Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop men's basketball is set to play its final home game of 2024 when it welcomes Mercer to the Winthrop Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 21 for an afternoon tilt.
WINTHROP (9-4, 0-0 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Sr. |
13.9 |
2.9 |
3.2 |
1.3 |
'23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Surpassed 400 career assists (418) / In double-figures for 10-of-12 games, including a 24 point performance vs. Georgia Sou. / Season-high 6 assists vs. NCCU |
| G |
3 |
Paul Jones III |
6-3 |
Fr. |
7.9 |
3.3 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
Career-high 25 points vs. Averett / Was 6-of-8 behind the arc / 11-for-20 behind arc last 4 games / Has four games in double-figures / 4 rebounds or more in six games / 10.1 ppg as a starter |
| G/F |
10 |
Nick Johnson |
6-4 |
Sr. |
9.6 |
2.0 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
Season-high 20 points in win at Queens / Ranked 5th in Big South with 1.5 spg / multiple steals in 5 games, at least 1 steal in 11-of-12 games played |
| F |
12 |
K.J. Doucet |
6-7 |
Sr. |
14.9 |
5.8 |
1.2 |
1.0 |
24-25 Big South Preseason All-Conference / In double-figures all 11 games / Season-high 23 points vs. Coastal / Surpassed 1,400 career points with 17 vs. LIU / 3rd in Big South in free throw attempts / had five 20-point games in '23-24 / 2nd on team with 51 threes last season |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Sr. |
15.3 |
8.1 |
0.6 |
1.4 |
'23-24/'24-25 Big South Preseason All-Conference / '22-23/'23-24 Big South All-Conference First Team / 16th career double-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds vs. Bob Jones / Moved into 3rd on the all-time rebound list (765), now 5th in career points (1,514) / Leads Big South in rebounding (8.1) |
* (blocks per game)
GAME PROMOTIONS
BOGO Ticket Offer | "Photos With Santa" - Come see the magic of Winthrop Eagle Basketball and get your photo with Santa Claus from 1-2 p.m. (located on the concourse in Section 109)
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: 2-2
Series Streak: L1
Record at Winthrop Coliseum: 2-0
Streak at Winthrop Coliseum: W2
Prosser vs. Mercer: 4-5
- Winthrop and Mercer meet for the 5th time as the series is tied 2-2
- The two teams last met Nov. 17, 2022 in Macon, Ga. as the Eagles fell 77-68
- The Eagles are 2-0 at home vs. the Bears, which includes an 88-85 overtime victory on Nov. 13, 2021
- Eagles are 18-32 all-time against opponents from the Southern Conference, but have won four of the last six meetings
WINTHROP AT HOME
- Have won 13 of the last 14 home non-conference games and 15 of the last 17
- The longest home win streak in program history is 24 from 2005-06/2007-08
- Hold an all-time record of 486-178 in home games and 432-165 at the Winthrop Coliseum
- Since 1998-99 the Eagles are 308-70 at home (.813 winning percentage)
- Since 2012-13 the Eagles are 148-35 at home (.806 winning percentage)
- As an NCAA D1 member the Eagles are 405-149 in home contests
WINTHROP
- Coming off an 82-64 loss at Florida State, the first loss since Nov. 22
- A win vs. Mercer will secure a winning record for the month of December for the second straight season and the fourth time in the last five seasons
- Eagles lead the Big South in scoring at 86.8 ppg and are 5th defensively at 71.5 ppg
- Winthrop also leads the conference in scoring margin, field goal percentage defense, rebound margin, blocked shots, steals and offensive rebounds
- Kelton Talford leads the team in scoring at 15.3 ppg, K.J. Doucet is next at 14.9 and Kasen Harrison is averaging 13.9 ppg
- Talford is 7th in the league, Doucet is 13th and Harrison is 16th in scoring
- Talford is second in the Big South in rebounding (7.85) and is 3rdin field goal percentage (.580)
- Eagles have four players ranked among the Top 10 in the Big South for free throw attempts as Talford is 1st, Doucet 3rd, Harrison 9th and Johnson 10th
- In their last home game inside the Winthrop Coliseum, the Eagles defeated Coastal Carolina 96-89 for a fourth straight win
- It was the second straight year defeating the Chanticleers after losing three straight in the series
- K.J. Doucet and Kelton Talford combined for 44 points to lead the offense
- Doucet scored a season-high 23 points and Talford posted his second 20-point game of the season with 21
- Winthrop was 31-of-40 at the free throw line in the win
- Eagles have now attempted at least 40 free throws in a game on four occasions this season
- Winthrop leads the nation in free throw attempts per game (31.5) and is second in free throws made per game (21.3)
- Senior Nick Johnson dropped in 20 points to help the Eagles to their first road win of the season at Queens on Dec. 3
- It was Johnson's first 20-point game this season and 8th of his career as he's now averaging 8.9 ppg on the year
- Eagles hosted the Rock Hill Classic Nov. 15-17 and came away with a 2-1 record
- Opened the weekend with a thrilling 86-85 victory over William & Mary as Bryce Baker buried a three at the buzzer
- The win over William & Mary was the 100th career victory for head coach Mark Prosser
- It also marked the 800th win all-time in program history
- Eagles dropped the second game, 89-87 to Georgia Southern as that game came down to the final seconds
- Capped off the weekend with a 77-75 victory over North Carolina Central
- This was the first time the Eagles have been involved in three consecutive games decided by a single-possession since Nov. 10-14, 2019 vs. Fresno State (3), St. Mary's (2) and ETSU (3)
- First loss of the season and only road game so far came on Nov. 11 with a 58-52 loss to Virginia Tech
- It was the second-fewest points the Eagles have ever held an ACC opponent to (57 vs. N.C. State on 12/3/96 is the lowest)
- Opened the season with a 125-65 victory over Piedmont, the second-largest margin of victory in program history (+60)
- In the game the Eagles also hauled in 63 rebounds, tying a program record with 28 offensive rebounds
- Ryan Jolly, who transferred to Winthrop after a four-year career at Piedmont, started the opener against his former team and finished with 15 points
- First 2-0 start since 2021-22 after an 82-67 victory over Little Rock at home
- Winthrop dominated the glass for a second straight game, finishing with a 52-32 advantage
- Voted to finish second in the Big South Conference preseason poll
- Eagles had two players on the preseason all-conference teams
- Talford was voted to the first team and Doucet was voted to the second team
- This marks the 1,423rd game in program history and hold an all-time record of 806-616
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (250) since the 2012-13 season and the closest is UNC Asheville with 216
- Mark Prosser starts his fourth season as head coach of the Eagles (8th head coach in program history) and holds a 64-45 record now in his fourth season
- Prosser earned his 100th career win on Nov. 15 vs. William & Mary, which was also his 100th game coached at the helm of the Winthrop program
- Prosser is coaching in his 228th career game and 199th at the NCAA D1 level
- Led the team to 23 wins, the most by a first-year head coach in program history
- Prosser tied Towson State's Terry Traux (1992-93) for the most conference wins by a first-year coach with 14
- The newcomers include five transfers and one true freshman
- The transfers are Ryan Jolly (Graduate Student/Piedmont), Tommy Kamarad (Senior/Arkansas Tech), Tai Hamilton (Sophomore/William & Mary), Logan Duncomb (Junior/Xavier) and Bryce Baker (Junior/Old Dominion)
- The one true freshman is Paul Jones III, a guard out of Suffolk, Va.
- Jolly scored more than 1,000 points in his career at Piedmont
- Kamarad started 28-of-30 games last year and was named to the Great American Conference All-Tournament Team as his team captured the championship
- Baker played in 59 games in his first two seasons at Old Dominion
LOOKING BACK AT 2023-24
- Winthrop returns four starters with all of them being the Top 4 scorers from 2023-24
- Leading the way is two-time Big South All-Conference selection Kelton Talford
- Talford led the team in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (5.7)
- K.J. Doucet, Kasen Harrison and Nick Johnson are the remaining returning starters
- Doucet was second on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg and second in made threes (51)
- Harrison led the team in assists at 3.8 per game (ranked 3rd in Big South) and also averaged double-figures (11.3)
- Johnson was fourth in scoring at 10.4 ppg and led the team with 44 steals
- Johnson's ranked 4th in the league at 1.4 per game and was the first Eagle with 40 or more steals in a single-season since Chandler Vaudrin had 45 in 2019-20
- Yoro Diallo and Noah Van Bibber also return as Diallo played in 28 games and Van Bibber saw action in 18 games
- Eagles finished 8-8 in the Big South, finishing fourth in the standings
SEASON HONORS/AWARDS
- Kelton Talford, Senior-Forward (Big South Conference Preseason First Team)
- All-Big South First Team Selection in 2022-23 and 2023-24
- Started 28-of-31 games as he led the team in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (5.7)
- Ranked 13th in the Big South in scoring and 11th in rebounding while leading the conference in field goal percentage
- K.J Doucet, Senior-Forward (Big South Conference Preseason Second Team)
- Started 30-of-32 games and was second on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg
- Second on the team in three-pointers made (51) and field goals made (129)
CAREER MILESTONES
- Kasen Harrison
- Reached 1,000 career points last season and went over 1,300 points in the game vs. Averett (1,351)
- Surpassed 400 career assists (423) as he's dished out 272 as an Eagle
- Played in his 100th career game on Mar. 2, 2024 vs. Gardner-Webb
- Made his 100th career start in the game at Florida State (currently 114 games played)
- Kelton Talford
- Reached the 1,000 points and 500 career rebounds in 2023-24
- Has 1,522 career points, ranking 5th all-time in scoring at Winthrop
- His 770 career rebounds are ranked 3rd all-time
- Became 12th player in Big South history with 1,500 points/750 rebounds
- 39th player in Big South history with 1,000 points, 700 rebounds
- Became the 104th player in Big South Conference history to reach 500 career rebounds
- Became the 67th player in league history to join the 1,000/500 club
- He became the 65th player in league history to reach 600 rebounds
- Became the 48th player in Big South history with 1,000 points and 600 rebounds
- Has 16 career double-doubles after his 19th points, 14 rebounds vs. Bob Jones
- Has 602 career free throw attempts, ranking him 2nd all-time in program history after passing Mark Hailey (543) and trails the all-time leader Keon Johnson by eight
- Nick Johnson
- Reached 1,000 career points in the win at Radford last season and is now 41 points from 1,200 (1,176)
- Is four starts away from 100 in his career (117 games played)
- Reached 400 career rebounds vs. UNC Asheville in 2023-24 and is now at 466
- Dished out his 100th career assist vs. Queens and surpassed 100 steals
- K.J. Doucet
- Surpassed 1,000 career points after 22 points at Coastal Carolina (2023)
- Moved past 1,400 points in his career (1,480)
- Joined the 1,000 point/500 rebound club and now has 513 boards in his career
- His 51 threes in 2023-24 were a career-best for a single-season
- Ryan Jolly
- Scored 1,371 career points in his collegiate career between Piedmont and Lander
- Had 15 points in the opener vs. his former team (Piedmont)
- Currently sitting with a career total of 1,431 points
- Has 343 career assists, 422 career rebounds and 160 career steals
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ARE ON SALE
Fans can purchase single-game tickets for all home contests for the 2024-25 season by visiting
www.winthropeagles.com/MBBTickets2425 or call text ticket office at (803) 323-2345.
CHAMPIONSHIP ANNIVERSARIES
This year celebrates the 25
th anniversary of the 1999-2000 team that captured a second straight Big South Conference championship. Under the guidance of second-year head coach Gregg Marshall the Eagles posted an overall record of 21-9 and were 11-3 in the conference (2
nd place). Winthrop defeated fourth-seeded UNC Asheville 75-62 in the Big South title game and faced 3
rd-seeded Oklahoma in Tucson, Ariz. in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Greg Lewis was voted the Big South Tournament MVP.
It is also the 20th anniversary of the 2004-05 team that went 27-6 on the season and 15-1 in Big South play on its way to the first of four straight league titles for the second time. Eagles opened conference play with a 76-68 victory before reeling off 15 straight wins to take the regular season championship. Eagles rolled in the conference championship game, 68-46 over Charleston Southern as Torrell Martin was named the Big South Tournament MVP. The team was seeded 14th in the NCAA Tournament and faced #3 Gonzaga in Tucson, Ariz as it fell 74-64. The 18 consecutive wins is the 3rd longest winning streak in program history and 2nd longest in a single-season.
It's been 15 years since the Eagles captured the 2009-10 Big South Title. The Eagles were 19-14 overall and 12-6 in the Big South. Eagles started off league play with a 1-3 record before going on to win 11-of-12 league games and earned the 3rd seed. Opened the tournament with an 80-72 win over 6th-seeded Liberty before defeating 2nd-seeded Radford 61-46 and then top-seeded Coastal Carolina on its home court, 64-53. Mantoris Robinson was named the Big South Tournament MVP.
TUNE IN TO THE EAGLES
Fans can listen to the games all season long on OTS Media of Rock Hill (94.3 FM), which is the flagship station for Winthrop Athletics. In addition, most games will simulcast on 730 ESPN Charlotte and AM 1450 WGNC Gastonia.
All home games as well as all Big South games home or away are available to watch through the Big South Network on ESPN+. To watch live Big South games on ESPN+, you need a subscriber. ESPN is currently offering a discount between Oct. 25-Dec. 2 to get 12 months for the price of nine. For more information how to subscribe,
click here.
UP NEXT
Winthrop has one more contest in 2024 as it will head to Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday, Dec. 29 to take on Indiana at 4 p.m.
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop men's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@Winthrop_MBB), Instagram (@Winthrop_MBB) and Facebook (/WinthropMBB).
