2024-25 SoCon Basketball Preview

Conference Overview

Join us for our 2024-25 SoCon Basketball Preview, where we dive into an exciting mid-major conference filled with talent and fierce competition. Each of the past six years, the SoCon has crowned a different tournament champion, showcasing its unpredictability. Last season’s regular-season champs, Samford, triumphed over an underdog #7-seed ETSU in the title game, securing their spot in March Madness, where they put up a valiant fight against an injured Kansas squad before narrowly missing an upset. This season, top talent has once again arrived to the SoCon, setting the stage for another thrilling campaign. Will the streak of new champions continue, or will one of the previous winners capture a second title within this timespan?

Last year’s champions, Samford, are strong contenders once again, bringing back star point guard Rylan Jones for a rare sixth year. Despite losing breakout player Achor Achor, Samford has reloaded with Tulane transfer Collin Holloway, one of the conference’s top players. They’ve also added Isaiah West from Vanderbilt and Trey Fort from Mississippi State, making Samford’s starting lineup one of the most formidable in the SoCon.

ETSU, despite being a lower seed last year, will also be competitive, with returning scorers Quimari Peterson and Jaden Seymour, along with standout shooter John Biggs III from North Texas and Missouri transfer Curt Lewis.

Chattanooga boasts one of the conference’s best backcourts, led by Trey Bonham, a Player of the Year candidate, and impact scorer Honor Huff. Both averaged 16+ points last season and have strong potential for further growth.

Wofford returns four starters, including star point guard Corey Tripp and center Kyler Filewich, anchoring a familiar lineup ready to contend. Furman, only two years removed from a memorable March Madness win over Virginia, returns point guard PJay Smith, Jr., and pairs him with D-II sharpshooter Nick Anderson, plus Tom House from Florida State, who aims to make a big impact.

UNCG lost star Mikael Brown-Jones but brings in Ronald Polite III from George Mason, an Atlantic 10 talent likely to become a key player. Mercer adds New Hampshire transfer Ahmad Robinson and an intriguing D-II prospect, Tyler Johnson. Keep an eye on Laurynas Vaistaras, a Campbell transfer primed for a breakout year.

Western Carolina, in a rebuilding phase after the departure of Vonterius Woolbright, brings in JUCO transfers Chevalier Emery and Brandon Morgan for their backcourt, while redshirt freshman Brandon White (Texas A&M) could make waves as a Freshman of the Year candidate. The Citadel relies on high-scoring transfers from D-II and D-III to adjust to Division I play, while VMI, normally a team that avoids transfers, introduces new faces but may struggle to keep pace with the SoCon’s top teams.

In our 2024-25 SoCon Basketball Preview, we highlight the strength of the top four teams that are primed for a competitive battle for the title. With three additional teams possessing enough depth to challenge them, this season promises to deliver one of college basketball’s most exciting and balanced mid-major conferences.

SoCon Basketball Preview: Projected Standings

1. Samford
2. ETSU
3. Chattanooga
4. Wofford
5. Furman
6. UNCG
7. Mercer
8. Western Carolina
9. The Citadel
10. VMI

SoCon Basketball Preview: Projected Award Winners

Player of the Year: Trey Bonham, Chattanooga

Defensive Player of the Year: Curt Lewis, ETSU

Newcomer of the Year: Collin Holloway, Samford

Freshman of the Year: Brandon White, Western Carolina

Coach of the Year: Bucky McMillan, Samford

SoCon Basketball Preview: Projected All-Conference First Team

Rylan Jones, Samford

Ronald Polite III, UNCG

Trey Bonham, Chattanooga

John Buggs III, Eastern Tennessee State

Collin Holloway, Samford

Chattanooga Mocs

Projected Starters:

PG: Trey Bonham (16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg)

SG: Honor Huff (17.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg)

SF: Noah Melson (4.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.8 apg)

PF: Bash Wieland (14.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.2 apg @ Bellarmine)

C: Makai Richards (4.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.5 apg @ Pacific)

6M: Frank Champion (17.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 4.6 apg @ D2 North Georgia)

East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Projected Starters:

PG: Quimari Peterson (13.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.7 apg)

SG: John Buggs III (7.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.9 apg @ North Texas)

SF: Curt Lewis (2.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.6 apg @ Missouri)

PF: Jaden Seymour (14.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.3 apg)

C: Davion Bradford (2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.1 apg @ Wake Forest) 2022-2023 Stats

6M: Karon Boyd (6.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.3 apg)

Furman Palladins

Projected Starters:

PG: PJay Smith, Jr. (10.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg)

SG: Nick Anderson (17.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 apg @ D2 Barry)

SF: Tom House (1.4 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 0.3 apg @ Florida State)

PF: Ben VanderWal (5.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)

C: Garrett Hien (6.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg)

6M: Charles Johnston (13.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 0.8 apg @ D2 CSU Monterey Bay)

Mercer Bears

Projected Starters:

PG: Ahmad Robinson (15.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.7 apg @ New Hampshire)

SG: Tyler Johnson (16.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.1 apg @ D2 USC Aiken)

SF: Jah Quinones (5.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)

PF: Laurynas Vaistaras (10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.1 apg @ Campbell)

C: Alex Holt (7.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.3 apg)

6M: Marcus Overstreet (17.6 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 0.7 apg @ D2 USCB)

Samford Bulldogs

Projected Starters:

PG: Rylan Jones (9.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apg)

SG: Isaiah West (2.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.7 apg @ Vanderbilt)

SF: Trey Fort (5.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg @ Mississippi State)

PF: Collin Holloway (12.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 apg @ Tulane)

C: Riley Allenspach (5.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.4 apg)

6M: Jaden Brownell (6.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.8 apg @ UIC)

The Citadel Bulldogs

Projected Starters:

PG: Cameron Glover (15.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.8 apg @ D2 Montevallo)

SG: Paxton Davidson (1.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.4 apg @ Lipscomb)

SF: Brody Fox (26.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg @ D3 Wisconsin-Stout)

PF: Christian Moore (4.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)

C: John Adams (14.5 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.6 apg @ D3 WPI)

6M: Keynan Davis (5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 apg)

UNC Greensboro Spartans

Projected Starters:

PG: Kenyon Giles (14.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.8 apg @ Radford)

SG: Ronald Polite III (7.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.7 apg @ George Mason)

SF: Donovan Atwell (11.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.6 apg)

PF: Demetrius Davis (3.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.8 apg @ Chattanooga)

C: Jalen Breath (6.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0.8 apg)

6M: Malik Henry (2.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.1 apg @ George Mason)

VMI Keydets

Projected Starters:

PG: Tan Yildizoglu (2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.4 apg @ Pacific)

SG: Rickey Bradley, Jr. (2.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.6 apg @ Georgia State)

SF: AJ Clark (4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.1 apg)

PF: TJ Johnson (3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.4 apg @ Lipscomb)

C: Cyprian Hyde (R-FR @ Portland)

6M: Walker Andrews (R-FR)

Western Carolina Catamounts

Projected Starters:

PG: Chevalier Emery (18.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.7 apg @ JUCO Dodge City)

SG: Cord Stansberry (4.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.8 apg @ Pepperdine)

SF: Brandon Morgan (15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.8 apg @ JUCO Caldwell)

PF: Bernard Pelote (6.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.2 apg)

C: Brandon White (R-FR @ Texas A&M)

6M: Vernon Collins (2.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.1 apg @ Princeton)

Wofford Terriers

Projected Starters:

PG: Corey Tripp (15.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg)

SG: Dillon Bailey (11.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 apg)

SF: Justin Bailey (11.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 apg @ USC Upstate)

PF: Jackson Sivills (9.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 apg)

C: Kyler Filewich (9.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.4 apg)

6M: Jeremy Lorenz (6.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 apg)

Coming Next

Thank you for reading the 2024-25 SoCon Basketball Preview. To view the conference preview release schedule, keep up to date with us on X @collegehoopsrpt. If you haven’t already, feel free to check out one of our other conference previews linked below! Next up is the Southland Conference. Thank you for reading, and we appreciate all the support!

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Cover Image: Photo Credit: Southern Conference (SoCon)