Cougar Basketball Returns at Field of 68 Opening Showcase

Monday, November 4

Sioux Falls, SD

12:00 PM

College of Charleston

Southern Illinois

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Cougar Basketball Returns at Field of 68 Opening Showcase

11/3/2024 2:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Varsity App Field of 68 YouTube Game Notes

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Chris Mack era of Charleston men's basketball officially begins on Monday, November 4 when the Cougars battle the Southern Illinois Salukis at the Field of 68 Opening Showcase in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Cougars and Salukis kick off the 2024-25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season with the first Division 1 vs. Division 1 contest of the season with an 11 a.m. CST tip-off. Both teams will be led by first year head coaches in Charleston's Chris Mack and Southern Illinois' Scott Nagy.

GAME NOTES

Mack returns to the bench after a two-year coaching hiatus. Mack, one of just 19 coaches in college basketball history to lead their team to a No. 1 ranking within the first two years at their school, agreed to a five-year contract as the new men's basketball head coach at Charleston in April.
This will be the first all-time meeting between the programs and the first time the Cougars have opened the season on the road since 2020 at North Carolina.
The Cougars return CAA Preseason Player of the Year Ante Brzovic for his third season on King Street. CJ Fulton, last season's NCAA Assist/Turnover Ratio statistical champion also returns. Fulton earned a spot on the All-CAA Preseason Second Team. Graduate newcomer Derrin Boyd (Lipscomb) rounds out Charleston's preseason picks with an honorable mention nod.
The Cougars return 20.6% of scoring, 24.6% of rebounding, and 25% of minutes played in 2023-24 with Evan Kilminster, Adam Comer and Jack Miller returning from a season ago.

PRESEASON RUMBLINGS

The defending CAA Champion Cougars were picked to finish second in the league behind Towson in the CAA preseason poll. Charleston received 157 points with three first-place votes from the league's head coaches ahead of Chris Mack's first season at the helm of the program.
The Cougars are also receiving votes in the College Insider Preseason Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Charleston's 11 new players are tied for the sixth most newcomers on a Division I roster this season.

News: Brzovic named CAA Preseason Player of the Year

GLOBAL FLAIR

This season, the Cougars represent seven states (North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, Texas, Ohio, and South Carolina) and seven countries (the United States, Ireland, Australia, Lithuania, Croatia, Netherlands, and Serbia).
Out of the seven international players, five have represented their country in FIBA play at some point during their career - CJ Fulton (Ireland), Stef van Bussel (Netherlands), Justas Stonkus (Lithuania), Lazar Djokovic (Serbia) and Djordje Curcic (Serbia). Assistant coach Chris Harriman joins the international crew, hailing from Australia.

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS

The Salukis will are led by first-year head coach Scott Nagy and return three players from last year's squad in Kennard Davis Jr., Jarrett Hensley and guard Sheridan Sharp. Nagy ranks No. 17 in total wins (577) among active Division I head coaches.
Southern Illinois was picked to finish seventh in the MVC Preseason Poll. Davis Jr. and Ali Dibba earned Third Team Preseason All-MVC honors.

HOW TO WATCH

The contest will air on the Field of 68 YouTube channel and X feeds with Alex Heinert and Randolph Childress on the call. The network's popular After Dark show will go live from the floor of the Sanford Pentagon at 11 p.m. ET.
As always, fans can listen to the Voice of the Cougars Everett German on the Varsity App and ESPN 94.7 FM in Charleston.

For complete coverage of Charleston men's basketball, follow us on X (@CofCBasketball) and Instagram (@CofCBasketball).