NASHVILLE — Tennessee State men's basketball head coach Brian “Penny” Collins announced the addition of four transfer players who have signed with the program and will join the roster for the 2024-25 season. Joining TSU next season are Carlus Williams from Tulsa, Brandon Weston from Rhode Island, Aaron Nkrumah from Worcester State and Khalil Rondon from College of Charleston.
Williams, Weston, Nkrumah and Rondon join transfers Amir Lenglet, Travis Harper II and freshman signee Kavian Jones in this year's class.
Karlas Williams, a 6-foot-5 forward from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, joins TSU after spending two seasons at Pair River CC and last season at Tulsa. The Mississippi State native appeared in 31 games and started 25 in his only season as a Golden Hurricane. He averaged 5.1 ppg and 4.2 boards in his 24.5 minutes per contest. Williams was effective from beyond the arc, getting knockdowns on 21-of-65 attempts. He finished the season with 158 points and 129 rebounds, including a season-high 16 points against Memphis.
At Pearl River, he earned first-team All-MACCC All-Conference honors in the 2022-23 season and was ranked No. 33 among JUCO players in the country by JucoRecruiting.com. He averaged a team-high 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in his second season, helping the team to an 18-8 record. He eclipsed the 20-point mark in seven games, scoring a season-high 25 points against Coahoma, scoring in double figures in all but one game, and achieving three double-doubles.
He played prep basketball at Harrison Central High School in Hattiesburg, Michigan, where he averaged 11.3 points and 12.2 rebounds in high school. He is ranked the No. 2 player in Mississippi by 247Sports and has offers from South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Baylor and Houston.
“I'm really excited about his development. The sky's the limit for Carlas,” Collins said. He could be a nightmare opponent for opposing teams, and he will be dependable as soon as he arrives on campus. ”
Brandon Weston comes to TSU with two years of eligibility after spending the past two seasons at Rhode Island. Weston began his career at Seton Hall in 2021-22 before transferring to Rhode Island, where he appeared in 59 games (10 starts).
The 6-foot-5 guard from Brooklyn, New York, started 10 games and appeared in 27 games this season, averaging 5.4 PPG per game. He scored in double figures five times and scored a season-high 17 points against James Madison. Weston had 294 points, 152 and 46 assists as a Ram.
He played in 32 games as a redshirt freshman in 2022-23, averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds. Weston recorded a double-double against Kansas State, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Weston began his high school career at Morgan Park in Chicago and spent his senior season at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix. He was a consensus four-star prospect, ranked No. 70 overall recruit in the country by 247Sports, and had offers from Illinois, Seton Hall, Michigan, and Wake Forest.
“Brandon is tough and physical,” Coach Collins said. “A big wing who can guard multiple positions. He is an elite defender and is expected to take many OVC top guards off on a night. As a former top 100 player, we are confident he will be at that level as a player.” I look forward to returning.”
One of the top players at the DIII level, Aaron Nkrumah comes to Music City after playing two years at Worcester State. The 6-foot-6 guard played in 54 games and started 52, averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.2 assists. He scored 1,000 points in two seasons after scoring 439 points as a freshman and 561 points last season.
The Worcester, Mass., native was named MASAC Player of the Year both as a freshman and sophomore while leading the Lancers to back-to-back regular season and tournament titles. He averaged 20.0 points, 8.3 boards, 2.5 steals and 2.5 assists last season and was named a d3hoops.com All-American. He shot 40.2 percent from the floor and 31.0 percent from beyond the arc. As a freshman, he averaged 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 2.2 assists.
“Long, athletic, smooth. Aaron can play multiple positions and score at all three levels,” Coach Collins agreed. “He is a high-level player who has won the NCAA Tournament and won Player of the Year twice.”
Khalil Rondon joins the program after two seasons at the College of Charleston, where the team reached the NCAA Tournament twice. The 6-foot-3 guard appeared in 34 games last season, starting in the NCAA First Round Tournament against Alabama after a redshirt season in his first year with the program.
London was a big part of College of Charleston's 27-8 record, winning the CAA Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in March of this year. The New York native appeared in 34 of the team's 35 games, averaging 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 14 points against Hampton, giving him 102 points on the year.
“He's a high-IQ point guard with vision and shooting ability,” Coach Collins said. “We like his size at the position. Plus, Khalil brings experience and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in Charleston.”
Source: Tsu
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