Catawba press release

 SALISBURY — The Catawba College men’s basketball team gets the 2024-25 season off and running this weekend, welcoming Lander to Goodman Arena on Friday before traveling to USC Aiken for a Sunday afternoon affair.

On the heels of a Sweet 16 appearance last season, Lander enters this season as the Peach Belt Conference favorite.

USC Aiken has won back-to-back PBC titles under head coach Mark Vanderslice (West Rowan). USC Aiken has gotten a boost from three Division I transfers.

The Catawba Indians bring back starters in Kris Robinson and O’Mazeon Tinsley. They will captain the ship as seniors.

Montraivis White took home South Atlantic Conference All-Freshman honors as a rookie and projects to earn a greater workload with the graduation of Javeon Jones and DeAngelo Epps.

 Shad Thomas and Justin Banks are expected to take on elevated roles at the forward position, leading a position group that expanded in the offseason.

 Robinson led Catawba at the three-point and free-throw lines last season, modeling consistency while showing out in clutch moments.

 The Lincolnton product drilled 37.6 percent of his 3-point attempts to help lift the squad over Lincoln Memorial and UNC Pembroke in postseason comebacks.

At the charity stripe, Robinson was nearly automatic with an 88.2 success rate, third-best in the SAC.

Five student-athletes bring previous college experience into their first season at Catawba.

Caleb Jones is the only transfer addition to the guard group. He recorded 21 games with points in double figures and seven double-doubles at Kansas City Kansas Community College last year.

Ibra Athie has an opportunity to make noise on the wing, coming from Indiana University East of the NAIA where he averaged a double-double with 15.0 points and 10.7 rebounds.

Nick Walker posted similarly strong numbers at East Mississippi Community College, putting up 13.4 points with 9.5 boards.

North Carolina natives Solomon Tucker and Jashaun Hawkins join the roster. Tucker shot 61.5 percent from the floor with 13.3 points per game at Cabrillo College, while Hawkins had a scorching-hot year at Cleveland Community College, averaging 20.2 points as a sophomore.

The blue and white have added a package deal in twin brothers Carson Daniel and Chase Daniel who begin their freshman campaigns this fall

At Central Cabarrus High School, the Daniels helped the Vikings secure back-to-back 3A state championships with unbeaten campaigns.

The twins played for Catawba alum and 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Jim Baker who guided the men’s basketball program from 1994-2014.

The Daniel brothers finished second and fifth, respectively, in state assists per game rankings and both exceeded 11 points per contest.

Behind Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman who tied for the top spot in the SAC, Catawba placed third with one first-place vote in the league’s preseason coaches poll.

No Catawba players were voted onto the two Preseason All-SAC teams, but the blue and white were represented by Robinson, White, Tinsley and Banks as “SAC Players to Watch.”