Charleston basketball is now onto their fourth coach in seven years. Can John Groce get them back into the tournament?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Charleston basketball.
For some, the Chris Mack tenure at the College of Charleston (a.k.a The College, Charleston, or just the Cougs) was a success, with a 45-20 overall record. For others, however, the two seasons in the Holy City were uninspiring and underwhelming in a league that has only become easier to win over the past decade, capped off by an 81-56 dud to Towson in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament. Mack fled to South Florida and warmer weather following the defeat.
In his stead, The College made one of the best hires of the offseason, grabbing former Ohio and Illinois head coach John Groce from Akron, where he had taken the Zips to the NCAA tournament the past three seasons. Groce is a highly motivated coach who should take the Cougars back to the top of the CAA, but it could take a season to establish his mark while he brings in players that fit his style of play.
Most of the team from last year is gone, including leading scorer Jlynn Counter, leading rebounder Christian Reeves, CAA Defensive Player of the Year Chol Machot, and guard Connor Hickman, who exhausted his eligibility. In return, the Cougars brought in South Carolina transfer Eli Ellis to run the point, breakout guard Ben Bradford from Charlotte to team up with him in the backcourt, and Northwestern transfer Max Green to play the wing.
One of three returners, Martin Kalu could play a small-ball four due to lack of other options in the frontcourt, and transfers Braden Pierce (Villanova) and Trey Scott III (Georgia State) will vie for minutes at the center position. Two talented freshmen, guards Kobe Edwards and Jashawn Ladd, will certainly get minutes for the Cougars, and could play an expanded role. Northeastern transfer Xavier Abreu could push Bradford for minutes at the two-spot, while returnees Djordje Curcic and Will Mortimore provide extra depth.
There’s one mountain standing in front of the Cougars this season, and it’s both formidable and familiar: the UNCW Seahawks. Head coach Takayo Siddle is still there, and the program is still thriving under his watch. Besting the Seahawks, who have virtually traded the title of best team in the conference with the Cougars over the past four to five seasons, would be a big performance for new coach Groce.
Head coach: John Groce (19th season overall, 1st at Charleston)
2025-26 record: 21-11 (14-4)
2026 postseason finish: No postseason
Notable departures:
- Jlynn Counter (15.7 PPG, 5.6 APG, 5.0 RPG)
- Christian Reeves (11.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 1.4 BPG)
- Chol Machot (8.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.2 APG, 2.5 BPG)
- Connor Hickman (10.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.5 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- N/A
Projected Rotation
PG: Eli Ellis (6-0, 195, So.)
2025-26 stats: 8.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG (South Carolina)
SG: Ben Bradford (6-5, 200, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 13.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.0 SPG (Charlotte)
SF: Max Green (6-7, 190, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 4.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 33.8 3PT%, 14.7 MPG (Northwestern)
PF: Martin Kalu (6-6, 210, So.)
2025-26 stats: 8.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.9 SPG
C: Braden Pierce (7-0, 245, R-So.)
2025-26 stats: 1.2 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.5 APG, 1.0 BPG, 6.5 MPG, 30 games played (Villanova)
6: Xavier Abreu (6-4, 180, So.)
2025-26 stats: 12.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 75.6 FT% (Northeastern)
7: Kobe Edwards (6-2, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 209 ranked recruit
8: Trey Scott III (6-11, 225, R-So.)
2025-26 stats: 5.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.7 APG (Georgia State)
9: Djordje Curcic (6-3, 190, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 0.3 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.4 APG, 7.1 MPG, 9 GP
10: Jashawn Ladd (6-4, Fr.)
Freshman recruit, unranked by 247Sports Composite
11: Will Mortimore (6-10, 220, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 2.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 7.1 MPG, 7 GP
Charleston Basketball team MVP: Eli Ellis
The six-foot Ellis moved down I-26 this offseason, transferring into the Holy City from the City of Dreams, the latter of course being Columbia, South Carolina. With the Gamecocks, Ellis had some performances early that had fans dreaming of his potential as a freshman, including a 20-point game against Southern Miss and 12 points against Butler. However, he was hot-and-cold once the Gamecocks entered conference games, with a few good games (LSU, Mississippi State) mixed in with a handful of not-so-great (Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss).
With the Cougars, Ellis immediately assumes lead-guard responsibilities. He also gets to play in a league with a little more breathing room for smaller guards instead of the SEC. Ellis had moments of effectiveness from deep as a shooter, but ended the year with a 28.0 3PT% clip, really not the best for a smaller guard. He did, however, show some grit that will be very beneficial for new head coach John Groce, notching seven games of four or more rebounds and three games of seven or more boards. Ellis’s move to the mid-major market is a solid gamble, and it should be a win-win for Charleston, who were in need of a point guard.
Charleston Basketball make-or-break player: Braden Pierce
On the other side of the court, Charleston basketball will need some production from former Villanova center Braden Pierce. The seven-footer played in 30 games for the Wildcats last season, but in a limited role, averaging just 1.2 PPG and 0.9 RPG in 6.5 minutes of action per contest. Moving down a level to the CAA, Pierce appears to be the favorite to start at the center position, vying for minutes with Trey Scott III.
The College had success with the same method last season when it picked up former Duke Blue Devil reserve Christian Reeves to man the paint, as he led the team in rebounds (7.8 per game) and averaged 11.1 PPG. But Reeves is off to Kansas, so the Cougars are hoping Pierce can fill his void in a similar manner. Pierce’s minutes haven’t shown much of a sample size to predict how his game will play out in the CAA, but he’ll need to play a big role since Charleston’s frontcourt depth isn’t yet up to par.
Stat to know: Blocks per game
Staying in the frontcourt: College of Charleston basketball was 39th nationally with 4.5 BPG last season. 3.9 of those blocks, a sizable majority, came from Chol Machot and Christian Reeves, both of whom are no longer playing for Charleston. Can Pierce or Scott match those types of numbers? Projected wing/forward Martin Kalu averaged just 0.1 BPG last season, and Scott had just 0.3 with Georgia State.
It’s not likely that The College has the same level of shot rejection as last season, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The team has gotten smaller, yes, but quicker and more suited for this era of basketball. While the Cougars likely won’t be sending shots into the second row of the crowd, they’ll likely be able to score more than 56 points in a conference tournament game on the other side of the ball, a much more valuable contribution to winning games.
Charleston basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 1st in the CAA
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament round of 64