'23-24 Roster Preview - Chattanooga
Breaking down the Chattanooga roster for the upcoming season
Dan Earl is back and he’s built out another great roster. Earl had to replace a lot of guard depth and shooting from last season’s tournament runner-ups, and he did so in the portal. The Mocs can also boast multiple versatile wings to plug the gaps on defense. In addition to all of that, I’m impressed with the extensive recruiting class Earl managed to put together and what they may be able to do in the near future. With all of the newcomers, this team’s success is hard to project, but they certainly have the potential to be right back where they were last year: and win.
Returning Players
Demetrius Davis - 6’9 G/F
Last Season Avgs: 21.5 min. 7.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg | Davis is a ready-to-shoot wing with tremendous size and length for the perimeter. Davis’ improvement this year could prove to be the X-factor for the Mocs’ success this year. Not many other teams have this kind of length on the wing, giving him the potential for a great defensive season. Parlay this with increased efficiency from beyond the arc and Davis will be an important piece for regular and post-season success
Honor Huff - 5’10 G
Last Season Avgs (2021-22): 27.6 min. 10 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.3 apg | Honor Huff is a familiar name to those who watch Southern Conference basketball. He arrived at Chattanooga last year, following his coach Dan Earl from VMI. In what is now becoming a rare occasion, Huff sat out last year due to transferring within the conference. However, the First Team All-Freshman guard projects to bring consistent shooting and the ability to be everywhere all at once. He and his former running mate, Trey Bonham, will look to replace guard production. In his two games against Chattanooga during his freshman year? He simply averaged 22.5 points and shot 57% from beyond the arc. This year, he’ll bring those numbers to help the Mocs.
Sam Alexis - 6’9 F
Last Season Avgs: 11.8 min. 5.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.8 apg | Here’s the truth: someone has to replace Jake Stephens inside. I won’t say Sam Alexis can step right in and do that, but he showed great flashes last year. He had a monster game against Mercer during the year and hit 4 of 6 threes in that game. His rebound rate is great for the number of minutes he saw. With an offseason and another year of bulking up, honing the post skills, and being willing to step out and knock down a jumper, Alexis will be hard to ignore.
Randy Brady - 6’5 G/F
Last Season Avgs: 13.7 min. 4.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.0 apg | Brady has good size for his position, which should give him the ability to be a versatile asset. During the Socon Tournament games, he stepped up with consistent rebounding and defense, in addition to getting to the line around 3 times per game. Brady should see steady improvement and a minutes increase for a contending Chattanooga squad.
Additions
Jan Zidek - 6’9 F
Last Season Avgs: (Pepperdine): 17.7 min. 7.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.7 apg | Jan Zidek is transferring in from a very competitive conference out west. He has great on-the-ball skills for 6’9 and might just be able to overpower smaller wing defenders to the rim. His overall shooting could use some improvement (30.7% from three last season), but his spot-up ability is definitely a skill that will immediately transfer to on-court success and make him even tougher to guard.
Trey Bonham - 6’0 G
Last Season Avgs (Florida): 13.4 min. 5.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.1 apg | Another familiar name will be joining his former coach, Dan Earl. Trey Bonham transferred in after moving up to Florida following a successful sophomore campaign at VMI. He’ll join a team that needs to replace shooting, which is something that he excels at. Bonham’s minutes dropped off after heavy usage early and may have been a bit underutilized at Florida. He brings sparkplug scoring ability and shoots a career 35% clip from beyond the arc, something Mocs fans will love to see after the departure of 40-plus percent shooters, Dalvin White and Jamal Johnson.
Tyler Millin - 6’7 F
Last Season Avgs: (Middle Tennessee): 15.1 min. 4.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.4 apg | At Middle Tennessee, Millin played a very similar schedule to what he will find at Chattanooga. In fact, he played the Mocs last season. He is a slashing forward, one who can fill in the gaps of the bigs and smaller guards that the Mocs will be loaded with (and maybe matchup better defensively). He’s proven he can play at this level and I love the potential of this pickup, but it remains to be seen if he can be a consistent threat to score the ball.
Rudy Fitzgibbons III
Last Season Avgs (Citadel 21-22): 22.0 min. 7.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg | Fitzgibbons comes from within the conference and played consistent minutes with The Citadel for three years. We know he can shoot, at 36% last year from three. After missing a whole year from injury, Fitzgibbons’ production may be a bit of a mystery, but experience and a change of scenery should help him adjust.
Miles Che - 6’3 G
Last Season Avgs: N/A (High School) | Che was a 3-star recruit according to Rivals, and decommitted from South Florida to attend Chattanooga. He comes in from a highly regarded high school program, and depending on production around him, could get into some games early. Great pickup by Dan Earl.
Sean Cusano - 6’9 G/F
Last Season Avgs: N/A (High School) | Dan Earl seems to love these versatile guys who can step down low and play the wing. Cusano can score and he rebounds with intensity, something that will serve him well as he develops in the league.
Noah Melson - 6’7 G
Last Season Avgs: N/A (High School) | I mean his size jumps off the page. Melson is a 6’7 point guard with hops who knows how to score. He comes from a successful high school program and I have high hopes for him.
Collin Mulholland - 6’10 C
Last Season Avgs: N/A (High School) | Mulholland has good foot speed to move around the rim and play solid defense. He also has a touch from beyond the arc.
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