2021–22 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team

2021–22 Charleston Cougars men's basketball
Rising Coaches Classic champions
ConferenceColonial Athletic Association
Record17–15 (8–10 CAA)
Head coach
Associate head coachDave Davis
Assistant coaches
  • Brian Kloman
  • Michael Cassidy
Home arenaTD Arena
Seasons
2021–22 CAA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Towson 15 – 3   .833 25 – 9   .735
UNC Wilmington 15 – 3   .833 27 – 9   .750
Hofstra 13 – 5   .722 21 – 11   .656
Drexel 10 – 8   .556 15 – 14   .517
Delaware † 10 – 8   .556 22 – 13   .629
Charleston 8 – 10   .444 17 – 15   .531
Elon 7 – 11   .389 10 – 22   .313
James Madison* 6 – 12   .333 15 – 14   .517
William & Mary 4 – 14   .222 5 – 27   .156
Northeastern 2 – 16   .111 9 – 22   .290
*Ineligible for conference tournament due to changing conferences in 2022
† 2022 CAA tournament winner

The 2021–22 College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team represented the College of Charleston in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by first-year head coach Pat Kelsey, played their home games at the TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina as members of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Cougars finished the season 17–15, 8–10 in CAA play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Hofstra in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament before losing to UNC Wilmington in the semifinals.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars finished the 2020–21 season 9–10, 6–4 CAA play to finish in third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament to Drexel.[1]

Following the season, head coach Earl Grant was hired as the new coach at Boston College.[2] Shortly thereafter, the school named Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey the team's new head coach.[3][4]

Offseason

2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Raekwon Horton
F 		Santee, SC Vermont Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sep 5, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Reyne Smith
G 		Ulverstone, Tasmania Australian Institute of Sports 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Mar 8, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Babacar Faye
F 		Saly, Senegal NBA Academy Africa 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 30, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Ben Burnham
F 		Matthews, NC Carmel Christian Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jul 1, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
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:

  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Source[5]

Roster

2021–22 College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Jordan Sechan 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
—
 GS Bucknell New Canaan, CT
G 2 Reyne Smith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Australian Institute of Sport Ulverstone, Australia
G 3 Dalton Bolon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS West Liberty Gnadenhutten, OH
F 4 Raekwon Horton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Vermont Academy Santee, SC
G 5 Brenden Tucker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Dacula HS Lawrenceville, GA
G/F 11 Dimitrius Underwood 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS UT Dallas Mesquite, TX
F 12 John Meeks 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 224 lb (102 kg) GS Bucknell Burlington, NC
F 25 Ben Burnham 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Carmel Christian School Fort Mill, SC
F 30 Nick Farrar 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So NC State Apex, NC
G 31 Jack Miller 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
—
 Fr Ocean Township HS Ocean Township, NJ
F/C 33 Osinachi Smart 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) GS New Garden Friends School Umuahia, Nigeria
F 34 Charles Lampten 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Dawson CC Roanoke, TX
F 35 Babacar Faye 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
—
 Fr NBA Academy Africa Saly, Senegal
G 41 Nikita Evdokimov 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
 Fr Lokomotiv Kuban Chekhov, Russia
G 45 Dylan Ritter 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
—
 Fr Zionsville HS Zionsville, IN
F 50 Adam Comer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
—
 Fr Broome HS Spartanburg, SC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 23, 2022

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 11, 2021*
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		South Carolina State
Rising Coaches Classic 		W 106–74  1–0
  19 – Meeks   8 – Smart   4 – Underwood  TD Arena (4,448)
Charleston, SC
November 12, 2021*
7:30 pm, FloHoops 		Lipscomb
Rising Coaches Classic 		W 86–77  2–0
  16 – Meeks   11 – Smart   6 – Ali  TD Arena (4,151)
Charleston, SC
November 13, 2021*
5:00 pm, FloHoops 		Loyola (MD)
Rising Coaches Classic 		W 79–72  3–0
  20 – Tucker   12 – Underwood   6 – Meeks  TD Arena (4,166)
Charleston, SC
November 16, 2021*
8:30 pm, CBSSN 		No. 18 North Carolina L 83–94  3–1
  19 – Smith   7 – Team   4 – Ali  TD Arena (5,203)
Charleston, SC
November 22, 2021*
8:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Oklahoma State L 66–96  3–2
  22 – Meeks   10 – Team   2 – Underwood  Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,307)
Stillwater, OK
November 27, 2021*
4:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Chattanooga W 68–66  4–2
  18 – Smith   5 – Smart   3 – Ali  McKenzie Arena (2,244)
Chattanooga, TN
November 30, 2021*
7:30 pm, FloHoops 		Tulane W 81–77  5–2
  22 – Smith   8 – Meeks   6 – Meeks  TD Arena (3,852)
Charleston, SC
December 3, 2021*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Furman L 88–91 OT 5–3
  24 – Smith   9 – Underwood   3 – Ali  Timmons Arena (2,015)
Greenville, SC
December 7, 2021*
8:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Tulane W 86–72  6–3
  15 – Smith   8 – Underwood   8 – Ali  Devlin Fieldhouse (653)
New Orleans, LA
December 12, 2021*
2:00 pm, FloHoops 		Presbyterian W 78–76 OT 7–3
  23 – Tucker   10 – Burnham   6 – Underwood  TD Arena (3,648)
Charleston, SC
December 16, 2021*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Stetson L 59–67  7–4
  14 – Horton   9 – Horton   3 – Smith  Edmunds Center (399)
DeLand, FL
December 19, 2021*
2:00 pm 		vs. Rhode Island
Holiday Hoops Fest 		Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols at Rhode Island Entertainment and Sports Arena 
Washington, D.C.
December 22, 2021*
7:00 pm, ODUSports.com 		at Old Dominion W 82–80  8–4
  13 – Underwood   10 – Smart   3 – Underwood  Chartway Arena (4,272)
Norfolk, VA
CAA regular season
December 31, 2021
2:00 pm, FloHoops 		Delaware L 66–67  8–5
(0–1) 		 17 – Meeks   10 – Smart   4 – Underwood  TD Arena (3,394)
Charleston, SC
January 9, 2022
4:00 pm, FloHoops 		Elon W 65–61  9–5
(1–1) 		 19 – Meeks   7 – Meeks   2 – Smith  TD Arena (3,635)
Charleston, SC
January 17, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		UNC Wilmington L 78–86  9–6
(1–2) 		 27 – Meeks   9 – Underwood   3 – Meeks  TD Arena (3,844)
Charleston, SC
January 20, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Towson L 67–74  9–7
(1–3) 		 16 – Meeks   9 – Underwood   4 – Meeks  SECU Arena (968)
Towson, MD
January 22, 2022
4:00 pm, FloHoops 		at James Madison L 94–95  9–8
(1–4) 		 21 – Smith   9 – Smart   3 – Smith  Atlantic Union Bank Center (4,721)
Harrisonburg, VA
January 25, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		William & Mary
Rescheduled from January 11 		W 74–73  10–8
(2–4) 		 25 – Smith   7 – Burnham   5 – Underwood  TD Arena (3,230)
Charleston, SC
January 27, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		Hofstra L 73–76  10–9
(2–5) 		 17 – Tucker   9 – Underwood   4 – Smith  TD Arena (3,719)
Charleston, SC
January 29, 2022
4:00 pm, FloHoops 		Northeastern W 81–63  11–9
(3–5) 		 22 – Meeks   7 – Burnham   6 – Underwood  TD Arena (4,634)
Charleston, SC
February 3, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at William & Mary W 84–61  12–9
(4–5) 		 21 – Tucker   8 – Underwood   5 – Meeks  Kaplan Arena (2,352)
Williamsburg, VA
February 5, 2022
4:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Elon W 66–64  13–9
(5–5) 		 23 – Farrar   8 – Tucker   2 – Horton  Schar Center (2,690)
Elon, NC
February 12, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at UNC Wilmington L 79–85  13–10
(5–6) 		 21 – Meeks   9 – Meeks   5 – Tucker  Trask Coliseum (5,250)
Wilmington, NC
February 14, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		Drexel
Rescheduled from December 29 		W 79–75  14–10
(6–6) 		 17 – Farrar   7 – Underwood   5 – Meeks  TD Arena (3,516)
Charleston, SC
February 17, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		James Madison L 63–71  14–11
(6–7) 		 14 – Underwood   12 – Underwood   3 – Underwood  TD Arena (4,283)
Charleston, SC
February 19, 2022
4:00 pm, FloHoops 		Towson L 77–80  14–12
(6–8) 		 21 – Underwood   11 – Underwood   6 – Underwood  TD Arena (5,060)
Charleston, SC
February 22, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Northeastern
Rescheduled from January 3 		W 83–72  15–12
(7–8) 		 19 – Underwood   8 – Underwood   8 – Underwood  Matthews Arena (518)
Boston, MA
February 24, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Delaware W 99–96  16–12
(8–8) 		 22 – Smith   11 – Underwood   8 – Underwood  Bob Carpenter Center (1,706)
Newark, DE
February 26, 2022
4:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Drexel L 79–80  16–13
(8–9) 		 23 – Underwood   10 – Horton   6 – Underwood  Daskalakis Athletic Center (1,184)
Philadelphia, PA
February 28, 2022
7:00 pm, FloHoops 		at Hofstra
Rescheduled from January 5 		L 84–89  16–14
(8–10) 		 19 – Smith   13 – Burnham   6 – Smith  Mack Sports Complex (1,416)
Hempstead, NY
CAA tournament
March 6, 2022
8:30 pm, FloHoops 		(6) vs. (3) Hofstra
Quarterfinals 		W 92–76  17–14
  31 – Meeks   8 – Horton   4 – Tucker  Entertainment and Sports Arena (1,578)
Washington, D.C.
March 7, 2022
8:30 pm, CBSSN 		(6) vs. (2) UNC Wilmington
Semifinals 		L 57–60  17–15
  21 – Underwood   10 – Horton   1 – Tucker  Entertainment and Sports Arena (1,707)
Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Source[6][7][8]

Awards and honors

Conference honors
Honors Player Position
CAA All-Tournament Team John Meeks F
All-CAA Second Team John Meeks F
All-CAA Third Team Dimitrius Underwood G/F
CAA All-Rookie Team Reyne Smith G
CAA All-Rookie Team Ben Burnham F
CAA All-Defensive Team Dimitrius Underwood G/F

Source[9][10]

References

  1. ^ "Drexel vs. Charleston - Game Recap - March 7, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  2. ^ "BC names Charleston's Grant new head coach". ESPN.com. March 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Bilodeau, Kevin. "College of Charleston hiring Winthrop's Pat Kelsey as new head basketball coach". www.live5news.com. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Winthrop's Kelsey leaving for College of Charleston job". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "College of Charleston 2021 Basketball Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "2021-22 Charleston Cougars Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule". College of Charleston Athletics. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021-22 College of Charleston Cougars Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  9. ^ McQuiggan, Miles. "Hofstra's Aaron Estrada Voted CAA Player of the Year; Five Programs Recognized With Major Awards". caasports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Washburn, Rob. "Delaware Outlasts UNCW to Capture First CAA Title Since 2014". caasports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.