By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Following a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, the League officially released its 2024-25 Players to Watch and preseason poll Wednesday morning as part of its virtual Media Day sessions.
This year's OVC Basketball Media Day spans both Wednesday and Thursday, with teams split between the two days. The Golden Eagles participated in Wednesday's Media Session, with head coach John Pelphrey representing the purple and gold.
As part of the kick-off of media day, the OVC put out its list of Players to Watch, with veteran forwards Daniel Egbuniwe and Rodney Johnson Jr. representing the purple and gold. Both players were new to the Tech squad in 2023-24, making large impacts during the season.
Egbuniwe, a transfer from Little Rock, paced the Cookeville crew and ranked among league leaders with 5.8 rebounds per game a season ago, contributing 7.6 points per game as well. The Memphis native made 29 starts while playing all 31 games for Tech, shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from distance.
Arguably the team's most diverse defender, Egbuniwe led the team with 34 blocks and ranked second on the squad with 27 steals. Off the court, he was a spectacular representative of the University, producing a 3.43 GPA while working on a marketing degree. Egbuniwe was not only named the men's basketball team's President's Award winner, he also was honored as one of two Tech student-athletes to earn the 2023-24 OVC Community Service Award.
Johnson battled through illness and injuries during his first campaign in the purple and gold, but made his time on the court count. Playing in 26 games, the Bryan, Texas native averaged 10.7 points, and 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 82.9 percent from the charity stripe. He also ranked second on the team with 25 blocks.
Also joining Egbuniwe and Johnson as returners to this year's squad are sophomore guard Kyle Layton, redshirt junior guard Grant Slatten, redshirt sophomore guard Grant Strong, sophomore forward Rylee Samons, senior guard Bogdan Zimonjic, and junior center David Craig.
Layton grew quickly during the 2023-24 season, taking over a starting role late in the season after a rash of injuries decimated the Tech lineup. Samons made an impact as a freshman as well, providing key minutes off the bench in 23 contests and critical depth as the season wore on. Zimonjic delivered great effort and energy off the bench as well, competing in 22 games for the purple and gold.
Slatten, Strong, and Craig all dealt with their share of injuries, with none of the three appearing in a single OVC contest. Slatten took the biggest blow, missing the entire campaign due to offseason surgery. Strong competed in eight contests, but was limited in his effectiveness before shutting it down for the year. Craig, a newcomer last season, made eight starts in 13 games before he too was shut down for the year.
New to the crew for 2024-25 campaign are senior guard Mekhi Cameron (Atlanta, Ga. / Northern Colorado), junior guard Jaylon Johnson (Houston, Texas / College of Southern Idaho), junior guard Ray Glasgow (The Bronx, N.Y. / Yavapai College), sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls (Scranton, Pa. / Spartanburg Methodist), junior forward Ola Ajiboye (Chicago, Ill. / Central Michigan/Valparaiso), senior guard Matthew Sells (Rickman, Tenn. / Lincoln Memorial), freshman guard Josh Heard (Cookeville, Tenn. / Cookeville HS), and freshman guard Colin Ayers (Cookeville, Tenn. / Cookeville HS).
Fans can get a first glimpse of the 2024-25 Golden Eagles on Tuesday, Oct. 22 when they host Austin Peay in a charity exhibition contest in the Hooper Eblen Center. Tech will also play host to Oakland City in an exhibition affair on Tuesday, Oct. 29 as part of Purple Palooza. Tech officially kicks off the new campaign on Monday, Nov. 4 with a 6:30 p.m. CT affair at Georgia.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are now on sale. To order, call 931-372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office, or visit TTUSports.com.
2024-25 OVC Men's Basketball Players to Watch
Eastern Illinois - Nakyel Shelton & Kooper Jacobi
Lindenwood - Markeith Browning & Jeremiah Talton
Little Rock - KK Robinson & Jordan Jefferson
Morehead State - Dieonte Miles & Trent Scott
Southeast Missouri - Teddy Washington & Rob Martin
SIUE - Ray'Sean Taylor & Desmond Polk
Southern Indiana - Stephen Olowiniyi & Jayland Randall
Tennessee State - Ahmir Langlais & Justus Jackson
Tennessee Tech - Daniel Egbuniwe & Rodney Johnson Jr.
UT Martin - Vlad Salaridze & Josue Grullon
Western Illinois - Ryan Myers & Sean Smith
2024-25 OVC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Little Rock (20 first-place votes) – 200 points
2. Western Illinois – 172
3. SIUE (2) – 151
4. Tennessee State – 134
5. Morehead State – 131
6. Eastern Illinois – 87
7. Southeast Missouri – 86
8. Southern Indiana – 79
9. Lindenwood – 67
10. UT Martin – 52
11. Eastern Illinois – 51
Photo by Rachael Lehman
