By: Seth Stogsdill, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications
DANVILLE, Ky. - The Centre men's basketball program has announced its Class of 2026. After a COVID-disrupted previous two seasons, head coach Greg Mason says the coaching staff is looking forward to the future of Centre men's basketball with the influx of new student-athletes.
"What an exciting class we're pleased to announce for Centre Basketball," said Mason. "It's also the largest class we've signed in my 23 years. I want to compliment our assistant coach
Mark Schult for his work in helping these young men feel comfortable with the vision of our program. This class is a talented group - three Regional Players of the Year, a couple Kentucky and Tennessee All-State selections and the very first Kentucky All-Star selection in our program's history - and all are high character young men who fit our culture exceptionally well.
The Colonels finished 2021-22 with an overall record of 11-12, falling in the opening round of the SAA Conference Tournament. Graduating seniors
Dustin Gerald and
RJ Smith led the efforts for the Colonels for much of last season, as both were named to the First and Second All-SAA Teams, respectively.
The members of the Centre men's basketball class of 2026 are listed below in alphabetical order.
Hunter Coleman | Lebanon Junction, Ky. / Bullitt Central
The KABC 6
th Region Player of the Year and Bullitt Central PG Hunter Coleman joins the Colonels next fall. Coleman's Cougars finished 19-12 overall, losing to Sweet 16-bound Jeffersontown in the 6
th Region Quarterfinals. Coleman poured in a team leading 21.4 PPG, good enough to put him in the top 50 scorers in the state. He shot an impressive 47.7% from the field, 40.2% from deep, and 77.9% from the charity stripe with a team leading 116/149 in 30 games. Coleman will bring a polished and poised ballhandling ability, as well as experience in pressure situations to the Centre Basketball Program.
Kameron Jones | Louisville, Ky. / Central
A Louisville, KY native, Kam Jones comes to Centre College from another gold school, Central High School. It was there where he played for a top coach in the city, Doug Bibby, who has coached & cultivated relationships with players at the highest levels of basketball. Jones led the Central Yellowjackets to the 7
th Region Quarterfinals, before falling to Seneca in an overtime battle. Jones scored a team-leading 11.0 points per game and led his team in Free Throw Attempts, with 86 in his senior season. Jones shot 43.9% from the field and grabbed a team leading 4.1 rebounds per game. In addition to his prowess on the basketball floor, Jones also joined the Track & Field team at Central High School his senior year, where he ran in the 400m (53.02) and competed in Long Jump (20-8).
Trey Lovell | Greenville, Ky. / Muhlenberg County
From Western Kentucky, the KABC 3
rd Region Player of the Year joins the Centre Basketball program after taking his Muhlenberg County team to back-to-back Sweet 16s at Rupp Arena his junior and senior seasons. His senior year, he led his team in scoring 13.0 PPG at 42.7% from the field. Lovell led his team in FTA by getting to the line 160 times in 28 games, pulled down 2.3 boards per game. Lovell brings a scrappy defensive presence to the Centre perimeter and an ability to make plays on the offensive end.
Andru Markham | Louisville, Ky. / Fern Creek
A versatile 6'5 forward, Dru Markham comes to Centre from a talent-filled program at Fern Creek High School. His senior year, the team went 11-16 and fell in the 24
th District Semi-Finals to Bullitt East High School. Markham missed the majority of the 2021-22 season as he played in just 3 games his senior season due to injury.
Noah Magee | Franklin, Tenn. / Franklin
Sharpshooting wing Noah Magee joins the Colonels from Franklin High School just south of Nashville. Coming from a strong AAU program, the Stars Basketball Club, Magee led a winning program at Franklin High School to another successful 25-8 season. Magee was able to showcase his shooting ability his senior season, as he averaged 15.0 PPG and nearly joined the 50-40-90 club, shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 41.0 from long distance and 89.5 at the free throw line.
Caleb Maul | Waxhaw, N.C. / Metrolina Christian Academy
Caleb Maul is a 6'8 215lb forward from Metrolina Christian School, just outside of Charlotte, NC. Maul is a native to the bluegrass state, as he grew up just north of Centre College in Lexington, Ky. As a big body center, Maul will bring great touch with the basketball and a physical defensive presence inside.
Bryson Merrill | Greenbrier, Tenn. / Greenbrier
A 6-5 combo forward, Bryson Merrill comes to Centre next fall as a presence in the paint who can step out on the perimeter to stretch the defense. Merrill led his Greenbrier Bobcats to a 25-5 finish before falling in the Region 5 AAA Semifinal to Martin Luther King High School. The forward shot 50.9% from the field, including 23 made 3-pointers on his way to a 10 point and 5 rebound per game average. Merrill was a key part of a historic season for the Greenbrier program, as his team had their best winning percentage in school history (83.3%), the longest winning streak in school history (15 games), school record for threes made in a game (13), and #1 Defense in Tennessee AAA (44.6 PPG Allowed).
Colby Raymer | Kingston, Tenn. / Roane County
A Mr. Basketball Tennessee nominee, Colby Raymer joins Centre College after a stat-stuffing senior year, where he put up an impressive 29 PPG, 8 RPG, 5 APG, and 3 SPG season. As a junior, Raymer's team made history as they were named District 3 Regular Season Champions, District 3 Tournament Champions, and Region 2 Champions on their way to a Class AA State Final Four. It was the first time in 30 years that Kingston qualified for the State Tournament.
Tyler Shannon | Evansville, Ind., Evansville Christian
A Centre Basketball second generation player, Tyler Shannon will be another addition to the Colonel Basketball program. His father, Lin '93, was a member of 3 NCAA Tournament teams at Centre, including the 1989 Final Four Team. Shannon comes to Centre as a long 6-7 forward. He helped his team to a 14-9 record overall in 2021-22.
Clay Sizemore | London, Ky. / North Laurel
Coming to the Colonels from the 13
th Region is Clay Sizemore. The shooting guard averaged 10.6 PPG, while making 44.2% of his three-point attempts. Sizemore helped lead his team to the Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena, where his Jaguars ended their season at 28-6 after falling to Pikeville. Sizemore comes from a college basketball rich family and town, as his father Tim was a successful coach for over 20 years in Kentucky, his brother Adam currently plays for University of South Alabama, and his good friend/teammate Reed Sheppard is committed to University of Kentucky. Sizemore brings a high basketball IQ and level of three-point shooting to the Centre Basketball program.
Cade Stinnett | Bowling Green, Ky. / Greenwood
The KABC 4
th Region Co-Player of the Year comes to the Colonels after leading his Greenwood High School team to a 24-5 record and the 14
th District Semi-Finals. In 22 games, Stinnett led his team in scoring at 20.1 PPG while shooting 54.9% from the field, along with 5.6 made Free Throws per contest. The versatile wing also grabbed 5.8 rebounds per game in his efforts. Stinnett was named to the All-14
th District Team, and named an All-Star for both the Kentucky-Ohio All Star and for the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Games, in addition to sharing KABC 4
th Region Player of the Year honors with the state's Mr. Basketball winner, Turner Buttry. He played AAU Basketball with one of the top AAU programs in the Midwest, Manimal Elite, which was founded by NBA player Kenneth Faried.
Connor Tuerff | Hendersonville, Tenn. / Pope John Paul II
Combo wing Connor Tuerff comes from Pope John Paul II High School where he played for coach Charles Wade. The Hendersonville native put up 11.7 PPG and 2.5 RPG, shooting 39.5% from the field. Tuerff's Knights finished the season 20-10 overall, with a hard fought loss to Briarcrest Christian.
