SoCon Hoops 2025-26: Non-Conference Recap (Part 1 Top Player Performances, Individual Accolades and Non-Conference All-League Teams)

 

Mercer forward Connor Severen (photo courtesy of Mercer athletics)

Assessing What We've Seen So Far...

With only two buy games left to go in non-conference play, which will both be probable wins for both Mercer and Wofford, the league is starting to take shape and give us a good idea of what the pecking order will be as we enter Southern Conference play.

So, it's time to hand out awards and take a look at what lies ahead as conference play approaches, starting with the Dec. 30 between East Tennessee State and The Citadel in Charleston.

As a league, the SoCon has fluctuated between the No. 22 and No. 21 conference in the nation, according to KenPom, which is way down after having been a solid 12-14 league for the past seven seasons, with the only season to slip below that threshold being the 2022-23 season, which saw the league rank as the 20th-best conference in college basketball.

This season, it appears that three teams--Furman, Mercer and East Tennessee State--in some order are a clear top three in the league. The middle of the pack appears to be between Chattanooga, Wofford, Samford and Western Carolina, while the bottom of the conference through the early portion of the season appears to be The Citadel, VMI and UNC Greensboro in some order.

There are a couple of surprises in that last group, as you see VMI and UNCG as members of a group of teams that you would want to avoid finding yourself mentioned alongside. For the Keydets, it's somewhat understandable, as they have been without preseason SoCon Player of the Year Rickey Bradley Jr. all season up until this point. He is slated to make his return in time for conference play sometime in early January. 

That's music to the ears of Keydets head coach Andrew Wilson, who can now turn his full concentration to league play, which is where the Keydets really started to turn it up last February, and nearly found themselves as a top six finisher, which would have given the Keydets an opening round bye in the conference tournament in Asheville. It would have been the first time that had been the case for VMI since the 2022 tournament, which saw the Keydets competing for the last season under Dan Earl before he moved onto become the head coach at Chattanooga. 

The Citadel has lost 34-straight NCAA Division I games entering league play, and it's been an excruciatingly long road for head coach Ed Conroy and his Bulldogs. In recent games against College of Charleston and South Carolina, however, the Bulldogs appear to be playing much better, and I think it's probably only a matter of time before The Citadel figures it out and comes up with a win.

The most surprising part of that bottom group of teams, however, is UNC Greensboro, who capped its non-conference slate with just a 4-9 overall record, including just two wins against NCAA Division I competition, in Youngstown State (W, 68-62) and at East Carolina (82-78). The Spartans have prided themselves with their play on the defensive end of the floor in recent seasons, however, that hasn't been the case this season, as according to KenPom, the Spartans are seventh out of 10 teams in the league in defensive rating (114.8). 

Should both Mercer and Wofford take care of business in their respective "buy games" against non-Division I foes to close out non-conference play, the SoCon will have finished a disappointing 62-66, which would include a 45-13 record at home and a 14-43 record on the road. The SoCon is also 3-10 in neutral court games and 0-4 against Top 25.

For a second-straight season, the league failed to knock off a power conference foe, finishing the non-conference 0-17 against power conference programs for a second-straight season, and 0-18 if you count Mercer's loss at West Coast Conference member and former PAC 12 member Washington State.

VMI forward TJ Johnson (photo courtesy of VMI athletics)

Noteworthy Individuals:

There have been some great individual achievements in the early portions of non-conference play as well, with Brian Taylor II of East Tennessee State posted the league's first and only triple-double so far this season against Central Arkansas, as he posted 14 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds in what was a lopsided 80-57 win over the visiting opponent from the Atlantic Sun. It was the fourth triple-double in the history of ETSU's hoops program, and it marked the second-straight season a Bucs player has accomplished the feat, joining Jayden Seymour, who accomplished the feat last season in the SoCon opener against VMI. 

Not only has Taylor been one of the best players on the offensive end of the floor in the SoCon this season but has been an excellent on-ball defender for the Bucs, helping an ETSU team lead the SoCon and rank 31st nationally in team steals-per-game (9.6 SPG). 

There have been five 30-point performances by SoCon players in non-conference play, with both VMI's TJ Johnson and Samford's Jadin Booth having registered two apiece. Both Johnson and Booth are also tied for the league lead in 20-plus scoring performances, with both having scored 20 or more six times this season. It's of little surprise then, that both Johnson and Booth rank atop the league in scoring averaging, with both posting over 18 PPG. Johnson ranks slightly ahead of Booth in scoring average, posting 18.8 PPG, while Booth ranks right behind at 18.6 PPG. 

Johnson has had to pick up a lot of the slack for the Keydets left as a result of Bradley spending the entire non-conference season injured, while Booth has been a revelation and is part of a recruiting haul that includes 12 newcomers for new Samford head coach Lennie Acuff. 

Booth's 34-point effort in an 85-72 loss in the season-opener to Tulane for the Bulldogs is the most points scored by any SoCon player this season, and his nine threes made in that game are also tied for the most made threes in a game so far this season. 

As a perimeter threat, Booth, a transfer to Samford from Florida Southern, has been one of the top assassins in the league this season, ranking second in total made threes (42) and three-point field goal percentage (40.0%).

Booth has been able to team with Dylan Faulkner, who followed his coach Lennie Acuff from Lipscomb to Samford, giving the Bulldogs a dynamic one-two punch with a star guard and reliable big man. Faulkner is currently averaging 15.5 PPG and 6.7 RPG to rank sixth overall in scoring and seventh in rebounding through the conclusion of non-conference play. His 60.0% field goal percentage also ranks him third in the SoCon in that category. 

Only Furman's Asa Thomas, who transferred into Furman from Clemson and was the Paladins' only addition from the transfer portal, has better shooting numbers from deep than Booth this season. Thomas has connected on 40.6% shots from downtown so far this season, while having made one more three-pointer, as Thomas has connected on 43 shots from long-range this season, including six in his final game of the non-conference against Charleston Southern. 

Though the Paladins struggled to find their long-range accuracy for a large majority of non-conference play, connecting on just 30.8% (117-of-380) from long-range as a team this season, that hasn't been the case for Thomas, who leads the league in both three-pointers made (43) and three-point field goal percentage (40.6%) so far this season. 

Both Booth and Thomas have been big impact transfers for their respective teams in the early going this season, as has Mercer's Baraka Okojie, who transferred in from Memphis. He's easily been the best player for Mercer and one of the biggest reasons the Bears have enjoyed such a turnaround this season.

For what it's worth, I think he's been the best player in the league for a Mercer team that for a large part of the non-league portion of the slate, has been the best team. Okojie currently ranks third overall in the league in scoring, averaging 17.9 PPG and leads the league in assists-per-game, dishing out 5.27 APG.  

Okojie has been electric in what he has given the Bears this season, and combining with Armani Mighty, that's given the Bears a unique one-two punch in the paint this season. Mighty ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage (69.8%), and he's found his way into double figures in 11 of Mercer's 12 games and ranks second in the league in double-doubles (6), while leading the SoCon in blocks (23).

He's given the Bears a force they haven't had since Jalyn McCreary a couple of years back, and he's been even more dominant than that, hearkening even back to the pre-SoCon days for the Bears, when Daniel Coursey (2010-14) dominated underneath for Mercer. 

The Bears have had the best backcourt in the SoCon this season, with Okojie getting plenty of help from Quentin Perkins II and Zaire Williams.  In many ways, one of the lone holdovers from last year--sophomore guard Brady Shoulders--has also proven to be one of the SoCon's top glue guys this season.

Furman true freshman point guard Alex Wilkins

Okojie has been the SoCon's best player, but not by a wide margin, as Furman's freshman phenom Alex Wilkins has proven his worth, and some say he might be the best true freshman player in the league since Stephen Curry. I can think back to may be one other in that argument, in former Wofford Terrier Fletcher Magee (2015-19), but certainly there haven't been many that can influence the game the way Furman's Wilkins can.

While Mercer and ETSU have easily had the two best recruiting hauls from the transfer portal, it's been Furman's freshmen class of five newcomers, including three who play regularly (Alex Wilkins, Collin O'Neal and Abijah Franklin), that have been the best in the league. Wilkins currently ranks fourth overall in the league in scoring, averaging 16.8 PPG, while his 4.77  APG ranks just behind Okojie in that particular category.  With an injuries to big men Cooper Bowser and Davis Molnar, the Paladins will employ the services of a fourth freshman--6-9 Owen Ritger--on a more regular basis. 

Wilkins, a four-star recruit from Mattapan, MA., also leads the SoCon in total field goals made (79) and total assists (62), while he finds himself tied for second in 20-point games in the league through non-conference play, and is just one behind Johnson and Booth, who both lead the league with six.

Furman has had more than just Wilkins making headlines through the early portions of the season, however, Charles Johnston and Cooper Bowser has given head coach Bob Richey his own version of the SoCon's version of the twin towers. 

Unfortunately, Bowser, who leads the country with an astounding 81.2% (69-of-85) field goal percentage, is currently out with an injury to his lower body and is out for an undisclosed amount of time. He will be re-evalutated again after Christmas.

Bowser's improvement this season, especially on the offensive end, has been apparent to anyone who has watched the Paladins during the 2025-26 season. After averaging 8.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG last season, Bowser has elevated both of those averages this season, having posted averages 13.4 PPG and 6.2 RPG in the 12 games he logged action in as a starter for the Paladins during the non-conference portion of the slate. 

Bowser's seven dunks in the Paladins' 75-68 win at Manhattan were the most by an NCAA Division I player against a Division I foe this season, while also leading the country in total dunks. His partner-in-crime underneath the basket has been Charles Johnston, who currently is tied for the SoCon lead in double-doubles (7) this season, and it also ranks Johnston seventh overall in all of NCAA Division I basketball this season. He is currently averaging 9.9 PPG and 9.3 RPG this season, while also posting 23 assists, nine blocks and ranks second on the team with 14 steals.

Chattanooga guard Jordan Frison (photo courtesy of UTC athletics)

Wofford's Kahmare Holmes and Chattanooga's Jordan Frison are two other guards that have been especially impressive during the non-conference portion of the slate this season. Frison is the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week, and is coming off a week, which saw him average 23.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.5 SPG, while shooting 53.3% (16-of-30) from the field and an impressive 91.7% (11-of-12) from the charity stripe. He was also +9.0 assist/turnover ratio for the week, meaning that for every nine assists, he had just one turnover, averaging 36.9 MPG for the week.

Following a 20-point effort in a road loss at Bellarmine, Frison contributed a season-high 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in UTC's 73-66 win on the road at Alabama A&M. Frison, who transferred into UTC from NCAA Division II Pittsburg State, has had some big shoes to fill this season, as he not only had to follow in the footsteps of two legendary Mocs guards, in Honor Huff (now at WVU) and Trey Bonham (out of eligibility), but he's also had to take on a much more hands-on leadership role, with injuries in the backcourt to freshman point guard Tate Darner as well as others, like reserve guard Parker Robinson.

The 6-0 guard, who hails from Memphis, TN., has taken it all in stride, however, and has been the Mocs' top player and top portal get in the 10 games he's played and started this season. In those 10 games of work, Frison is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.8 RPG and 1.0 SPG this season. He's also shooting the ball well from beyond the arc, connecting on 41.9% (13-of-31) from long-range this season, while also connecting at an impressive 83.7% (36-of-43) from the charity stripe.

As for Wofford's sophomore guard Kahmare Holmes, the adjective "explosive" comes to mind when describing the 6-3 sophomore guard out of Charlotte, N.C. by way of Archer HS in Marietta, GA.  In a team of young stars under first-year head coach Kevin Giltner, Holmes has shone the brightest through the first 11 games he's seen action in this season, helping the Terriers to a somewhat surprising 7-5 start under their first-year head coach.

Holmes' performance to start the 2025-26 season is in stark contrast to what we knew him in his first season, which was one of Wofford's top on-ball defenders. This season, he's helped shoulder the scoring load as an offensive weapon, as he leads the Terriers averaging 17.7 PPG and has established himself as one of the league's top rebounding guards, bringing down 6.0 RPG this season, which leads the team. He's shooting 32.7% (17-of-52) from three-point range this season, while connecting on 69.6% (48-of-69).

Holmes is gaining a reputation as an "above the rim" type player, and with his quick first step, he's just as likely to finish strong at the rim as he is to lay the ball off the glass. His 23 assists ranks him third on the team and his 25 steals leads the team and the SoCon, as he is averaging a whopping 2.27 thefts-per-game, proving he's still got that defensive tenacity we got to know last season in his first season with the Terriers. 

Holmes ranks 30th nationally in steals-per-game and likely reminds Giltner of a defensive hound he once played alongside when he helped the Terriers to a pair of SoCon titles, in Jamar Diggs (2009-11).

For me, Holmes is somewhere between possessing the athleticism and quickness of former Terrier guard Karl Cochran on the offensive end, while possessing that tenacity and hard-nosed grit of former Terrier standout guard Diggs on the defensive end. 

Earlier this season, Holmes posted a career-best performance in Wofford's final game of the opening month of the season, as he posted a career-high 30 points in Wofford's 83-77 road win over Eastern Kentucky back on Nov. 29. In that game, Holmes connected on 10-of-13 from the field. 

One of the things he needs to improve is some of the careless turnovers that have plagued him at times this season, as he ranks second on the team with 22 miscues this season. In Wofford's recent setback at Wichita State, he committed a season-high four turnovers, including an unforced error late in a tight game with the Shockers that cost his team a crucial possession in the 84-73 loss.

Other than a slight issue with taking care of the basketball this season, however, Holmes has put his name on the short list of potential SoCon Player of the Year candidates through the first couple of months of the 2025-26 season. 

UNCG wing forward Justin Neely (photo courtesy of UNCG athletics)

Not much has gone right so far for Mike Jones' UNCG Spartans, however, the one player that has shown up and shown out no matter the circumstances this season has been 6-6 wing Justin Neely. Neely originally found his way to UNCG from UAlbany where he won the America East's "Sixth Man of the Year" award last season, averaging 11.5 PPG and 7.1 RPG. 

This season, Neely has been arguably UNCG's most important player, starting all 13 games and averaging a team-best 15.0 PPG, while leading the SoCon in rebounding, averaging 11.1 RPG. That's an increase of an incredible 4.0 RPG over last season, and his total of 11.1 RPG this season ranks him sixth in the nation, while his seven double-doubles are tied for the league lead with Furman's Johnston, and also rank him tied for seventh nationally. 

Neely has been one of the best portal adds for any team in the SoCon this season, and despite UNCG's rocky 4-9 start to the season, he's been the one consistently good thing for Mike Jones' team, night-in and night-out. 

He's found his way into double figures in 10 out of UNCG's 13 games through the early portions of the season and has also scored 20 or more points in three of the past four outings for the Spartans this season. He posted 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, while adding eight rebounds and a pair of assists in an 82-78 win at East Carolina. 

It marked the Spartans' 77th true road win since the start of the 2015-16 season, ranking the Spartans fourth in the nation during that span and tops the SoCon, as the Spartans are one ahead of Furman, which has 76. 

It also prompted Neely to make one of the boldest declarations we've heard from any SoCon player so far this season, and that is that the Spartans were getting ready to "dominate the SoCon." That is obviously something we will be monitoring moving forward into league play with the start of the new year.

One thing new Western Carolina head coach Tim Craft hasn't had to worry about since taking his post as Catamounts new head basketball in the spring of 2024 is consistently strong performances from one of his two main holdovers from the Justin Gray era--6-8 forward Marcus Kell. 

When Kell gets cut, one wouldn't be surprised if purple and gold didn't ooze from the wound, as he has proven to be a Catamount through-and-through, and that includes being overlooked and underused during his two seasons suiting up for Gray and the Catamounts. It would have been so easy for Kell to just hit the portal like almost all of his teammates did, except for teammates Bernard Pelote, Kamari Jones, and Cinque Lemon.

With Pelote's graduation last spring, and with the departures of both Lemon and Jones in the transfer portal, Kell has stuck around, despite the performance he displayed last season when Craft put trust in the 6-8 Fort Mill, S.C. product. 

Kell has repaid his head coach by staying loyal no matter what. He remains the only player on the roster that experienced the best regular-season in Catamount basketball history two years ago, as he was part of that team that won 22 regular-season games--the most since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1975. The only other WCU team to win 20 or more games since then needed a pair of wins in the SoCon Tournament to achieve that win total, which was the 2009-10 WCU team. 

Through the first 11 games this season, he's largely picked up where he left off a year ago and has scored in double figures in eight contests this season, posting a season-high 27 points in a 93-73 loss at High Point. Kell also posted 21 points in WCU's 96-74 loss at Virginia Tech, finishing 7-of-12 from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point range in the road setback.

Since scoring in double figures in the final 12 games last season, Kell has reached double figures in 20 of the past 23 games for the Catamounts, including a 31-point effort at Chattanooga last season and the aforementioned 27-point effort in a loss at High Point earlier this season. Through the first 11 games in 2025-26, Kell leads the Catamounts averaging 13.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG, shooting 30.6% (15-of-49) from three-point land this season.

Below I have listed my all-conference teams through the end of non-conference play. Stay tuned in the coming week, as I rank the best team achievements from non-conference play, as well as taking a look back at the SoCon-A-SUN challenge, as well as what were some of the storylines that defined the first portion of the 2025-26 basketball season inside the Southern Conference.

We will also look back at the Top 10 moments in the 2025 calendar year in SoCon Hoops. Finally, I want to wish everyone reading this a very Merry Christmas!

Non-Conference All-SoCon Teams

**--Number corresponds with how I rank the player's performance through non-conference play, which means Baraka Okojie would be my player of the year if the season ended today. 

First Team

1.G-Baraka Okojie (Mercer)

2. G-Alex Wilkins (Furman)

3. G-Brian Taylor II (ETSU)

4. G-Jadin Booth (Samford)

5. F-TJ Johnson (VMI)

Second Team

6. G-Kahmare Holmes (Wofford)

7. C-Dylan Faulkner (Samford)

8. F-Cooper Bowser (Furman)

9. G-Jordan Frison (Chattanooga)

10. C-Charles Johnston (Furman)

Third Team

11. G-Asa Thomas (Furman)

12. F-Justin Neely (UNCG)

13. F/C-Armani Mighty (Mercer)

14. F-Cam Morris III (ETSU)

15. F-Marcus Kell (WCU)

 Non-Conference Individual Accolades:

Player of the Year: Baraka Okojie (Mercer)

Coach of the Year: Kevin Giltner (Wofford)

Freshman of the Year: Alex Wilkins (Furman)

Best Portal Addition: Brian Taylor II (ETSU) or Jadin Booth (Samford)

Defensive Player of the Year:  Armani Mighty (Mercer)

Ultimate Glue Guy: Ben Vander Wal (Furman) or Brady Shoulders (Mercer)