Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop men's basketball is seeded third for the 2025 Hercules Tires Big South Conference Basketball Championship and will face sixth-seeded Longwood on Friday, Mar. 7 in the final quarterfinal matchup of the day.
WINTHROP (21-10, 11-5 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Sr. |
13.4 |
2.3 |
3.9 |
1.1 |
'24-25 Honorable Mention All-Conference / '23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Reached 1,500 career points after 8 at Charleston Southern / 29th player in program history with 1,000 points / Passed 500 career assists (501) / 8th Eagle to reach 350 / In double-figures for 26-of-31 games, including a 24 point performance vs. Georgia Sou. / Career-high 9 assists vs. Longwood & at USC Upstate |
| G |
15 |
Tommy Kamarad |
6-8 |
Sr. |
3.7 |
2.6 |
0.5 |
0.6 |
Started last six games, averaging 6.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg in that stretch / 9 points in the win at PC / Posted 16 points, 8 rebounds in win at USC Upstate / Had 9 points, 5 rebounds in win over Gardner-Webb |
| G/F |
10 |
Nick Johnson |
6-4 |
Sr. |
12.6 |
3.4 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
Snagged a career-high seven steals vs. UNCA / Has career-high 45 steals on season / Career-high 28 points in triple OT win over Charleston Sou. / 1st double-double as an Eagle with 10 points, 10 boards at PC / Had back-to-back games with 20 or more points at Upstate/vs. Radford / Ranked 7th in Big South with 1.5 spg / at least 1 steal in 25-of-31 games played |
| F |
12 |
K.J. Doucet |
6-7 |
Sr. |
13.6 |
5.5 |
1.2 |
0.8 |
'24-25 Honorable Mention All-Conference / '24-25 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Season-high 30 points vs. UNCA / Was 11-for-11 at free throw line / Had first 20-point game in league play with 24 at PC / Posted back-to-back double-doubles (at Indiana/vs. Upstate) / Surpassed 1,700 career points (1,726) / In double-figures in 24-of-31 games |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Sr. |
15.8 |
7.7 |
0.9 |
1.0 |
'24-25 First Team All-Conference / Became 2nd Eagle with 1,800 points, 900 rebounds / 8th double-double of the season at PC with 17 points, 12 rebounds / Big South career leader in field goal percentage (.647) / '23-24/'24-25 Big South Preseason All-Conference / '22-23/'23-24 Big South All-Conference First Team |
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: 20-8
Series Streak: W2
Big South Tournament: 2-2
Record at Freedom Hall Civic Center: first meeting
Streak at Freedom Hall Civic Center: first meeting
Prosser vs. Longwood: 4-5
- This is the third meeting this season as the Eagles swept the regular season series
- This game marks the 29th overall between Winthrop and Longwood
- Eagles have won two straight against Longwood and lead the all-time series 20-8
- The Eagles won the first meeting 95-76 behind 14 three-point field goals and 54 percent shooting
- In the last meeting on Feb. 27 the Eagles soared to an 85-59 victory behind a season-high 16 threes
WINTHROP IN THE BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT
- Seeded 3rd for the 4th time in program history and are 4-3 as the 3rd seed all-time
- Have advanced to the championship game three of the last five years
- First time the Eagles have been seeded third since the 2017-18 season
- The time prior to that was 2009-10 when the Eagles went on to win the Big South title
- Eagles are 55-26 all-time in tournament play and 29-18 when playing on a neutral court
- The 55 wins are more than any other program in Big South history
- Have won the opening game of the tournament the last three seasons and nine of the last 10
- Winthrop holds the Big South record for championships (13) the most tournament wins (55)
WINTHROP IN BIG SOUTH
- Finished the regular season at 11-5 and tied for second in the league standings
- UNC Asheville got the tie-breaker over the Eagles to be the second seed
- Eagles have now been .500 or better in league play for 12 straight seasons (only 2023-24 where they .500 at 8-8)
- This was the 15th season in which the Eagles won at least 11 league contests
- This season the Eagles were 7-1 at home and 4-4 on the road in league play
- Have won the last four road games (at Charleston Southern/Upstate/PC/Longwood)
- First in the Big South in scoring (85.0) and 5th nationally
- The triple overtime game vs. Charleston Southern was the second straight season the Eagles played a triple overtime during league play
- Last season the Eagles earned a 92-88 triple overtime win over Radford at home
- Eagles are 361-244 all-time in regular season league games as the 361 wins are the most by any Big South program in history
WINTHROP
- Leading the nation in free throw attempts per game (28.9) and third in free throws made per game (19.6) as of Mar. 4
- Tied a program record for home wins with 16 after defeating UNC Asheville 103-90
- This was the team's record-breaking 6th 100-point game of the season (Previous record was four)
- It was also the 20th all-time 100-point game against a D1 opponent in which the Eagles are 18-2 in those contests
- Made a season-high 16 threes in the win at Longwood on Feb. 27
- It was the most threes on the road in a league game since hitting 16 on Dec. 13, 2020 at Upstate
- Defeated Longwood on the road for the15th 20-win season since becoming an NCAA Division I member in 1985-86
- It is the second 20-win season under Mark Prosser
- In the win over Gardner-Webb the Eagles scored 90-plus points for the fourth time in conference play (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
- Eagles have 20 games this season with 80 or more points, 11 with 90 or more and six 100-point games
- The Eagles tied the program record for most games with 90 or more points of 11 set by the 1992-93 squad
- Reached 10 wins before the start of conference play for the first time since the 2015-16 season
- Kelton Talford leads the team in scoring at 15.8 ppg, K.J. Doucet is averaging 14.0 ppg, Kasen Harrison is averaging 13.4 ppg and Nick Johnson is at 12.6 per game
- Talford is 4th in the league, Doucet is 14th in scoring, Harrison is 17th and Johnson is 19th
- Talford is third in the Big South in rebounding (7.7) and first in field goal percentage (.645)
- In the win over Asheville, Talford became the 2nd Eagle all-time to reach 1,800 career points and 900 career rebounds (Charles Brunson was the first)
- Eagles have three players ranked among the Top 5 in the Big South for free throw attempts as Talford is 2nd, Johnson is 4th, and Doucet 5th
- This season the Eagles have made 608 free throws, which are the 2nd most in a single-season in program history
- The 898 free throw attempts are the 2nd most in a single-season
- In 2023-24 the Eagles set a program record for most free throws attempted per game (26.8) and most free throws made per game (18.8)
- This year the Eagles are on pace to beat both marks again as they are attempting 28.9 per game and making 19.6
- Doucet is coming off the most points he's scored in a Winthrop jersey as he posted 30 points on the Bulldogs which included going 11-for-11 at 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)
- Johnson is coming off his first double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds at PC
- Talford also had a double-double at PC with 17 points and 12 rebounds (his second against PC this season)
- Harrison dished out seven assists in the win over Asheville and in the process reached 500 career assists
- The buzzer-beating win over William & Mary was the 100th victory for Mark Prosser and the 800th win in program history
- 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 1,441st game in program history and hold an all-time record of 818-622
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (261) since the 2012-13 season and the closest is Radford with 335
- Prosser is in his fourth season as head coach of the Eagles (8th head coach in program history) and holds a 74-51 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 245th career game and 217th 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 All-Conference First Team)
- Set career-highs in total points, steals, blocks, free throws made and free throws attempted
- Ranks 4th in the conference in scoring, 3rd in rebounding and leads the league in field goal percentage (.644)
- (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
- Kasen Harrison
- (Big South Honorable Mention All-Conference)
- Ranked 17th in the conference at 13.4 ppg and 4th in assists per game (3.9)
- Reached 500 career assists and also had two games with a career-high nine dimes
- Reached 1,500 career points and also became 29th Eagle to score 1,000 points
- Paul Jones III
- (Big South Conference All-Freshman Team)
- Appeared in all 31 games with 17 starts
- Averaging 7.7 ppg and his 52 threes are the second-most by a Winthrop freshman
- Posted career-high 25 points vs. Averett on Nov. 27, 2024
- Scored 23 points on Jan. 11 behind six threes to propel the Eagles to a big home win
- (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 Honorable Mention All-Conference)
- Ranked 14th in the league in scoring, 5th in free throw attempts, 10th in rebounding
- Scored season-high 30 points in the final game of the regular season
- Had 24 games in double-figures
- (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)
- Bryce Baker
- (Big South Player of the Week, Mar. 2)
- Came off the bench to score 23 points powered by seven threes in the 26-point win at Longwood
- Finished the game 8-for-11 from the floor and 7-of-10 from three while also coming away with two steals
- Followed that up with a 4-for-8 performance from three en route to 13 points in the win over Asheville
CAREER MILESTONES
Kasen Harrison
- Surpassed 1,500 career points and now just five points away from 1,600 (1,595)
- At Charleston Southern he reached 1,000 career points as an Eagle (29th player in program history)
- Reached 500 career assists (501) as he's dished out 350 as an Eagle to move into 8th all-time
- 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 132 games played)
- Set a career-high for assists in a season (121)
Kelton Talford
- Reached 1,000 points and 500 career rebounds in 2023-24
- Has 1,808 career points, ranking 3rd all-time in scoring at Winthrop as he passed Xavier Cooks in the game vs. High Point
- Became second player in program history with 1,800 points, 900 career rebounds
- His 906 rebounds are 3rd on Winthrop's all-time list and 9th in Big South history
- Is now the 4th player in conference history to reach 1,800 points and 900 rebounds
- 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 .647
- Is 1-of-8 NCAA D1 active players with 1,800 points/900 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 (721), 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 147 in his career
Nick Johnson
- Reached 1,000 career points in the win at Radford last season and recently surpassed 1,400
- points (now has 1,434)
- Made his 100th career start at Radford (135 games played)
- Reached 500 career rebounds after six boards vs. PC (508)
- Dished out his 100th career assist vs. Queens and surpassed 100 steals
- Is eight assists away from 200
K.J. Doucet
- Surpassed 1,000 career points after 22 points at Coastal Carolina (2023)
- Scored a season-high 30 points in the win over Asheville and in the process moved past 1,700 career points (1,726)
- Joined the 1,000 point/500 rebound club and now has 610 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 1,473 points
- Has 356 career assists, 430 career rebounds and 168 career steals
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 winner of the match between Winthrop and Longwood will advance to the semifinals of the championship and will face the winner of UNC Asheville and Charleston Southern on Saturday, Mar. 8 at 2:30 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).
