CONWAY, S.C. – When Coastal Carolina officially begins basketball practice on Monday, head coach Justin Gray expects his team to bring a certain “E.D.G.E” to the court.
 
The expression he has been instilling in his players and serves as the foundation for his program, stands for “Energy, Discipline, Grit, Excellence.”  

“It’s a brand for us,” Gray said. “We want to make sure our guys understand we’ve got to have this every single day.
   
“The train is going one way; we’re not backing up. We’re moving [forward]. That’s how we’ll be able to get this thing turned around.”
 
One player that will be instrumental in getting things turned around is redshirt junior Rasheed Jones, who began his collegiate career with Gray at Western Carolina before transferring to junior college and reuniting with his former coach last season.
   
Jones is the Chants’ top returning scorer from last season after ranking second on the squad, averaging 11.6 points per game (ppg). He also ranked second in three-point field goals made (66) and assists (66).  

“He understands it and has been through it,” Gray said. “He’s able to tell guys what it should look like and shouldn’t look like. He has a natural ability to lead because of what he can do on the court.”
 
Other returnees include Charles Dunlap, Jackson Keil, Braeden MacVicar,  Connor Martin, and Andre Mulibea.
 
“Those guys have done a good job of instilling our culture into the new guys,” Gray said. “They all represent it.  

“It’s we over me. Everybody has a job. This is not an individual sport. You need guys that put the team before themselves.”  

During the offseason, the program underwent a substantial personnel change, adding nine new players.  

Joshua Beadle (Clemson/Boston College) and DaJohn Craig (Oregon State) were brought in from the power conference ranks; AJ Dancler (LeMoyne) and Jerry Ngopot (ULM) were also added from the Division I level.   

Dancler was a second-team all-conference player at LeMoyne and averaged 15.1 ppg – the highest scoring average of any newcomer-and shot 40.4 percent from outside the three-point arc. Beadle averaged 5.9 points in 18.1 minutes per game for Boston College, Ngopot posted 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 19.5 minutes at ULM while Craig missed most of the 2024-25 season due to injury.  

The Chants signed Reggie Hill (Midwestern State) and Nadjrick Peat (Hawaii-Hilo) from Division II programs and Derrick Green (Brunswick Community) out of junior college. Devin Brown and Tristan Thompson are the lone freshmen.  

Peat ranked among the top 10 in Division II in blocks during his junior and senior seasons, and Hill was top 10 rebounder in his conference.

“We feel good about the character of everybody we brought in,” Gray stated. “We feel really good about the toughness that they bring both physically and mentally. They all have talent.  

“The main thing is that they’ve bought into the culture. You’ll never see one of our guys alone, on campus, off campus, in the gym; they always have a teammate along with them. The closer your team is off the court, the better you can play and connect on the court.”  

One of the newcomers that has had a significant influence on instilling culture has been Beadle following four years playing in the ACC.  

“He’s had experiences that some of the other guys haven’t,” Gray said. “He’s been around good teams and programs, so he knows how things operate, and guys listen to that.  

“That’s one of the reasons we feel good about our culture and being able to make a jump this season in year two.” 

For complete coverage of CCU men’s basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalMBB (Instagram/X), Facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook)or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.