The Elon University men’s basketball team may be trying to replicate last year’s 17-16 record, but they will have to achieve that feat with an entirely different roster.
This offseason, the team lost nine players to the transfer portal. Some of the notable departures included TJ and TK Simpkins, along with Nick Dorn, among other contributors. To compensate for the losses, the Phoenix added eight new transfers before the season.
Half of their additions from the portal are graduate students, as forwards Chandler Cuthrell, Kacper Klaczek and Bryson Spell, along with guard Ja’Juan Carr, all provide a ton of experience. Junior guard Randall Pettus II rounds out the upperclassmen in the group. The younger transfer additions include sophomore guard Bryson Cokley, redshirt freshman Iker Garmendia and sophomore center Caleb Middleton.
Head coach Billy Taylor said that this year’s team was far from last season’s team. He said that, whereas players from last season were already used to playing with one another, this was a roster with a team who hadn’t played a regular season game until the team’s opener Nov. 5 against Belmont Abbey College.
“We had a few more guys who were returners last year,” Taylor said. “Now that we have so many new faces this year, we really just have been spending time through this offseason building that chemistry and making sure that we were on the same page.”
He also said that no matter who’s on the roster, it’s important for the team to function on both sides.
“You want your offense and your defense to be connected,” Taylor said. “Those are things we’ve discussed as a coaching staff for months now.”
Spell said Taylor does a fantastic job of allowing players to utilize their skill sets to the highest level. He said he feels very comfortable playing within the team’s system.
“He enables his players to be who they are and do what they’re good at,” Spell said. “I’m more of a high-IQ type of player who tries to get others involved, and he lets me do that to a pretty high level.”
Spell admitted that it has been an adjustment learning how to play with a brand new group of teammates. He said that because guys like him were used to having a different kind of offense in their previous stops, everyone is getting accustomed to Elon’s offensive system, which involves playing at a fast pace.
“I’m really coming from a program where we played at a slower pace, and now coach Taylor really wants to run, so that’s been an adjustment,” Spell said.
While the season has just started, Spell said he has enjoyed his time at Elon so far. He said the playing experience really feels like competing for a high-level program.
For Spell, it’s a little bit of a homecoming, as his parents were both athletes at Elon. He said he loves getting the chance to finish his collegiate career here while wearing his father’s number: 33.
“When I hit the transfer portal, it was a no-brainer,” Spell said. “It’s been great ever since I got here, and it’s really cool to finish where my dad played.”
Taylor said that it can be difficult to lose people in the transfer portal — that all the time spent building connections comes to an end once they depart for another school.
However, he said the portal does allow Elon to recruit players who are ready to thrive in a new situation. Taylor said the new additions make the team very diverse offensively as they can score in multiple ways. He said he looks forward to seeing the new additions continue to find their footing over the course of the season.
“You hate to see them leave, but it also presents opportunities for new people that come to our program,” Taylor said. “I think we have a lot of guys who can make three pointers and score in versatile ways. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see that play out for the season.”
Spell said that his only goal this year is to win. He believes the team is more than capable of making a run once the Coastal Athletic Association tournament rolls around.
“We have a really good team,” Spell said. “We’re starting to gel, and hopefully we can make an awesome postseason push.”