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
Conference	Coastal Athletic Association
Record	27–8 (15–3 CAA)
Head coach	Pat Kelsey (3rd season)
Associate head coach	Brian Kloman
Assistant coaches	Michael Cassidy Thomas Carr
Home arena	TD Arena
Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 CAA men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Charleston †	15	–	3		.833			27	–	8		.771
Drexel	13	–	5		.722			20	–	12		.625
Hofstra	12	–	6		.667			20	–	13		.606
UNC Wilmington	12	–	6		.667			21	–	10		.677
Towson	11	–	7		.611			20	–	14		.588
Delaware	10	–	8		.556			19	–	14		.576
Stony Brook	10	–	8		.556			20	–	15		.571
Monmouth	10	–	8		.556			18	–	15		.545
Campbell	8	–	10		.444			14	–	18		.438
Northeastern	7	–	11		.389			12	–	20		.375
Elon	6	–	12		.333			13	–	19		.406
North Carolina A&T	5	–	13		.278			7	–	25		.219
William & Mary	4	–	14		.222			10	–	23		.303
Hampton	3	–	15		.167			9	–	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 Horton	5	F	6'6"	200	SO	Santee, South Carolina	Transferred to James Madison[6]
Ryan Larson	11	G	6'1"	180	GS	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Graduated
Pat Robinson III	15	G	6'3"	195	GS	Chesterfield, New Jersey	Graduated
Jaylon Scott	21	G	6'5"	195	GS	Allen, Texas	Graduated
Babacar Faye	35	F	6'8"	190	FR	Saly, Senegal	Transferred 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]	1	F	6'9"	225	GS	New Hartford, New York	Stony Brook	1	October 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
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Jordan Crawford 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr North Mecklenburg HS Charlotte, NC F 1 Frankie Policelli 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS Stony Brook New Hartford, NY G 2 Reyne Smith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Australian Institute of Sport Ulverstone, Australia G 3 Khalil London 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr St. Dominic HS Wyandanch, NY G 4 Bryce Butler 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS West Liberty Latrobe, PA G 5 Evan Kilminster 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Australian Institute of Sport Newcastle, Australia F 10 Ante Brzovic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Southeastern Oklahoma State Zagreb, Croatia G 11 Kobe Rodgers 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Nova Southeastern Cincinnati, OH G 12 CJ Fulton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Lafayette Belfast, Northern Ireland F 13 Ben Burnham 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Carmel Christian School Fort Mill, SC F 15 Mayar Wol 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Word of God Christian Academy Raleigh, NC F 23 James Scott 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr E.E. Smith HS Fayetteville, NC G 31 Jack Miller 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Ocean Township HS Ocean Township, NJ G 40 Frankie Idlett 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So IMG Academy Miami, FL F 41 Spencer Legg 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Woodberry Forest School Washington, D.C. G 45 Dylan Ritter 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Zionsville HS Zionsville, IN F 50 Adam Comer 6 ft 19 in (2.31 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Broome HS Spartanburg, SC	Head coach Pat Kelsey (Xavier) Assistant coach(es) Brian Kloman (Tennessee) Michael Cassidy (ACPE) Thomas Carr (Pfeiffer) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt 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. [e-mail], 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.