2023–24 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team

The 2023–24 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team represented East Tennessee State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Buccaneers, led by first-year head coach Brooks Savage, played their home games at the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, as members of the Southern Conference.

2023–24 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record19–16 (8–10 SoCon)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFreedom Hall Civic Center
Seasons
2024–25 →
2023–24 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Samford153 .833296 .829
UNC Greensboro126 .6672111 .656
Chattanooga126 .6672112 .636
Western Carolina117 .6112210 .688
Furman108 .5561716 .515
Wofford108 .5561715 .531
East Tennessee State810 .4441916 .543
Mercer810 .4441617 .485
The Citadel315 .1671121 .344
VMI117 .056428 .125
2024 SoCon tournament winner

Previous season

The Buccaneers finished the 2022–23 season 12–20, 8–10 in SoCon play to finish tied for fifth place. They lost to Western Carolina in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament.[1]

Following the end of the season, head coach Desmond Oliver was fired.[2] He had a record of 27-37 after 2 seasons. On March 20, 2023, Brooks Savage was hired as his replacement.[3]

Offseason

Departing players

Departing Players
NameNumberPositionHeightWeightYearHometownReason for Departure
Jeremy Gregory0F6'6"230FreshmanCharlotte, North CarolinaTransferred to Chipola College
Jamarius Hairston1G6'3"193Graduate StudentSalisbury, North CarolinaCompleted College Eligibility
Jordan King2G6'0"175JuniorAlbany, New YorkTransferred to Richmond
Deanthony Tipler3G5'10"170SeniorAshland, MississippiGraduated, Transferred to UT Rio Grande Valley
Kristian Shaw4G6'5"205FreshmanHendersonville, TennesseeTransferred to Volunteer State CC
Josh Taylor10F6'8"205JuniorAtlanta, GeorgiaTransferred to St. Thomas
Jalen Haynes11F6'8"255SophomoreFort Lauderdale, FloridaTransferred to George Mason
Brock Jancek13F6'8"225Graduate StudentKnoxville, TennesseeCompleted College Eligibility
Cameron George15G6'3"185SophomoreKnoxville, TennesseeWalk-on, Transferred to King University
Kordell Charles20F6'8"205SophomoreOntario,CanadaTransferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
NameNumberPositionHeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Karon Boyd0G6'5"220SophomoreConcord, NCUSC Aiken
Quimari Peterson1G6'1"185JuniorGary, INJohn A. Logan College
Tyler Rice3G6'1"180JuniorColumbia, SCWilliam & Mary
DJ Hughes10F6'6"230JuniorIndianapolis, INButler
Ebby Asamoah14G6'4"200Graduate StudentRockville, MDDelaware
Jadyn Parker24F6'10"200RS JuniorShallotte, NCNorth Florida

2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Maki Johnson
SG
Huntington, West VirginiaHuntington Prep School6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)Mar 31, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 78
Gabe Sisk
SG
Louisville, KentuckyBallard High School (KY)6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)180 lb (82 kg)May 30, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
David Meriweather
C
Indianapolis, IndianaLawrence North High School6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (100 kg)Sep 14, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 29, 2023.

Roster

2023–24 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
F0Karon Boyd6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)220 lb (100 kg)SoConcord, North Carolina
G1Quimari Peterson6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg)JrGary, Indiana
G2Maki Johnson6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrHuntington, West Virginia
G3Tyler Rice6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)180 lb (82 kg)JrColumbia, South Carolina
G4Timmy Fasehun (W)6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg)SoLivingston, New Jersey
G5Allen Strothers6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)170 lb (77 kg)RS SoNewport News, Virginia
F10DJ Hughes6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)230 lb (104 kg)JrIndianapolis, Indiana
C11David Meriweather6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (104 kg)FrIndianapolis, Indiana
G12Justice Smith6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg)RS JrLyons, New York
G14Ebby Asamoah6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg)GSRockville, Maryland
G15Jaxson Jones (W)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg)FrCouncil Bluffs, Iowa
G21Gabe Sisk6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrLouisville, Kentucky
F22Jaden Seymour6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg)JrCharlotte, North Carolina
F23Braden Ilic6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg)SoMorristown, Tennessee
F24Jadyn Parker6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)200 lb (91 kg)RS JrShallotte, North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: September 21, 2023

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2023*
7:00 pm
Virginia–WiseW 105–55 
Freedom Hall Civic Center (1,967)
Johnson City, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
KingW 73–56 1–0
Freedom Hall Civic Center (2,736)
Johnson City, TN
November 9, 2023*
7:00 pm, FloHoops
at ElonL 76–79 1–1
Schar Center (1,514)
Elon, NC
November 13, 2023*
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at ButlerL 47–81 1–2
Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,511)
Indianapolis, IN
November 17, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
DavidsonW 70–68 2–2
Freedom Hall Civic Center (4,479)
Johnson City, TN
November 22, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Cleveland State
Viking Invitational
L 70–72 2–3
Woodling Gym (1,412)
Cleveland, OH
November 24, 2023*
4:00 pm, ESPN+
vs. Alabama A&M
Viking Invitational
W 81–72 3–3
Woodling Gym (597)
Cleveland, OH
November 29, 2023*
6:30 pm, ESPN+
at Appalachian StateL 61–72 3–4
Holmes Center (1,813)
Boone, NC
December 3, 2023*
3:00 pm, ESPN+
at Jacksonville StateW 61–59 4–4
Pete Mathews Coliseum (1,203)
Jacksonville, AL
December 10, 2023*
4:00 pm, ESPN+
Tennessee TechW 73–72 5–4
Freedom Hall Civic Center (4,121)
Johnson City, TN
December 15, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
TusculumW 105–43 6–4
Freedom Hall Civic Center (2,379)
Johnson City, TN
December 20, 2023*
7:30 pm, ESPN+
Kansas CityW 70–57 7–4
Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,281)
Johnson City, TN
December 22, 2023*
9:00 pm
at Utah StateL 65–80 7–5
Smith Spectrum (6,804)
Logan, UT
December 29, 2023*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at East CarolinaW 86–70 8–5
Williams Arena (4,259)
Greenville, NC
SoCon Regular season
January 3, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
MercerW 80–69 9–5
(1–0)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,529)
Johnson City, TN
January 6, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
at UNC GreensboroL 54–70 9–6
(1–1)
Greensboro Coliseum (1,182)
Greensboro, NC
January 10, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Western CarolinaL 66–80 9–7
(1–2)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,423)
Johnson City, TN
January 13, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
at FurmanL 73–82 9–8
(1–3)
Timmons Arena (2,279)
Greenville, SC
January 17, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at WoffordL 73–75 9–9
(1–4)
Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,182)
Spartanburg, SC
January 21, 2024
3:00 pm, ESPN2
ChattanoogaL 74–81 9–10
(1–5)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (4,869)
Johnson City, TN
January 24, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at VMIW 74–73 10–10
(2–5)
Cameron Hall (882)
Lexington, VA
January 27, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
SamfordL 72–75 10–11
(2–6)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (4,043)
Johnson City, TN
January 31, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at MercerW 54–49 11–11
(3–6)
Hawkins Arena (2,163)
Macon, GA
February 3, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
The CitadelW 62–60 12–11
(4–6)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,615)
Johnson City, TN
February 7, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
WoffordW 57–50 13–11
(5–6)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,421)
Johnson City, TN
February 10, 2024
6:00 pm, CBSSN
FurmanL 63–65 13–12
(5–7)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (4,566)
Johnson City, TN
February 14, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at ChattanoogaL 71–84 13–13
(5–8)
McKenzie Arena (3,025)
Chattanooga, TN
February 17, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
at Western CarolinaL 65–70 13–14
(5–9)
Ramsey Center (3,231)
Cullowhee, NC
February 21, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
VMIW 82–69 14–14
(6–9)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,325)
Johnson City, TN
February 24, 2024
3:00 pm, ESPN+
at SamfordL 71–87 14–15
(6–10)
Pete Hanna Center (4,523)
Homewood, AL
February 28, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at The CitadelW 81–63 15–15
(7–10)
McAlister Field House (1,973)
Charleston, SC
March 2, 2024
4:00 pm, ESPN+
UNC GreensboroW 66–65 16–15
(8–10)
Freedom Hall Civic Center (4,451)
Johnson City, TN
SoCon Tournament
March 8, 2024
7:30 pm, ESPN+
(7) vs. (10) VMI
First Round
W 98–66 17–15
Harrah's Cherokee Center (2,484)
Asheville, NC
March 9, 2024
2:30 pm, ESPN+
(7) vs. (2) UNC Greensboro
Quarterfinals
W 73–62 18–15
Harrah's Cherokee Center (4,194)
Asheville, NC
March 10, 2024
6:30 pm, ESPNU
(7) vs. (3) Chattanooga
Semifinals
W 85–84 OT19–15
Harrah's Cherokee Center (3,992)
Asheville, NC
March 11, 2024
7:00 pm, ESPN
(7) vs. (1) Samford
Championship
L 69–76 19–16
Harrah's Cherokee Center (5,112)
Asheville, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Source[4]

References