The Tusculum Pioneers open the 2022-23 campaign this weekend when they host the South Atlantic Conference / Peach Belt Conference Challenge at Pioneer Arena. TU will open the year on Friday with a 7 p.m. contest against USC Aiken followed by a Saturday afternoon (4 p.m.) match-up against Clayton State.
Tusculum head J.T. Burton is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Pioneer program as he returns 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 19-8 club. Burton has led TU to four straight winning seasons including 2021-22 as the Pioneers established a new program record with 19 South Atlantic Conference victories, good enough for third place.
Gone is All-Region and Academic All-America guard Trenton Gibson, who poured in over 1,600 points during his four seasons with the Pioneers.
Highlighting the returnees is All-SAC forward Inady Legiste. The 6-7, 235-pound junior from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, led the Pioneers in blocked shots averaging 1.4 per contest, which were ranked third in the league. He played in 27 games off the bench, while averaging 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest. Legiste recorded nine outings with 10 or more points and shot 57.3 percent from the floor, which was second on the roster and fifth-best in the league. He also shot 14-of-29 from three-point territory for 48.3 percent.
After two seasons, Legiste has totaled 449 points, 222 rebounds and 63 blocked shots which are the sixth-most by a Pioneer. He is shooting 54.7 percent from the field during his career including 41.5 percent from three-point land.
Senior forward Justin Mitchell returns after playing in all 27 games last season including 26 starts. The 6-5, 199-pound product of Lexington, Kentucky averaged 8.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game (27th in SAC). His 1.4 steals per game were second on the team and ninth in the conference. He posted 13 games in double-figure scoring including a season-high 21 points against Lenoir-Rhyne.
During his three seasons with the Pioneers, Mitchell has totaled 495 points, 271 rebounds, 87 assists and 80 steals during his 73-game career.
James West IV averaged 6.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in his 24 contests last season. The graduate student guard from Woodbridge, Virginia has emerged as one of Tusculum's top three-point threat and has averaged 1.9 three-pointers made per game during his 37 games with the Pioneers. The 2021 All-SAC guard scored in double figures six times a year ago including 15 markers against Limestone.
Senior guard Jalen Crowder is another three-point ace for Tusculum, averaging 1.3 triples per game in his first season at TU. The 6-5, 180-pounder from Asheville, North Carolina totaled 135 points while averaging 5.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. He made 36 treys and shot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. He scored a season-high 17 points in TU's road win at Carson-Newman and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 3.0 seconds remaining. He also posted 17 points in a home win over Anderson.
Sophomore point guard KJ Crump was making a strong push for SAC Freshman of the Year during the early part of the season last year. He recorded 19 starts in his 27 outings while averaging 4.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Crump shot 40 percent from three-point territory which is 11th in the SAC. He scored 18 points while making five straight field goals to start the game in TU's upset win at fourth-ranked Queens last year. His made free throw with 24.6 seconds left sealed the win over the Royals.
Also making his Tusculum debut a year ago was forward Jacob Hobbs. The 6-8, 210-pound senior from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, played in all 27 games with 15 starts including a string of 12 in a row. He totaled 105 points, 92 rebounds and 20 steals in his first TU season after transferring from NCAA Division I Lipscomb University. He averaged 3.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Joshua Scott (Pompano Beach, Fla.) has been a solid contributor for Tusculum since earning SAC All-Freshman honors in 2020. Scott appeared in 21 games with five starts last season. He shot 55.8 percent from the field and posted three games with 10 or more points. In his 69 career games, he has posted 356 points, 186 rebounds and 32 steals as a Pioneer.
Junior guard Kobe Funderburk (Charlotte, N.C.) averaged 2.1 points per game and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc in his 15 contests last season. He has shot 22-of-47 from three-point land for 46.8 percent for his career. He has also shot 85.7 percent from the free throw line during his collegiate career.
Also returning for the Pioneers are senior forwards Makai Olden (Morristown, Tenn.) and Mason Bierster (Duluth, Ga.). Olden recorded 18 points and 18 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field in his 14 outings. Bierster had eight points and seven rebounds in his 10 contests.
This year's roster includes four newcomers who will be vying to contribute to the Tusculum cause.
Junior guard Connor Jordan comes to Tusculum after playing two seasons at King University. While with the Tornado, he appeared in 42 games with 32 starts while posting 344 points, 117 rebounds, 96 assists and 38 steals. In 2022, he averaged 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and a team-best 2.2 assists per game. He shot 76.5 percent from the free throw line and notched a career-high 21 points against Southern Wesleyan. Jordan, a 5-10, 175-pound junior played his prep career at Morristown East High School where he was a three-time All-Conference choice including the last two seasons where he was Conference Player of the Year.
Junior guard DJ Sinkler comes to Tusculum after starring on the collegiate hardwood at USC Salkehatchie for two years. He averaged 17.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game last season at USCS. He posted 20 games in double-figure scoring including 12 times where he surpassed the 20-point marker. The Sumter, South Carolina native is a graduate of AC Flora High School where he was a two-time All-State selection and averaged 25 points and seven assists per game.
Dallas, Texas freshman guard Kenton Wright was and All-District first team choice at RI Turner High School. During his prep career, he scored over 1,000 points and averaged 24 points per game which was the third-best average in the Dallas area.
Kyle Brown, a freshman forward from Plantation, Florida, was ranked as one of the top-20 players in South Florida. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game during his career at Dillard High School.
Following this weekend's SAC / PBC Challenge, the Pioneers will next travel to Furman for a Nov. 25 exhibition game with the Paladins. TU will return to regular-season action on Nov. 26 when they host Lees-McRae for a 4 p.m. game at Pioneer Arena.
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