2023-24 ROSTER | 2023-24 SCHEDULE | 2022-23 STATISTICS | RICHARD'S ROUNDUP PREVIEW (MP3 Audio File)
 
HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Hampden-Sydney College, ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, will open its highly-anticipated 2023-24 Basketball campaign at home in a non-conference contest against defending NCAA Division III National Champion and preseason No. 1 Christopher Newport University on Wednesday night, November 8, at 7 p.m. in S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium at Kirby Field House. It's free admission for all regular season home contests and the game can be heard locally on WVHL Radio, Kickin' Country 92.9 FM, and will also be available worldwide on the Internet at wvhl.net or via the TuneIn Radio App, while available to watch, as well, on the Tiger Sports Network live video stream at hscathletics.com, pregame airing at 6:30 p.m.

No. 8 Hampden-Sydney (0-0) vs. No. 1 Christopher Newport (0-0) | STATS | AUDIO | VIDEO
Location: Fleet Gym | Hampden-Sydney, VA
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023
Time: 7 p.m.
Radio/Webstream: Frank Shanaberger (play-by-play), Richard LeSueur (analyst)
 
Head Coach Caleb Kimbrough
H-SC is led by the fifth-year head coach who took over the program on April 4, 2019. The former head coach at Huntingdon (AL) College from 2016-19, Kimbrough is the 19th head coach in the 114-year history of the storied Hampden-Sydney program. He is no stranger to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), having played four years at Guilford (NC) College and coached six years with the Quakers, and one year at Washington and Lee University. Kimbrough is 52-35 overall at the College, including 31-21 in ODAC games. Caleb was both the 2022-23 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III District 6 Coach of the Year, and the ODAC Men's Basketball Bob Johnson Coach of the Year.
 
Series History
H-SC and CNU are playing for the 16th time overall since the 1975-76 season, and the Captains lead the closely-played series at 9-6. The two teams split a pair of games last season with the Tigers winning 85-70 on December 13, 2022 in Newport News, and CNU winning 72-59 on March 4 in Fleet Gym during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Captains also took a 79-74 road win against the Tigers on Dec. 14, 2021 in Fleet Gym. H-SC's last home win against CNU was by a score of 78-71 on March 2, 1995 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Scouting the Eighth-Ranked Tigers
The Tigers completed 2022-23 with a final record of 22-7, their finest season in 10 years, while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament—only the fourth 20-win season in 20 years. The 22 overall wins, and the 14 ODAC wins (14-2), are the most under Coach Kimbrough at the College, and also the program's highest win totals since 2012-13 (23-5, 14-2)—the last previous season that H-SC had advanced to the NCAA Tournament, as well.
 
H-SC returns 14 team members from last season, including all five starters, while adding seven newcomers for this year. Returning starters include 6-3 fifth-year guard Ryan Clements (Conyers, GA), along with 5-10 senior guard Adam Brazil (Mooresville, NC), 6-6 senior guard/forward Josiah Hardy (Ashburn), 6-5 senior forward Davidson Hubbard (Charlotte, NC) and 5-10 senior guard DJ Wright (Greensboro, GA). In addition, 6-7 fifth-year forward Miles Harris (Virginia Beach), 6-2 fifth-year guard Chase Turner (Virginia Beach), 6-4 senior guard Alex Elliott (Marietta, GA) and 6-4 junior guard Ayman McGowan (Memphis, TN) each played 10-plus minutes per game, while Elliott earned some starts, as well.
 
Hubbard started 28 games while averaging team-highs of 14.6 points and 9.0 rebounds—leading the ODAC in rebounding and double-doubles (14, 20th nationally). He was a First Team All-ODAC selection a year ago, as well as being named Second Team All-District 6 by the NABC and Second Team All-Region 6 by D3hoops.com. Brazil, Second Team All-ODAC, started all 29 games while averaging 11.4 points and a team-best 3.3 assists, along with a team-best 61 three-point field goals and 41 steals. Clements, Third Team All-ODAC, also started all 29 games while averaging 11.4 points and 4.3 rebounds with 40 steals. Wright started 24 games while averaging 9.2 points with 41 three-pointers. Hardy started all 29 games, as well, while averaging 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. Elliott started five games while averaging 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds, and McGowan averaged 5.0 points with 35 three-pointers.
 
Returning Depth & Newcomers
H-SC also returns 6-2 senior guard Shawn Hodge (Charlotte, NC), 6-4 junior guard Nick Shryock (Davidson, NC), 5-11 sophomore guard Davis Cauble (Richmond), 6-4 sophomore guard/forward Kolby Wright (Cookeville, TN) and 6-7 sophomore forward Shane Fernald (Charlotte, NC). New to the program this year are seven freshmen: 6-3 guard Blake Wilson (Charlottesville), 6-5 forward William Britt (Richmond), 6-9 forward Alex Cannon (Loganville, GA), 6-8 forward Manny Tucker (Springfield), 6-4 guard Mike Patrick (Mechanicsville), 6-8 forward/center Hanson Harris (Big Island) and 6-8 forward Harrison Morris (Marietta, GA).
 
Coach Kimbrough is aided this year by fifth-year assistant coach Bryson Gibson and second-year assistant coach Carson Long.
 
Scouting the Top-Ranked Captains
The Captains are coached by 13th-year head coach John Krikorian, and return 12 team members, including four starters. CNU completed 2022-23 with a final record of 30-3, including a 74-72 win past the University of Mount Union (OH) for the program's first National Championship. The Captains return two All-Americans in senior guard Jahn Hines (6-4) (17.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists) and senior forward Trey Barber (6-8) (13.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks)—the latter making the game-winning shot in the final second of the National Championship contest.
 
ODAC Preseason Poll
H-SC was picked first in the 2023-24 ODAC Preseason Poll. It's the first time that the Tigers have been voted preseason number one in the ODAC since prior to the 2003-04 season. The Garnet & Grey earned 140 points, including eight first-place votes among the 13 conference schools. H-SC is followed closely in the preseason poll by four-time defending ODAC Tournament Champion Randolph-Macon College in second place with 135 points, including the other five first-place votes. Guilford (NC) College was picked third with 122 points, followed by Virginia Wesleyan University (104), Washington and Lee University (102), Roanoke College (96), Bridgewater College (65), Shenandoah University (63), Averett University (51), Ferrum College (48), the University of Lynchburg (45), Eastern Mennonite University (23) and Randolph College (20).
 
Strength of Schedule
H-SC will play a difficult schedule this season, one that includes four schools ranked among the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, including top-ranked Christopher Newport, No. 3 John Carroll (OH) University, No. 11 Swarthmore (PA) College and No. 14 Randolph-Macon, along with three schools receiving votes in the poll—Guilford, the University of Mary Washington and Widener (PA) University. CNU, R-MC, JCU, Swarthmore, UMW and Widener each advanced to the postseason NCAA Tournament. In addition, Guilford and William Peace (NC) University, along with possible opponents the College of Wooster (OH) and Rose-Hulman (IN) Institute of Technology, each fell in their respective conference tournament championship contests a year ago.
 
Career Watch
Ryan Clements begins the season ranked 36th in career scoring with 1,099 career points in 87 career games (12.6). Russell Turner '92 is the all-time leader with 2,272 career points. Clements is ranked 10th in career steals with 144 (1.7). Ralph Baker '89 is the all-time leader with 258 career steals. Davidson Hubbard begins the season ranked in a tie for 11th in career blocks with 44 career blocks in 58 career games (0.8). Mike Thompson '04 is the all-time leader with 136 career blocks.
 
2023-24 Team Captains
Leading the Tigers are fifth-year Miles Harris, along with seniors Adam Brazil and Josiah Hardy. Harris and Brazil are each serving in the leadership role for their second season, while Hardy is a first-year captain. Miles is the son of Randy Harris and Corey Bacs and is majoring in economics and business. Adam is the son of Mark and Kristen Brazil and is majoring in English. Josiah is the son of Vernal Hardy and Felicia Miller and is majoring in economics and business.
 
Three Former Tigers Are Division I Head Coaches
H-SC currently has three former basketball team members and graduates of the College that are serving as NCAA Division I head coaches. Russell Turner '92 is in his 14th year at UC Irvine ... Ryan Odom '96 is in his first season at VCU and his eighth season as a DI head coach (UMBC, Utah State) ... Griff Aldrich '96 is in his sixth year at Longwood. Entering this season, Turner was 265-170 at UCI ... Odom was 141-85 overall, including 44-25 in two years at USU and 97-60 in five years at UMBC ... Aldrich was 88-72 at Longwood.
 
Up Next
H-SC will remain at home to welcome non-conference opponent Greensboro (NC) College on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. in Fleet Gym.