By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be wrapping up our deep 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 DeSean Woods, a junior transfer from Southern University.
#20 DeSean Woods| 6-0 | 165 | Jr. | Lexington, Ky./Southern U.
The son of former Morehead State and Southern University head coach Sean Woods, a former Kentucky teammate of Tech head coach John Pelphrey, Woods comes to Tech after spending the past three years competing for his father with the Jaguars.
Last season, the guard played in 26 of Southern's 32 contests, averaging 2.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while competing 11.3 minutes per game. He shot 75.0 percent from the charity stripe as well.
At Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Jan. 21, Woods scored a season-high 12 points while sinking all four of his free throw attempts and finishing 2-for-2 from distance. On Jan. 28, the Lexington native dished out season-high six dimes against Alcorn and hauled in a season-best three boards at Florida A&M on Feb. 27.
The incoming junior sat out the 2021-22 campaign as a redshirt one season after playing in four contests as a freshman. During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 12.8 minutes, 1.3 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He racked up a season-best six assists against Grambling on Feb. 6.
Prior to his arrival at Southern U., Woods spend a postgraduate season at Core4Prep Academy in Atlanta, Ga. He played for Dunham High School in Baton Rouge, La. as a senior, helping the team to a 32-6 record and a runner-up showing in the LHSAA Division III state championship game. He averaged 14.3 points and 9.1 assists per game while earning All-District 2A-8 First Team honors.
During his junior season, he competed for DeLand High School in Florida, helping guide the squad to a 22-7 record while averaging 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Woods earned All-District 7A-2 First Team accolades for his efforts. He attended and played for Rowan County High School in Kentucky as a freshman and sophomore, averaging 13.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per contest in his second season while picking up District MVP and All-Region honors.
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 Southern University Athletics
