No. 15 Pearl River men have high expectations for 2023-24

Dylan Dunaway - PRCC Sports Information Director

POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 15 Pearl River men's basketball team will have a new look when the 2023-24 campaign gets underway on Friday, featuring a roster of 12 new players. One thing that will never change under head coach Chris Oney, however, is the expectation to compete for championships.

"I'm to the point in my career where I don't coach for good seasons," Oney said. "I just feel like with our administration, facilities and gameday staff — this college just deserves to win championships. As long as I am the head coach, if we're not winning titles, then the season feels incomplete. That will never change, and that's what we're striving for.

"We need to make sure we leave everything on the court throughout the season and push ourselves as hard as we can to complete that goal."

When talking about his 2023-24 roster, one thing that surprised Oney was his team's toughness.

"We play really hard. We're a lot tougher than what I thought we would be going into the season," Oney said. "We've been getting compliments from other coaches that have watched us that we're the toughest group they've seen, and I hope that continues."

SOPHOMORES The lone returning player from the 2022-23 campaign is forward/center Dyllion Redmond (Jackson; Callaway). As a freshman, Redmond started 16 games and averaged 1.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. Standing at 6-foot-8, Redmond looks to be a key contributor in 2023-24.

"Even though he made freshman mistakes and got lumped in with the rest of them, I always felt like Dyllion cared about what was happening around him," Oney said. "It was important for me to bring him back so that he could let those guys know the standard and what went wrong last year. He's had far more good days than bad, and he'll be in the starting lineup in the first game of the year. We hope he can continue to grow."

This year's roster is bolstered by five transfers in Cedquavious Hunter (Como; North Panola), Dorien Goodman (Dallas, Texas; Lancaster), Ta'Zir Smith (Woolbridge, Va.; Virginia Academy), Ezereke Dawson Jr. (Plant City, Fla.) and Austin Green (Sicklerville, N.J.; Timber Creek Regional). Hunter transferred in from California State Bakersfield. PRCC went the JUCO route for Goodman, Smith, Dawson Jr. and Green as they joined from Lamar, State Fair, Kaskaskia and Odessa, respectively.

A 6-foot guard, Hunter has already committed to play at New Orleans next season and is set to be a long-range threat for the Wildcats.

"We have a lot of plays geared to get him the basketball," Oney said. "He's confident, and he's one of the hardest workers we've got. We're looking for big things out of him, and I can't wait to watch his progression."

Goodman played in 30 games for Lamar College, averaging 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. His toughness is what stuck out to Oney.

"We needed his toughness and tenacity," he said. "He's a kid who impacts the game on each end of the court. Those are two things that I really felt like we needed."

Smith averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists a year ago with State Fair. The Wildcats will be without him to begin the season but have high expectations for when he returns.

"Since his first day on campus, he has shown the ability to score the basketball," Oney said. "Him and Dae Dae (Cedquavious Hunter) will be hard to handle on the offensive end. We're going to feel not having him the first few games."

Dawson Jr. finished his 2022-23 campaign with 10.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game at Kaskaskia. He's expected to play forward or center for the Wildcats.

"Ezzy has been consistent from the start and can really score around the basket. He's hauled in nearly every rebound around him," Oney said. "He's a really, really good kid. He's told me one hundred times how excited he was to be here and how happy he was. He's got really long arms and plays a lot taller than he is. He can really explode off the floor to get those rebounds."

The 6-foot-8 Green averaged 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds for an Odessa team that was the No. 3 seed in the NJCAA Tournament last season.

"We think he can be a force on the inside, and he has shown flashes of that," Oney said. "He has to continue to grow and add to the things he can do on the offensive end. If we're going to hold up the trophy at the end of the year, he's going to have to be a guy to lead the charge."

FRESHMEN A 6-foot-1 guard, David Combest Jr. (Hattiesburg; Forrest County) has battled his way into a role to begin the season. He was named the Region 7-4A Player of the Year last season at Forrest County.

"He's made the biggest leap since he's been here," Oney said. "He's big and strong and has a unique ability to get into the right places on the floor. He's really, really good on the defensive end, too."

Kam Beverly (Jackson; Jackson Academy) was a MAIS All-State selection at Jackson Academy as a senior and will have a chance to make an impact.

"He's probably our most athletic player," Oney said. "Once he figures that out, then we will start to see the plays we see in practice more often. Once he puts it all together, he'll be a really good addition."

A former 2A Player of the Year, Devin Jones (Camden; Velma Jackson) is a 6-foot-3 forward.

"He's a big, strong player that can really attack the rim," Oney said. "He's a good rebounder, too. He's still figuring out the speed of the game and getting adjusted to the height and width on this level."

Davion James (Brandon; Northwest Rankin) comes to Pearl River fresh off a State Championship victory with Northwest Rankin.

"Davion has brought that workman's mentality to the program," Oney said. "He's a really good defender and can handle the basketball. He's a great kid and will have a bright future here."

Three more freshmen who can make an impact this season are 5-foot-7 guard Josh Holmes (Picayune), 6-foot-4 guard Tye Gholar (Jackson; Provine), and 6-foot-10 forward Rich'ard Fraizer (Hattiesburg; Forrest County).

TUNE IN All home Pearl River basketball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.

Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.

TICKETS To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2023-24. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).