The new-look Charleston Cougars aim to stay atop the CAA under head coach Chris Mack.
The CAA’s first season as a 14-team league was an eventful one. By the time the dust settled at the conference tournament, though, it was again Charleston reigning supreme for the second year in a row. The Cougars earned a No. 13 seed in the Big Dance and lost in the first round to an eventual Final Four team in Alabama. However, Charleston’s quest for a CAA three-peat will be championed by a new coach.
Chris Mack arrives in Pat Kelsey’s stead after the latter left for Louisville, just one of three coaching changes to hit the CAA this season. Former Cornell head coach Brian Earl is the new top man at William & Mary, while Ivan Thomas takes over at Hampton.
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On the court, only two of the 15 all-conference selections from last season are returning to their respective schools. Charleston’s Ante Brzovic is the only first-teamer back, so slot him in among the early favorites to win the league’s Player of the Year award in 2024-25.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Charleston Cougars
Pat Kelsey is now at Louisville, but Charleston filled his position excellently with former Xavier and Louisville head coach Chris Mack. Mack instantly becomes one of the most decorated coaches in the CAA, and he has a talented group to work with in Year 1. Namely, CofC returns anchors at core spots with potential league POY Ante Brzovic (12.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and point guard CJ Fulton (4.1 ppg, 4.1 apg).
Mack also hit on a few notable transfer additions, with Derrin Boyd (17.6 ppg at Lipscomb) and AJ Smith (16.2 ppg at The Citadel) tops among them. Their additions as scorers next to Fulton’s more playmaking-oriented game make for a well-designed backcourt. Adding Lazar Djokovic, who played 15 minutes per game at Xavier last year, alongside Brzovic will create a formidable frontcourt as well.
Elijah Jones (8.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg at Green Bay) is not a transfer addition to overlook, either, and Justas Stonkus is an intriguing freshman from Lithuania. Charleston does not have the coaching or roster continuity of other teams, but the Cougars should be right in the mix to contend for the CAA title in Mack’s first season.
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