Above: No. 21 Jaylon Scott on the court at a home game in TD Arena.
The College of Charleston men’s basketball program is definitely on a roll this season. The team’s record currently stands at 19-1 – at this moment, the best in the nation. And, for the first time in 20 years, the Cougars have made the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll (No. 18 on Jan. 16, 2023). As of Wednesday, Jan. 18, this squad enjoyed the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 games after toppling William & Mary in front of a sold out crowd at TD Arena.
When it comes to building a successful program in men’s Division I basketball, formulas vary widely. For CofC head men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey, who has been running collegiate basketball programs for almost a dozen years and been a top assistant since 1998, success begins with team chemistry.
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“It’s important to have the right type of make-up,” Kelsey explained recently. “In society in general, there’s a lot of ‘What’s in it for me? My numbers, my stats, my points,’ etc. Our guys don’t think that way. They think about winning. We’ve got a lot of winning guys that contribute in a lot of different ways, and a lot of different pieces that fit together.”
Key among those pieces are the 10 student-athletes that play regular minutes on Kelsey’s team. Here’s a roster-style look at those players (including the coaching staff’s prediction for what each one will be doing a decade from now):
Dalton Bolon
Hometown – Gnadenhutten, Ohio
Student status – grad student (communication)
Position – guard-forward
Nickname – Psycho D
Top strength – energy
Favorite shot – any shot; you name it, he’ll take it
Season highlight – career high 22 points vs. North Greenville U. 12/11/22
10 years down the road – biking around the country
Ante Brzovic and Ryan Larson
Ante Brzovic
Hometown – Zagreb, Croatia
Student status – sophomore (political science major)
Position – forward
Nickname – Tae
Top strength – scoring in the post
Favorite shot – any shot in the post
Season highlight – 15 points against Va. Tech in Charleston Classic finale 11/20/22
10 years down the road – politician
Ben Burnham
Hometown – Fort Mill, South Carolina
Student status – sophomore (undecided)
Position – forward
Nickname – Kenny Burnham (was once misidentified on TV as “Ken Burnham”)
Top strength – scoring
Favorite shot – floater
Season highlight – put-back monster dunk against U. Delaware on 1/7/23
10 years down the road – actor
Babacar Faye
Babacar Faye
Hometown – Saly, Senegal
Student status – sophomore (undecided)
Position – forward
Nickname – Babacopter
Top strength – finishing at the rim
Favorite shot – dunk
Season highlight – four monster dunks against U. Delaware 1/7/23
10 years down the road – international affairs officer
Raekwon Horton
Hometown – Santee, South Carolina
Student status – sophomore (undecided)
Position – guard
Nickname – Rae Rae
Top strength – versatile, two-way player
Favorite shot – any shot, you name it
Season highlight – coast to coast dunk over three Tarheel defenders 11/12/22
(made SportsCenter highlights)
10 years down the road – realtor
Charles Lampten
Charles Lampten
Hometown – Roanoke, Texas/Cameroon
Student status – junior (communication)
Position – center
Nickname – Big Flow
Top strength – defending/rebounding
Favorite shot – dunk
Season highlight – 8 rebounds vs. U.T. Chattanooga 11/7/22
10 years down the road – reality TV chef
Ryan Larson
Hometown – St. Paul, Minnesota
Student status – grad student (MBA)
Position – point guard
Nickname – The Mayor
Top strength – playmaking
Favorite shot – step-back jumper
Season highlight – named tournament MVP in 2022 Charleston Classic 11/20/22
10 years down the road – mayor
Pat Robinson
Pat Robinson
Hometown – Chesterfield, New Jersey
Student status – grad student (communication)
Position – guard
Nickname – Pizzy
Top strength – finishing at the rim
Favorite shot – layup
Season highlight – game-clinching shot in the Charleston Classic finale 11/20/22
10 years down the road – professional gamer
Jaylon Scott
Hometown – Allen, Texas
Student status – grad student (MBA)
Position – guard-forward
Nickname – J Scott
Top strength – defense
Favorite shot – layup
Season highlight – game-winning 3-pointer vs. Kent St. 11/23/22
10 years down the road – financial advisor
Reyne Smith
Reyne Smith
Hometown – Ulverstone, Australia
Student status – sophomore (business admin major)
Position – shooting guard
Nickname – Reyno
Top strength – 3-point shooting
Favorite Shot – 3-pointer
Season highlight – tied the CofC single-game record for threes with 8 on 11/14/22
10 years down the road – shooting coach
The Cougars play their next two games on the road: first at Monmouth at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, and then the team will travel to Boston to take on Northeastern at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. Follow the team’s progress online at cofcsports.com.
