Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop men's basketball looks to extend its 10-game home winning streak Saturday afternoon as it welcomes Gardner-Webb to the Winthrop Coliseum.
WINTHROP (14-9, 4-4 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Sr. |
13.0 |
2.3 |
3.7 |
1.3 |
'23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Pass 450 career assists (468) and became 14th player in program history to reach 300 as an Eagle / In double-figures for 18-of-22 games, including a 24 point performance vs. Georgia Sou. / Career-high 9 assists vs. Longwood |
| G |
3 |
Paul Jones III |
6-3 |
Fr. |
8.4 |
2.8 |
0.4 |
0.4 |
Career-high 25 points vs. Averett / Was 6-of-8 behind the arc / Posted 24 points in win over Longwood / Had 6 threes for 2nd time this season / 4 rebounds or more in eight games / 9.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg as a starter / Tied for team-high with 43 threes |
| G/F |
10 |
Nick Johnson |
6-4 |
Sr. |
12.2 |
2.9 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
Career-high 28 points in triple OT win over Charleston Sou. / Tied career-high of four steals vs. PC / Also had 22 vs. Mercer, 20 at Queens / Ranked 9th in Big South with 1.3 spg / at least 1 steal in 20-of-23 games played / Averaging 14.6 ppg in league play |
| F |
12 |
K.J. Doucet |
6-7 |
Sr. |
13.8 |
5.7 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
24-25 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Posted back-to-back double-doubles (at Indiana/vs. Upstate) / Moved past 1,600 career points (1,611) / In double-figures in 19-of-23 games / Averaging 13.5 ppg in Big South / 4th in Big South in free throw attempts |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Sr. |
15.8 |
7.8 |
0.8 |
1.1 |
7th double-double of the season with 25 points, 10 rebounds vs. PC / Had double-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds in first meeting with Gardner-Webb / 20-of-28 from the floor in last 3 games / '23-24/'24-25 Big South Preseason All-Conference / '22-23/'23-24 Big South All-Conference First Team / Moved into 3rd on the all-time rebound list (848), 4th in career points (1,695) |
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: 30-15
Series Streak: L3
Record at Winthrop Coliseum: 15-5
Streak at Winthrop Coliseum: L2
Prosser vs. Gardner-Webb: 5-3
- This is the 46th meeting all-time between Winthrop and Gardner-Webb
- Runnin' Bulldogs have won three straight in the series, including their last trip to the Winthrop Coliseum with a 65-64 victory on a three in the final seconds
- In the last 16 meetings there have been 13 games decided by less than 10 points and eight decided by five or fewer points
WINTHROP IN BIG SOUTH
- Eagles are 4-4 after the win over PC and sitting in a three-way tie for 4th
- So far this season the Eagles are 4-0 at home and 0-4 on the road in league play
- First in the Big South in scoring (84.4) and 10th nationally
- Winthrop had won back-to-back games that included a triple overtime thrill against Charleston Southern
- It is the second straight season the Eagles have played a triple overtime during league play
- Last season the Eagles earned a 92-88 triple overtime win over Radford at home
- Hold a record of 35-9 at home vs. Big South opponents since 2019-20 and are 204-93 (68%) all-time in league home games
- Eagles are 354-243 all-time in regular season league games as the 354 wins are the most by any Big South program in history
WINTHROP
- Leading the nation in free throw attempts per game (30.3) and second in free throws made per game (20.1) as of Jan. 29
- 13 home wins at home this season and for the 13st time in program history with at least 13
- Looking for a 11th straight home win and 11th straight in the Winthrop Coliseum (3-1 at Rock Hill Sports & Event Center this year)
- The first two wins in conference play were by the exact score of 95-76 over USC Upstate and Longwood
- The 102 points in the win over Charleston Southern was the 4th 100-point game of the season and the 8th game in which the Eagles scored 90 or more
- It was also the 19th all-time 100-point game against a D1 opponent in which the Eagles are 17-2 in those contests
- Reached 10 wins before the start of conference play for the first time since the 2015-16 season
- Eagles have finished with a winning record in the first two months of the season and need two wins in their next three games to ensure a winning mark in January (currently 3-3)
- Kelton Talford leads the team in scoring at 15.8 ppg, K.J. Doucet is next at 13.8 ppg, Kasen Harrison is averaging 13.0 ppg and Nick Johnson is at 12.2 per game
- Talford is 4th in the league, Doucet is 15th and Harrison is 18th in scoring and Johnson is 20th
- Talford is third in the Big South in rebounding (7.8) and first in field goal percentage (.628)
- In the loss at UNC Asheville Talford had 21 points while Bryce Baker came off the bench for 24 points
- It was the 5th time this season the Eagles had at least two players scored 20 or more points in the same game (second time in conference play)
- Talford and Doucet each recorded double-doubles in the league opening win over USC Upstate
- Eagles have three players ranked among the Top 5 in the Big South for free throw attempts as
- Talford is 2nd, Johnson 3rd, and Doucet 4th
- Eagles had 48 free throw attempts in the win over Mercer, the 5th game of the year with 40 or more trips to the foul line
- Johnson had a career-high 28 points in the triple overtime win over Charleston Southern, 17 of which came in the overtime periods (it was his 3rd 20-point game of the season)
- 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 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
- 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 1,433rd game in program history and hold an all-time record of 811-621
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (254) since the 2012-13 season and the closest is UNC Asheville with 225
- Mark Prosser is in his fourth season as head coach of the Eagles (8th head coach in program history) and holds a 69-50 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 237th career game and 209th 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
SEASON HONORS/AWARDS
- Kelton Talford
- (Big South Conference Player of the Week – Jan. 13)
- Averaged 19.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg while shooting 80 percent from the floor
- Helped the Eagles to a 1-1 record on the week that ended with a 95-76 victory over Longwood
- Posted 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at Gardner-Webb
- Had 19 points, 9 rebounds in the win over Longwood
- (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
- Paul Jones III
- (Big South Conference Co-Freshman of the Week)
- Averaged 16.5 ppg on the week while shooting 55 percent
- Started the week with nine points in the loss at Gardner-Webb
- Scored 24 points in the win over Longwood, which included 22 first half points
- Finished 6-for-11 behind the arc
- K.J Doucet
- (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 is closing in on 1,500 career points (1,479)
- Surpassed 400 career assists (468) as he's dished out 315 as an Eagle (seven away from Winthrop all-time Top 10)
- 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 124 games played)
Kelton Talford
- Reached the 1,000 points and 500 career rebounds in 2023-24
- Has 1,694 career points, ranking 4th all-time in scoring at Winthrop
- Now trails 3rd all-time by 84 points
- His 848 career rebounds are ranked 3rd all-time in program history
- Became 11th player in Big South history with 1,500 points/800 rebounds
- Is currently the career leader in field goal percentage in Big South history at .644
- Is 1-of-10 NCAA D1 active players with 1,600 points/800 rebounds in a career
- 39th player in Big South history with 1,000 points and 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 20 career double-doubles after his 21 points, 10 rebounds at Gardner-Webb
- Became the program leader for most free throw attempts (673), passing Keon Johnson's all-time mark of 610
- Overtook George Valentine for the most games played by a single-player in program history after playing at Indiana and now has 140 in his career
Nick Johnson
- Reached 1,000 career points in the win at Radford last season and recently surpassed 1,300
- points (now has 1,325)
- Made his 100th career start at Radford (127 games played)
- Reached 500 career rebounds after six boards vs. PC (505)
- 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 1,600 points in his career (1,611) after 12 points vs. PC
- Joined the 1,000 point/500 rebound club and now has 570 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 1,452 points
- Has 351 career assists, 426 career rebounds and 166 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.
BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the 2025 Hercules Tires Big South Basketball Championships at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tenn., are now on sale online at
www.BigSouthSports.com/Tickets. Full ticket booklets covering all 16 games over nine sessions feature courtside seating ($650) and general seating ($250) for the March 5-9 tournament. Separate men's and women's booklets for the respective eight games and five sessions cost $350 (courtside) and $150 (general). For additional details, visit the official Hercules Tires Big South Basketball Championship home page at
http://www.bigsouthsports.com/HoopsChamps25.
CHAMPIONSHIP ANNIVERSARIES
This year celebrates the 25th 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 (2nd place). Winthrop defeated fourth-seeded UNC Asheville 75-62 in the Big South title game and faced 3rd -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 has 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. Make sure to tune into the pregame show, which begins 30 minutes before tipoff and also follow the postgame show to hear interviews, analysis, stats and more!
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
The Eagles are back on the road for a midweek contest as they head down to N. Charleston, S.C. to take on Charleston Southern on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 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).
