Kelsey, Butler Highlight Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards – College of Charleston Athletics

Kelsey, Butler Highlight Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards – College of Charleston Athletics

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston men’s basketball team earned six All-CAA honorees, headlined by Pat Kelsey as Coach of the Year and Bryce Butler as Sixth Man of the Year. Joining Kelsey and Butler are first team selection Ante Brzovic, second team selection Reyne Smith, third team selection Ben Burnham, and All-Rookie honoree James Scott.

Coach of the Year

Kelsey led the Cougars to the program’s first regular season title in the CAA and the program’s first outright regular season title since 2003. Charleston also became the first team to win the league by two games since George Mason in 2011 and the league’s first outright champion since Hofstra in 2020. The Cougars won 20-plus games for the second straight season and ranked in the top 25 in the nation in bench points, total rebounds, and total three-pointers made for the majority of the season. With 55 wins over two seasons, Kelsey has led the program to the most wins in back-to-back seasons. He earned his 50 th win as the program’s head coach against Coastal Carolina on November 19, becoming the fastest coach in program history to achieve the milestone. Charleston earned two CAA Player of the Week honors and three CAA Rookie of the Week honors this season under his tutelage. This is his first CAA Coach of the Year honor.

Sixth Man of the Year

Butler becomes the second consecutive Cougar to be named Sixth Man of the Year following Pat Robinson III a season ago. Both Butler and Robinson III competed for Charleston during their graduate seasons. Butler led the Cougars’ second unit that currently ranks eighth in the nation in bench points per game. He was named the CAA Player of the Week after averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 25.0 minutes of action to help lead Charleston to back-to-back conference road wins over Hofstra (73-61) and Stony Brook (93-87). In his graduate campaign, Butler has averaged 8.3 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.4 assists per game in 20.6 minutes of action off the bench.

First Team Selection

Brzovic follows up a third team selection a season ago with a spot on the five-man first team. A Preseason All-CAA first team selection, the Croatian averaged 12.5 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and 2.4 assists per game in 22.3 minutes of play per game. He scored 20-plus points on three occasions including a career-high 31 at Hampton and scored in double-figures in 22 contests. A skilled passer, he averaged 3 or more assists on 15 occasions.

Second Team Selection

Smith earns his first postseason honor with a spot on the second team after a record-shattering year. The Tasmanian guard broke his own school record for most threes in a single game twice this season with nine against St. Joseph’s on December 21 and ten against Campbell on February 29. His performance vs. Campbell made Smith the first player in CAA history with multiple career games of 9+ three-pointers. He currently ranks 14th in the nation in threes per game and ninth in total threes made this season (100). The junior moved into second place in Charleston history earlier this season with 282 makes from behind the arc. He averaged 12.7 points per game, shooting 40% from deep this season.

Third Team Selection

Burnham also earns his first postseason honor with a spot on the third team. The junior from Fort Mill, S.C. averaged 11.8 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game in 22.2 minutes per game. Burnham posted four 20-plus point performances this season, including back-to-back vs. William & Mary and Drexel. He grabbed a career-high ten rebounds at Hampton. Burnham was one of just two Cougars to start every contest this season.

All-Rookie Honoree

After a breakout rookie season, Scott secured a spot on the CAA All-Rookie team. A two-time Rookie of the Week selection, Scott averaged 5.0 points per game and 3.5 rebounds. His dynamic play extends the stat sheet, showcasing several awe-stopping dunks over entire defenses throughout the season. He landed on SportsCenter Top Ten at No. 5 after his dunk vs. Coastal Carolina at TD Arena. Additionally, he went on a stretch of 23 consecutive field goals made earlier this year. Scott started four contests and averaged 16.2 minutes per game for Charleston.

Upcoming Action

Charleston returns to action in the CAA quarterfinals Sunday, March 10 at 12:00 p.m. vs. the winner of No. 8 Monmouth and No. 9 Campbell.

All-CAA First Team

• Ante Brzovic – Charleston
• Xander Rice – Monmouth
• Tyler Thomas – Hofstra
• Trazarien White – UNCW
• Amari Williams – Drexel

All-CAA Second Team

• Jyáre Davis – Delaware
• Anthony Dell’Orso – Campbell
• Darlinstone Dubar – Hofstra
• Reyne Smith – Charleston
• Tyler Stephenson-Moore – Stony Brook

All-CAA Third Team

• Ben Burnham – Charleston
• Landon Glasper – North Carolina A&T
• Justin Moore – Drexel
• Shykeim Phillips – UNCW
• Charles Thompson – Towson

CAA All-Rookie Team

• Nick Dorn – Elon
• James Scott – Charleston
• Tyler Tejada – Towson
• Jaret Valencia – Monmouth
• Dylan Williamson – Towson

CAA All-Defensive Team

• Jaquan Carlos – Hofstra
• Shykeim Phillips – UNCW
• Charles Thompson – Towson
• Jaret Valencia – Monmouth
• Amari Williams – Drexel

Awards

• Player of the Year: Tyler Thomas, Hofstra
• Defensive Player of the Year: Amari Williams, Drexel
• Rookie of the Year: Tyler Tejada, Towson
• Sixth Man of the Year: Bryce Butler, Charleston
• Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Christian Ray, Delaware
• Dean Ehlers Leadership Award: Zac Ervin, Elon

Conclusion

The College of Charleston men’s basketball team had a strong showing in the CAA postseason awards, with Coach of the Year Pat Kelsey and Sixth Man of the Year Bryce Butler leading the pack. The team’s success this season is a testament to their hard work and dedication, and they will look to carry that momentum into the upcoming CAA quarterfinals.