The 2024–25 Charleston Cougars men's basketball team represented the College of Charleston in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by first-year head coach Chris Mack. The team played its home games at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association. The Cougars finished the season 24–9, 13–5 in CAA play to finish in third place. They defeated Monmouth in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament before losing to UNC Wilmington in the semifinals.
Previous season 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. They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Alabama, a team that went on to that year's Final Four.
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.
Offseason Departures
Charleston departuresNameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departureJordan Crawford0G6'2"180FRCharlotte, North CarolinaTransferred to Eastern Kentucky Frankie Policelli 1 F 6'9" 225 GS New Hartford, New York Graduated Reyne Smith 2 G 6'2" 190 JR Ulverstone, Tasmania Transferred to LouisvilleKhalil London3G6'3"185FRWyandanch, New YorkTransferred to Tennessee State Bryce Butler 4 G 6'5" 205 GS Latrobe, Pennsylvania GraduatedKobe Rodgers11G6'3"180JRCincinnati, OhioTransferred to Louisville Ben Burnham 13 F 6'7" 220 JR Fort Mill, South Carolina Transferred to Virginia TechMayar Wol15F6'8"185FRRaleigh, North CarolinaTransferred to Eastern Kentucky James Scott 23 F 6'11" 210 FR Fayetteville, North Carolina Transferred to Louisville
Incoming transfers 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Charleston incoming transfersNameNumberPosHeightWeightYearHometownPrevious schoolYears remainingDate eligibleAJ Smith1G6'4"215JRCharlotte, North CarolinaThe Citadel2October 1, 2024Elijah Jones3F6'7"n/aSRSouth Holland, IllinoisGreen Bay1October 1, 2024 Derrin Boyd 4 G 210 GS Princeton, Kentucky Lipscomb 1 October 1, 2024Deywilk Tavarez5G6'2"n/aSOPennsauken, New JerseyDelaware State3October 1, 2024Stef van Bussel15C6'10"255SOOmmel, NetherlandsSaint Louis3October 1, 2024Lazar Đjoković17F6'10"230SOGornji Milanovac, SerbiaXavier3October 1, 2024Đorđe Ćurčić44G6'2"185SOČačak, SerbiaSaint Louis3October 1, 2024
2024 recruiting class
Preseason In the conference's preseason poll, the Cougars were picked to finish in second place.
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.
Roster
Schedule and results
!colspan=12 style=""|Non-conference regular season
!colspan=12 style=""|CAA regular season
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Awards and honors Conference honors Honors Player PositionAll-CAA First Team Ante Brzovic FAll-CAA Third Team Derrin Boyd GAll-CAA Third Team CJ Fulton GCAA All-Rookie Team Justas Stonkus GCAA Scholar Athlete of the Year CJ Fulton G Source
References