Clarksville, TN – The 2023-24 Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball roster has been established.
“This roster is made up of young men who are equally yoked and committed to being a part of something bigger than themselves,” said head coach Corey Gipson.
“We feel like the guys on this team are the greatest example of brotherhood, servanthood, and unconditional love. No question we have some of the top talent in the country, but more importantly, these guys understand postponing immediate gratification for the betterment of the team,” Gipson stated.
Gipson’s 12-man signing class consists of 11 transfers with collegiate experience, including six players from Northwestern State where Gipson was the head coach during the 2022-23 season.
The 11 veteran newcomers have combined for 6,300-career points, 2,231 rebounds, 1,291 assists, 470 starts, and 640 games played in their college careers entering their first season as a Governor.
DeMarcus Sharp | Guard | Northwestern State
The 2022-23 Southland Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year, Sharp was one of the most electric players in college basketball last season at Northwestern State.
Sharp finished his senior season ranked in the Top 100 nationally in nine statistical categories, including field goals attempted (544, 11th), field goals made (251, 15th), points (644, 32nd), and points per game (19.5, 32nd). The Louisiana State Writers Association (LSWA) First Team recipient and Newcomer of the Year scored in double figures 29 times last season and had six 30-point performances, which included a 40-point outing against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
After beginning his collegiate career at Mobery Area Community College, Sharp transferred to Colby Community College where he was an NJCAA DI All-American and Jayhawk West Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year selection after averaging 16.5 points, 5.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in 32 appearances.
Ja’Monta Black | Guard | Northwestern State
Black is the highest-rated three-point shooter in the country entering the 2023-24 season after finishing fourth in Division I with 122 triples and 3.81 three-pointers per game last season.
The 2022-23 Second Team All-Southland Conference selection comes to Clarksville after spending last season with Gipson at Northwestern State where he broke the Demons single-season and single-game three-point record last season.
The Columbia, Missouri native started 32 games for the Demons in 2022-23, scoring in double figures 27 times and knocking down at least five triples 10 times. He shot 38.8 and 37.4 percent from the field and beyond the arc, respectively, while also connecting at an 86.4-percent clip from the charity stripe.
Prior to his season at Northwestern State, Black was a three-year letterwinner at Missouri State where he started 75-of-90 games, including 55-of-58 during his sophomore and junior campaigns. He made 77 three-pointers as a junior – the seventh-best mark in program history – and ranked sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference with 2.3 triples per game.
Isaac Haney | Guard | Northwestern State
Another newcomer that followed Gipson from Northwestern State, Haney averaged 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while starting in all 33 games for the Demons last season.
The West Plains, Missouri native scored in double figures 19 times during his sophomore season, including a stretch of six-straight games, November 17th-December 10th. He scored a season-high 23 points on a quartet of three-pointers in a February 16th victory against Southeastern Louisiana.
Haney appeared in 32 games during his freshman season at Missouri State, averaging 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 15.8 minutes a night, earning Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman selection.
Haney was a standout at Kickapoo and Dora High School and finished his prep career with 3,141 points – the fourth most in Missouri high school boys’ basketball history. Haney helped lead KHS to a 28-2 record during his senior season, leading it to its first Missouri Class 6 State Championship after averaging 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game.
Hansel Enmanuel | Guard | Northwestern State
Hansel Enmanuel appeared in 20 games during his freshman season at Northwestern State, including starts in the final five games of the Demons’ 2022-23 campaign.
He played a season-high 25 minutes in Northwestern State’s Southland Conference Championship game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He also scored a season-high five points against New Orleans, on February 18th.
A highly-touted recruit coming out of Life Christian Academy, Enmanel was a three-star recruit by 247sports.com and ranked the No. 243 prospect by On3.com after averaging 25.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior.
Dezi Jones | Guard | Quinnipiac
After beginning his collegiate career at Moberly Area Community College where he averaged 17.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore, Jones transferred to Quinnipiac where he averaged 12.0 points and 3.4 assists per game during his junior and senior seasons.
Jones scored at least 20 points five times during his first season in New Haven, Connecticut and averaged 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists during the Bobcats’ 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament run.
The Hannibal, Missouri native improved in nearly every statistical category during his senior season and shot 41.7 percent from beyond the arc while starting in 30-of-32 contests.
Jones prepped at Hannibal High School where he graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,153 points after averaging 30.0 points per game as a senior. He still holds HHS’ single-game scoring record with 50 points which he accomplished during his final prep season.
Harrison Black | Guard | Northwestern State
Black comes to Clarksville after spending last season at Northwestern State with Gipson. He appeared in seven games off the bench for the Demons and scored a pair of points while also dishing out two assists against Houston Christian during Southland Conference play.
Black began his collegiate career at LSU-Alexandria where he played in a pair of games for the Generals.
A Houston native, Black averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 assists per game throughout his junior and senior seasons at Sam Rayburn High School under head coach Corey Krampen.
Anton Brookshire | Guard | Iona
Brookshire made 32 appearances off the bench during his sophomore season at Iona, helping the Gaels win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Championship and earn a spot in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The Springfield, Missouri native averaged 4.2 points per game while shooting 43.1 and 38.8 percent from the field and three-point range, respectively, while reaching double figures four times.
Brookshire had a career day in Gaels’ 73-53 win at Saint Peter’s February 19th, with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in 25 minutes. He played six minutes in Iona’s NCAA Tournament First Round matchup against No. 4 Connecticut, tallying three points and grabbing a pair of rebounds. Prior to his season in New Rochelle, New York, Brookshire appeared in 18 games as a freshman at Missouri.
Brookshire was a Top 100 recruit nationally and the No. 2 recruit in Missouri by ESPN.com coming out of Kickapoo High School alongside teammate Isaac Haney. He averaged 18.5 points and 5.4 assists per game to help lead KHS to its first Missouri Class 6 State Championship title and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and 2021 Springfield News-Leader Player of the Year.
Jordan Wilmore | Center | Northwestern State
Wilmore is another addition that Gipson brings with him from Northwestern State. The 7-3 center played in 28 games for the Demons during his junior season, making 12 starts.
He logged a season-high 20 points in the Demons’ win at No. 15 TCU last season where he scored three points and grabbed four rebounds. He also had a season-high eight boards in 19 minutes against Louisiana-Monroe last season.
Wilmore began his collegiate career at Missouri where he made six starts and appeared in 18 games during his freshman and sophomore season. He scored in double figures for the first time in his career during an 11-point, six-rebound performance against Southern Methodist as a sophomore.
In his prep career, Wilmore was a standout at Whitehaven High School where he helped lead head coach Faragi Phillips’ program to a 2019 District 16 AAA championship after defeating Memphis East and the nation’s top prospect that year, James Wiseman.
Sai Witt | Forward | Lincoln University of Missouri
Witt averaged 15.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game during his sophomore season in Jefferson City, Missouri and was a finalist for the Black College Sports Network NCAA Division II Player of the Year Honor in addition to being tabbed a Second Team All-Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association recipient.
Witt spend his freshman season at Kansas City Kansas Community College where he averaged 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in six appearances which included a 31-point, 13-rebound performance against Ellsworth in his second-career game.
Jonathan Dunn | Forward | Missouri State
Dunn did not see action during his freshman season at Missouri State, but was a prep standout at Logan-Rogersville High School after transferring from Hazelwood Central during his senior season.
Dunn averaged 23.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 62.6 percent from the field, earning Big 8 East Player of the Year honors. He was named to the News-Leader Dominant Dozen Team.
Dunn played travel ball for Yanders Law AAU alongside current teammate, Anton Brookshire.
Daniel Loos | Forward | Christian Brothers
The grandson of Austin Peay State University Hall of Fame head coach Dave Loos, Loos was a three-year letterwinner at Christian Brothers, starting 44-of-66 appearances. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds and shot 59.3 percent from the field during his three years in Memphis.
Loos averaged a career-best 12.8 points per game during his sophomore season, earning Third Team All-Gulf South Conference honors.
A Clarksville Academy graduate, Loos tallied 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game throughout his prep career and led the Cougars to four-straight 25-win seasons and a pair of Division II Class A State Championship appearances.
Dez White | Guard | The Skills Factory Prep
Dez White was a three-star recruit by On3.com and 247Sports and comes to Clarksville after spending last year at The Skills Factory Prep after graduating from Helias Catholic High School.
White was an integral part of The Skills’ Factory’s 2022-23 season, helping the program reach top 20 in the nation after shooting 48.0 percent from three-point range.
White holds the single-season and single-game scoring record at Helias Catholic with 699 and 51 points, respectively. He also is the program’s single-game free throw shooter with 20 makes at the line during his junior season.
