College Basketball Preview: Campbell add 8 new faces

The Camels finished at .500 in the Big South last season

Guard Ricky Clemons is the Camels' top returning player. (Gerry Broome / AP Photo)

Campbell finished a distant second in the Big South’s North division last season and needs to replace three starters on this year’s roster. With four freshmen and four transfers, coach Kevin McGeehan will have to get his roster to jell quickly to compete in the Big South this season.

2021-22 record: 16-13 (8-8 Big South)

Top players: Ricky Clemons leads the way among returning Camels. A preseason All-Big South second-teamer, he is the top returning scorer on the team at 9.8 points per game. Jesus Carralero is back after averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Joshua Lusane and Gediminas Mokseckas are the only other returnees with any significant playing time.

Key additions: Devon Dunn arrives from Fairleigh Dickinson. Sophomore Juan Reyna (Alabama State) hit 40% from 3. Guard Jasin Sinani (Milwaukee) and senior forward Jay Pal (Jacksonville State) round out the transfers. The team also brings in a quartet of freshmen.

Departed players: Campbell’s top two senior leaders from last season are gone in leading scorer Cedric Henderson, who averaged 14.0 points and 5.6 rebounds, and Jordan Whitfield, who was second in scoring at 11.5 points per game. The pair was also Campbell’s best two outside shooters. Starter Austin McCullough and sixth man Messiah Thompson are also gone.

Expectations: Campbell was picked for sixth in the 10-team Big South in this season’s preseason poll, but very little separated No. 5 from No. 8, meaning the Camels could easily be anywhere from just outside the top tier to just outside the basement.