Without further ado, let’s break down the game of High Point’s new big man, Filip Brankovic.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to High Point, Brankovic spent 1 season at UTRGV. Before his time in the NCAA, Brankovic spent multiple seasons in both the BNXT and ABA U19 Leagues. Brankovic also appeared for Serbia’s U16 and U20 teams.

2025-26 (Junior Season/UTRGV):

• In his lone season of NCAA action to date, Brankovic averaged 13 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 1.9 APG across 32 starts for the Vaqueros.

• Earned 2nd Team All-Conference in the Southland Conference last season.

2019-20 to 2024-25 Pre-NCAA Career (Crvena Zvezda U19, PrismaWorx, Donar Groningen, Serbia National Team)

• Across 3 seasons of BNXT play at both PrismaWorx (22-23, 23-24) and Donar Groningen (24-25), Brankovic averaged over 10 PPG across all 3 seasons with highs in PPG of 12.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 2023-24.

• In 2020-21 at Crvena Zvezda, in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament averaged 14.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG across 7 games. Brankovic also played for Crvena in 2019-20, averaging 10.3 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 4 games.

• During the 2019-20 U16 EuroBasket competition, Brankovic averaged 8.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 2.1 APG in 7 games.

• During the 2023-24 U20 EuroBasket competition, Brankovic averaged 10.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG, helping Serbia earn 5th place.

Film Review:

Film for Layup Hoops on X:

Efficiency Demon:

When watching Filip Brankovic, one thing is very evident: he is a very talented offensive player. That talent becomes even clearer when you look at HOW efficient Brankovic was last season at UTRGV. Last season at UTRGV, Brankovic was a Top 200 player in 2PT percentage with 62.4% and a Top 150 player at the rim shooting 69.3% at the rim. Brankovic also had a 70th percentile Effective FG Percentage with 58.2%.

One of the best things about Brankovic for High Point was that his efficiency became even better during conference play last season. During Southland Conference play last season, Brankovic was a Top 100 player in 2PT Percentage, shooting 64.8%, having a 2.4% increase. Brankovic did see a 1.4% drop at the rim, still ending up as a Top 200 player at the rim. The place where Brankovic really saw an improvement was the mid-range, having a 10.8% increase and being a Top 90 player in the mid-range.

Stretches the Floor:

Another ability Brankovic possesses that will be utilized by Flynn Clayman and his staff is Brankovic’s ability to shoot the three and overall stretch the floor. Last season at UTRGV, Brankovic took over 100 shots from behind the arc, ranking in the 64th percentile of 3PAr, taking 3.3 attempts per game. It’s one thing to shoot a ton of 3-pointers, but it’s another thing to make them, which is something Brankovic was also very good at doing, shooting 33.7% from 3 last season, ranking in the 66th percentile of all big men in CBB in 3PT Percentage.

This ability has been something Brankovic has possessed for a long time, as during his time overseas, he was also a very solid stretch big man. Before coming over to play at UTRGV, Brankovic played in Belgium’s BNXT league, which has produced other elite big man stars like Thijs De Ridder (Virginia) and Noam Yaacov (Utah). In BNXT, Brankovic shot over 40% from 3 across 3 seasons with over 200 attempts across the 3 seasons. Brankovic also shot 35% from Serbia during U20 EuroBasket competition in July of 2023.

High Point last season had a big man who was very able to stretch the floor when needed: Owen Aquino. One paper said it didn’t seem like Aquino did much to stretch the floor for High Point, with only a 16.3% 3PAr, but even that was in the top half of D1 forwards last season. During conference play, that ability was massive for High Point; from 1.4 attempts per game from beyond the arc in conference play, Aquino shot over 48%. The ability undoubtedly helped HPU to shoot 67.5% at the rim during conference play, placing them in the 91st percentile of D1 teams and 43.9% in the paint, ranking them in the 65th percentile.

Plug and Play:

One of the most underrated aspects of Filip Brankovic is his ability to adapt and be an almost “plug and play” big man. Last season, Brankovic played 6 Play Styles over 8 Plays Per 100 Possessions. Those 6 plays were: Rebound and Scramble, Big Pick and Roll, Cutter, Pick and Pop, Post Up, Inside Out. Of those 6 Play Styles, Brankovic ranked in the Top 50% of all big men in all 6 for efficiency and in the top 75% of big men in 2 of those 6, being Big Pick and Roll and Inside Out. Big Pick and Roll was his most common play, with 12.3 Plays Per 100 being Big Pick and Roll, with an efficiency of 1.27 Points Per Possession, ranking him in the 77th percentile.

That ability to plug and play will make a massive impact at High Point, especially considering the areas where Brankovic excelled are where High Point excels. Owen Aquino, last season at High Point, had a very similar offensive play style, having >10 plays per 100 in Big Cut and Roll, Inside Out, and Post Up plays along with Transition. High Point as a team saw massive success, ranking in the 75th percentile of Points Per Possession in Big Cut and Roll plays along with being in the Top 50th percentile of Post Up and Inside Out plays.

Rebounding:

The biggest flaw when looking at Brankovic’s game comes from his ability to rebound. Last season as UTRGV’s main big man playing 100% of his minutes as their center, Brankovic had an 8.2% Offensive Rebounding Percentage and a 13.4% Defensive Rebounding Percentage. Last year, High Point’s big men had 8.3%, 10.1%, and 12.3% Offensive Rebounding Percentages and Defensive Rebounding Percentages of 16.6%, 16.3%, and 14.3%. Owen Aquino, who was High Point’s primary 5 last season, had 8.3% and 16.3%, which allowed him to stay in the 50th percentile for both stats, being in the 55th percentile for Offensive and 59th percentile for Defensive. Brankovic was only above the 50th percentile for Offensive Rebounding Percentage, ranking in the 53rd percentile and the 32nd percentile for Defensive.

When you dive deeper into the stats and the players around Brankovic at both UTRGV and now at High Point, you see light at the end of the tunnel. Last season at UTRGV, Brankovic played with two elite rebounding guards in Marvin McGee and Koree Cotton. Last season, Marvin McGhee III had a Defensive Rebounding Percentage of 16.3%, ranking in the 92nd percentile for guards, and Cotton had an even better 17.7%, ranking in the 95th percentile. This season at High Point, he is surrounded by elite rebounders in Jason Rivera Torres, Caden Miller, Isaac Garrett, Frankquon Sherman, among others. Suppose he can rebound at an elite level, great. If not, HPU should be just fine.

Final Thoughts:

Filip Brankovic has a pretty easy player comparison to make, and that is to last year’s big man in Owen Aquino. Both players are 6’8” big men who primarily played the center position, with similar play styles, and both even came from very solid coaches/programs, with Owen Aquino coming from Ritchie McKay at Liberty and Brankovic coming from Khalil Fennell at UTRGV. The only real differences being their rebounding abilities, which I truly don’t believe are that far off. The other difference is defensively, where Brankovic was by no means a bad defensive player, ending the season as a positive defensive player at UTRGV.

I really don’t know where to expect Brankovic to be in the roster because there is so much talent this season. High Point has another proven big man in Isaac Garrett and a very solid player in Caden Miller coming off a solid freshman season, all competing for minutes. I do think Garrett and Brankovic will take up the majority of those minutes, with Caden also pulling a decent amount. I think you can expect a similar season to Aquino, with slightly lower statistical numbers but similar adjusted stats and likely at least some Big South postseason honors.

Without further ado, let’s break down the game of Gardner-Webb’s new transfer center, Ginuwine Tropnas.

Player Bio:

Before making the move to Boiling Springs, Tropnas spent 3 seasons in college basketball. He spent two seasons at Lake Region State College before transferring to Lincoln (PA) for his Junior Season.

2023-24 (Lake Region State - JUCO - Freshman Season)

• Across 31 games, Tropnas nearly averaged a double-double with 9.9 PPG and 8.5 RPG.

• Ranked 3rd in Region 13 for Blocks with 59.

• Finished 1st in Region 13 in Defensive Rebounds (193) and 2nd in Total Rebounds (265)

2024-25 (Lake Region State - Sophomore Season)

• In his second season at Lake Region State, Tropnas saw his stats increase to 13.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG, along with a 10% increase in Field Goal Percentage.

• Finished 4th in Blocks with 46, also set the Lake Region State Record with 105 total blocks.

• Earned 2nd Team All-Mon-Dak Honors

2025-26 (Lincoln PA - D2 - Junior Season)

• In 30 games at Lincoln, 15 of which were starts, Tropnas averaged 6.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG in just over 22 MPG.

• Tropnas finished 2nd in Blocks (45) and Rebounds (154).

Film Review:

Highlights from Sophomore JUCO Season, Video from Ginuwine Tropnas on X:

Rebound Monster:

The first thing that becomes evident when watching Tropnas’ game is he’s a very specialized player. One of the things Tropnas can do is rebound at an elite level. In both seasons at Lake Region State, Tropnas averaged 8.5 RPG and 8.8 RPG on 24.6 MPG and 26.7 MPG. When you put those numbers into per-40-minute numbers, it’s 13.9 Reb/Per 40 and 13.2 Reb/Per 40 Minutes. During his lone season at the D2 level, Tropnas averaged 5.1 RPG in over 22 MPG, for per-40 stats, 9.2 Reb/Per 40 Minutes. If Tropnas can keep similar per-40 numbers to his past 3 seasons, he will be in the Top 1/3rd of Rebounders in D1 basketball and considered elite at the Big South level.

Rebounding was probably the biggest area Gardner Webb needed to address in the portal this season. Last season, Gardner Webb ranked in the 8th percentile for Offensive Rebounds and the 10th percentile for Defensive Rebounds. Those issues compounded into even larger issues; Gardner Webb ranked in the 6th percentile for 2nd Chance PPG and ranked in the 4th percentile for 2nd Chance PPG Against. When Tropnas was on the court at Lincoln, Lincoln ranked in the 97th percentile in ORB Percentage and the 53rd percentile in On/Off DRB Percentage, contributing +0.3 % when on the floor.

Paint Protector:

The second glaring strength for Tropnas comes from his ability to just stop teams from scoring in the paint. During his 3 seasons of basketball at both the JUCO and D2 levels, Tropnas has combined for 150 blocks, including a Lake Region State career record of 105. That ability to swat shots comes through in so many other facets of analytics too. Tropnas has a Block Percentage of 7.1%, placing him in the 93rd percentile, and a Hakeem Percentage of 9.1%, placing him in the 94th percentile.

Last season in D1 basketball, the middle-of-the-pack 2PT Percentage was 51.7%. Ginuwine Tropnas held his D2 competition to 46.7% from inside the arc when he was on the floor. That 46.7% ballooned to 51.9% when Tropnas was off the floor, resulting in Tropnas being a Top 90th percentile On/Off 2PT FG Defender. That ability to affect shooting was even larger in the paint, where teams shot 33.2% when Tropnas was on the floor, which was in the 97th percentile.

Specialized:

The abilities to rebound and disrupt shots are undeniable for Tropnas. The one thing that limits Tropnas is the thing that makes him SO GOOD. Tropnas is very specialized; in every “Shooting” stat on CBB Analytics, Tropnas ranks in the bottom 25th percentile. One of those stats includes Free Throw Percentage, which Tropnas finished shooting 55.7%. That shooting percentage alone wouldn’t be bad, if not for his Free Throw Rate being a sky-high 70.8%, ranking in the 95th percentile of D2 last season.

The same reason he has these issues is why you feel fine with these issues if you are Gardner Webb. During this offseason, Gardner Webb has added two elite but specialized centers with Brave Rutsindura and Ginuwine Tropnas. Tropnas is probably Top 5 in the Big South in his ability to rebound and block shots, and if you are Gardner Webb, that’s what you need. Gardner Webb had a 15th-percentile BPG, with sub-10th-percentile Offensive and Defensive Rebounds Per 40 Minutes. Tropnas will surely improve those numbers alongside Rutsindura.

Final Thoughts:

For the basis alone of filling a much-needed hole in Gardner Webb’s roster and providing a boost to last year’s roster level. The fit is what really sells this addition to me; Tropnas joins another very similar big man, Brave Rutsindura, in that frontcourt. Both are very experienced big men with similar profiles, ages, and playing styles. I think both players will truly thrive from each other’s ability to just swap into the game and have little to no changes needed.

Tropnas is a very hard player to compare to because he’s so specialized, but overall he does remind me a bit of Lase Olalare during his SO and Early JR seasons. Very solid defense big men that were limited on the offensive end. Lase saw a massive breakout as a Junior during conference play; Tropnas has shown offensive potential at the JUCO level. Whether the offense improves or stays where it was last season, Tropnas makes a massive impact on this Gardner Webb team.

There will be NO guard breakdowns (except for one for Presbyterian).

That is because the 2nd half will be a breakdown of the league’s wings and big men, compared to the first half’s breakdown of wings and guards.

Without further ado, let’s break down the game of Charleston Southern’s new transfer wing, Riley Brooks.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to Charleston Southern, Brooks spent 3 seasons across 2 schools, beginning at D2 Northern Michigan before spending his past two seasons at Carthage in his home state of Wisconsin.

2023-24 (Freshman Season at Northern Michigan)

• Playing 28 games including 10 starts as a true freshman, averaging 7.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 0.9 APG across 22.4 MPG.

• Was a part of a GLIAC Championship and appeared in the NCAA Tournament.

• Brooks led Northern Michigan in FT Percentage with 90.9% and shot 38% from 3.

2024-25 (Sophomore Season at Carthage College)

• Appeared and started in all 28 games, averaging 15.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.1 APG across 33.6 MPG.

• Earned All CCIW First Team Selection Honors

• Brooks led Carthage in scoring while being 4th in rebounding and 4th in steals.

2025-26 (Junior Season at Carthage College)

• Appeared and started in 26 games, averaging 17.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.1 APG across 29.7 MPG.

• Earned All-CCIW First Team Selection Honors and scored his 1000th career point.

• Brooks once again led Carthage in scoring and ranked 7th in the CCIW, while finishing 2nd on his team in rebounding, FT% and 3PT% with over 20 attempts.

Film Review:

Film from Riley Brooks on X:

Elite Coaches:

The first thing I notice when I look at Riley Brooks is that he has played under elite-level coaches at both Northern Michigan and Carthage College. Beginning at Northern Michigan as a freshman, Brooks played under now-current Northern Illinois coach Matt Majkrzak. Then transferring to Carthage to play 2 seasons for Steve Djurickovic, former Carthage star and son of Top 30 D3 Wins coach Bosko Djurickovic.

Despite holding multiple Division One offers from high-level schools like Toledo and Indiana State and being a Top 300 recruit, Brooks took a different route than most, going to Division Two, Northern Michigan. That choice would end up paying off as in Brooks’ freshman season, he appeared in 28 games, averaging 7.5 PPG. The season also paid off in a bigger way as Brooks made his first NCAA Tournament, going 22-11 before falling in the First Round to Ferris State.

After his freshman season at Northern Michigan, Brooks went from one elite basketball mind in Matt Majkrzak to another elite mind in Steve Djurickovic at Carthage College. During that 1st season at Carthage, it could not have been much better. Brooks averaged 15.8 PPG, helping Carthage go 21-7 and have their most conference wins in program history, eventually culminating in Carthage’s first NCAA Tournament Berth since 2010. Then, in the following season averaged 17.5 PPG, leading to a transfer to the Division 1 level.

Two things were common during his two stays at Northern Michigan and Carthage College: being around elite coaches and being around winning. During Brooks’ 3 seasons in college basketball, his teams have gone 61-26, with two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Brooks’ ability to learn from elite coaches and win while doing so should translate immediately to the highest level at which he has played.

3 Level Scorer:

One of the most fascinating parts of Brooks’ offensive skill set is his ability to score from almost anywhere. Last season at Carthage, Brooks took 22% of his shots from the mid-range, which ranked in the 90th percentile for his position in D3 basketball. Brooks only took just over 13% of his shots at the rim, which placed him in the 20th percentile. That lack of shots isn’t because he can’t make them, though; Brooks shot 68.2% at the rim, which ranked him in the 79th percentile. Across all 5 shooting regions on CBB Analytics, Brooks ranks in the 50th percentile in all 5 and ranks in the Top 1/3rd in 4 of the 5 regions.

His season prior at Carthage, much of the same just with slightly less efficiency. Brooks ended up in the Top 50th percentile in 3 of the 5 regions and ranked as low as the 39th percentile across all 5 regions. You could even see this elite-level scoring when he was at Northern Michigan. During his true freshman season, Brooks shot 36.9% from behind the arc and 89.5% from the free throw line, ranking him in the 95th percentile.

Last season across all of D1 basketball, 34 players between the heights of 6’4” and 6’8” shot above 50% At The Rim, 45% on Mid Range/Long 2’s, and 35% from Behind The Arc with 100 Attempts from 2 and 100 from 3. That list includes 31 players at or above an All-Big South level, including two of the hottest names in CBB, Milan Momcilovic, and NBA Draftees like Bennett Stirtz and Cameron Carr. The Big South has had only 9 players match those levels, and 7 of those 9 played at an All-Big South level last season.

Transfer Up?:

The biggest question when a player transfers up from any level is, well, Will They Transfer Up? That concern has a ton of merit; the average D3 team would lose to most, if not all, Division 1 teams. When a player succeeds at a lower level and makes the next move, it is sometimes far from seamless. It has happened time and time again where an All-Conference D2/D3/NAIA or JUCO player jumps up to the D1 level and just never seems to find their footing. Of the 11 D3 to D1 transfers last season, 5 played in over 300 minutes throughout the season.

Despite this being a lottery ticket based on last season, I don’t see Brooks having much trouble transferring up. Last season, one of the best transfers was Toby Harris, who went to Iona. Harris also happens to be the Brooks top comparable player during the 24-25 season. Alongside that comparison, one hits closer to home for CSU, with Jesse Hafemeister having the 4th- and 5th-most comparable seasons in the Landmark Conference to Brooks’s in the CCIW.

Final Thoughts:

The comparison for this transfer is very easy. It is an almost 1-for-1, at least analytically, to what Charleston Southern had with Hafemeister last season. Both players are similarly sized, Division 3 Transfer Wing/Taller Guards, with similar stats. During Jesse Hafemeister’s 3 seasons at Catholic, Hafemeister had 80.9%, 79.3%, and 79.1% comparable shooting numbers to Brooks in Carthage’s 25-26 season. When you look at the full player profile, it becomes even clearer with comparisons of 86%, 85.2%, and 83%.

Last season, Jesse Hafemeister averaged 12.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG with 39% 3PT shooting, including 29 points against North Florida, 32 against USC Upstate, and 28 against UNC Asheville. Truly, I could see a very similar season for Brooks, if not better. Brooks comes from a league that produces multiple D1 transfers to teams like Illinois State, and the league was ranked 5th in the 23-24 Landmark Conference, which was ranked 16th. Ultimately, I expect Brooks to make a buzz for an All-Big South Mention, but unlike Hafemeister last season, I do think Brooks gets at least an Honorable Mention.

DISCLAIMER:

For Simplicity’s Sake: The only players I am counting as “Freshman” for the purpose of this article are players coming from Tradition HS or Prep Routes.

NOT COUNTING: Returning or Transfer RS Freshman or European Professional Freshman.

Preseason Rankings:

One of the easiest ways to see how good the next crop of Big South freshmen will be is by checking their recruiting rankings. Out of the 17 incoming freshmen in the Big South, 9 of those 17 are in the Top 50 of their state in Class of 2026 rankings, led by the BEST-ranked freshman in Big South history, Trey Pearson, who currently sits just inside the Top 150 on 247Sports. 6 of the 9 Big South schools added a freshman ranked in the Top 50 of their state. Two of the three teams that didn’t either had a Top 50 State Ranked 2026 commit, reclass to play in 2025, or had a Top 2025 freshman redshirt last season.

Of those 9 Top 50 state-ranked recruits, 3 are headed to the same school, that being UNC Asheville, which brings in both Logan Johnson and Ian Bailey from the State of North Carolina and Quinton Mansfield from Georgia. The ability of schools like UNC Asheville to land top freshmen comes down to ONE BIG thing: playing time. Mike Morrell put it pretty simply at Big South Media Day last season, “They (High Majors) have 15 scholarships… I know a lot of kids who have zero chance to play on some rosters; what are you in it for?” It’s clear that Mansfield, Johnson and Bailey all are in it to compete from the jump.

The other Big South school with multiple Top 50 ranked players gets both of their players from the New England; that team is Gardner Webb. Jeremy Luther brings him yet another Putnam Science Academy player, David Gaymon, who joins him, along with Chinedu Okpara from Wilbraham & Monson. Gaymon comes in ranked 30th and Okpara comes in 45th. That New England region has been a massive source for Gardner Webb’s best talent in history, with Gaymon and Okpara poised to potentially be the next NE star in Boiling Springs.

Then there is the Panther in the room with Trey Pearson. The highest-ranked recruit in Big South history and the first-ever 4-star recruit in Big South history. In HPU’s Top 5 recruits, you have 2 current/former P5 players, a starter for most of last season at HPU, and then the previous highest recruit in Big South history. Who is that former highest recruit in Big South history? Well, only one of the best players in Big South history and HPU great, John Brown.

Elite Level Talent:

One of the clearest strengths of this Big South class comes from the talent they played against during their high school and prep careers. 3 of the 17 incoming freshmen are coming from Top 100 programs nationally with CSU’s Marquise Leslie, UNC Asheville’s Quinton Mansfield, and Presbyterian’s Langston Hackworth. Marquise Leslie comes from 21st-ranked Alexander HS, while Mansfield comes from Gainesville, Georgia (63rd), and Hackworth comes from Andrew Jackson in Florida (69th). Alongside those 3 from the HS Top 100, The Big South has 6 players from Top 100 Prep Schools, 2 going to Gardner-Webb and 1 to each of Longwood, Presbyterian, Radford, and USC Upstate.

If you want to find elite talent in the Big South, one of the best hotbeds has been the State of Georgia, and that is reflected with 2 of the 3 players from Top 100 HS’s in Marquise Leslie and Quinton Mansfield. Marquise Leslie follows in a line of Georgia players who have committed to Charleston Southern, many of whom come from equally elite High Schools. Jacob Taylor was an All-Freshman Team member last season after coming from nationally ranked Wheeler HS; one of the greatest players in CSU history, Ta’je Kelly, played for 36th-ranked Grayson HS. That success hasn’t been limited to CSU either; Winthrop and others have had success with Georgia HS stars, including players Elijah Tucker, KJ Doucet, and Tommy Kamarad.

One of the biggest prep standouts was actually one of the latest commits, Elijah Thomas, who committed to Longwood. Elijah Thomas comes in from Winston-Salem Christian Academy, where he got to play in the elite Grind Session circuit the past season. Elijah Thomas ended up making the most out of the opportunity with 22 points against West Oaks and averaged 4.8 PPG across the entire season. That ability helped Thomas garner offers from Arizona State, Jacksonville and LIU before eventually choosing Longwood to call home.

National Team Experience:

Something that you see very rarely in incoming freshmen is having experience playing for their national teams. In the Big South this season, two of the incoming freshmen have national team experience. The most recent experience of the two is Will Dopfer, an incoming freshman for Longwood, who played just this spring in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament for Germany’s U-18 team. The other freshman is Alexandros Alexakis from High Point, who has played for Greece’s U18 and U20 teams.

As I mentioned earlier, Dopfer played just this fall in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament for Germany. During that tournament, Dopfer played in 6 of 7 games, averaging 16 MPG, 6.2 PPG, and 3.8 RPG. Dopfer had a positive +/- across all 6 of his games, including a +7 in the title game vs. Slovenia, and reached highs of 9 points against Turkey and 9 rebounds against Japan. After their win over Slovenia, Dopfer and Germany capped off a perfect 7-0 record and won the tournament.

While Will Dopfer might have the most recent international experience, Alexandros Alexakis has the most extensive resume of international experience. Alexakis played for the Greek National Team at both the 2023 FIBA U16 European Championship and the 2024 U18 EuroBasket. In the 2023 U16 European Championship, Alexakis was the 3rd leading scorer for the entire event, tied with Arkansas Commit Miikka Muurinen. In the U18 EuroBasket, Alexakis came off the bench and had standout games against Denmark, scoring 10 points and grabbing 6 rebounds, and in the 9th-place game, scoring 6 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.

Final Thoughts:

This incoming freshman class has a ton of promise. Whether it’s the highest-ranked Big South commit ever, the multiple Top 100-level HS and Prep players, the national team players, or even some of the other amazing stars that weren’t mentioned. This doesn’t include the likes of Kaleb Evans from Winthrop and Abu Yarmah from Longwood, both of whom are Top RS freshmen in the conference. The one limiting factor for many players’ freshman seasons will be playing time, as the Big South brought in 7 fewer freshmen than last season.

By March of 2031, this class will likely have exhausted all their eligibility. With the 17 players in this freshman class, I think there is a real possibility that this has nearly a 70% hit rate on All Conference Level Players/Players who moved up a league. I also believe this has a high likelihood of 3-4 really high-level professional players, with I think at least one NBA-bound, at least to the G League but likely to the Big Show.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to Winthrop, Anthony Smith III spent 1 season at North Dakota.

2025-26 (Freshman Season):

• In 34 games, Smith averaged 7.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 2.3 APG, including making 8 starts for North Dakota.

• Ranked 2nd in the Summit League for Assists by a True Freshman this season.

• Had a career high of 6 rebounds against Winthrop last season.

Film Review:

Film from HoopHound5 on X:

Playmaking Ability:

One of the best aspects of Anthony Smith’s game is his ability to play make and create for his teammates. Last season, Anthony Smith had an Assist Percentage of 25.1% with a 1.6x Assist/Turnover Ratio, both being in the top 1/3rd of D1 guards last season. In the Summit League last season, Smith finished 2nd in Assists by a True Freshman and 4th for all freshmen. Of those 4 freshmen, Smith played less than 2/3rd of any of their minutes with similar APG numbers. Smith also turned in the 3rd best Assist/Turnover Ratio for any freshman, and only ranking behind Nick Janowiski in both APG and Assist/Turnover Ratio.

Anthony Smith’s playmaking threat makes him a perfect fit in the Big South Conference. Last season, Anthony Smith’s season was comparable to two Big South guards in Triston Wilson and Jacoi Hutchinson, along with now Longwood guard TJ Robinson. Alongside those Big South player comps, Smith also holds comparisons from Nik Graves, TO Barrett, Ace Buckner, Zoom Diallo, Budd Clark, and many other P5 and MM stars.

This addition also fills a hole that opened for Winthrop after Kareem Rozier’s departure after his senior season. The one main crossover point in both Rozier’s and Smith’s abilities is that they are elite playmakers. Last season, Rozier had an Assist Percentage of 20.7% with an unreal 3.3x Assist/Turnover Ratio. While Smith doesn’t control the ball as well as Rozier, they both are able to convert and set up their teammates and be the leader of an offense.

Strong Attack:

The biggest reason for Smith’s offensive success, including his playmaking, is his ability to get down and attack the rim. Last season, Smith ranked in the 93rd percentile and 97th percentile for Rim Attack and Attack and Kick plays on Hoop Explorer. Nearly 58 out of every 100 plays with Smith on the floor involve an attack of some kind, most of which involve him. Anthony Smith also takes 53% of his shot attempts at the rim while shooting nearly 58% from the rim. Smith was one of 8 freshman to shoot over 100 close 2PT’s and shoot over 55% from that range, including his own teammate from last season, Greyson Uelmen.

Last season, one of Winthrop’s biggest issues was making shots at the rim. Some of that was due to fouling, but Winthrop had 3 main guard pieces that shot in the bottom 5th percentile at the Rim last season, according to HoopExplorer. In the 24-25 season, Winthrop was not a stellar 2PT shooting team, but Kasen Harrison and his 52.6% at the rim helped Winthrop shoot 56.4% at the rim compared to the 321st-ranked at the rim with 53.3%.

Once again, comparing to the 2024-25 team and their PG, Kasen Harrison. During that 24-25 season, Kasen Harrison ranked in the 99th and 96th percentile for Rim Attack play and Attack and Kick play frequency, very similarly to Anthony Smith III. The comparisons don’t just stop there between Smith and Harrison. Before transferring to Winthrop from Lamar, Harrison, much like Smith, was not a good pick-and-roll passer, with Smith ranking in the 3rd efficiency percentile, and Harrison ranking in the 18th and 27th efficiency percentile on pick-and-roll passer plays. At Winthrop, those percentiles saw an immediate jump for Harrison, with him having 2 of 3 seasons in the Top 70th percentile, with one season at the 31st percentile, and 79th percentile for frequency.

Roster Shift:

While taking a more outward look at the roster as a whole, I do believe Smith encompasses the idea as a whole of a roster shift having occurred at Winthrop. Last season was the first season during Mark Prosser’s tenure at Winthrop that the Eagles ranked outside the Top 100 in 2PT Percentage and the Top 110 in Effective FG Percentage. While Kareem Rozier was an elite PG who kept the ball safe, leading to the lowest team turnover Percentage under Prosser’s tenure. Rozier was a different kind of PG than what Coach Prosser has had his entire career.

This season’s team is more similar to past Mark Prosser teams, and that begins with Anthony Smith III. Both Harrison and Smith are higher-level playmaking guards who primarily score and create by attacking the rim. Smith and Harrison also have similar sizes, similar player profiles when entering Winthrop’s system, and will have similar tools around them. Harrison had Talford and Doucet as a two-headed monster down low to feed the ball into. This season, Winthrop has George Natsvlishvili, whom Smith played with at North Dakota, and Eeshar Singh Sarai joining Seifeldin Hendawy and Tai Hamilton down low for Smith to feed into.

Jump Shooting:

The one big concern is that if Anthony Smith III doesn’t take many jumpers, and when he does take them, he doesn’t really make them consistently. Last season, while at North Dakota, Smith shot a total of 42 3 Pointers and 19 mid-range 2’s. Smith went 10-42 on 3’s ranking in the bottom 11th percentile in 3 Point attempt rate and the 13th percentile from behind the arc. While the attempts were limited to 23.8% from 3, which is concerning, especially when you consider the shocking fact that Smith went 0-11 on Open Catch-and-Shoot Attempts past season.

There are two things that I think give optimism about these shooting numbers improving, or not even creating an impact. The first being that last season seemed to be an anomaly, shooting-wise, for Smith. During conference play, Smith averaged 30% from behind the mark; in his final 8 conference games, his shooting rose to 33%. Smith was also an 83% free-throw shooter and a 42.1% mid-range shooter. The second part that gives me optimism is that Winthrop doesn’t rely on their PG’s to shoot the ball. During all 3 of Kasen Harrison’s seasons at Winthrop, Harrison never ranked higher than the 30th percentile in 3PT Attempt Rate.

Final Thoughts:

This addition just screams that Mark Prosser is going back to what worked in 24-25: getting a strong attacking PG who can play make. From 22-23 to 24-25, it was Kasen Harrison, and now in 26-27, Winthrop hopes it is Anthony Smith. The comparison is nearly perfect, similar shooting percentages entering the portal, similar play style compared to what succeeded for Harrison at Winthrop. Smith’s stats might not pop on the paper, but the stats look better with the context of being behind another stellar freshman in Greyson Uelmen.

If you have to rebuild a roster like Winthrop did this offseason, getting a high-level PG is a MUST. Anthony Smith III seems to be Winthrop’s stab at getting that, and personally, I do like the addition. Mark Prosser has had success with guards like Smith, as seen in Winthrop’s success when Kasen Harrison was the PG. Kasen Harrison earned Big South HM, so I believe you can expect similar from Anthony Smith.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to USC Upstate, Patterson spent 1 season at Navarro College.

2025-26 (Freshman Season):

• In his freshman season at Navarro, Patterson averaged 14 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2.4 RPG, and 2 SPG across 30 games.

• Earned 2nd Team All-Region XIV Honors for his efforts.

Pre-College:

• Held offers from Charlotte, Tulsa, and Bethune-Cookman before going JUCO.

• Dropped 44 points against Darryn Peterson in High School.

• Brother of former Minnesota guard Lu’cye Patterson.

Film Review:

Film from Navarro College (X):

Scoring Ability:

The first thing that becomes evident when watching Jalyn Patterson on film is his ability to score, and to do so efficiently. Last season at Navarro, Jalyn Patterson averaged 14 PPG on 56.5% True Shooting and 50.16% Effective FG percentage. In D1 last season, 14 guards 5’10” or shorter had a 55% True Shooting or higher, including two Big South legends in Rob Martin and Darryl Simmons. When moving the True Shooting percentage down to 50%, it still bodes well for Patterson with Big South 2nd Team Kareem Rozier being included, along with new Longwood guard MJ Williams. At that 50% level, 48 guards since 2008 have been 5’10 or shorter and had averaged a 50% or better True Shooting percentage, the 2nd most out of any league in D1 basketball, behind the Southland with 53.

USC Upstate is the perfect spot for a guard like Patterson to be with those shooting numbers. Last season, USC Upstate’s lead guard, Karmani Gregory, took 13.3 FG Attempts Per Game, with both Bendinger and Adkins also taking 10+ Attempts Per Game. Upstate added two very high-scoring JUCO guards in Derek Edmond and Jalyn Patterson, who will likely fill two of those three offensive shot diets. Compared to Patterson, Patterson comes in as the better of the two guards from JUCO, with better 3 Point shooting and production across all facets, though only a marginal dip in 2-point shooting.

Playmaking:

Another massive part of Patterson’s game is his ability to play make and find the open man. Whether it’s Patterson’s ability to just find the open man while driving, finding the open cutter for a backdoor lob, or playing off the pick and roll, he makes the pass. Patterson also does a very good job at keeping control of the ball, something he honed in on during the season. During the first 3 games of the season, Patterson had 10 turnovers to 9 assists. For the rest of the season, Patterson only had 1 more stretch of 3 games in the whole season with 10 turnovers, and even then, Patterson held a positive Assist to Turnover, having 11 assists, holding a 1.1 Assist to Turnover during that stretch.

During the entire season, Patterson had an Assist to Turnover Ratio of 2. Last season, 6 players, 4 of whom were PGs, had Assist-to-Turnover Ratios of 2 or more. Those 4 guards were High Point’s duo of Rob Martin and Conrad Martinez, along with Winthrop’s Kareem Rozier and Charleston Southern’s Luke Williams. All 4 considered among the best playmaking guards in the league. If Patterson can keep building on his ball control and playmaking, he has a very good chance of succeeding.

Defensive Issues:

The most glaring flaw for Patterson is his ability on the defensive end. Unlike his undeniable offensive power, the defensive abilities are very lacking in my opinion. Many of Patterson’s defensive flaws stem from his size; against bigger guards, he is at a massive disadvantage. In Jalyn Patterson’s 4 toughest opponents at the JUCO level, Patterson allowed two 20+ point games, a 15-point, 6-assist game, and an 8-point, 7-rebound, and 7-assist game, and Navarro ended up losing all 4 games.

The one thing you can look to and see a ton of promise for Patterson, though, is his ability to apply ball pressure and create turnovers. Last season at Navarro, Patterson had 58 steals in the regular season and a season-high 7 in their conference tournament loss. In both of Marty Richter’s seasons at Upstate, he has had success with players who create a ton of steals, whether that’s Tyler Smith, Mister Dean, or Breylin Garcia. Patterson had around a 3-4% Steal Percentage last season, which would have been one of the highest in the entire Big South. Even if Patterson drops to 2-2.5%, he would be in the 50th-70th percentile for guards in steal percentage.

Final Thoughts:

Since becoming Upstate’s head coach, Marty Richter has placed a CLEAR emphasis on JUCO recruiting, especially for its star players. In his three recruiting classes at USC Upstate, Marty Richter has signed 11 JUCO players, including 4 players in this year’s class. Last year, USC Upstate had 7 JUCO players in the Top 9 most minutes players, 8 if you include Learic Davis. Marty has always leaned on JUCO PG’s to lead his team, and I think he does that again with Jalyn Patterson, which might be his best JUCO player yet.

Jalyn Patterson is very Chris Clemons-esque: both are small guards who can attack at will, aren’t afraid to shoot from anywhere, and attack the ball on defense. I don’t think Patterson is quite the player that Chris Clemons was, but I believe they played comparable styles. I think realistic expectations are a bit of an up-and-down for Patterson, but I do think you’ve seen a ton of flashes, and I believe he finishes the season strong, setting up the potential to return, much like Karmani Gregory, and have a breakout junior season.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to UNC Asheville, Tylon Chatman spent his first 3 seasons at Lee University at the D2 level.

2023-24 (Freshman Season):

• Chatman appeared in 8 games, averaging 1.6 PPG, 0.1 RPG, and 0.1 APG.

2024-25 (Sophomore Season):

• Chatman had a breakout, appearing in 27 games, 18 being starts, averaging 10.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 2.1 RPG.

• Chatman began and ended the season hot with 3 double-digit games to begin the season, then 3 20+ Point performances in his last 6 games of the season.

2025-26 (Junior Season):

• Appeared in 28 games, starting 27, averaging 14.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 3.7 APG while shooting 37% from 3.

• Chatman led the Flames in scoring and was 2nd in Assists on the team.

Film Review:

Film from HawksEliteAAU on X:

Scoring Skill:

The first thing that becomes clear on Tylon Chatman’s film is his ability to create space and score. Last season in the Gulf South Conference, among players with 400 minutes played, Tylon Chatman ranked 8th in ORAPM and 17th in PPG while shooting in the Top 1/3rd of all guards in D2 in 2PT Percentage, 3PT Percentage, and Effective FG Percentage, with the only shooting zone where Chatman was below D2 averages was “Above the Break” 3 pointers, where he ranked in the 49th percentile.

In the past two seasons in the Big South, two players have been 6’ or shorter and averaged 50% from 2 and 35% from 3: Charleston Southern’s Luke Williams and High Point’s Bobby Pettiford. Tylon is truly a mix of both guards. For scoring, I think Tylon has a lot of Williams’ abilities, both coming from the D2 level with similar shooting profiles, especially compared to Pettiford.

UNC Asheville had a similar guard this past season, Justin Wright, who was only 2 inches taller. The season before, another very similar guard, Jordan Marsh, shot 49.5% from 2 and 31.5% 3. Both of which are viewed as some of the best guards in the Big South in recent history, with massive success in Mike Morrell’s system. Tylon Chatman could be the next guard to follow in their success.

Big Playmaker:

The other really shining part of Tylon Chatman’s game is his ability to play make and create for others. Tylon Chatman ranks in the 82nd percentile for D2 guards in Assist Percentage and the 85th percentile in Assist/TOV Ratio. The play-making ability becomes clearer in times when Tylon Chatman was the sole ball-handling point guard. Lee had an Offensive Rating of 116, a 12.3% Turnover Percentage that ranked in the 95th percentile, and a team Effective Field Goal Percentage of 59.6%, ranking in the 96th percentile.

Last season in the Big South, 6 players played over 400 minutes and had Assist Percentages between 17% and 22%, with Turnover Percentages below 15%. Once again, former UNC Asheville guard Justin Wright appears with Wright having a 19.3% Assist Percentage compared to 19.8% for Chatman, but Chatman excels in Assist to Turnover with 1.9x compared to Wright’s 1.2x. Both guards are used to being pivotal pieces to their offensive systems.

The Fit:

Truly, the biggest thing I love about this addition is the fit with Mike Morrell and what he has done well. In Mike Morrell’s tenure at Asheville, his best seasons have been when he has a strong playmaking guard surrounded by good shooters and an elite big man. Tylon Chatman will fit right into that strong playmaking point guard. He isn’t the playmaker that Burgess was in 22-23 and 23-24, but he also provides a stronger offensive upside than Burgess did.

In both 2022-23 and 2023-24, Burgess was surrounded by shooters and elite big men. While I don’t see any game-changing big men, Morrell did surround Chatman with 3 very good 3-point shooters, much like what Chatman had at Lee and what Burgess had at Asheville. The recipe is for Chatman to follow in the footsteps of the 3 Asheville PG’s before in Wright, Marsh, and Burgess and stamp his name in Asheville history.

Defensive Liability:

The biggest flaw in Tylon Chatman’s game comes on the defensive end, where Chatman, unlike on the offensive end, is not a net positive to his team. Last season at Lee, Tylon Chatman had both a negative DRAPM of -0.3 and a DWS/40 below the 50th percentile at 0.03, ranking in the 31st percentile. When Tylon Chatman was on the floor last season, Lee’s saw a 4.3-point slide in Defensive Rating, which placed him in the 24th percentile in On-Off Defensive Rating. That defensive rating jump put their defensive rating to 110.4, which places them in the 40th percentile when he is on the court, compared to the 65th percentile when he is off the court.

One reason I see upside on the defensive side is that last season Chatman played primarily shooting guard, compared to his ALL-sophomore season, when he played point guard. In 24-25’ Chatman played PG and had a 0.8 DRPAM, placing him in the 73rd percentile with a slightly improved 108.2 Defensive Rating and only a 1.1 Defensive Rating drop when he is on the court compared to off the court. Comparing his 24-25 season On/Off’s to his 25-26 On/Off’s, Lee was better with him on the court defensively in the 24-25 season compared to 25-26, except for Block Percentage and Blocks/PF.

Another reason I think the defensive concerns could be overblown is what Mike Morrell did with Justin Wright. Justin Wright, in 2023-24 at LMU before transferring to Asheville, had a DPRAM on -1.4 and a 0.03 DWS/40 with a 9.3 Defensive Rating drop, putting him in the 7th percentile. In 2025-26, Wright had a 0.7 DRPAM ranking 2nd in Asheville and in the 68th percentile, along with a 0.04 DWS/40, with Asheville in the 55th percentile of Defensive Rating when Wright is on court. It is very possible that Morrell can get a similar jump from a very similar guard.

Final Thoughts:

I think Tylon Chatman is the prototypical guard that Mike Morrell always gets the most out of. A guard that is on the smaller side, with very good control of his body and the court, and is a top-level offensive threat. Chatman reminds me of a more well-rounded Justin Wright. Both had similar shooting percentages as lead pieces in their offense, with similar playmaking attributes. Tylon is the better playmaker of the two, but Wright is the better scorer by about the same margin, in my opinion.

The comparisons to Wright don’t just stop there at playstyle. I think Chatman will have a similar role to Wright, as Asheville’s other guards don’t have the playmaking skill and overall threat of Chatman. I think Chatman will get the majority of the PG minutes and solid success while doing it. While I don’t think Chatman gets any all-league mentions at season’s end but still has a productive season as a focal point of Asheville’s offense.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to Radford, Ja’Corey Robinson spent one season at Austin Peay after being a 3-star with offers from Missouri State and Murray State.

2025-26 (Freshman Season):

• During his true freshman season at Austin Peay, Robinson averaged 6.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 2 APG across 30 games.

• Finished 2nd on the team in Blocks.

• 6th in Minutes Per Game on the ASun Regular Season Champions.

Pre-College:

• Ranked #6 Prospect in KS on 247Sports Consensus, 459th overall recruit.

• Won 2023-24 Kansas MaxPreps Player of the Year.

Film Review:

Film from Arman Jovic/PDT Scouting on X:

Defensive Prowess:

The first thing that stands out on film for Ja’Corey Robinson is his defensive ability. Ja’Corey Robinson’s size makes him an anomaly when combined with his athleticism, and that is evident on defense. Last season, 14 total freshmen had a Defensive Rebounding Percentage of 10%+, a Steal and Block Percentage of 2%+, and a DBPM of 1+. Of those 14 freshmen, 4 are listed as “Wing Guard” by BartTorvik: Darryn Peterson, Braylen Mullins, Ace Flagg, and Ja’Corey Robinson.

Last season, Radford was not a good defensive team, ranking 42nd percentile in Defensive Rating. That defensive rating would have been worse if it were not for Tyson Brown and Dennis Parker Jr. When Dennis Parker Jr is on the floor, Radford has a defensive rating in the 49th percentile; with Parker off the floor, that rating drops to the 23rd percentile. Furthermore, when Tyson Brown is on the floor, Radford’s defensive rating moves to the 59th percentile, but drops to the 13th percentile when he is off the floor.

Sadly for Radford, Parker went to Kansas via the transfer portal, and Tyson Brown graduated, leaving Radford with no positive analytical defenders. Zach Chu immediately targeted that by getting Ja’Corey Robinson, an analytically better defender than any Radford Highlander last season. I don’t think Robinson will maintain that same level of defending, but I believe him, along with all the other additions, will be an improvement defensively over last year’s team.

Rim Threat:

Last season against D1 opponents, Ja’Corey Robinson took a total of 135 shot attempts. Of those 135 attempts, a total of 18 shots were not “In the Paint” or “At the Rim” with Robinson going 2-9 from mid ranges and 3-9 from 3 in the other 18 attempts. Robinson ranked in the 82nd percentile for Rim Attempts/40 and in the 96th percentile for Paint Attempts/40 with nearly 10 attempts per 40 minutes across the two zones.

The ultimate reason Robinson takes so many shots at the rim and in the paint is his ability to make those shots. Last season, Robinson shot 52.4% from 2PT, placing him in the 72nd percentile while also ranking in the 71st percentile for True Shooting, with a 56.7%. Another reason Robinson takes so many shots inside the paint is his ability on the fast break. Robinson ranked in the 90th percentile for Percentage of Points from Fast Break and 87th percentile for Fast Break Points/40.

Robinson will be an almost seamless fit into Radford’s offensive scheme. Last season, the Highlanders ranked in the 90th percentile for Rim Attacks plays, with their 2nd-most-common play, Transition, in the 87th percentile there. Robinson’s ability to consistently finish those shots should provide a pleasant boost to their sub-50 % PPP on both plays, given his above-average rim and Paint shooting.

Playmaking:

The most underrated aspect of Ja’Corey Robinson’s game is his ability to create for his teammates at 6’6. Last season, 5 freshmen between the heights of 6’5” and 6’7” had an Assist Percentage of 20%+, a Usage of 20%, and an Assist/TOV Ratio of 1.5 or more. Those freshmen were: Keaton Wagler (Illinois), Mikel Brown Jr (Louisville), Jordan Watford (Queens, NC), Connor Igoe (Columbia), and Ja’Corey Robinson (Austin Peay). All 5 players were a part of some kind of success, with all but Ja’Corey Robinson earning All-Rookie or Rookie of the Year honors in their league.

Last season in the Big South, 14 players had an Assist Percentage of 18-22%. Of those 14 players, only 2 were above 6’3”: Kameron Taylor from UNC Asheville and Brycen Blaine of Charleston Southern. Both players were viewed as among the best playmaking non-PGs in the Big South, leading to moves up in competition: Blaine to ECU and Taylor to Florida State.

The even more promising fact for Radford about Ja’Corey is that, analytically, he is a better playmaker than both Blaine and Taylor, and the difference is a pretty wide margin. Ja’Corey had a 20.6% Assist Percentage compared to 19.0% by Taylor and 19.6% by Blaine. Ja’Corey also bested Blaine and Taylor in Assist Ratio, with Robinson at 21.5%, with Taylor and Blaine both around 12%, and in Assist/TOV, where Robinson had a 1.4, with Taylor having 1.12, and Blaine having a 0.82.

Non Shooter:

The biggest flaw in Ja’Corey Robinson’s game comes from his being a complete non-shooter during his time at Austin Peay. In the “Rim Threat” section, I mentioned that Robinson only took 18 shots against D1 teams from outside of the paint. What I didn’t mention is that besides not taking those shots, he also isn’t exceptionally good at shooting them, only going 5-18, with Robinson only shooting above D1 average in one spot, that being “Above the Break 3’s,” where Robinson shot 2-5 on the season.

The thing that gives me hope is that Robinson has shot more volume in the past, and that players have been able to develop that ability over the course of their careers. Robinson hit 22 three pointers en route to his many accolades, which isn’t a ton, but compared to .3 3PA Per Game last season, even at 100% shooting, would be nearly double his .3. In recent seasons, we have seen Yaxel Lendeborg, Ali Dibba, and Cameron Hildreth all become higher volume shooters on decent figures. Will that happen for Robinson? Only time can tell.

Final Thoughts:

I have gone back and forth on Robinson a ton since this addition was on my radar, but ultimately, I do like the addition. Ultimately, what gives me hesitation about the addition is Robinson’s ability to play on an island. His lack of ability to space so far in his D1 career, I think, has limited his game, and without that ability, it limits when he can be played and how he is used, but I believe Coach Chu and his staff can at least alleviate some of those spacing concerns with finding Robinson open and their lineup construction.

Robinson reminds me a ton of Dennis Parker Jr in a way, both came from successful programs with clear defensive ability and offensive promise. Parker was more of a shooter than Robinson, but what Robinson lacks in shooting, he makes up for with better playmaking, defense, and athleticism. With Radford taking a dip in their supporting cast, I do see a performance drop compared to Parker, but overall, both should have similar profiles. In the end, I think Robinson will end up on the All-Conference Honorable Mention list at season’s end.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to Presbyterian, EJ Smith spent his first two college seasons at D2 Lincoln Memorial.

2024-25 (Freshman Season):

• In his true freshman season, EJ Smith appeared in 31 games for the Railsplitters, averaging 8.6 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.1 RPG playing 26.9 MPG.

• EJ Smith earned SAC All-Freshman Team Honors.

• EJ Smith helped the Railsplitters to a 25-6 record and an NCAA Tournament Berth before losing in the First Round to UNC Pembroke.

2025-26 (Sophomore Season)

• Despite an offseason coaching change, EJ Smith returned to LMU.

• In 31 games, EJ Smith averaged 10.3 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.9 RPG across 21.5 MPG.

• LMU once again made the NCAA Tournament before falling to D2 Runner Up Lander in the First Round.

Film Review:

Film from EJ Smith on X:

True PG:

The biggest pro for Presbyterian getting EJ Smith is something that you don’t even need to tape for, EJ Smith is the definition of a True PG. EJ Smith almost always brings the ball up for LMU and is the conductor of the offseason. Last season, when EJ Smith was on the floor without Drew Lewis (LMU’s main PG), LMU had a Net Rating of +13.2, with an Offensive Rating of 118.4, and a Defensive Rating of 105.3. When Drew Lewis was on the floor without EJ Smith, that Net Rating fell to -1.9, Offensive Rating fell to 110.2, and Defensive Rating fell to 112.1.

Last season, Presbyterian played 15 lineups that qualified for percentile rankings on CBB Analytics. Of those 15 lineups, 4 featured separate PGs; only one other Big South team had that many PGs in its Top 15 lineup: Charleston Southern. CSU played 4 because they had 3 elite PG’s with over 20% Assist Percentage: Luke Williams, A’lahn Sumler, and Jaquias Franklin. Presbyterian had only one PG with an Assist Percentage above 20%, Erik Taylor, who was injured in Game 5 of the season. JD Bowden was the next highest at 19% as a True Freshman.

Having multiple true stand-alone PGs is very important; having one with winning experience like EJ Smith is an absolute game-changer. When EJ Smith is on the floor, he’s vocal, he’s always involved in the play, and is usually the one IN THE PLAY. Now with a healthy Erik Taylor and 2nd year JD Bowden, along with Chaise Smith and now EJ Smith. Presbyterian has one of the best PG rooms.

Jack of All Trades:

One of the best things for Presbyterian with EJ Smith’s game is that he has no glaring flaws in his game. Out of the 19 stats on CBB Analytics’ Player Stat Overview, Smith ranks in the bottom 25th percentile in ZERO statistical category and only ranked below the 50th percentile in 4 total categories. The 4 categories below the 50th percentile are ORB%, DRB%, FT Attempt Rate, and 3PT Attempt Rate. Of those 4 categories, only two are true detriments to a PG: FT Attempt Rate and 3PT Attempt Rate.

Of the 2 below-average categories below, neither is a major need for a Presbyterian PG. Last season, as a team, Presbyterian was in the 2nd percentile for 3PT Attempt Rate, with only 3 players attempting more than 50 3-pointers. For the Free Throw Attempt Rate, LMU as a whole was in the 31st percentile, with EJ ranked 4th on his team with a 65th percentile Shooting Foul Draw Per 40 Minutes. A system that feeds the paint will create chances for EJ to get the line, a place where he shot 80.6% from last season.

Defensive Strengths:

The part that I think has gone underrated in EJ Smith’s game is his ability to guard some of the best guards and give them trouble. The three games I watched, EJ Smith’s main matchups were against a D2 All-American guard, a MM D1 transfer guard who made the D2 Final 4, and a MM D1 transfer guard who averaged 7.7 PPG last season. EJ Smith held the D2 All American to 12 points on 3-12 shooting, including 0-5 from 3. The D2 Final 4 guard scored 11 points with one of his least efficient games of the season, and the MM D1 transfer scored 4 points, shooting 2-7 from the field.

Last year, Presbyterian had two guards in the 50th percentile in DWS, with Carl Parrish at the 67th percentile and Triston Wilson at the 73rd percentile. EJ Smith at LMU last season was in the 71st percentile, and during his freshman season was in the 82nd percentile. Presbyterian has the chance to have one of the best defensive starting 5’s in the Big South if they desire.

Playing Time:

The one concern for me is EJ Smith’s limited playing time compared to what Presbyterian usually asks of its point guards. In EJ Smith’s two seasons so far, he has averaged 26.9 MPG and 21.7 MPG, which is nothing to slouch at, especially as a Junior. Since the 2019-20 season, Presbyterian’s feature PG has averaged 30 MPG or more, with the lowest being Marquis Bennett at 31.5 and 31.7 MPG in 22-23 and 23-24, respectively.

EJ Smith does have the ability to play longer periods throughout the season. We saw that with him playing over 30 minutes in 16 of the games during his freshman season, while competing for minutes against stars like Wes Enis and Elyjah Freeman. Another way I think this can be alleviated comes from the Presbyterian amazing condition program. Carl Parrish spoke about how those offseason workouts have prepared him to play 40-45 minutes if needed.

Final Thoughts:

Presbyterian entered the portal with only one glaring need, and this addition addressed it with EJ Smith. The limit of a true PG is what, at times, held Presbyterian back last season. Last season, Presbyterian ranked 322nd in Turnover Percentage, its lowest in 2021 and tied for the 3rd-lowest since moving to D1. Having a PG that you can trust with the ball should return the turnovers to their normal levels, if not better than those levels.

For Presbyterian, if you can get exactly what EJ did at LMU, I think you are a fan of the addition. EJ Smith might not have the upside of other available guards in the portal, but he might provide some of the flash of other players. The portal is a lot like the NFL draft. If you are in WIN NOW, you fill your biggest need with the most ready player available, and that’s what I think Presbyterian with EJ Smith.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before coming to Longwood, Jorke Aav had extensive basketball experience in Germany’s professional leagues, as well as multiple seasons of competition in Estonia’s U-18 and U-20 competitions.

2021-22 (Team Ehingen Urspring)

• At 16 years old, Jorke Aav made his debut against Baskets Paderborn, scoring 5 points, having 1 assist, and 1 steal in 20 minutes.

• In the 2021-22 season, Aav averaged 2.4 PPG, 0.5 RPG, and 0.5 APG in 10.9 MPG across 17 games.

• In his 2 starts, Jorke reached a career high of 10 points in one game. In another, he had 7 points and a career high 4 rebounds.

2022-23 (Team Ehingen Urspring, Estonia U18)

• Early in 2022, Jorke Aav made his first appearances for Estonia in the U18 Baltic Cup, averaging 3 PPG, 2 APG, and 1.5 SPG, helping Estonia earn a Silver Medal.

• In his 2nd year of pro competition, Jorke saw his stats jump to 5 PPG, 1.6 APG, and 1.3 RPG in 15.7 MPG.

2023-24 (Team Ehingen Urspring, Estonia U18)

• In the Summer of 2023, Jorke Aav in the Euro U18 B averaged 11.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 5.2 APG, helping earn a 13th-place finish for Estonia.

• In his 3rd season at Ehingen, Aav improved again, averaging 6 PPG, 2 RPG, and 2.7 APG in 19.2 MPG.

2024-25 (Team Ehingen Urspring, Estonia U20)

• In the Summer of 2024, Aav made 3 appearances on the Estonian U20 team, averaging 4.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 3 APG.

• Jorke Aav had a breakout in Year 4 at Ehingen. Aav averaged 13.4 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 3.3 RPG in 31.1 MPG.

• Aav had one double-double with assists on Oct 20th, 2024, against Orange Academy with 17 points and 11 assists.

2025-26 (VET-Concept Gladiators Trier, Estonia U20)

• Jorke Aav once again appeared for Estonia U20’s roster in the Summer of 2025, averaging 12 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 4.5 APG.

• Jorke also made 2 appearances in the BBL this past season, tallying 2 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists against FC Bayern Munich Basketball.

Film Review:

Film from Arman Jovic on X:

Passing Ability:

The first thing I took away from the film I watched of Jorke Aav is that Jorke might immediately be one of the best and flashiest passers in the Big South Conference. Every pass Jorke throws has something flashy about it. Does this sometimes get him in trouble? Yes. But even when he gets himself in trouble passing the ball, one thing stands out: speed. The ball flies out of Jorke’s hand, and that speed alone will catch Big South defenders sleeping.

In Jorke Aav’s career in Germany, he had a 1.18 Assist/TOV Ratio, which on its own is very nice. What makes it better is that Jorke Aav has consistently improved, going from a negative ratio in his first two seasons to a 1.12 AST/TOV in 23-24. After breaking into a positive AST/TOV Ratio in 23-24, Jorke broke out with a 1.48 in 24-25 and a 1.77 AST/TOV Ratio in the Bundesliga Regionalliga. In that most recent 1.77 AST/TOV ratio season, Jorke Aav had an Assist Ratio of 23.39, which would have been in the Top 20% last season in the Big South.

Jorke Aav will make an immediate impact on this team compared to last year, given how many Longwood players had a ratio above 1.1 AST/TOV. The answer is 2. Jacoi Hutchinson and Elijah Jones were the only players above 1.1, and Jones was in the 35th percentile of guards. Longwood now has 3 with greater than 1.1 in their most recent season, with all 3 having massive scoring and schematic upsides. Jorke Aav will be the oldest of the 3 PG’s for Longwood at 21 years old, with 4 years of National Team and Professional Experience, which alone makes him a massive contender for PG 1.

Tough Shots:

Another thing clear from Jorke Aav’s film was his ability to hit tough shots. He finishes layups through contact, takes midrange floaters, and makes step-back 3s with the shot clock expiring—he makes it look pure. Also, Jorke Aav often creates his own shots in isolation, using dribble moves, a screen, or simply beating his man on the first step.

I think making tough shots will matter at Longwood because of Redd Thompson Jr.’s role last season in Farmville. Jorke Aav had a 3PAr of 64.8% last season and 62.3% for his career. Redd Thompson Jr. posted a 55.7% 3PAr last season at Longwood and 55.3% over his career. Last season, Redd shot 32.4% from three, and Jorke shot 31.5% in Germany Pro B (24-25), with similar 3PT shot choices. Their percentages differed by less than 1%.

2PT Woes:

One of the biggest hurdles for Aav at this level will be finishing at the rim and in the paint. This hurdle is not new for Jorke Aav. He is a career 43% 2PT shooter. Unlike his AST/TOV ratio, this stat has not improved with time. In his most recent season in Germany’s Pro B, Aav averaged 38% from 2-point range. Aav’s best games were with

As much of a hurdle as this has been for Aav, Longwood could be a place to alleviate that struggle. Last season, no Longwood Lancer guard shot less than 46% from 2PT land, and no guard has shot worse than 38% since Jesper Grunlund in 23-24, with a 28.6% on 56 total attempts. Even if Aav doesn’t go past his career average of 43%, Longwood has had success with similarly high percentage guards like Wayln Napper, who averaged 43.7% from 2PT in 22-23.

Final Thoughts:

Jorke Aav might be one of the most intriguing prospects in the Big South. Aav immediately enters as a likely Top 10 passer with, I believe, similar offensive scoring upside if consistency can be found. The clearest play comparison I have for Aav is a player I mentioned earlier in Redd Thompson Jr. Both are average-sized point guards that have incredible scoring potential but lack true consistency, but Aav stands out more than Thompson because of how good a playmaker he is.

A lot of Aav’s role will depend on the many years he will be granted by the NCAA. For this preview, I will give him 1 season just as a simple baseline. For it to be a successful one-season for Jorke, he needs to break into the rotation, something that I believe he will be able to do. All 3 guards at Longwood share the same flaws and strengths: strong playmakers who lack shooting consistency. I think Jorke Aav’s experience in Professional leagues for 4 seasons makes him most prepared for this moment, but I believe he will end up in a Redd Thompson 1st guard off the bench role more than a starting PG.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to High Point, CJ Brown began his career as a 4-star recruit at South Florida, spending two seasons there under Ben Fletcher and Bryan Hodgson.

2024-25 (Freshman Season):

• During his freshman season at South Florida, Brown averaged 7.2 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.3 RPG.

• Joined the Top 10 Freshmen in USF history for Steals (8th), Free Throw Percentage (9th), Free Throws Made (T10), and Assists (10th).

• Earned All AAC Freshman Team Honors and 3 Freshman of the Week Awards.

• Was coached by now HPU Assistant Ben Fletcher after the passing of USF Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.

2025-26 (Sophomore Season):

• Stayed at USF after entering the transfer portal, returning to play for Bryan Hodgson, who has been hired from Arkansas State.

• During Brown’s sophomore season, Brown averaged 10.9 PPG, 4.7 APG, and 3.9 RPG.

• Brown helped lead USF to the NCAA Tournament, earning an 11 Seed before falling to Louisville in the Round of 64.

Film Review:

Film for GreenLight Media on X:

Playmaking:

The best strength of CJ Brown’s game lies in an area of emphasis for Flynn Clayman and his staff: good playmaking guards who don’t turn the ball over. Last season at USF, CJ Brown had an Assist Percentage of 29.7%, putting him in the 97th percentile, and, even more importantly, an Assist to Turnover Ratio of 2.27, which placed him in the 92nd percentile.

Last season, High Point’s backcourt, with Conrad Martinez and Rob Martin, was very similar in that regard, both when they entered and during their seasons at High Point. In his first two seasons at Arizona, Conrad Martinez had a 28.2% Assist Percentage, and at High Point last season, Conrad had a 23.2% Assist Percentage. In Rob Martin’s 3 seasons at Indiana State and SEMO, Rob Martin had a 27.5% Assist Percentage. During his senior season at High Point, Rob Martin had a 25.6% Assist Percentage. CJ Brown will fit right in an elite playmaking backcourt with Conrad Martinez, and Peach Jam Assist Single Game Record leader Trey Pearson.

Play Style:

One more thing that makes CJ Brown an almost seamless fit into the High Point system is that he already comes from a similar system. Last season at South Florida, 55.4% of plays involving CJ Brown featured a rim attack, both of which were in the 90th percentile in frequency. His 3rd-most-frequent offensive plays were in transition. Two of those 3 were also positive efficiency to the D1 average, those being Attack and Kick and Plays in Transition, with Attack and Kick being 75th percentile in Points Per Play.

Last season, High Point ran most of its offense in transition, ranking 98th percentile in the CBB with a 1.25 PPP, similar to CJ Brown’s 1.23 PPP. High Point does run fewer attack plays, but they are way more efficient and were able to boost Rob Martin’s PPP at the rim by over .1 PPP on more plays. Playing in an offense like High Point should really uncap CJ’s potential offensively, especially with his unreal explosiveness.

CJ Brown should fit seamlessly into the system defensively as well. Last season, while at USF, Brown had a steal percentage of 2%. Rob Martin entered High Point coming off a 1.8% Steal Percentage season and ended up having a 3% Steal Percentage season. Conrad Martinez was 3.1% Steal Percentage player at Arizona and was a 3.6% Steal Percentage player on more minutes at High Point. High Point also had a higher steal rate than South Florida. I would expect CJ Brown to be around 2% at least next season as a Panther.

Explosiveness:

The final part of CJ Brown’s game that just pops off the tape is his probably most glaring attribute, his athleticism. The term “Walking Highlight Tape” gets used a lot in College Basketball. CJ Brown is the true definition of “Walking Highlight Tape”. CJ Brown, since being at Kell High School, has been known for his bounce, with BallisLife among others coming to his games to watch him and his former teammate, Peyton Marshall, tear it up at Kell.

The athleticism isn’t only seen during his high school career. Last season in College Basketball, CJ Brown had a 50% FG on Dunk, 10%+ DRB, 1%+ Block Percentage, with an additional filter of 25% Assist Percentage at a height of 6’2” or less. The only other player to have those same stats is Josiah Lake II at Oregon State. In the past 3 seasons, notable players with the same stat profile are Javon Small from West Virginia, Shadada Wells at McNeese, Devion Smith from Utah,, and, most notably, Jordan Marsh from UNC Asheville.

Shooting Percentages:

The one glaring issue with CJ Brown is his shooting percentages and the pure volume of shots. Last season at USF, Brown was in the 85th percentile for FGA Per 40 Minutes but ranked in the 11th percentile for True Shooting Percentage, the 6th percentile for 2PT Percentage,, and the 24th percentile for 3PT Percentage. Even during his freshman season at USF, despite being a better shooter, he was only a 47% true shooter, shooting 26% from behind the arc.

CJ Brown doesn’t need to be an elite shooter for High Point to succeed; his playmaking alone makes him an amazing addition. With that being said, if CJ can find a more efficient offensive output, even to an average D1 shooting level, CJ Brown immediately becomes one of the best true PG’s in College Basketball.

Final Thoughts:

I am very excited to see what CJ Brown can do in the Big South, especially in Flynn Clayman’s system. Both of High Point’s main point guards last season (Conrad Martinez and Rob Martin) had been superb playmakers in their previous stops and continued to flourish on that end, but both guards took strides as scorers, especially seen in Rob’s late-season resurgence. If Flynn can get CJ Brown open shots and open lanes, and that same jump happens for an uber-athletic guard, it could be a complete game-changer for High Point.

I already think CJ Brown has a very good chance to be on one of the All-Conference lists at season’s end, just based on his last season at USF. Now, CJ reunites with Ben Fletcher, the coach who had CJ shooting at 45.5% from the field and an offensive system that will feed into CJ’s style in transition. If High Point can play as much in transition next season as they did last season, they will get the absolute most from CJ Brown. That most likely ends with CJ Brown earning 1st Team All Big South Honors at season’s end and potentially National Award Watch List attention.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the breakdown.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to Gardner-Webb, DJ Daniel spent 2 seasons at Frostburg State, redshirting as a true freshman before playing as an RS freshman this past season.

2025-26 (RS Freshman Season):

• During Daniel’s RS Freshman season, he started in 23 of the 29 games he played in, averaging 16.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 3.1 APG, shooting 38% from behind the arc.

• DJ Daniel earned 2nd Team All-MEC Honors.

DJ Daniel also had the 10th most steals in a single season in Frostburg State history with 59 steals.

Film Review:

Film for DJ Daniel on X:

Offensive Power:

The truly most impressive part about DJ Daniel’s game is how much of an offensive workhorse he was at the Division 2 level. For almost every shooting stat outside of Free Throw Percentage and 3 Point Attempt Rate, Daniel ranked in the 80th percentile or higher in all of Division 2. This includes being in the 90th percentile across all “Ball Handling” attributes, except Turnover Percentage, where he ranks in the 88th percentile.

Daniel truly only takes two kinds of shots: at the rim and above-the-break 3-pointers, ranking in the 94th percentile in At The Rim and 3 Point shots, with over 11 attempts per 40 minutes. There is a reason he takes those shots; he makes them. At the rim last season, Daniel shot 74.8%, putting him in the 88th percentile, with no real drop from the left or right, consistently 10 to 15% above the Division 2 average. That same story comes up with Above the Break 3-pointers, where DJ Daniel shot 39.4%, putting him in the 83rd percentile and near or above D2 averages from both the left and right sides of the court.

If you look at Gardner-Webb’s shooting percentages as a team last year, almost everything was below the league average. The two shots Gardner Webb took the most of were at the Rim and above the Break 3’s. Gardner Webb ranked in the 94th percentile of shots at the Rim with over 21 Attempts Per Game. In Above the Break 3’s Gardner Webb ranked in the 51st percentile, but when you combined the Above the Break 3’s and At the Rim shot numbers, Gardner Webb ranked in the 78th percentile in Attempts Per Game. Adding a player like Daniel should at least slightly bolster those putrid shooting numbers from last season.

Athletic Freak:

The only thing that can’t be quantified by analytics or generic stats but becomes very evident when watching film on DJ Daniel is that he is an ATHLETIC FREAK. Whether it is his ability to jump out of the gym, get multiple steps in front of a defender on his first step, or his ability to close a passing lane in a matter of seconds, it is all very evident on film. The only recent Big South player I can think of who is as athletic as DJ Daniel is truly Mister Dean. Even then, Dean still has issues with both stamina and offensive breakaway athleticism, neither of which is an issue for DJ Daniel.

One of the biggest athletic skills I love about Daniel is his stamina. For some of the non D2 sicko’s out there, Frostburg State is in the MEC conference, which, in my opinion, is one of the hardest conferences to play in, in ALL of College Basketball, for one basic thing. PACE.

Last season in the Big South, Charleston Southern had the highest pace in the conference at 71.9; that would have ranked 4th-slowest in the MEC. DJ Daniel played 30.2 MPG in a system where you are constantly at full go, playing a style of basketball that is controlled chaos. I believe Daniel would have zero problems playing the most minutes in Gardner Webb’s system, as he already played nearly 3 MPG more than the highest player for Gardner Webb last season.

Ball Hawk:

One thing I mentioned during the athletics portion was that Daniel can fill passing lines extremely quickly; analytics also agree with that. Last season at Frostburg State, Daniel had a 98th percentile steal percentage of 3.6% and a 99th percentile steal-to-personal foul rate. Those stats become even more evident when you look at On-Off Statistics. When DJ Daniel was on the court, Frostburg State had a Steal Per 40 Minutes of 8.2, and when DJ Daniel was off the court, that Steals Per 40 Minutes dropped to 6.6. The 1.6 Steals Per 40 Minutes drop ranked DJ Daniel in the 89th percentile of On/Off Steals Per 40. Additionally, DJ Daniel boasted an 85th percentile increase in Team Steal Percentage and a 96th percentile increase in Steals to Personal Foul Rate.

Last season, Gardner-Webb ranked in the 39th percentile in Steals Per Game and in the 32nd percentile in Steal Percentage. Additionally, Gardner-Webb has not had a player with a Steal Percentage above 3% since Nate Johnson in the 2019-20 season. Outside of the top 2 teams from last season (Winthrop and High Point), every single Big South team ranked in the bottom 50% of teams in Turnover Percentage, with 4 of those teams being in the bottom 20%. Having a player like DJ Daniel, who will punish any mistakes, is a game-changer in a league as turnover-prone as the Big South.

Play Style:

The one glaring concern for DJ Daniel’s ability to transfer up comes from multiple parts of his game that I will call “Play Style”. The main 2 issues in the “Play Style” are low assist shot rates and Pace Issues. Last season, Frostburg State as a team had an Assist Percentage of 45.3%, ranking in the 21st percentile. DJ Daniel ranked in the 11th percentile for assisted two-point shots and the 4th percentile for assisted 3-point shots. While Gardner Webb also ranked very low in assisted shots last season, ranking in the 3rd and 16th percentiles for 2- and 3-point shots, I think that will need to change for Gardner Webb to become a contender, as most unassisted shots don’t lead to good shots.

The 2nd issue with the Play Style, and the one that I think poses the BIGGEST issue for DJ Daniel’s potential success at the Division 1 level, comes from Pace of Play. Frostburg State plays at a faster pace than anyone at the Division 1 level, in part because the MEC has many teams following the Jim Crutchfield playstyle. Gardner-Webb ranked among the fastest D1 teams, in the 86th percentile, but played a style with 7 fewer possessions per 40 minutes than Frostburg State. That lack of chaos and high-speed basketball could throw Daniel for a whirl, as it did for former MEC Coach and Crutchfield Disciple Ben Howlett at IU Indy last season.

Final Thoughts:

This might be one of the favorite additions in the conference. DJ Daniel was a complete highlight reel in a very fun D2 conference and is now making the move to D1. Gardner-Webb last year lacked a star; only two players averaged over 10 PPG, and both were at 10.7 PPG, but it had 8 players with more than 6 PPG. Is DJ Daniel that star? I don’t know, but analytically it’s a very good stab at it. DJ Daniel was the 4th-best offensive Win Shares Per 40 Minutes player in one of the top D2 leagues with some of the craziest athleticism.

In the Top 25 Comps for DJ Daniels 25-26 season on CBBAnalytics, it is littered with D1 or better talents: Dallas Dillard, JJ Harper, MJ Iraldi, Qua Grant, Taelon Peter, Zach Phillipkoski, and Ziare Wells. History seems to be on DJ Daniel’s side, at least to be a CUSA-level player and maybe more. I think Gardner-Webb hit the jackpot with this transfer addition. I likely will have this as a Top 10 transfer when the portal comes to a halt, and I think DJ Daniel earns some honors at season’s end.

The one difference is that it is BIGGER and BETTER.

For those who didn’t read our portal previews from last year, or those wanting a recap of what I will provide:

The Scout

The Scout is our version of offseason previews of select Big South transfers and incoming freshmen.

In these previews, I will watch as much available film as I can tolerate, then provide my thoughts, good and bad, about what I see, along with any analytics that are relevant to what I notice.

Then, finally, I will provide my overall thoughts along with player comparisons and recap what I think you can expect from the player in the next season or many seasons.

Player Bio:

Before transferring to Charleston Southern, Anthony Ruffolo spent the past seasons at D2 Cedarville in Ohio.

2023-24 (Freshman Season)

• During his freshman season, Ruffolo played in all 35 games and started in 17 of those games. Ruffolo averaged 9.9 PPG in his freshman season, ranking 3rd on the entire team, while also averaging 3.7 RPG and 2.3 APG.

• Named to the All-G-MAC Academic Team

• Ruffolo also helped Cedarville earn their first NCCAA Title since 2019 and Third in program history.

2024-25 (Sophomore Season)

• During Ruffolo’s sophomore season, he once again ranked 3rd in scoring with 12.3 PPG, but made large leaps in averaging 4.9 RPG and 3 APG.

• Once again named to the All-G-MAC Academic Team, he was also named to the G-MAC All-Tournament Team.

2025-26 (Junior Season)

• During his junior season, Ruffolo led the team in Points Per Game with 16.6 PPG, Steals Per Game with 1.3 SPG, while also averaging 4 RPG and 2.5 APG.

• Named 2nd Team All-G-MAC.

Film Review:

Film from Anthony Ruffolo on X:

Playmaking/Basketball IQ:

Something that becomes evident when you are

watching Anthony Ruffolo on the court is his ability to run an offense. In all 3 seasons at Cedarville, he ranked in the Top 65th percentile or better in Assist Percentage, and during both his freshman and junior seasons, Ruffolo ranked in the 75th percentile or better in turnover percentage.

One of the true areas where Ruffolo excels is in the pick and roll, his ability to find the open man coupled with his ability to finish at the rim but also having the willingness to take 3 point and mid range shots. The combination of those abilities makes it so that you can’t “blitz the ball” on the screen, as he’ll find the screener, you can’t sag off, as he’ll take the 3-pointer or mid-range, and you can’t have a help defender, as he will kick it out to the open shooter.

Last season, all 3 of Charleston Southern’s point guards had an assist rate of 20% or better, and a lot of that was due to Charleston Southern’s offense. Luke Williams is no better example of this. During Luke’s 2 seasons at Maryville, he had assist rates of 12% and 11%, but during his one season at Charleston Southern, he eclipsed 20% for the first time.

Driving Ability:

One of the things I mentioned in the playmaking section was Ruffolo’s ability to drive off the pick-and-roll. The one thing I didn’t mention is that if he doesn’t kick the ball out or pass out of it, Ruffolo is also a very good finisher at the rim. During Ruffolo’s career at Cedarville, he shot over 69% at the rim, which places him in the 81st percentile on over 185 attempts.

During his junior season, Ruffolo really excelled at the rim, shooting 72% at the rim, ranking him in the 87th percentile on relatively average volume, taking around 27% of his shots at the rim, both of which were higher than Charleston Southern’s last season.

Ruffolo should be able to at least slightly affect Charleston Southern’s mediocre shooting percentages at the rim from last season. Last season, Charleston Southern was hovering around D1 average at the rim, shooting around 60%. Ruffolo, during his junior season at Cedarville, shot 72% at the rim. I do believe in seeing something higher than the 60% CSU shot at the rim in 2025-26.

Shot Diet:

One of the most promising things that I liked about Ruffolo, in Charleston Southern’s system, is his shot diet that should transition seamlessly into Coach Nimley’s system. Last season at Cedarville, Ruffolo took 343 shots, 141 of which were above the break three’s, making up 41.1% of his shot diet, and 93 shots at the rim, making up 27.1% of his shot diet. Last season, Charleston Southern as a team took 1835 shots, 688 being above the break 3’s, making up 37.5% of their shot diet, and 510 shots at the rim, making up 27.8% of their diet.

The shot diet numbers at the rim for Charleston Southern come from one big thing: their massive emphasis on playing through their big men. Last year, being Reis Jones and Lase Olalare, along with their cutting guards of A’lahn Sumler and the committee around him. This year, Lase Olalare returns, and once again, Saah Nimley has another committee of guards, including Anthony Ruffolo.

The above-the-break 3-point numbers stem from the same reason as the numbers at the rim. When you play inside the paint, it usually either leads to a shot at the rim, or leads to a double team, which forces a kick-out many times, leading to a 3-pointer above the break in open space. Charleston Southern ranked in the 82nd percentile in Inside Out efficiency, much due to their big men finding open shooters who aren’t afraid to shoot, something Anthony Ruffolo is NOT afraid to do.

Position Size/Athleticism:

The only reason I have concern is his size at the guard position, which comes from his athleticism and size as a guard. Ruffolo is a larger-bodied guard at 6’0 “, 190 lbs, which I think can be a benefit but also a downside in the Big South. I do think his size allows him to guard 1-3 to potentially some 4’s without a massive disadvantage, which is something CSU will need as they won’t have a TON of size like many mid-major teams in this new area. The size also makes him able to play a bit of bully ball against some of the smaller guards in the league, similar to how Colin Hawkins did for Gardner-Webb last season.

The one worry that comes up on film when watching Cedarville and Anthony Ruffolo is that he is not a very fast player. He does have decent quickness, but that top-end speed just is not there on film, and I do think that CAN pose an issue in the Big South against guards like Conrad Martinez and others. The one thing I do think will come to Ruffolo’s benefit is that there aren’t 5 balls on the court, you can place him off-ball on defense, which should lessen those issues.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I am a very big fan of this addition. I don’t think Ruffolo is going to be some All-Conference Level talent, but that’s not what Charleston Southern needs. Charleston Southern played their best basketball last season when everyone just played their roles, and no one tried to play hero ball. Ruffolo fits a role for CSU. He can hit shots, has a solid knack as a playmaker, and is just overall a very well-rounded guard that should be able to provide decent numbers in the minutes he is on the court.

I really think Ruffolo takes a similar role to Luke Williams’ last season. Both were high-volume D2 guards who transferred to D1 for their final seasons of basketball. Both guards were main scorers on mid-level D2 teams who could score from 3-point range and at the rim, the only real difference being that Luke Williams also had a pretty prolific mid-range game. If Ruffolo fits into that Luke Williams role, I think CSU hit another home run with a D2 transfer up and could be poised to take that next step at CSU in Year 3 of Coach Nimley’s tenure.