| Year: | 2023-24 |
| Team: | Charleston Cougars |
| Conference: | Coastal Athletic Association |
| Short Conf: | CAA |
| Next Year: | 2024-25 |
| Mode: | Basketball |
| Record: | 27–8 |
| Conf Record: | 15–3 |
| Head Coach: | Pat Kelsey |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Assoc Coach: | Brian Kloman |
| Asst Coach2: | Michael Cassidy |
| Asst Coach3: | Thomas Carr |
| Stadium: | TD Arena |
| Champion: | CAA regular season and tournament champions |
| Tourney: | NCAA tournament |
| Tourney Result: | First Round |
The 2023–24 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team represented the College of Charleston in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by third-year head coach Pat Kelsey, played their home games at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina, as members of the Coastal Athletic Association. They finished the 27–8, 15–3 in CAA play to win the regular season championship. The team defeated Monmouth, Towson, and Stony Brook to win the CAA tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the West region.[1] There they lost in the first round to Alabama, a team that went on to that year's Final Four.[2]
On March 28, 2024, head coach Pat Kelsey left the team to take the head coaching position at Louisville.[3]
See main article: 2022–23 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team.
The Cougars finished the 2022–23 season 31–4, 16–2 in CAA play to finish tied for first place with Hofstra. The team defeated Stony Brook, Towson, and UNC Wilmington to win the CAA tournament, claiming the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The team won 31 games before qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, a record for the school's Division I era.[4]
This was the 6th NCAA tournament appearance in program history. As a No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament's Southern region, they were defeated in the First Round by No. 5 seed San Diego State, a team that went on to upset No. 1 seed Alabama in the Sweet 16 and later played in the national championship game.
On November 20, 2022, the Cougars defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Charleston Classic Championship game, winning the local tournament for the first time in program history. On January 2, 2023, the Cougars were ranked in the AP poll for the first time in 20 years. They remained ranked for four weeks, the earliest in any season that the Cougars have been ranked for multiple consecutive weeks.[5]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton Bolon | 3 | G | 6'4" | 205 | GS | Gnadenhutten, Ohio | Graduated | |
| sortname | Raekwon Horton | 5 | F | 6'6" | 200 | SO | Santee, South Carolina | Transferred to James Madison[6] |
| sortname | Ryan Larson | 11 | G | 6'1" | 180 | GS | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Graduated |
| sortname | Pat Robinson III | 15 | G | 6'3" | 195 | GS | Chesterfield, New Jersey | Graduated |
| sortname | Jaylon Scott | 21 | 6'5" | 195 | GS | Allen, Texas | Graduated | |
| sortname | Babacar Faye | 35 | F | 6'8" | 190 | FR | Saly, Senegal | Transferred to Western Kentucky[7] |
| Charles Lampten | 42 | F | 6'11" | 230 | SR | Roanoke, Texas | Transferred to Western Carolina[8] |
| Name | Number | Pos | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school | Years remaining | Date eligible | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Policelli[9] | 1 | 225 | GS | New Hartford, New York | Stony Brook | 1 | October 1, 2023 | |||
| Bryce Butler[10] | 4 | G | 6'5" | 205 | GS | Latrobe, Pennsylvania | West Liberty | 1 | October 1, 2023 | |
| Kobe Rodgers[11] | 11 | G | 6'3" | 180 | JR | Cincinnati, Ohio | Nova Southeastern | 2 | October 1, 2023 | |
| CJ Fulton[12] | 12 | G | 6'2" | 190 | JR | Lafayette | 2 | October 1, 2023 |
In the conference's preseason poll, the Cougars were picked to finish in first place.[13]
Juniors Ante Brzovic (CAA Preseason First Team), Reyne Smith (CAA Preseason Second Team) and Ben Burnham announced that they would be returning to the team.[14] [15]
|-!colspan=12 style=|Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=12 style=|CAA regular season|-!colspan=12 style=| CAA tournament|-!colspan=12 style=}| NCAA tournamentSource[16]
| CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player | Reyne Smith | G |
| CAA All-Tournament Team | Reyne Smith | G |
| CAA All-Tournament Team | Frankie Policelli | F |
| CAA All-Tournament Team | Kobe Rodgers | G |
| CAA Sixth Man of the Year | Bryce Butler | G |
| All-CAA First Team | Ante Brzovic | F |
| All-CAA Second Team | Reyne Smith | G |
| All-CAA Third Team | Ben Burnham | F |
| CAA All-Rookie Team | James Scott | F |