By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Over the next several weeks, we'll be taking a dive into getting to know the members of the 2023-24 Tennessee Tech men's basketball team.
Head coach John Pelphrey's roster will feature 17 student-athletes for the second straight year, with 10 newcomers and seven faces already familiar to Golden Eagle fans. Back for the Tech squad in 2023-24 are Diante Wood, Grant Slatten, Grant Strong, Erik Oliver, Jayvis Harvey, Bogdan Zimonjic, and Jerome Beya.
New to the crew for 2023-24 campaign are sophomore guard Brandon Brown (Bristol, Tenn. / Lees-McRae), sophomore guard Nick Choate (Livingston, Tenn. / Livingston Academy), sophomore center David Craig (Johannesburg, South Africa / Mercer), sophomore guard Josiah Davis (Kitchener, Ontario / West Virginia), junior guard David Early (Logan, W.Va. / Marshall), sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe (Memphis, Tenn. / Little Rock), junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. (Bryan, Texas / Weatherford College), freshman guard Kyle Layton (Birmingham, Ala. / Mountain Brook HS), freshman forward Rylee Samons (Pikeville, Ky. / Pikeville HS), and junior guard DeSean Woods (Lexington, Ky. / Southern U.).
Today we'll take a close look at newcomer David Craig, a sophomore transfer from Mercer University.
#34 David Craig | Center | 7-2 | 235 | So. | Johannesburg, South Africa/Mercer
A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Craig will represent the fifth Golden Eagle to call the continent of Africa home in the program's history and the first from the nation of South Africa. A transfer from Mercer, the incoming sophomore competed in 22 of 27 games for the Bears in the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting well over 50 percent from the floor in nearly 14.0 minutes of action per game.
The big man made his collegiate debut at East Carolina on Nov. 8, turning in nine points, five boards, and two blocks while shooting 50 percent from the field in 20 minutes in a start. He dropped a season-high 18 points with 11 boards for his third double-double versus Fairfield on Nov. 26, sinking 7-of-10 attempts from the floor. He registered his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds on 85.7 percent shooting against Winthrop on Nov. 19 and followed it with another in his next game at Florida State thanks to 10 points and a season-high 12 boards on Nov. 21.
Before arriving in Macon, Ga., Craig played for three years for head coach David Conrady at the McCallie School in Chattanooga. He collected Best of Preps Champs honors in 2022 and was the Best of Preps MVP for the 2021-22 campaign in which he also earned All-State honors.
The seven-footer racked up All-Region accolades as a junior and senior, was named the team's Most Improved Player in 2020-21 and followed it up with team MVP honors as a senior in 2021-22. He also tied for the school's single-season field goal percentage record, making a whopping 75 percent of his attempts from the floor.
Fans are encouraged to check back in the coming weeks as we continue our dive into the 2023-24 roster and take a look at the newest members of the Golden Eagles.
Photo courtesy of Mercer Athletic Media Relations
