Coach O’s Recruiting Angle
Today’s Coach O Recruitment Angle breaks down a very specific Southeast NCAA D1 preferred walk-on opportunity for a high-academic big who can play the five. With 2 players reportedly entering the portal and 6 seniors/graduate players listed on the current roster, there is clear movement as the staff evaluates frontcourt depth, practice competitiveness, and culture fit. This is not a general roster post — it is a targeted opportunity for a serious frontcourt player who understands the PWO path and can bring size, academic strength, coachability, and a team-first approach to a Division I environment.
A Southeast NCAA D1 basketball program has a preferred walk-on opportunity for a high-academic player who can play the five. This is a specific fit, not a general roster post, and the staff is looking for a big who can bring size, academic strength, and the right approach to a D1 environment. The current roster lists 6 seniors/graduate players, creating movement while the program evaluates frontcourt depth and culture fit.
This is the type of opportunity where details matter before you reach out. Become a member to view the coach contact, school details, position need, roster movement, and key recruiting notes so you can reach out with a message that shows fit, preparation, and purpose.
QUICK LINKS TO CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND ATHLETIC WEBSITE:
School: Charleston Southern University
Basketball: BUCS
Student Enrollment: 3,874
LOCATION:
COACH CONTACT INFORMATION:
Coach Michael Ervin – Assistant Coach/Director of Operations
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 843-863-7811
RECRUITMENT FORM:
CLICK HERE – to complete prospective student athlete recruitment questionnaire.
PROGRAM INFORMATION:
Division: NCAA Division 1 Basketball
Conference: BIG SOUTH
Facility: Buc’s Fieldhouse
Capacity: 881
OPENING DETAILS:
We are looking for a Preferred Walk-On! If you are a high academic achiever and can play the five, contact me via my email.
Roster Senior/Graduate Breakdown:
This roster currently lists 6 seniors/graduate players.By position:
- Guard: 4
- Forward: 2
Roster Movement Snapshot
Portal Departures: A local report noted the program’s top two scorers, A’lahn Sumler and Brycen Blaine, entered the transfer portal after the season.
Incoming Transfers: The current roster lists multiple players with previous college experience, including Western Michigan, UNC Greensboro, Daytona State, Emory & Henry, New Orleans, Cedarville, Carthage, Mount Olive, Covenant College, Jacksonville, Siena, and others.
Freshmen Signed: No separate official freshman signing class announcement was publicly found. The current roster lists freshmen Marquise Leslie and DJ Hubbard.
Best Fit: High-academic preferred walk-on big, center, rim-running five, developmental post player, strong practice competitor, unsigned senior, post-grad, or high-character frontcourt player who understands the PWO path.
Why This Opening Matters
This opening matters because the staff has identified a very specific need: a preferred walk-on who can play the five. That is different from a standard scholarship recruitment. The program already has multiple tall frontcourt players listed, but the coach-confirmed need points toward adding a high-academic big who can help with practice competitiveness, depth, development, and long-term culture fit. For the right player, this is a chance to enter a D1 environment with a clear role expectation.
Best Player Fit
This opening is best for a player who:
✅ is a high academic achiever
✅ can play the five
✅ understands the preferred walk-on route
✅ brings size, toughness, and coachability
✅ can rebound, defend, screen, and protect the rim
✅ has updated film and academic information ready
✅ is realistic about role, development, and earning trustRecruiting Angle
Players should not approach this like a scholarship demand. This is a preferred walk-on opportunity, so the message should sound mature, academic, and team-first. The player should lead with GPA/test scores if strong, height/weight, position, film, and why they understand the PWO role.
CURRENT ROSTER:
CLICK HERE – to see this season’s player roster.
HEAD COACH RESUME:
Head Coach Saah Nimley prepares for his seventh season at Charleston Southern and second full season as the program’s head coach entering the 2025-26 season. He was promoted to the role officially on March 4th, 2024 after serving as the team’s Interim Head Coach beginning in November of 2023 following the announcement of Barclay Radebaugh stepping away from the Head Coach position. He joined Radebaugh’s coaching staff in the summer of 2019 after being a four-year member of the program from 2011-2015. During the 2023 summer, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach.
As an assistant coach, Nimley served a defensive coordinator styled role. In the 2020-21 season, he was pivotal in developing Phlilandrous Fleming Jr., who was second in the conference in steals and sixth in the conference in blocks.
Of all the Buccaneers that Nimley has played a crucial part in developing and identifying, there is no greater example than the 2024-25 Big South Player of the Year, Taje’ Kelly. Kelly, an Atlanta-area native like Nimley, was identified by his future head coach during his high school days as a Grayson Ram. After his junior season (2023-24), Kelly had built up a body of work on the court and in the classroom that could have propelled him to a high-major program in the modern NCAA transfer portal era. Kelly, wanting to further evolve his skillset in preparation for his senior campaign, cited his relationship with Nimley as an integral piece of the puzzle that eventually resulted in him playing his fourth and final year of college basketball in a CSU jersey.
During Nimley’s first year on the sideline (2019-20), the Bucs pulled off their first Power 5 win since he was donning the Buccaneer blue and gold – a 68-60 win over Missouri on Dec. 3, 2019. Fleming Jr. was also named the Big South Defensive Player of the Year after a stellar season while Deontaye Buskey and Travis Anderson had breakout campaigns. CSU finished the 2019-20 season with a run to the Big South Conference Tournament quarterfinals nearly pulling off an upset of top-seeded Radford.
A 2015 CSU graduate, Nimley is the Bucs’ all-time assists leader and third-leading scorer. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native remains the only player in Big South Conference history with over 1,800 points and 500 assists. He made his pro debut with Nevezis Kedainiai, a Lithuanian team, in the Baltic League in 2015-16.
Nimley played catalyst to one of the most successful stretches in CSU men’s basketball history. He led the Bucs to NIT berths in 2013 and 2015. As a freshman in 2011-12, Nimley finished as runner-up for the Big South Freshman of the Year award as CSU captured its first winning season in 16 years.
He capped his CSU career with a magnificent senior campaign in 2014-15, earning Big South Player of the Year honors after ranking fourth nationally in both scoring and made three-pointers per game. His performance also garnered him Honorable Mention All-America status from the Associated Press. Nimley scored 30 or more points seven times and was the only player in the nation to record four consecutive 30-point efforts.
QUICK LINKS TO CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY WEBSITE PAGES:
CLICK HERE – School Info
CLICK HERE – Academics
CLICK HERE – Admissions
