Men's Basketball Preview: 2024-25
The 2024-25 basketball season is upon us and our Men's Basketball Team looks to capitalize on a spectacular season the year before. After losing a heart breaker in overtime to Wallace-Hanceville in the ACCC Championship game, the Wildcats have reloaded. Last season was a historic one as the Wildcats broke a school record in wins with 26 (undefeated at home), crowned the ACCC Regular Season Champions and advanced to the championship game. Head Coach Trent Eager was named ACCC Division-1 Coach of the Year and most importantly, six of the guys moved onto four year programs.
Although last year's team consisted of twelve frosh and only four sophomores, just a handful of players returned this season. All four sophomores received scholarship offers to four year schools, along with two other frosh. The four sophomores were Darrion Salery (Mississippi Valley), Joe Frazier (Arkansas-Monticello), Kevin Kogbara (Delaware) and Michael Kinnard (Talladega). Marvin McGhee IV (Cal State Bakersfield) and Seth Grandberry (Arkansas-Monticello) were the two lone frosh that moved onto four year programs. Frazier and Grandberry will team up again at Arkansas-Monticello as they were recruited by Mobile native Rodney Clarke who also recruited former Bishop State All American Chance Morton to Cumberlands.
This year's team will return only four guys from last year's team. Devin McCaine, Kaymen Brown, North Alabama commit Kedar Bodie and Trey Delmore. Brown will medically redshirt this year so there will only be three guys with experience from last years team. McCaine was the only local player on the team last season and played solid minutes, providing a spark off the bench. In a stretch where some key guys were injured, he managed to score in double figures and help secure wins, 11 pts and 8 rebs against Calhoun and 12 pts and 6 rebs against Gadsden State. With the absence of Brown, the Wildcats are missing a potential starter who had his best game of the season in the semifinal matchup against Southern Union, exploding for 17 pts in only 12 minutes. Kedar Bodie has already made a pledge to North Alabama as he was last season's second leading scorer averaging 13.5 points. He was spectacular in the championship game as he logged 23 points on 50% shooting. Delmore saw limited minutes last season but is expected to play a bigger role this season once he comes back from an ankle injury he suffered in practice. He was one of the better defenders during jamboree play in Columbus, Georgia earlier this month.
Treyvon Broadhead returns this season after sitting out last year with an injury. He's the lone returning member from the 2022-23 season and was having a great frosh season before going down with an ACL injury against the league's best team that year, Coastal Alabama-North. Broadhead averaged 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds with a career high of 24 points.
There are twelve new incomers this season, 8 true frosh and 4 transfers. The four transfers are Donovan Hand (Georgia Southwestern), Jaylon Hicks (Alcorn State), Matthew Jones (Motlow State) and Paul Diomande (Alameda College). Both Hand and Hicks redshirted at their previous schools so neither of them have any college basketball experience and are still freshman on the court. Jones sat out last season before coming to Bishop State but averaged 7.9 pts and 4.1 rebs at Motlow State. Diomande led his team in scoring at 10.2 points per game and second in rebounds at 5.5 per game.
The eight true freshman are Jevon Lewis (Fort Wayne, IN), Tobias Rice (Macon, GA), Jaeden Rush (St. Louis, MO), Jordan Moore (Hahnville, LA), Xavier Miller (Plano, TX), Darren McFarlane (Montego Bay, Jamaica), Jucqarie Love (Greensboro, NC) and Tristan Gilmore (McCalla, AL). All incoming frosh are from different states with McFarlane being a native of Jamaica but played his high school basketball in New York.
The Wildcats kick off the season on the road at Reid State on November 1st in Evergreen, Alabama. The first home game is pegged for the November 8th against University of Mobile JV at 7:00 pm.