Author: Dylan Wilson

Image Courtesy: Dordt Athletics

This article is the next part of a long series I’m doing highlighting the top athletes in lower level collegiate athletics. Last time I focused on the top 15 JuCo basketball players in the country and here I am focusing on the NAIA Basketball First Team All-Americans and their futures. NAIA, or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, isn’t apart of the NCAA and only allow up to 8 full-ride scholarships for basketball. In my opinion, NAIA is still gritty like JuCo but is a lot less raw as NAIA institutions are four-year colleges allowing for much more development and consistency. NAIA players are compared to the likes of NCAA D3 and D2 players. I guess we’ll go ahead and jump right into it!

Disclaimer: This is not a ranking. All players listed are listed in the same order on the official NAIA website, naia.org.

Image Courtesy: College of Idaho Athletics

Samaje Morgan, 5’10 Guard at College of Idaho, assumed return

I am unsure of what NAIA All-American Samaje Morgan is doing for his 4th year of college basketball. I assume he will return to the reigning champs, College of Idaho (Caldwell, ID) Yotes who won the NAIA National Championship in March against Oklahoma Wesleyan. Samaje had 28 points in the win, averaging 12 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.5 steals a game throughout the season. In three seasons at the College of Idaho, the Eugene, OR native has tallied almost 1,300 points. I think Samaje will help lead the Yotes to another successful season and probably look to be a graduate transfer afterwards.

Image Courtesy: Concordia University, Nebraska

Tristan Smith, Concordia University, 6’5 Graduate Transfer Forward Committed to University of Northern Iowa

The next First Team All-American is Tristan Smith, from Elizabeth, Colorado. Tristan has accomplished a lot in his four seasons at Concordia, and most recently winning GPAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year this past season. He is currently committed to play at the University of Northern Iowa, an NCAA Division 1 program. In 112 games (78 starts) with the Concordia Bulldogs, he totaled 1,500 points, 755 rebounds, 247 assists, 135 blocks, and 109 steals. His senior season, he averaged 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks a game. He is a strong and craft finisher around the rim, able to muscle through contact for a dunk or spin to get a layup. I imagine he will see a good amount of action for UNI this upcoming season.

Image Courtesy: Cumberlands Athletics

Anthony Johnson, University of the Cumberlands, 6’2 Guard and Arizona State Commit

The guard out of Midfield, AL is arguably the biggest transfer out of the 12 players on the NAIA First Team All-American list. He is considered a 3 star transfer by 247 sports and has committed to Arizona State University. He had a huge impact this past season at the University of the Cumberlands, averaging 23.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. He is a quick high flying player that can make his shot at a decent clip from three, shooting 34%. His field goal percentage is impressive as he shot 48% from the field while also averaging 1.75 steals a game on the defensive end. Before he was dominating at the NAIA level, he started his collegiate career in the JuCo ranks at Northeast Mississippi Community College, showing why these guys deserve to be highlighted. This guy went from playing at the JuCo level, made it up to NAIA, and now has the opportunity to play at the highest collegiate level in one of the biggest conferences in the nation.

Image Courtesy: Dordt Athletic

Lucas Lorenzen, Dordt University, 6’4 Guard and transfer committed to Western Illinois

Another NCAA Division 1 commit coming from the NAIA level. Lucas Lorenzen has done a great job over his past three seasons at Dordt, and this past season he averaged 22.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals a game. I couldn’t find any college highlights of Lucas, but his stats tell a lot. He shot 53% from the field this year, but he made 93 three pointers on 40% as well. I know he can attack the rim as well, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his main role is a strong 3 and D player. I can’t wait to see what he can do, and I expect him to play a major role for WIU very early on this upcoming season.

Image Courtesy: University of South Alabama Athletics

Peyton Law, Freed-Hardeman University, 6’7 Forward and South Alabama Signee

Peyton is an athletic forward, and he low-key reminds me of Christian Braun when he was at Kansas. The South Alabama transfer won the NAIA National Championship with FHU last year in 2024, proving he can win. This past season he averaged 16 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. His versatility will help him play at least a decent role for South Alabama this year, with his athleticism and 39% three ball. If South Alabama is in Jonesboro this year for Sun Belt Conference play, I would love to see Peytons game in person.

Image Courtesy: Grace College Athletics

Ian Scott, Grace College, 6’7 Forward and Indiana State Grad Transfer

Ian Scott was 2nd in the NAIA National Player of the Year race this year. The crazy thing is in his 4 seasons at Grace, this is the first season he had over three starts. He started 36 games out of 36 games total and did amazing. He averaged 18 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals a game while shooting 63% from the field. During his 4 year tenure at Grace he also shot 65% as a career field goal percentage. Indiana State is getting a really smart and crafty player who can use his length as a forward to help him. He is a smart player and gets where he needs to be when he needs to be there. His family should be proud that he is getting to play at the NCAA D1 level for Indiana State, but even prouder because much of his family went to the school.

Image Courtesy: Lewis-Clark State College Athletics

Alton Hamilton, Lewis-Clark State, 6’8 Sophomore Forward and Eastern Washington Commit

Alton Hamilton showed out in his sophomore season. He averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds, being the only player in the Cascade Conference to averaged a double-double this season winning him Conference Player of the Year. Alongside this, he had a block a game. In his 2 years at LCSC, he shot 56% from field while making the right cuts to the basket. The Fontana, California native has a couple years to grow his game and adjust to the Division 1 level so we get to see multiple seasons out of him at EWU.

Image Courtesy: University of South Alabama Athletics

Chaze Harris, Life, 6’6 Junior Guard and South Alabama Signee

The Cleveland, Ohio native has made his way up from the JuCo ranks all the way to the Division 1 level now with a couple of stops on the way. Most recently, he played at Life University in Georgia where he averaged 19.7 points, 6.9 assists, and 6.6 rebounds a game while also averaging 2.1 steals. He did all of this shooting 59% from the field. Chaze is a quick long guard who can get to the basketball with ease. South Alabama looked for experienced hoopers at the lower levels to build a team and I can’t wait to see my Red Wolves play them. I am super excited to see Chaze play in person hopefully, as you can see the stats and they show he can do everything. He’s a high scorer with high efficiency, he can go and grab the rebound, but most importantly, he can pass the ball to where it needs to be. 6.9 assists at the college level is insane and I hope those numbers look similar in the Sun Belt Conference. I expect him to start or be the first guy off of the bench.

Image Courtesy: LSUA Athletics

Kashie Natt, LSU at Alexandria, 6’3 Guard Grad Transfer Signee with Sam Houston State

Kashie Natt, the NAIA National Player of the Year has decided to take his talents to Sam Houston State. Kashie has played a few games against Division 1 competition in early season NAIA-Division 1 game. This year, LSUA played Louisiana Tech where Kashie had 17 points in a loss. Before LSUA, Kashie played JuCo ball at Southern University- Shreveport. At LSUA, he averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 2 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field. Kashie has totaled over 1,400 points and 759 rebounds in 3 seasons at LSUA and I hope the athletic guard can continue his success at SHSU.

CJ Hall, Nelson University, 6’2 Guard and Grad Transfer Signee at SIUE

CJ Hall is another hooper who started out playing for a community or junior college at McLennan Community College. CJ proved why he can play at a high level this past season by averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds, and nearly 4 assists per game at Nelson. On the defensive end he averaged 1.4 steals. Just the season before though, he averaged 23.5 points a game. His game is quick and he uses his shifty handled to either get to the basket or to get a mid range shot whether it be a fader or pull-up. SIUE is a program that can win the Ohio Valley Conference and can be a successful mid-major team for years to come.

Image Courtesy: DJ Talton on X

DJ Talton, Oklahoma Wesleyan, 5’10 Guard Grad Transfer Signee with Buffalo

DJ is an energy player and who will bring a lot of effort to Buffalo this next season. At OWU this past season, he averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists a game alongside 2.6 steals. He is going to be scrappy, he’s going to be quick, and he’s going to do what he needs to do. He can playmake for his team and can either finish at the rim in transition or use his pretty jumper to knockdown a midrange shot in the defenders face. Even though he may not have the highest amount of points, I think he just plays like a Division 1 level player and that will carry be a big part in helping his game translate.

Image Courtesy: University of Nevada Athletics

Kaleb Lowery, The Master’s University, 6’8 Forward Grad Transfer and Nevada Signee

Kaleb Lowery is a great long forward who will probably come off the bench at Nevada. Overplayed at MU, he averaged 14 or more points a game each season while starting all 76 games he has played in. This most recent season he averaged 19.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a game. He makes great cuts and can post up against bigger defenders. His mid range shot is developing and looks nice so I think he can become a stretch 4 if needed. The San Diego native is leaving California to play basketball for an out of state school for the first time, but playing in the Mountain West will still keep him close to home.

Final Thoughts

The NAIA First Team All-Americans are a mix of all kinds of players, whether they be Grad Transfers (a lot), 2 year NAIA players, former JuCo players, wings, guards, etc. You have a player like Samaje Morgan coming off of an NAIA championship most likely staying which I respect and love then you have guys ready to play in one of the biggest conferences in the nation like Anthony Johnson. A lot of fans don’t realize that a lot of their favorite hoopers come from lower level schools including NAIA institutions and it’s always fun to see good players before they eventually make it to play at the highest level collegiately or pro.

Next I will be doing an article about the NCAA Division 3 First Team All-Americans so be on the lookout for that.

Image Courtesy: Salt Lake Community College Athletics

With this post, we’re going to have a first look into a series of posts I (Dylan Wilson) am doing regarding lower levels of a collegiate athletics. I will look at the top 15 JuCo basketball players according to jucorecruiting.com first, then I will look at NAIA transfers and top guys, as well as NCAA Division 3 and 2. I can admit, Carter knows a lot more about Division 1 athletics than me, but I just love the grind of the lower levels, where guys are constantly fighting to move up to places like Division 1 institutions. If I give a player comparison, it may be inaccurate, so just a warning.

Image Courtesy: Xavier Edmonds on X

1: Xavier Edmonds, TCU Commit

The number one JuCo player according to jucorecruiting.com is Xavier Edmonds. Edmonds comes from Salt Lake CC in Salt Lake City, UT by way of California. Xavier is a 6’8 Power Forward committed to TCU. At SLCC, he played 53 games over two seasons, starting 45. During his time there, he averaged 16.8 points, and 8 rebounds a night, with over 2 blocks a night as well. This past season, he averaged 21 points per game, showing he can score at an elite level. Looking at his highlights, he reminds me a little bit of a Derik Queen, but that might just be me. He can get to the basketball on his own, he can stretch the floor at decent level and can get his own rebounds to get putbacks. I expect to see a lot of Edmonds at TCU this season, especially being the only big coming in with their recruiting class.

Image Courtesy: University of Washington

2: Mady Traore, Washington Commit

The number 2 JuCo player is Mady Traore, out of Frank Phillips College in Borger, TX. The 6’11 Center originally played at New Mexico State and the University of Maryland, and is now committed to play at the University of Washington. At FPC, he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds a game. Though his 3 ball was not the most efficient this past season, he has a jumper that can be trusted if developed. The most impressive thing I saw from his game was his ability to soar towards the hoop. Traore can fly for his size and dunk the ball over defenders. If his game has developed and matured since he last played Division 1 basketball, he should be just fine at UW this year. Washington is bringing in a pretty good class this year, but I hope Mady can see the court more than he did his first two seasons playing collegiate basketball. From what I’ve seen, Coach Sprinkle at Washington truly believes in his skillset.

Image Courtesy: 247 Sports

3: Abdul Bashir, Auburn Commit

The number 3 guy, arguably number one is Omaha native 6’7 Combo Guard/SF Abdul Bashir. Abdul is an Auburn commit coming from Casper College in Casper, WY. This season in 31 games, he averaged 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game on good efficiency shooting over 40% from the field and 37% from 3. In two seasons at CC, he has tallied over 1400 points. 247 sports has him listed as a Small Forward, but I definitely see him as a combo guard. Bruce Pearl has done a really good job with craft and shifty guards at Auburn, so I think Abdul will be a really good bench piece for them. As much of a bias that I have against Auburn as an Arkansas fan, I believe Abdul can be an important piece for Auburn and help with the push for another tournament run. This guy can really score from anywhere and however he wants. He can breakdown defenders and drive to the hoop or he can shoot from deep, it really doesn’t matter. He can play at his own pace then speed things up which is really important for guys, and this guy is just a straight hooper.

Image Courtesy: South Plains College

4: Arterio Morris, most recently at South Plains College

Number 4 is 6’3 Combo Guard Arterio Morris out of South Plains College. Arterio is a former 5 star recruit out of high school who originally played for Texas. Now I don’t really know much about Arterio’s current situation and what’s next for him. There’s no news on where he will for sure be playing next season and there isn’t any recent social media activity on Instagram. This year he played 23 games at SPC in Levelland, TX where he averaged 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists a game. His efficiency wasn’t perfect and he only started 9 games, but we’ve seen how he played in high school, and he honestly wasn’t terrible his freshman year at Texas. I believe if his unfortunate circumstances at Kansas didn’t occur, he could have really made a jump. I hope Arterio can finish out his last year or so of college basketball on a good note. Also, if you see this Arterio, my bad for the picture.

Image Courtesy: Albuquerque Journal

5: Antonio Chol, New Mexico Commit

Number 5 is Garden City Community College (Garden City, KS) 6’9 Power Forward, Antonio Chol. Chol, from Buffalo, NY spent his first two seasons of college basketball at Rutgers, playing only 11 games. Now, his next destination is the University of New Mexico. At GCCC, he showed out. He played 3o games averaging 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds a game on 47% from the field, just under 40% from 3, and 83% from the free throw line. This guy can play. For his size he can break down defenders and shoot over them whether it be on dribble pull ups or fade aways. I think he can be an immediate impact player for the Lobos. Though he was considered a PF out of high school by 247 Sports, he is for sure a guard now. I think this new chance back at the Division 1 level and New Mexico being a talented program, I could see Antonio being a dark horse draft guy, at least I think his game could translate.

Image Courtesy: Oregon State University

6: Keziah Ekissi, Oregon State Commit

The number 6 JuCo player in the country is the 6’3 Guard Frenchman Keziah Ekissi. Keziah played at Howard College in Big Spring, TX this past season where he averaged 12.3 points per game on 45% from the field and 43% from 3 but is now committed to Oregon State. He looks like a strong guard with a great knack for passing alongside the ability to knock down the three ball. Before playing JuCo, he played in the U21 pro ranks for Cholet in France. I love European players, and one reason is their experience and advanced skillset. With a year under his belt in an American style of play, he should be able to make an immediate impact. Even though his 12 points per game isn’t as much as the guys ranked above him, one thing Keziah brings is elite experience at such a young age. I can see him playing 2-3 years at the Division 1 level before being a pick in the NBA draft. After watching this guys highlights, I love his game and I hope to keep up with him for the rest of his career. Beautiful game, seriously.

Image Courtesy: Nevada Men’s Basketball

7: Vaughn Weems, Nevada Commit

The 7th best JuCo player is the 2nd leading JuCo scorer, 6’5 Guard Vaughn Weems from Federal Way, WA and most recently playing at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, ID. Vaughn is an all around 2-way player. At NIC he averaged 26.7 points and 8 rebounds per game. He also averaged 3 steals. This guy should be a good all-around player for Nevada after playing two seasons at NIC. Weems is a multidimensional player able to do whatever a team needs him to do, and I expect him to play the 2 or 3 off of the bench, if he doesn’t get himself the starting job by the end of the season.

Image Courtesy: Isaac Taveras on X

8: Isaac Taveras, Southern Miss Commit

Number 8 is the 6’5 Guard, Isaac Taveras. The Santo Domingo, DR native most recently played at South Plains College, yes the same South Plains as Arterio Morris. SPC went 32-3 this past season and Taveras, also a former Division 1 player played a big part in their success. Taveras averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds a game this year. Taveras is a crafty guard who originally played at Fresno State where he played 22 games and didn’t do too bad averaging a little under 4.8 points. He should be able to contribute at Southern Miss.

Image Courtesy: EuroBasket

9: William Beugre-Kassi, most recently at Indian Hill CC

The 9th ranked JuCo hooper is 6’8 Wing, William Beugre-Kassi from France who most recently played 2 seasons at Indian Hills Community College (Ottumwa, IA). He averaged 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He is a high flying wing who has a developing left handed jumper. He uses quick crossovers and strong drives to dunk the ball with ferocity. With interests from multiple division 1 schools and still uncommitted, I imagine William can develop into a starting wing at the mid-major level in the near future.

Image Courtesy: College of Charleston Athletics

10: Chol Machot, College of Charleston Commit

The 10th ranked JuCo player is the 7’0 Center out of Florida SouthWestern State (Fort Myers, FL) by way of Melbourne, Australia. The redshirt freshman and former Mississippi State commit averaged 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks a game in 27 games. His efficiency and versatility is the most impressive part of his game as he shoots over 60% from the field and 36.6% from 3. He is long but quick and can drive or cut to the basket and get the easy dunk, or he can even catch and shoot on pick and pops with signs of developing off the dribble shooting. I can see him coming in as a possible starter or the first big off of the bench.

Image Courtesy: On3.com

11: Ade Popoola, Tulsa Commit

Ade Popoola, a 6’5 Guard from St. Louis and most recently playing at Moberly Area CC (Moberly, MO) for the past 2 seasons is the 11th ranked JuCo prospect in the nation. Averaging 18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, he has proven that he is worth a Division 1 scholarship. Ade can score from area, whether he is finding his own shot from 3, driving to the basket, or coming off hand offs and catch and shoot 3. He is also very efficient, shooting 49% from the field, 46.5% from 3, and 82% from the foul line. I believe that even if he doesn’t become a star player, his game will translate well no matter what and his floor is a 7-8th man off the bench, but I find that highly unlikely with his ability to score in so many ways.

Image Courtesy: On3.com

12: Isaac Garrett, Oakland Commit

Isaac Garrett, a 6’9 PF originally from Pleasant Grove, UT and playing just an hour and a half south for the last two seasons at Snow College in Ephraim. Isaac averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.4 stocks a night with good efficiency from the field shooting 53%. Oakland doesn’t have a pretty recruiting class but Isaac is a bright spot in the that regards. He reminds me of a less athletic (no offense to Isaac) Grant Nelson, but with better post of game. Isaac shot alright from 3 his first season, shooting 34% but he upped the volume of shots this past season, though falling to 20% from behind the arc. If he can work on his shooting consistency, he can be a problem at Oakland, especially after a year at the Division 1 level.

Image Courtesy: Wichita State Athletics

13: Dre Kindell, Wichita State Commit

Dre Kindell, a 6’0 Guard from Cincinnati, OH who played the last two seasons at Barton CC in Barton County, KS is ranked as the 13th best JuCo player in the nation. He averaged 15.8 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds a game on 42% shooting from the field. His game reminds me of Trey Burke’s at least when Dre does his mid range pull-ups. I think that is my favorite part of his game. I really hope he can contribute next season. His playmaking will be what makes him great though, as you don’t see a lot of guys averaging 5 assists in the college ranks. He uses his quickness and handles to speed by defenders to either get a mid range jumper, layup, or he can quickly dump the ball inside for a nice assist. From what I’ve seen, he makes the players around him better and that is the most important thing in the long run. Like I said with Keziah Ekissi, I would love to keep up with this guys career. I love guards who really love to play-make and share the ball.

Image Courtesy: Emondrek Erkins-Ford on X

14: Emondrek Erkins-Ford, Jacksonville State Commit

Ranking 14th in the nation is the Chicago native and 6’9 Forward, Emondrek Erkins-Ford, from Eastern Florida State College (Cocoa, FL). Emondrek is a good back-to-the-basket forward who can post up and get a bucket. He uses pump fakes in the paint to get his opponents to jump, allowing for an easier basket at the rim. He has spent the last two seasons at EFSC, and most recently averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1.8 blocks a game. To me, he seems like a gritty player who will do what he needs to do. He plays strong and gets to the rim if he isn’t posting up, but he can also look to guard multiple positions on the court. For a team like Jax State, I can see him making an impact early on.

Image Courtesy: JuCo Roundup on X

15: Kedar Bodie, North Alabama Commit

Rounding out the top 5 is Augusta, GA native and R-So from Bishop State CC in Mobile, AL. Bodie, a 6’3 Combo Guard averaged 21 points per game this past season while playing only 18 minutes a game. He has been quite efficient in his scoring, shooting 45% from the field and 34.5% from three. He averages 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks a game which speaks just as loud has his great scoring ability. He can score by creating his own shots or he can score off ball as well. I hope I am not hyping him up too much, but the way he plays can be very useful at a high level in Division 1. We will wait to see his first season at UNA, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he shocks a lot of people his first season. I choose not to talk down about players or disrespect their game, but when I say I like someone’s game and think it will translate, I mean it.

Final Thoughts

Well, now that I’ve gone over the top 15 JuCo prospects this year, I guess I have to choose my favorite player. I think it’s a tough decision, but it’s for sure between Keziah Ekissi and Kedar Bodie. These two guys represent the play styles and origins I love the most. I love raw European players who come over and show flashes but take time to adjust to the American game and I also love gritty JuCo guys who make it to a higher level. Both of these guys have the potential to be really good.

I hope y’all go check out these guys highlights, but also go support them as well. JuCo basketball is one of the rawest forms of hoops there is. You got former 5 stars, former mid-major hoopers, guys from overseas, and guys who were tuff but never got the attention from scouts and coaches they deserved. Thank y’all.