Benson hauls in 10-member signing class
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men’s basketball coach Chuck Benson has announced the signings of 10 student-athletes, six transfers and four high school players, who will join Carson-Newman’s men’s basketball team for the 2019-20 season.
VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson has announced the signings of 10 student-athletes, six transfers and four high school players, who will join Carson-Newman's men's basketball team for the 2019-20 season.
The four transfers are NAIA All-American and former Bryan forward Eric Bush (6-5, 195, Oak Ridge, Tenn.), former UNC Charlotte forward Bryant Thomas (6-9, 200, Charlotte, N.C.), former Longwood guard Kamil Chapman (6-1, 185, Charlotte, N.C.), former UNC Charlotte guard Jaylan McGill (6-2, 200, Charlotte, N.C.), former Austin Peay forward Richard Henderson (6-6, 220, Maryland Heights, Mo.) and former Tennessee State guard Tripp Davis (6-3, 180, Nolensville, Tenn.)
Meanwhile, the four high school players are guard Ren Dyer (6-4, 185, Weaverville, N.C.), guard Jarius Satterfield (6-0, 170, Clarksville, Tenn.), guard Kaleb Wallace (6-5, 186, Atlanta, Ga.) and guard Trey Smith (6-0, 174, Boiling Springs, S.C.)
Eric Bush – 6-5 – 195 – F – Bryan College - Oak Ridge High School - Oak Ridge, Tenn. - @bush2eric
Bush earned NAIA All-American honors at the conclusion of his sophomore year at Bryan College. He also garnered All-AAC First Team and All-Defensive Team recognition at the conclusion of the Lions' regular season. Bush led Bryan in a myriad of stats, including 474 total points for a 17.6 points per game average, 227 rebounds for an 8.4 rebounds per game average, 61 assists and 45 blocks. His 24 steals were second on the team. He shot 48 percent from the field.
Bush tallied a team-best 11 double-doubles in his sophomore season at Bryan, which was the 5th most in the AAC. He had a career-high 32 points in mid-January against St. Andrews University (N.C.). He ranked 12th in the NAIA in blocks per game.
As a freshman, he earned AAC Freshman of the Year honors as well as representing Bryan on the All-AAC second team, all-freshman team and all-defensive team. As a freshman, Bush averaged 14 points on 57 percent shooting, both team highs for the Lions that year.
In high school, he helped Oak Ridge to a 126-18 record in his four years with the program. He helped the Wildcats to a quartet of district titles, a pair of region titles and three trips to the state tournament. He was named MVP of the region tournament as a senior.
The son of Carrena Bush, he plans on studying political science at Carson-Newman. His brother, Rober Austin, plays football at Pikeville.
Bryant Thomas – 6-9 – 200 – F – UNC Charlotte – South Mecklenburg High School – Charlotte, N.C.
Thomas transfers to Carson-Newman from UNC Charlotte where he came off the bench for the 49ers. He will have three years of eligibility with the Eagles. In his only year with the 49ers, Thomas averaged 2.2 points per game in 10 games. He had a solid all-around game in his first collegiate game with eight points, six rebounds and four block shots against Methodist before a foot injury sidelined him for the latter half of his freshman season.
In high school as a senior, Thomas averaged a double-double with 17.9 points and 10 rebounds with 7.7 blocks per game which led the nation, according to MaxPreps. He earned SoMeck 8 Player of the Year honors in 2017 as well as Southwestern 4A all-conference team honors and a spot on Charlotte Observer All-Mecklenburg first team.
He recorded six triple-doubles in his career and a career-high of 30 points against Berry as a senior. He tallied 17 double-doubles as a senior. Thomas grew seven inches over the last three years of high school.
Thomas is the son of Sonya Thomas, he plans to study to be a therapist at Carson-Newman. Thomas chose Carson-Newman over Western Carolina, UNC Pembroke and Catawba.
Kamil Chapman – 6-1 – 185 – G – Longwood – Cornelius School for Creative Leadership – Charlotte, N.C. - @kamil_chapman
Chapman makes his way to Mossy Creek after two years with the Longwood Lancers. He appeared in 48 career games for Longwood with seven starts. He scored 171 points in his two years in Virginia. His freshman year he averaged 4.9 points per game. Of his 41 made field goals, 26 came from three-point range in his freshman year. Chapman scored in double figures five times; his top game came against then-No. 3 Arizona State where he scored a career-high 16 points and hit 5-of-7 three-pointers in front of a near-sellout crowd on the Sun Devils' home court.
He also scored 14 points against Saint Francis on Nov. 18 and 13 twice, against Cornell and Grand Canyon. Chapman scored in double figures in three consecutive games against Cornell, Arizona State and Grand Canyon, all while in the starting lineup.
In high school, he was a four-year letterwinner at Comenius School in Charlotte, N.C. He averaged at least 20.0 points per game in each of his final two seasons. Chapman logged two 50-point games during his high school career, both single-game school records. As a senior, he averaged 25.0 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, finishing his career with 1,600 points.
The son of Cynthia Francis, he plans to study sociology at Carson-Newman.
Jaylan McGill – 6-2 -200 – G – UNC Charlotte – Olympic High School – Charlotte, N.C. - @Hoop_season
In two years at UNC Charlotte, McGill appeared in 56 games with 23 starts. He comes to Mossy Creek with 205 career points to his name. In his sophomore year, he tied his career-high with 13 points (connected on three three-point field goals) against Southern Miss. That came in a stretch when he recorded back-to-back double-figure scoring games for the first time in his career with his output against the Golden Eagles 12 points against Florida Atlantic. He matched his career high with 13 points including going 3-for-4 from beyond the three-point line in a career-high 31 minutes against TCU.
As a freshman, he recorded his first career double-figure scoring game with 12 points (including connecting on three three-point field goals) at USF (12/21).
As a senior at Olympic High School, McGill averaged 11.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per gam. He earned SoMeck 8 All-Conference honors as a senior and was listed as the one of the top recruits in the state of North Carolina by the Charlotte Observer.
The son of Lisa and Jeff McGill, he plans to study psychology at Carson-Newman. He chose Carson-Newman over Maryland Eastern Shore, West Florida and South Carolina State. His father played collegiately at Wake Forest and Eastern Kentucky.
Richard Henderson – 6-6 – 220 – F – Austin Peay – Pattonville High School – Maryland Heights, Mo. - @22richard33
A two-year player with 56 career games under his belt at Austin Peay, Henderson comes to Mossy Creek after scoring 166 points on 52.3 percent shooting as a key reserve for the Govs. He tallied a pair of double-digit scoring efforts as a sophomore, turning in a season-high 13 points and seven rebounds in a win over Calvary. He had 10 in 13 minutes off the bench in the Govs opener against Oakland City.
As a freshman, Henderson posted an efficient shooting night with an 8-for-9 performance against Oakland City, netting a career-high 18 points.
At Pattonville High School, he averaged 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds as a senior, helping Pattonville advance to the Class 5 State Sectionals and earning honorable mention McDonald's All-American honors, he tallied 16.2 points and 8.6 boards as a junior, hitting better than 60 percent from the floor, including a perfect 13-for-13 night in his 28-point, 10-board outing against St. Charles. Henderson averaged a double-double as a sophomore, posting 13 points and 10 boards per outing to go with an eye-popping 84.3 percent (140-of-166) mark from the floor. He was a three-time Suburban XII South All-Conference selection and played summer ball for the St. Louis Eagles 17U team that qualified for the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.
The son of Ebony McHaskell and Richard Henderson, he plans to study computer science at Carson-Newman.
Tripp Davis – 6-3 – 180 – G – Tennessee State – Lighthouse Christian High School – Nolensville, Tenn.
Davis turned in a stellar junior season with Tennessee State, starting 22 games and appearing in all 30 contests the Tigers played in 2018-19. He was TSU's fifth-leading scorer, chipping in 7.8 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from long range. Davis averaged 3.0 boards per game. He produced 10 double-digit scoring games and a trio of 20-point efforts in his junior year.
Davis turned in a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 6-of-8 from long range against Fisk. He followed that up with a 20-point game against Cal State-Northridge. He wrapped up his junior year with his final 20-point game against UT-Martin.
In his first two seasons, he appeared in 23 games and averaged 0.9 points per game before his breakout junior year.
In high school, Davis led Lighthouse Christian to a national championship in 2015 by winning the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) Tournament. He was named to the All-Midstate Second Team by The Tennessean as a senior. He is Lighthouse's all-time leading scorer and the first person in school history with more than 2,000 career points.
Ren Dyer – 6-4 – 185 – G – North Buncombe High School – Weaverville, N.C. - @rendyer2000
Dyer makes his way to Mossy Creek after a stellar career at North Buncombe High School. He was a two-time conference and District 12 Player of the Year for the Hawks and coach Chuck Robinson. He tallied more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career.
His senior year was the stuff of legend. Dyer average 30.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game en route to leading all of North Carolina in double-doubles and his conference in points, rebounds and steals.
The son of Tammy Ledbetter and Terry Dyer. His mother played basketball collegiately at Western Carolina. He chose Carson-Newman over VMI, The Citadel, Charleston Southern, UNC Asheville and Furman.
Jarius Satterfield – 6-0 – 170 – G – Clarksville Academy – Clarksville, Tenn. - @jsatterfield23
Satterfield averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 boards and a team-best 4.3 assists for coach Matt Wallace in his senior year at Clarksville Academy. Satterfield was named his team's offensive MVP and a first team all-conference selection. The Cougars led their conference in scoring defense his senior year en route to an appearance at the state tournament.
The son of Kim and James Satterfield, he plans to study business and marketing at Carson-Newman. A decorated academician, Satterfield is a member of the National Honors Society, National Technical Honors Society and Future Business Leaders of America. He also has been recognized with Clarksville Academy's Academic Excellence Award and the TSSAA Distinguished Scholastic Achievement Award. His uncle, O'Dale Satterfield played football at UT Martin.
Kaleb Wallace – 6-5 – 186 – G – Westlake High School – Atlanta, Ga. - @1kWallace_
Wallace helped Westlake High School to a region title in his senior year. He earned his teams MVP honors and was the Lions' Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 13 points, six boards and 3.5 assists as a senior.
The son of Jamahl Wallace. He was also recruited by Richmond, Towson and Albany State. His uncle is former NBA star Rasheed Wallace
Trey Smith – 6-0 – 174 – G – Landrum High School – Boiling Springs, S.C. - @trimmersmith
One of the most decorated players in South Carolina High School Basketball history, Smith finished his Landrum High School career with 2.868 points, 566 assists, 491 rebounds, 351 steals and 385 career made threes. He led the Palmetto State as a junior and senior in both scoring and threes made. He averaged 28 points per game as a junior and 32.1 as a senior. He sniped in 91 made threes and 115 his last two years with the Cardinals.
In his career, he produced 24 career 30 point games and 10 career 40 point games. He helped the Cardinals to back-to-back region titles.
Smith has a laundry list of awards to his name. He was the 2A South Carolina State Player of the Year as a senior. He was a three-time Region 1AA Player of the Year, three-time All State selection and thre-time Smoky Mountain Classic All-Tournament Team. He earned all-region honors every year of his high school career. The Spartanburg Herald Journal selected him all-area first team three years and al-academic twice. He was named player of the week by the publication at least once in every year of his high school career. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee.
The son of Lyn and Christie Smith. He finished his high school career with a 4.727 GPA and was named a Junior Scholar, Junior Marshal and Duke Tip Scholar.
