2023–24 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team represented the College of Charleston in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by third-year head coach Pat Kelsey, played their home games at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina, as members of the Coastal Athletic Association. They finished the 27–8, 15–3 in CAA play to win the regular season championship. The team defeated Monmouth, Towson, and Stony Brook to win the CAA tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the West region.[1]There they lost in the first round to Alabama, a team that went on to that year's Final Four.[2]

2023–24 Charleston Cougars men's basketball
CAA regular season and tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceCoastal Athletic Association
Record27–8 (15–3 CAA)
Head coach
Associate head coachBrian Kloman
Assistant coaches
  • Michael Cassidy
  • Thomas Carr
Home arenaTD Arena
2023–24 CAA men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Charleston †15–3 .83327–8  .771
Drexel13–5 .72220–12  .625
Hofstra12–6 .66720–13  .606
UNC Wilmington12–6 .66721–10  .677
Towson11–7 .61120–14  .588
Delaware10–8 .55619–14  .576
Stony Brook10–8 .55620–15  .571
Monmouth10–8 .55618–15  .545
Campbell8–10 .44414–18  .438
Northeastern7–11 .38912–20  .375
Elon6–12 .33313–19  .406
North Carolina A&T5–13 .2787–25  .219
William & Mary4–14 .22210–23  .303
Hampton3–15 .1679–24  .273
† 2024 CAA tournament winner

On March 28, 2024, head coach Pat Kelsey left the team to take the head coaching position at Louisville.[3]

Previous season
Main article: 2022–23 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team

The Cougars finished the 2022–23 season 31–4, 16–2 in CAA play to finish tied for first place with Hofstra. The team defeated Stony Brook, Towson, and UNC Wilmington to win the CAA tournament, claiming the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The team won 31 games before qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, a record for the school's Division I era.[4]

This was the 6th NCAA tournament appearance in program history. As a No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament's Southern region, they were defeated in the First Round by No. 5 seed San Diego State, a team that went on to upset No. 1 seed Alabama in the Sweet 16 and later played in the national championship game.

On November 20, 2022, the Cougars defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Charleston Classic Championship game, winning the local tournament for the first time in program history. On January 2, 2023, the Cougars were ranked in the AP poll for the first time in 20 years. They remained ranked for four weeks, the earliest in any season that the Cougars have been ranked for multiple consecutive weeks.[5]

Offseason

Departures
Charleston departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Dalton Bolon 3 G 6'4" 205 GS Gnadenhutten, Ohio Graduated
Raekwon Horton5F6'6"200SOSantee, South CarolinaTransferred to James Madison[6]
Ryan Larson11G6'1"180GSSaint Paul, MinnesotaGraduated
Pat Robinson III15G6'3"195GSChesterfield, New JerseyGraduated
Jaylon Scott21G6'5"195GSAllen, TexasGraduated
Babacar Faye35F6'8"190FRSaly, SenegalTransferred to Western Kentucky[7]
Charles Lampten 42 F 6'11" 230 SR Roanoke, Texas Transferred to Western Carolina[8]

Incoming transfers
Charleston incoming transfers
Name Number Pos Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school Years remaining Date eligible
Frankie Policelli[9]1F6'9"225GSNew Hartford, New YorkStony Brook1October 1, 2023
Bryce Butler[10] 4 G 6'5" 205 GS Latrobe, Pennsylvania West Liberty 1 October 1, 2023
Kobe Rodgers[11] 11 G 6'3" 180 JR Cincinnati, Ohio Nova Southeastern 2 October 1, 2023
CJ Fulton[12] 12 G 6'2" 190 JR Belfast, Northern Ireland Lafayette 2 October 1, 2023

2023 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mayar Wol
F		 Hickory, NC Moravian Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 12, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 79
James Scott
C		 Fayetteville, NC Seventy-First Senior 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 9, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

In the conference's preseason poll, the Cougars were picked to finish in first place.[13]

Juniors Ante Brzovic (CAA Preseason First Team), Reyne Smith (CAA Preseason Second Team) and Ben Burnham announced that they would be returning to the team.[14][15]

Roster
2023–24 College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Jordan Crawford 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrNorth Mecklenburg HS Charlotte, NC
F 1 Frankie Policelli 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) GSLong Island Lutheran New Hartford, NY
G 2 Reyne Smith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrAustralian Institute of Sport Ulverstone, Australia
G 3 Khalil London 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrSt. Dominic HS Wyandanch, NY
G 4 Bryce Butler 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) GSGreater Latrobe Senior HS Latrobe, PA
G 5 Evan Kilminster 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrAustralian Institute of Sport Newcastle, Australia
F 10 Ante Brzovic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrSoutheastern Oklahoma State Zagreb, Croatia
G 11 Kobe Rodgers 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrSt. Xavier HS Cincinnati, OH
G 12 CJ Fulton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrSt. Malachy's College Belfast, Northern Ireland
F 13 Ben Burnham 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrCarmel Christian School Fort Mill, SC
F 15 Mayar Wol 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrWord of God Christian Academy Raleigh, NC
F 23 James Scott 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrE.E. Smith HS Fayetteville, NC
G 31 Jack Miller 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrOcean Township HS Ocean Township, NJ
G 40 Frankie Idlett 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoIMG Academy Miami, FL
F 41 Spencer Legg 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoWoodberry Forest School Washington, D.C.
G 45 Dylan Ritter 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrZionsville HS Zionsville, IN
F 50 Adam Comer 6 ft 19 in (2.31 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrBroome HS Spartanburg, SC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 9, 2023

Schedule and results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 Iona W 71–69  1–0
  16 – Brzovic  8 – Policelli  4 – Smith  TD Arena (5,265)
Charleston, SC
November 10, 2023*
6:00 pm, CBSSN		 vs. Duquesne
Veterans Classic		 L 72–90  1–1
  14 – Rodgers  10 – Brzovic  4 – Fulton  Alumni Hall (2,340)
Annapolis, MD
November 16, 2023*
11:30 am, ESPNU		 vs. Vermont
Myrtle Beach Invitational First Round		 L 64–73  1–2
  13 – Burnham  6 – Tied  2 – Brzovic  HTC Center (1,154)
Conway, SC
November 17, 2023*
2:30 pm, ESPNU		 vs. Wyoming
Myrtle Beach Invitational Consolation 2nd Round		 L 60–67  1–3
  19 – Burnham  8 – Burnham  3 – Fulton  HTC Center (1,152)
Conway, SC
November 19, 2023*
1:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Coastal Carolina
Myrtle Beach Invitational 7th Place Game		 W 80–72  2–3
  24 – Smith  11 – Brzovic  6 – Fulton  HTC Center (1,172)
Conway, SC
November 26, 2023*
5:30 pm, ESPN+		 at Kent State W 84–78  3–3
  21 – Smith  7 – Butler  7 – Fulton  MAC Center (1,813)
Kent, OH
December 1, 2023*
6:00 pm, FloHoops		 vs. Liberty
Field of 68 Tip-Off		 W 76–67  4–3
  18 – Burnham  6 – Tied  3 – Brzovic  Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (526)
Boca Raton, FL
December 2, 2023*
6:00 pm, ESPNU		 at No. 13 FAU
Field of 68 Tip-Off		 L 74–90  4–4
  14 – Smith  9 – Brzovic  3 – Tied  Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (3,161)
Boca Raton, FL
December 10, 2023*
2:00 pm, FloHoops		 Rhode Island W 85–70  5–4
  23 – Burnham  5 – Tied  5 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,974)
Charleston, SC
December 14, 2023*
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 The Citadel W 86–71  6–4
  15 – Policelli  9 – Brzovic  8 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,911)
Charleston, SC
December 18, 2023*
6:00 pm, FloHoops		 Coastal Carolina W 84–81  7–4
  16 – Scott  10 – Rodgers  3 – Tied  TD Arena (4,993)
Charleston, SC
December 21, 2023*
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 Saint Joseph's W 89–82  8–4
  31 – Smith  7 – Tied  8 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,854)
Charleston, SC
December 29, 2023*
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 Montreat W 96–59  9–4
  19 – Burnham  8 – Brzovic  4 – Tied  TD Arena (5,027)
Charleston, SC
CAA regular season
January 4, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 at Hofstra W 73–61  10–4
(1–0)		  18 – Butler  7 – Tied  8 – Fulton  Mack Sports Complex (1,412)
Hempstead, NY
January 6, 2024
6:30 pm, FloHoops		 at Stony Brook W 93–87  11–4
(2–0)		  20 – Smith  6 – Policelli  6 – Brzovic  Island Federal Arena (2,416)
Stony Brook, NY
January 11, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 Elon W 80–62  12–4
(3–0)		  20 – Tied  8 – Tied  5 – Brzovic  TD Arena (4,679)
Charleston, SC
January 13, 2024
4:30 pm, FloHoops		 Monmouth
Hall of Fame		 W 94–83  13–4
(4–0)		  19 – Rodgers  12 – Brzovic  6 – Tied  TD Arena (4,790)
Charleston, SC
January 18, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 Towson L 78–82  13–5
(4–1)		  24 – Rodgers  9 – Brzovic  1 – Tied  TD Arena (4,858)
Charleston, SC
January 20, 2024
7:00 pm, CBSSN		 at UNC Wilmington L 69–78  13–6
(4–2)		  27 – Brzovic  11 – Brzovic  5 – Fulton  Trask Coliseum (5,100)
Wilmington, NC
January 25, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 at Hampton W 107–86  14–6
(5–2)		  31 – Brzovic  12 – Brzovic  7 – Fulton  Hampton Convocation Center (897)
Hampton, VA
January 27, 2024
2:00 pm, FloHoops		 at Campbell W 90–67  15–6
(6–2)		  16 – Burnham  6 – Policelli  3 – Tied  Gore Arena (1,617)
Buies Creek, NC
February 1, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 UNC Wilmington L 74–80  15–7
(6–3)		  20 – Rodgers  9 – Policelli  5 – Fulton  TD Arena (5,021)
Charleston, SC
February 3, 2024
2:00 pm, FloHoops		 at William & Mary W 84–83  16–7
(7–3)		  20 – Burnham  7 – Burnham  5 – Brzovic  Kaplan Arena (5,062)
Williamsburg, VA
February 8, 2024
8:00 pm, CBSSN		 North Carolina A&T W 80–58  17–7
(8–3)		  21 – Burnham  16 – Policelli  5 – Fulton  TD Arena (4,624)
Charleston, SC
February 10, 2024
3:30 pm, FloHoops		 Drexel
Black Out		 W 80–70  18–7
(9–3)		  22 – Policelli  5 – Tied  3 – Tied  TD Arena (4,750)
Charleston, SC
February 15, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 at Northeastern W 77–73  19–7
(10–3)		  21 – Smith  6 – Tied  4 – Fulton  Matthews Arena (1,127)
Boston, MA
February 19, 2024
8:00 pm, CBSSN		 William & Mary W 65–57  20–7
(11–3)		  15 – Tied  12 – Brzovic  2 – Tied  TD Arena (4,517)
Charleston, SC
February 22, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 at Delaware W 90–71  21–7
(12–3)		  20 – Rodgers  7 – Burnham  6 – Fulton  Bob Carpenter Center (2,191)
Newark, DE
February 24, 2024
2:00 pm, CBSSN		 at Towson W 72–56  22–7
(13–3)		  17 – Policelli  5 – Rodgers  5 – Fulton  SECU Arena (4,322)
Towson, MD
February 29, 2024
7:00 pm, FloHoops		 Campbell W 96–73  23–7
(14–3)		  32 – Smith  8 – Burnham  7 – Rodgers  TD Arena (4,905)
Charleston, SC
March 2, 2024
2:00 pm, FloHoops		 Hofstra
Senior Day White Out		 W 87–76  24–7
(15–3)		  21 – Smith  7 – Policelli  8 – Rodgers  TD Arena (5,127)
Charleston, SC
CAA tournament
March 10, 2024
12:00 pm, FloHoops		 (1) vs. (8) Monmouth
Quarterfinals		 W 83-59  25–7
  16 – Burnham  9 – Brzovic  7 – Fulton  Entertainment and Sports Arena 
Washington, D.C.
March 11, 2024
6:00 pm, CBSSN		 (1) vs. (5) Towson
Semifinals		 W 61–56  26–7
  16 – Smith  6 – Brzovic  3 – Fulton  Entertainment and Sports Arena 
Washington, D.C.
March 12, 2024
7:00 pm, CBSSN		 (1) vs. (7) Stony Brook
Championship		 W 82–79 OT 27–7
  23 – Smith  7 – Burnham  6 – Fulton  Entertainment and Sports Arena (1,954)
Washington, D.C.
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2024
7:35 pm, TruTV		 (13 W) vs. (4 W) No. 19 Alabama
First Round		 L 96–109  27–8
  19 – Burnham  8 – Tied  4 – Rodgers  Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena 
Spokane, WA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Eastern.

Source[16]

Awards and honors
Conference honors
Honors Player Position
CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Reyne Smith G
CAA All-Tournament Team Reyne Smith G
CAA All-Tournament Team Frankie Policelli F
CAA All-Tournament Team Kobe Rodgers G
CAA Sixth Man of the Year Bryce Butler G
All-CAA First Team Ante Brzovic F
All-CAA Second Team Reyne Smith G
All-CAA Third Team Ben Burnham F
CAA All-Rookie Team James Scott F
Coaching honors
Honors Coach Position Ref.
Coastal Athletic Association Men's Basketball Coach of the Year Pat Kelsey Head coach [17]

Source[18][19]

References
  1. "Cougars Reyne Supreme Again in CAA". College of Charleston Athletics. 2024-03-12. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  2. "Cougars End Season in NCAA First Round". College of Charleston Athletics. 2024-03-22. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  3. McGavic, Matthew. "Louisville Officially Hires Pat Kelsey as Men's Basketball Head Coach". Sports Illustrated Louisville Cardinals News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  4. "Cougars Rule CAA After Rallying Past UNCW". College of Charleston Athletics. 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  5. "2022-23 College of Charleston Cougars Men 's Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  6. News-Record, SHANE METTLEN Daily (2023-05-14). "Charleston Guard Horton Commits To JMU". Daily News-Record. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  7. "Babacar Faye Signed to 2023-24 Roster". Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  8. "Graduate Transfer Charles Lampten Joins Catamount Basketball". Western Carolina University. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  9. "CAA Rebounding Leader Joins Cougars". College of Charleston Athletics. 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  10. "Kelsey Signs Butler as Graduate Transfer". College of Charleston Athletics. 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  11. "Division II National Champion Rodgers Set to Join Men's Basketball Program". College of Charleston Athletics. 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  12. "Irish National Team Member Fulton Signs with Cougars". College of Charleston Athletics. 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  13. McQuiggan, Miles. "Charleston Tabbed as CAA Men's Basketball Favorite; Drexel's Williams Selected as Preseason Player of the Year". caasports.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  14. "Men's Basketball Picked First in CAA Preseason Poll". College of Charleston Athletics. 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  15. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". College of Charleston Athletics. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  16. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". College of Charleston Athletics. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  17. apmiller@postandcourier.com, Andrew Miller (2024-03-07). "College of Charleston's Pat Kelsey, Bryce Butler receive postseason CAA awards". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  18. McQuiggan, Miles. "CAA Men's Basketball Annual Awards Unveiled; Hofstra's Thomas Named Player of the Year". caasports.com. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  19. Washburn, Rob. "Charleston Prevails in Overtime to Win Back-to-Back CAA Championships". caasports.com. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
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