#CAAHoops MBB Notebook – Jan. 5, 2026

#CAAHoops MBB Notebook – Jan. 5, 2026

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Dylan Smith

CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK – JAN. 5, 2026
 
Overall and conference stats can be found at the back of the attached #CAAHoops MBB Notebook.
 
CAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jlynn Counter, Charleston
Graduate Student | Guard | Oklahoma City, Okla.
Counter picked up his second honor of the season by helping orchestrate two wins over Drexel and Elon last week with an all-around effort. The Cougars' leading scorer went off for 22.5 points, 7.5 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game last week. The graduate guard also shot 60.9% from the floor (14-23 FG) with three 3-pointers and a perfect 14-for-14 showing at the charity stripe. Counter opened league play with a 29-point outburst against the Dragons, adding six helpers, five boards and a trio of swipes. The Oklahoma City, Okla., native flirted with a triple-double against the Phoenix on Wednesday, posting 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Counter also went 10-for-10 at the charity stripe at Elon to give Charleston its fifth straight win.
 
CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Preston Edmead, Hofstra
Freshman | Guard | Deer Park, N.Y.
Edmead picked up his fifth Rookie of the Week honor after helping the Pride to a 2-0 start in CAA play as they extended their win streak to six consecutive games. Edmead averaged 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in the Pride's two victories. On Monday, he had 16 points, three rebounds and two assists in the Pride's conference-opening 86-72 win over Campbell. The freshman guard followed that up with 16 points, a season-high-tying six rebounds and three assists in a 70-67 road victory at Drexel. For the week, the Deer Park, N.Y., native shot 52.3% from the field overall and 61.5% from distance (8-13 3FG) across 28 minutes per outing. Edmead has scored in double figures 12 times this season.
 
TONIGHT WE ARE VICTORIOUS
All five Campbell starters scored in double figures, led by a career-high 31 points from DJ Smith, to lift the Camels to a 97-82 win over Northeastern. Campbell’s leading scorer eclipsed the 20-point threshold for the ninth time of the season, going 10-for-17 from the floor with three treys and an 8-of-9 showing from the line. Big man Dovydas Butka recorded his third straight double-double and sixth overall with a 15-point, 14-rebound effort. Tasos Cook and Jeremiah Johnson matched Butka in points, while Muneer Newton logged 12 points and seven boards.
 
Hofstra staved off a late second-half surge to secure a 70-67 win at Drexel. Junior guard Cruz Davis notched 20 points, six boards and five helpers in the win. Freshman Preston Edmead also joined Davis in double figures with 16 points, seeing four of his six makes come from behind the arc and adding six rebounds and three assists. Saturday’s win marked the sixth consecutive win for the Pride. Hofstra is also 6-1 this season in the state of Pennsylvania.
 
Freshman Andrej Shoshkikj put forth an incredible shooting performance en route to a 27-point showing, helping lift Stony Brook to an 81-80 win over North Carolina A&T. The Seawolves’ top scorer on Saturday went 9-for-10 from the floor, 5-of-5 from distance and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, while adding six assists. Erik Pratt also eclipsed the 20-point threshold with 23 points of his own, logging three helpers, two boards and a pair of steals.
 
Monmouth snapped Towson’s 16-game home winning streak with a 62-48 victory inside SECU Arena. Jason Rivera-Torres registered 21 points, six boards and four assists across 39 minutes of work. Andrew Ball scored all 12 of his points in the second half, going 4-for-4 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line to go with eight boards in reserve. Stefanos Spartalis notched a 10-point effort on 5-of-7 shooting. The Hawks picked up their first road win over the Tigers since 2021.
 
Redshirt junior forward Patrick Wessler went off for 19 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks to help UNCW secure a 49-45 win over Hampton. Wessler became the first NCAA Division I player this season to produce at least 19 points, 14 boards and six blocks in a single game. UNCW’s big man also logged his league-leading seventh double-double of the year. The Seahawks and the Pirates became the first set of teams to score under 50 points in the same regular-season CAA game since Feb. 11, 2016, when Northeastern downed Towson, 47-44. UNCW picked up its fourth straight win.
 
PRIMETIME BATTLE
A battle between two of the league’s hottest teams will ensue on CBS Sports Network as William & Mary heads to Charleston at 7 p.m. Paul Fritschner and John Giannini will be on the call. The Tribe has won nine of its last 10 games and is riding a three-game winning streak into the contest. The Cougars have also won five straight games. Against William & Mary, Charleston has won six of the last seven meetings. However, the Tribe secured a 90-75 win in their lone meeting last season, seeing Kyle Pulliam lead the way with 18 points of 6-of-9 shooting in reserve.
 
UNPHASED AND UNBEATEN
Four teams maintained an unblemished record and their respective winning streaks following the opening week of CAA action. UNCW is the league’s lone 3-0 team and will look to extend its four-game winning streak on Thursday against Northeastern. Charleston, Hofstra and William & Mary all boast 2-0 marks entering the second week of league play. The Pride has won six straight games, the longest active streak in the CAA, looking to build on it when it heads to Towson on Thursday. Charleston and William & Mary will put their respective five-game and three-game winning streaks on the line when the two teams link up on Monday night.
 
CAMPBELL CAMELS (8-8; 2-1 CAA)
  • Campbell has won three of its last four games following its comeback wins over Green Bay, Monmouth and Northeastern. DJ Smith is averaging 21.0 ppg over that stretch. Dovydas Butka is working a double-double through the last four games, posting 14.0 ppg and 11.8 rpg.
  • Butka paces the league through three CAA games with 13.0 rpg. Smith is also third in scoring with 22.5 ppg in conference play.
 
CHARLESTON COUGARS (9-6; 2-0 CAA)
  • Choi Machot became the first CAA player in more than 20 years to log at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks in a single game with his 15p/15r/7b showing against Elon.
  • Jlynn Counter is tied for the CAA lead in scoring through two conference contests, matching Chandler Cuthrell with 22.5 points per game. Counter is also 14-for-14 from the charity stripe to start league play.
  • Charleston rides a five-game winning streak, seeing Counter average 22.0 ppg on 61.4% shooting from the floor (35-57 FG) to go with 5.5 apg.
 
DREXEL DRAGONS (6-10; 0-3 CAA)
  • The Dragons’ Victor Panov and Eli Beard have combined for 28 of the team’s 44 3-pointers over the last five games. The duo has each averaged 13.2 and 12.6 points per game, respectively. Shane Blakeney rounds out those in double figures with 12.4 points per contest.
  • Drexel will face Stony Brook in a 7 p.m. showdown from Philadelphia. The Dragons have split their four all-time meetings with the Seawolves.
     
ELON PHOENIX (9-6; 1-1 CAA)
  • The Phoenix paces the CAA in offensive efficiency, averaging 116.0 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom. Their 2-point efficiency (57.9%) is second in the league and top 50 in the nation (46th).
  • Elon’s Chandler Cuthrell is the CAA scoring leader and 13th in the nation, averaging 21.3 ppg. The Phoenix’s leading scorer has reached double figures in 14 of 15 contests this season, including 20-point efforts on 11 occasions.
     
HAMPTON PIRATES (8-8; 2-1 CAA)
  • Hampton has won three of its last five games. Christian Watson and Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt have appeared in all five games, posting 10.6 and 10.4 ppg, respectively, over that stretch.
  • The Pirates have been successful at home, winning nine straight games inside Convocation Center, including a 5-0 record this season. Hampton is averaging 83.0 ppg at home this year.
 
HOFSTRA PRIDE (11-4; 2-0 CAA)
  • Davis is averaging 23.7 ppg on 53.3% shooting to go with 5.7 apg during the Pride’s six-game winning streak. The Preseason All-CAA First Team pick is second in the league and 16th in the nation with 21.3 ppg overall.
  • Hofstra is the league’s top team, according to KenPom.com, rounding out the nation’s top 100. The Pride has seen a 31-point jump from 131 to 100 since the start of its winning streak.
 
MONMOUTH HAWKS (7-8; 1-1 CAA)
  • The Hawks remain the CAA’s top blocking team, averaging 5.7 swats per game (14th in NCAA). Jason Rivera-Torres ranks second in the league with 25 total blocks. Dok Muordar picked up four swats in the Hawks’ win over Towson, moving him into third in the CAA with 24 stuffs.
  • Monmouth also rosters the league’s top two pickpockets in Jack Collins (2.2 spg) and Rivera-Torres (1.7 spg).
 
N.C. A&T AGGIES (7-7; 0-3 CAA)
  • Lewis Walker has been vital to the Aggies with 18.8 ppg this season, good for eighth among freshmen nationally. He is hitting 48.9% of his shots from the floor, top 20 among Division I freshmen.
  • N.C. A&T has seen Zamoku Weluche-Ume step up since the start of conference play, averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks across 35.0 minutes of action.
 
UNCW SEAHAWKS (14-2; 3-0 CAA)
  • UNCW has won 12 of its last 14 games, including four straight contests entering the week. The Seahawks are one of 11 NCAA Division I teams with 14 or more victories, as of Monday.
  • In the last five games against Division I opponents, Nolan Hodge has averaged 16.8 ppg with 12 of his 24 makes over that stretch coming from distance. Patrick Wessler is flirting with a double-double over that span, posting 11.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 2.6 blocks.
 
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES (5-9; 1-2 CAA)
  • William Kermoury has emerged as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters with a 45.5% shooting clip from distance, good for 21st in the nation. Since the start of conference play, Kermoury has knocked down 64.0% from distance (16-25 3FG).
  • Northeastern Head Coach Bill Coen is two conference wins away from becoming the CAA’s first 200-game winner on the men’s side, sitting with 198 victories (conference play and postseason). Coen earned his 300th career win on Nov. 7 over Colgate.
 
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (9-7; 1-2 CAA)
  • Andrej Shoshkikj became the first CAA freshman to score at least 27 points and shoot 90.0% or better against a Division I opponent since Charleston’s Jarrell Brantley scored 33 points on 13-of-14 shooting (92.9% FG) on Dec. 31, 2015. Shoshkikj scored 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor against N.C. A&T.
  • Erik Pratt is averaging 19.0 ppg overall, good for third in the CAA and top 60 in the nation. Pratt has logged double-digit scoring efforts in 10 straight games following 23 points against North Carolina A&T.
 
TOWSON TIGERS (8-8; 0-3 CAA)
  • Towson is one of three CAA teams to average 14-plus offensive rebounds per game, pacing the league with 14.4 per contest. Caleb Embeya paces the team with 3.3 boards per game on the offensive glass.
  • The Tigers will look to pick up their first win in conference play when they welcome Hofstra for a 12:30 p.m. tip on Thursday.  Towson has won each of its last three home meetings against the Pride.
 
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE (11-3; 0-0 CAA)
  • The Tribe has won nine of its last 10 contests following its 19-point win over Stony Brook.
  • William & Mary paces the CAA and ranks 10th in the nation with 19.6 assists per game. The fastest team in the nation averages 13.6 seconds per possession, with 51% of them lasting 10 seconds or less.
  • The Tribe is also currently 80th in the NCAA NET Rankings, as of Jan. 5, which is the best in the CAA. W&M reached as high as No. 50 this season, which is the program’s highest standing since the tool was introduced in 2018-19.
 
Schedule and Results
Saturday, January 3
Campbell 97, Northeastern 82
Hofstra 70, Drexel 67
Stony Brook 81, N.C. A&T 80
Monmouth 62, Towson 48
UNCW 49, Hampton 45
 
Monday, January 5
William & Mary at Charleston (CBS Sports Network)            7:00 P.M.
 
Thursday, January 8
Hofstra at Towson (FloCollege/Monumental)                         12:30 P.M.
UNCW at Northeastern (FloCollege)                                      7:00 P.M.
Elon at N.C. A&T (FloCollege)                                                7:00 P.M.
William & Mary at Monmouth (FloCollege/SNY)                     7:00 P.M.
Stony Brook at Drexel (FloCollege)                                        7:00 P.M.
Hampton at Campbell (FloCollege)                                        7:00 P.M.
 
Saturday, January 10
Monmouth at Hofstra (FloCollege/MSG)                                 2:00 P.M.
William & Mary at Drexel (FloCollege)                                    2:00 P.M.
Towson at Northeastern (FloCollege)                                      2:00 P.M.
Hampton at Charleston (FloCollege/The CW)                         5:00 P.M.
UNCW at Stony Brook (FloCollege/SNY)                                6:00 P.M.
Campbell at Elon (FloCollege/WRAL-TV)                               7:00 P.M.