By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Over the next several 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 Kyle Layton, a freshman from Mountain Brook High School in Alabama.
#2 Kyle Layton | Guard | 6-0 | 175 | Fr. | Birmingham, Ala./Mountain Brook HS
One of two freshmen new to the Golden Eagles, Layton joins the purple and gold after lettering for head coach Tyler Davis at Mountain Brook High School the past two seasons. The Birmingham native led MBHS to a runner-up finish in the Alabama Class 6A state title game as a senior after falling in the regional final the previous year to the eventual state champion.
As a junior, Layton averaged 14.9 points, three assists, and three steals per game while sinking 105 attempts from distance on the year. He picked up All-South Metro Third Team honors after leading the team in scoring.
Back in Mountain Brook for his senior season, the guard went down with a lower-body injury during the summer and missed all but the final few weeks of the 2022-23 campaign. Coming off the bench in the state title game, Layton buried 5-of-8 tries from downtown, finishing with 15 points.
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.
