| Year: | 2024-25 |
| Team: | Charleston Cougars |
| Conference: | Coastal Athletic Association |
| Short Conf: | CAA |
| Next Year: | 2025-26 |
| Mode: | Basketball |
| Record: | 0–0 |
| Conf Record: | 0–0 |
| Head Coach: | Chris Mack |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Asst Coach2: | Jeremy Growe |
| Asst Coach3: | Chris Harriman |
| Stadium: | TD Arena |
| Asst Coach1: | Jeff McInnis |
The 2024–25 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team will represent the College of Charleston in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They will be led by first-year head coach Chris Mack. The team will play its home games at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association.
The Cougars, led by third-year head coach Pat Kelsey, finished the season 27–8, 15–3 in CAA play to win their second-straight regular season championship. The team defeated Monmouth, Towson, and Stony Brook in overtime to win their second-straight CAA tournament.[1] They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Alabama, a team that went on to that year's Final Four.[2]
After the season head coach Pat Kelsey left the program to coach at the University of Louisville, and Chris Mack was later hired as the 25th coach in Charleston history.[3] [4]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Crawford | 0 | G | 6'2" | 180 | FR | Charlotte, North Carolina | Transferred to Eastern Kentucky[5] | ||
| sortname | Frankie Policelli | 1 | F | 6'9" | 225 | GS | New Hartford, New York | Graduated | |
| sortname | Reyne Smith | 2 | G | 6'2" | 190 | JR | Ulverstone, Tasmania | Transferred to Louisville[6] | |
| Khalil London | 3 | G | 6'3" | 185 | FR | Wyandanch, New York | Transferred to Tennessee State[7] | ||
| sortname | Bryce Butler | 4 | G | 6'5" | 205 | GS | Latrobe, Pennsylvania | Graduated | |
| Kobe Rodgers | 11 | G | 6'3" | 180 | JR | Cincinnati, Ohio | Transferred to Louisville[8] | ||
| sortname | Ben Burnham | 13 | 6'7" | 220 | JR | Fort Mill, South Carolina | Transferred to Virginia Tech[9] | ||
| Mayar Wol | 15 | F | 6'8" | 185 | FR | Raleigh, North Carolina | Transferred to Eastern Kentucky[10] | ||
| sortname | James Scott | 23 | F | 6'11" | 210 | FR | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Transferred to Louisville[11] |
Mack's new coaching staff quickly made use of the transfer portal and signed Derrin Boyd, a graduate student from Lipscomb who led his team with 17.6 points per game last season, earning an All-ASUN Second Team selection.[12] Two sophomores who had previously played for the Serbian U-19 National Team then committed to Charleston, Đorđe Ćurčić from Saint Louis and Lazar Đjoković from Xavier, reuniting on the court for the first time since the 2023 U-19 World Cup.[13] Another international player, Stef van Bussel, signed to the Cougars after playing for the Netherlands National U-18 and U-16 Teams, the Bayer Giants Leverkusen of the German pro league, and the Saint Louis Billikens.[14] That same day another sophomore, Deywilk Tavarez, transferred in from Delaware State after averaging 17.0 points per game as a freshman and winning MEAC Rookie of the Year.[15] The coaching staff then signed AJ Smith, a junior from The Citadel, who led Charleston's crosstown-rival in scoring with 16.2 points per game last season.[16] [17] The transfer class was finalized with the addition of senior Elijah Jones, who led Green Bay in rebounding last season and won the NJCAA National Championship in 2023.[18]
| Name | Number | Pos | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school | Years remaining | Date eligible | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Smith | 1 | G | 6'4" | 215 | JR | Charlotte, North Carolina | The Citadel | 2 | October 1, 2024 | |
| Elijah Jones | 3 | F | 6'7" | n/a | SR | South Holland, Illinois | Green Bay | 1 | October 1, 2024 | |
| Derrin Boyd | 4 | 210 | GS | Princeton, Kentucky | Lipscomb | 1 | October 1, 2024 | |||
| Deywilk Tavarez | 5 | G | 6'2" | n/a | SO | Pennsauken, New Jersey | Delaware State | 3 | October 1, 2024 | |
| Stef van Bussel | 15 | C | 6'10" | 255 | SO | Ommel, Netherlands | Saint Louis | 3 | October 1, 2024 | |
| Lazar Đjoković | 17 | F | 6'10" | 230 | SO | Gornji Milanovac, Serbia | Xavier | 3 | October 1, 2024 | |
| Đorđe Ćurčić | 44 | G | 6'2" | 185 | SO | Čačak, Serbia | Saint Louis | 3 | October 1, 2024 |
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Despite the change in head coach, 2024 First Team All-CAA member Ante Brzovic decided to return for his senior season, as did Irish National Team guard CJ Fulton.[19] [20]
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