Clyde Mauldin (transfer portal/Francis Marion), F-Tyrese Hughey (out of eligibility)
Potential Breakout Player in 2024-25:
Best Transfer Portal Get: F-Asa Thomas (Clemson)
Best Freshman Addition: G-Alex Wilkins or G-Abijah Franklin
3. Wofford (19-16, 10-8 SoCon/6th in SoCon/SoCon Tournament Champions)--For the first time since 2019 and for the sixth time in program history, Wofford cut down the nets as Southern Conference Tournament Champions at the end of the 105th celebration of college basketball's oldest postseason basketball tournament.
It could be said that the Terriers underachieved during the 2024-25 regular-season, however, as you know in a league like the SoCon, which has somehow never garnered more than one bid to the NCAA Tournament, the regular-season doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, especially if you break through and win the tournament.
Towards the end of non-conference play, the Terriers went on the road and were able to get a 74-71 win over Atlantic 10 member, which would turn out to be one of the best wins of the season for Wofford and would end up giving the team the type of confidence they could lean on azs the season moved forward.
In one way, it was apparent the Terriers had the most experience in the Southern Conference, and that was because the Terriers almost played better on the road during the 2024-25 season than it did at home. The Terriers went 8-8 on the road, while posting a 7-6 record in home games.
Wofford had played well early in SoCon play, getting road wins at both East Tennessee State (W, 81-78) and at arch-rival Furman (W, 81-62), as the Terriers handed the Paladins one of their worst home losses in recent memory. The Terriers also posted what was a 77-69 home win over Western Carolina at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
While it was a strong start to league play by winning three of their first four league games, which included a three-game winning streak, it would be the last time the Terriers would string three-straight wins together until the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville.
With a 78-75 home loss on Senior Day to close out the regular-season to Furman, it meant the Terriers would head to the postseason as the No. 6 seed, and despite not being in great form entering the postseason tournament, the Terriers knew they had the talent and experience to win the tournament when they arrived in Asheville. Plus, it was arguably the most competitive league season in its tradition-rich history.
In the opening game, the Terriers took down No. 3 East Tennessee State, 72-60, before meeting up with No. 7 seed VMI in the SoCon semifinals. Like Wofford, VMI had been a bit of a surprise package in the 2025 tournament, as the Keydets took down No. 10 The Citadel (W, 73-62) and No. 2 UNC Greensboro (W, 64-57) to reach the semifinal clash against Wofford.
The Terriers and Keydets had split the two regular-season meetings, but Wofford got the better of VMI in Asheville, posting their second-straight win over the Keydets, with an 85-65 win over VMI to reach the championship game for the first time since the 2020 Tournament.
Wofford, which was 5-1 in championship games, with all five title wins notched by former legendary head coach and current Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young. In the championship game, head coach Dwight Perry's men would face an old rival, in No. 5 seed Furman, which had reached the championship game by virtue of wins over No. 4 Samford (W, 95-78) and No. 1 Chattanooga (W, 80-77 OT).
The Paladins, which had snapped a 43-year NCAA Tournament drought with an 88-79 win over Chattanooga a couple of years earlier, were playing in the championship for the third time in four years and entered with 25 wins for the season.
The Terriers and Paladins would play an epic, with the basketball of the highest quality, but at the end of it, Wofford's experience would matter when it went up against a pretty veteran Furman team, although the Paladins lacked the experienced depth in some areas, and that's where Wofford would make it the advantage it entered the 2024-25 season when compared to the rest of the league count the most, out-scoring Furman 13-2 in the final 2:43 of the game to capture the program's sixth Southern Conference title with a 92-85 win over Furman, as the Terriers overturned a late four-point lead by the Paladins (83-79) to emphatically rip the title out of the grasp of the Paladins.
It would mark the first time in SoCon Tournament history that the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds have met in the championship game, and it would mark the first time in the history of college basketball's oldest postseason conference tournament would have a No. 6 seed lift the championship trophy.
Jackson Sivills, Corey Tripp, Kyler Filewich, Anthony Arrington Jr., Dillion Bailey, Justin Bailey, and Jeremy Lorenz added the kind of experience and talent that would ultimately allow the Terriers to have the type off success in the championship game and especialy down the stretch in that win. It was the ultimately collection of winning talent, which helped Wofford finish the season in its desired destination.
All the players mentioned above have now departed the Wofford program, however, and that's what made this off-season in particular especially important for head coach Dwight Perry and staff, as they look to go about replacing that talent lost to either graduation or the transfer portal.
Both Jeremy Lorenz and Justin Bailey moved on after the season, as did forward Belal El-Shakery, who spent most of the season injured and opted to transfer out at season's end, even after the Terriers were able to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the tournament title. Anthony Arrington Jr. and Don Douglass were two others that decided to enter the portal.
Lorenz, a 6-9 forward, ended up transferring out to join Depaul's basketball program for the 2025-26 season, while Justin Bailey will be suiting up for the Georgia Bulldogs next season. All told, Wofford will need to replace its six top scorers from last season's championship run.
The good news is that the two players returning were a significant part of the rotation last season as reserves, with freshman guards Luke Flynn and Kahmare Holmes both set to return for Dwight Perry's team in 2025-26. A third freshman--Cannon Richards--is also back, but virtually all the other important pieces must be replaced from a Wofford team that went 19-16 last season and won it all in Asheville.
Both Flynn and Holmes are tied for the returning leading scorer honors, as both averaged 4.1 PPG off the bench last season. Flynn found his way into double figures on three occasions during the 2024-25 season, posting a season-high 11 points in a loss to the College of Charleston, while posting 10 points in wins over both Gardner-Webb and Kentucky Christian last season.
Flynn was a solid threat from the perimeter during the 2024-25 season, as he finished the season a solid 36.0% (36-of-100) from three-point range last season. He logged action in 34 games, with one start and averaging 20.1 minutes-per-game off the bench. He also averaged 2.9 rebounds-per-game off the bench and dished out 40 assists last season.
Holmes, who also averaged 4.1 PPG, excelled as one of the on-ball best defenders on the team in his first season at Wofford. The 6-3 guard was also one of the team's top athletes last season, and like Flynn, would find his way into double figures on three occasions last season, with a season-high 11 points in games against both Kentucky Christian and in a late-season win at VMI.
As a perimeter threat last season, Holmes knocked down just 22.2% (10-of-45) from long-range, as it is an area in which he will hope to improve most during the off-season. Holmes also averaged 2.0 rebounds-per-game last season, while also contributing () assists for the season.
Cannon Richards only saw limited action last season, but is expected to step in and play more of a role this season after coming to Wofford from Kell High School out of Atlanta, GA. The 6-7 small forward saw action in only 14 games for the Terriers last season, posting 19 points, 26 rebounds, three steals and four blocks.
Unlike last year when head coach Dwight Perry basically needed to only bring in one player from the portal, which ended up being point guard Justin Bailey, head coach Dwight Perry and staff would end up hitting the portal pretty hard during the off-season at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Every newcomer brought in via the portal will have the chance to contribute right away for the Terriers in 2025-26.
The Terriers have already welcomed in four players from the transfer portal this season and have already signed a talented class of four freshmen that should be among the best freshman signing classes in the SoCon heading into the 2025-26 season.
One of the signees from the portal that could end up being an instant impact player for Wofford this coming season is 6-3 guard Nils Machowski, who comes to Wofford from the Orlando and the University of Central Florida. Machowski will play shooting guard and is coming off a sophomore season with the Golden Knights, which saw him average 3.7 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 31 games for UCF.
He finished his second season with the Golden Knights connected on 43.5% (37-of-85) from the field and shot a solid 36.7% (18-of-49) from three-point range last season, and posted four double-digit scoring games during the 2024-25 season. Machowski posted a career-high 15 points in the College Basketball Crown Tournament opener against Oregon State.
He played an important role in helping the Golden Knights reach the championship game against Nebraska, as he finished the tournament averaging 9.8 PPG and 3.8 RPG, while shooting 46.7% (14-of-30) from the floor and 50% (9-of-18) from three-point range. Machowski originally hails from Berlin, Germany and will give the Terriers a highly skilled shooter from Europe.
Central Michigan transfer Cayden Vasko figures to add even more depth to the shooting guard spot where he was solid during his sophomore season for the Chippewas. The 6-6 shooting guard saw action in all 31 games for the Chippewas, averaging 7.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG last season for the Chips. Vasko is a similar player that of Jackson Sivills and could end up playing a similar type of role during
Vasko will be a player that will be asked to come in and produce immediately and could end up being an instant impact player, and he will give the Terriers a true inside-outside threat next season and he finished the 2024-25 season by connecting on 46 three-point field goals, shooting a team-best 39.0% (46-for-118) from downtown during the 2024-25 season with the Chippewas. In two seasons at Central Michigan, Vasko ended up averaging 5.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG, while also contributing a total of 64 three-point field goals in two seasons, as well as being a solid free throw shooter, connecting on 71.7% (33-of-46) in his two seasons in Mt. Pleasant.
With schools like Chattanooga and Furman getting big contributions from NCAA Division II players this past season, and with the Terriers already having had a good experience with a guy like Dillon Bailey, the Terriers ended up getting a commitment from another player that has the potential to become a star in the SoCon in the upcoming season, with the addition of 6-3 guard Brendan Rigsbee, who comes to Wofford after having spent two seasons at University of Alabama-Huntsville.
Rigsbee, who is a native of Suwanee, GA., will give the Terriers an instant impact player and scoring threat. He will have two years of eligibility remaining and averaged in double figures in both of his seasons with UAH and then transferred to Georgia College and State University, where he missed the entire season with an injury before opting to transfer. The 6-3 guard averaged 16.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 2.6 APG in his most recent season on the hardwood back during the 2023-24 season.
Rigsbee connected on 52-of-124 (41.9%) from three-point range in two seasons, so he's not going to be the volume shooter from three-point range that maybe Corey Tripp or others have been in the past for the Terriers. He will likely be in line to start immediately this coming season, and while the Terriers might lose a little in terms of athleticism and on the defensive end, Rigsbee is every bit the scorer that Tripp was, and might even be more of a true point guard than his predecessor.
In terms of adding size from the transfer portal, the Terriers also did that by going out and adding 6-11 center Callum Richard, who comes aboard after spending two seasons at East Carolina, while the Terriers also went out and signed 6-8, 220-lb power forward Rex Stirling from the JUCO ranks.
Richard, who hails from Gastonia, N.C., only logged action in four games last season after seeing a total of 16 games worth of action in his first season with the Pirates. He will be a bit of a project to develop into a regular contributor in the paint for the Black and Gold, however, if the Terriers can get some solid production in small spurts out of the big man transfer, it could give the Terriers the ability to change things up with some superior size, which is not something that is now all that commonplace in the SoCon.
Like Rigsbee, Stirling showed the ability to be a reliable scorer at a lower level, and he will have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives in Spartanburg. During his sophomore season at Williston State College, the native of Melbourne Australia averaged an impressive 18.2 PPG and 10.3 RPG, while shooting 57% from the field and 36% from three-point range, as he will give the Terriers another player with true inside-outside ability.
Stirling will be a solid replacement for Filewich, with his main strength being on the glass. He led all of JUCO in offensive rebounds (163), while also ranking fourth nationally in total rebound average. He will be another player that will likely step into an impact type role immediately for Wofford.
Freshman Additions:
Along with Furman, it could be argued that Wofford might have brought in one of the top freshman signing classes in both the SoCon, and potentially one of the best in all of mid-major hoops. All four signees are considered three-four star signees by a majority of the recruiting services.
The Terriers will be bringing in a total of four signees to their freshman signing class for the 2025-26 season, with point guard Chace Whatley (Totino-Grace HS/Fridley, MN), point guard Jaden Tyler (Homewood-Flossmoor HS/Chicago, IL), point guard Maximo Ortega (Pembroke Pines Charter High School/Miami, FL) and 6-8 forward Brian Sumpter (Keenan Hs/Columbia, S.C.).
All four recruits are expected to compete for time this coming season and coach Perry and staff are especially excited for this group to get started in Spartanburg. If you haven't guessed it already, point guard is a recruiting area of concern for Perry and staff, and Chace Whatley highlights a talented trio if point guards added in Wofford's latest recruiting haul from the high school ranks.
The New Hope, MN,. product helped his program to three state titles in the four seasons he was in the program, as well as garnering all-state honors in both his junior and senior seasons, respectively. Whatley will have a chance to compete for the starting job right away this season. Coach Perry is particularly impressed with Whatley's basketball IQ, which makes him a candidate to be in the rotation running the point sooner rather than later. Whatley was rated as a three-star recruit by both verbalcommits.com and 247Sports.
Both Jaden Tyler and Maximo Ortega will also be in the mix to assume the role as Wofford's next point guard in 2025-26, succeeding the talented Corey Tripp at the position. Tyler is the most diminutive of the trio of new floor generals, standing just 5-10, but hails from the high school basketball hotbed of Chicago, where he starred for Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
Tyler can straight fill it up and is much more of a scorer than Whatley, and also has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble. In his senior season, Tyler averaged 19.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.0 APG and was a 40% (74-of-183) three-point shooter in his senior season. In his final two seasons at Homewood-Flossmoor, Tyler posted 1,055 points, which included scoring 648 points in his senior season alone. Like Whatley, Tyler is rated a three-star recruit according to both verbalcommits.com as well as 247Sports.
Ortega rounds out the trio of point guards brought in by Wofford experiences, and he comes to Wofford from South Florida by way of Pembroke Pines Charter High School in Miami. Ortega is a physical point guard with good strength and athleticism, which will serve him well in the SoCon, while also giving the Terriers the luxury of having a bit of a change-up in comparison to the other two freshmen coming as a part of the latest signing class. He finiahed out his senior season averaging 15.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 3.0 APG and was a standout AAU player at Florida Pro, which plays in the exclusive Adidas basketball circuit known as 3SSB (3Stripes Select Basketball).
Ortega's skill-set is more closely resembles that of Whatley, as the Miami, FL product isn't necessarily a scorer, but more of a true point guard.
However, his physicality and athleticism will give the staff that unique staff the luxury of having a guy that is a tough matchup to account for because of his physical attributes, and it's not something many of the SoCon point guards are built to effectively defend, and those that are, might not desire to mix it up physically at the position. The SoCon, like many mid-majors, is very much a finesse league when it comes to the point guard spot. Like both Whatley and Tyler, Ortega is rated as a three-star recruit by both verbalcommits.com and 247Sports.
Sumpter rounds out the recruiting haul, and like his signing class mates, will be given a chance to compete for time right away. The Keenan High School product is athletic and in terms of athleticism and his ability as a defender, is somewhat comparable to Nick Pringle when he arrived in Spartanburg back during the 2020-21 season, although Sumpter is much more polished at this point in his career
The all-state selection finished his senior season in strong fashion, garnering the AAA State Player of the Year award after averaging 17.0 PPG and 10.4 RPG, shooting 61% from the field. He was also a noted defender, and that, more than any other offensive attribute that he brings to the table, will give him a great chance to see some good floor time in his rookie campaign.
Building depth for not only the upcoming season, but for the future at both point guard and power forward were clear targets for the coaching staff, with not only who they were able to bring in from the transfer portal, but especially the two areas targeted for the freshman singing class.
Also similar to conference arch-rival Furman, the Terriers have seen last season's success lead to other opportunities for coaches that were on staff for that run, and in particular, Perry's top assistant Will Murphy, who has moved on to become the head coach at Florida Tech after spending eight seasons as an assistant on the Terriers' staff, spending the past two seasons as the Associate Head Coach.
Perry has adjusted accordingly by making a pair of impressive hires during the off-season to help counter the losses, including bringing in an ultra-successful former head coach into the mix, who will more than likely assume the position once held by Murphy on the staff as the Associate Head Coach.
Jeremiah Samarrippas, who was the former head coach of Lincoln Memorial in the NCAA Division II ranks in Harrogate, Tenn, where he put together an impressive 105-25 in four seasons at the helm of the Railsplitters, which included a 25-6 mark just this past season, including an ultra-impressive 21-3 record in league play. Samarripas will bring a great working knowledge conceptually of what Wofford wants to do offensively.
The other coach brought in during the off-season and will be set to join Perry on the sidelines in the late fall will be Trent Patterson, who comes aboard from the University of South Florida, where he spent a couple of seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations.
In his position with the Bulls, Patterson helped manage the team's spending budget, managing all of the team's recruiting-related, as well as team-related travel during his two seasons spent in Tampa. He served a vital role as a team liaison between the athletic department and the men's basketball program, communicating the needs on one end, while also communicating the feasibility on the other.
Samarrippas and Patterson now join head coach Dwight Perry and assistants Tysor Anderson and Drew Gibson, who are already on staff, as the Terriers looked continue to move forward off a 19-16 season and a sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with all of those coming in the span of the past 15 years.
Overall, this is a Wofford team that should once again be in the mix to challenge for a title, even despite all the losses to graduation and the transfer portal. With that being said, we all know the stat about how tough it is to defend a championship in this league, but Wofford was the last program to accomplish it when they won back-to-back titles in 2014 and '15.
Starters Lost: (5)--G-Dillon Bailey (out of eligibility), G-Corey Tripp (out of eligibility), F-Kyler Filewich (out of eligibility), G-Justin Bailey (transferred to Georgia), and G/F--Jackson Sivills (out of eligibility)
Others Lost: (4)--F-Belal El-Shakery (transferred to New Hampshire), F-Jeremy Lorenz (transferred to Depaul), G-Anthony Arrington Jr. (transferred to Mount Saint Mary's), and F/C-Don Douglass (transferred to Francis Marion)
Potential Breakout Player in 2024-25: G-Kahmare Holmes or G-Luke Flynn
Best Transfer Portal Get: F-Cayden Vasko (Central Michigan)
Best Freshman Addition: G-Jayden Tyler
Overall Portal/Recruiting Synopsis and Grade: A
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