Southern Miss basketball roster 2024-25 changes after Golden Eagles lost five of six top scorers

Southern Miss basketball is at a crossroads.

The Golden Eagles went 16-16 last season. It was a step back from the 2022-23 Sun Belt championship team. There were stretches where they looked like contenders in the conference, but there was a revolving door of injuries that restrained any momentum.

Coach Jay Ladner also suffered a heart attack in February. Adding that to the player’s injuries was ultimately too much to overcome with Southern Miss finishing in sixth place in the Sun Belt and bowing out in an upset loss to Texas State in the conference tournament.

Southern Miss now has heavy roster turnover with five of its top six scorers — including star Austin Crowley — departed due to graduation. Most of the 2022-23 championship team is gone, though forward Denijay Harris has transferred back to Southern Miss after one season at Arkansas.

Does Southern Miss’ roster have the makings of a contender in the Sun Belt? Here’s what to make of some the roster changes that have been made.

Southern Miss basketball has a freshman class

For the first time in two years, Ladner has signed a freshman class. It consists of three players: Jett Montgomery, Christian Reid and Brewer Carruth.

They are all a bit of a mystery. None is rated by 247Sports, and Montgomery is the only one with a profile page. ESPN and Rivals, however, rate the 6-1 guard from Tennessee as a three-star.

Reid, a 6-5 guard from Florida, is a three-star at Rivals and isn’t rated by any other site. Carruth doesn’t have a single rating. He’s a 6-5 forward from Parklane Academy, was a Clarion-Ledger All-State selection and his older brother is an offensive lineman on the Southern Miss football team.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/southern-miss-basketball-roster-2024-100700077.html

Author : Hattiesburg American

Publish date : 2024-06-12 10:07:00

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