Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina third-year head men's basketball coach Tim Craft finalized the next season's roster with the addition of 10 newcomers to join the Catamounts in 2026-27, including six transfers and four freshmen set to join four returners in #CatamountCountry.
The six transfers include senior Malachi Brown (Georgia State/Seton Hall), redshirt junior Donovan Raymond (ODU/Hampton), juniors Travelle Bryson (Howard/Vincennes) and Isaiah Manning (Sam Houston State/TCU), along with sophomores Jaxon Prunty (College of Charleston) and Jaeden Roberts (Hofstra). The half-dozen transfers are joined by freshmen Jose Martins (Katy, Texas), Jacob Zhu (Atlanta, Ga.), and Fola Sodipo (Katy, Texas). Antonio McKoy (Salemburg, N.C.) signed with the Catamounts last November and also joins the program this fall.
The 10 newcomers to Cullowhee join four returning players – sophomores Samuel Dada, and Tayeshaun Smith, redshirt sophomore Drew Hollifield, and redshirt freshman Titian DeRosa.
Dada started his collegiate career with a bang on the glass, recording five double-doubles and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game. He shot an efficient 69% from the field a season ago. Smith returns from his debut season, scoring 18 points against UVA-Lynchburg, including 8-of-10 shooting and six rebounds. Dada and Smith are joined by returners in Hollifield and DeRosa.
Donovan Raymond
6-10 – 220 lbs. – R-Junior
Charlotte, N.C. (Old Dominion / Hampton / West Charlotte HS)
Raymond joins the Catamounts, having spent the past two seasons at Old Dominion, with his redshirt season coming at Hampton. Over his three collegiate seasons, he has played in 59 games, with 51 coming with the Monarchs over the last two years. In 2025-26 at ODU, Raymond was an efficient 18-of-27 (66.7%) from the field with three games of five points apiece against Morgan State, Southern Miss, and Georgia State.
In his first season at ODU, Raymond saw action in 20 games and finished his sophomore year with 38 points (1.9 ppg), 34 rebounds (1.7 rpg), 10 assists, one block, and one steal. He made 51.7 percent of his shots from the field as he contributed eight points, six boards, two assists, and one block to ODU's 74-52 win at Coastal Carolina. Raymond also tallied eight points and six boards against JMU.
Before playing at Old Dominion, Raymond spent his debut season at Hampton, where he played in eight games before redshirting and averaged 4.4 points per game with a season-high 14 points against Mid-Atlantic Christian and Virginia-Lynchburg.
Raymond prepped at West Charlotte High, where he averaged 11 points, seven rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He recorded five double-doubles and started every game in his high school career. Raymond was ranked the 20th-best prospect in the state of North Carolina and a three-star recruit by ESPN.com.
Malachi Brown
6-1 – 175 lbs. – Senior
Buford, Ga. (Georgia State / Seton Hall / Legacy Early College)
Brown spent the past two seasons at Georgia State after opening his career at Seton Hall in 2023-24. The Buford, Ga. native appeared in 83 games between his time with the Pirates and Panthers, including 65 games the last two years in Atlanta.
In his two seasons at Georgia State, he scored 622 points, averaging 10.2 points per game with a 12.9 per game average during the 2025-26 season. He buried 42.6% (218-of-512) from the field and made 96 3-pointers, shooting at a 37.9% clip. He also averaged 3.8 boards per game with 193 assists, including 111 helpers in 2024-25 with the Panthers. He recorded a career-best in league play last season with 26 points against Coastal Carolina and 10 boards against Southern Miss.
In his first season in Atlanta, Brown led the team with 111 assists and finished second with 37 steals, finishing fourth in the Sun Belt with a 1.85 assist-to-turnover ratio and was 10th in the conference in both total assists and assists per game. Brown tallied 12 double-digit games and recorded a career-high nine assists against James Madison.
Before his time in Atlanta, Brown appeared in 18 games off the bench as a freshman for Seton Hall as the Pirates won the 2024 National Invitational Title. He had a season-best 10 points against UAlbany.
Brown helped lead Buford High to the Class 6A state championship in 2022 and finished in the top five in the conference in assists. He then completed his prep career at Legacy Early College (S.C.), where he averaged 22.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in 2022-23.
Travelle Bryson
6-5 – 195 lbs. – Junior
Charlotte, N.C. (Howard / Vincennes / Hopewell HS)
Bryson spent last season at Howard University, where the Bisons earned the MEAC Tournament title before advancing to the first four with a win over UMBC. He saw action in 32 games throughout his lone season at Howard, where he recorded 273 points (8.5 ppg) and 106 rebounds (3.3 rpg), shooting 46.2% from the floor and 81.6% from the free throw line. He totaled double figures in 17 games with a season-high 22 points and eight rebounds against N.C. Central.
Before his season at Howard, Bryson spent his debut season at Vincennes University in Indiana, where he saw action in 26 games, scoring 10.5 points per game on 51% shooting. He had double-digit scoring 12 times for the Trailblazers. His best two games came against Lake Land, recording a double-double of 28 points and 10 points and 24 points and seven rebounds in another meeting. He additionally notched a 26-point performance with seven rebounds against Kaskashia.
Isaiah Manning
6-8 – 225 lbs. – R-Junior
Mansfield, Texas (Sam Houston State / TCU / Mansfield Legacy)
Manning joins the Catamounts after opening his collegiate career in the Lone Star State, spending time at both Sam Houston and TCU. In his lone season with the Bearkats, he saw action in 16 games and averaged 10.7 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds per contest. Manning made 46% (58-of-126) of his field goals, including 22 threes, and was an efficient 33-of-38 (86.8%) from the free-throw line. He tallied double figures in nine games with a 27-point and 10-rebound double-double coming against Biblical Studies (Texas).
In a pair of seasons as a Horned Frog, he played in 24 games after taking a redshirt season in 2023-24. In his 24 games at TCU, he posted a season-high 10 points and four rebounds in a season-opener against Florida A&M.
As a prep, Manning ranked No. 87 nationally by 247 Sports as he averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game as a senior in 2022-23, but played in eight games before suffering an injury. He also averaged 14.8 points and 9.7 rebounds as a junior in 2021-22, while shooting 49.7 percent from the field, including 39.4 percent from 3-point range. Manning was named first-team All-District as he earned All-Region and All-DFW.
Jaxon Prunty
6-6 – 203 lbs. – R-Sophomore
Charlotte, N.C. (College of Charleston / Lexington HS)
Prunty begins his Catamount career after spending two seasons with College of Charleston, where he saw action in 37 games with the Cougars. After playing in just five games in 2024-25, Prunty appeared in 32 games with 10 starts last season. He scored 123 points (3.8 ppg), along with 63 rebounds (2.0 rpg) as he made 32 field goals and 12 threes with a 47-of-56 (83.9%) at the charity stripe. He scored in double figures three times, with his best showing coming with 13 points against Florida Atlantic.
In his prep career, he was a member of the 2024 Lexington High SCHSL Class 5-A Championship, as he scored 23 points in the title game for the Wildcats.
Jaeden Roberts
6-3 – 175 lbs. – Sophomore
Boston, Mass. (Hofstra / Putnam Science Academy)
Roberts spent the 2025-26 season at Hofstra, playing in 23 games off the bench for the Pride. He scored in double figures four times, led by 20 points in a league game against N.C. A&T, and he scored 17 points along with seven rebounds in nonconference play against Old Westbury. He also recorded 14 points in a matchup against Campbell. Roberts shot 43% (34-of-79) along with 41.2% (21-of-51) threes as the Boston, Mass. native totaled 18 rebounds, 18 assists, and seven steals in his 23 contests.
He was a standout at Putnam Science Academy during his prep career, as he helped lead the program to a prep national title. He was also named Player of the Year as a sophomore and a junior while also spending time playing AAU for team New England.
Jose Martins
6-4 – 175 lbs. – Freshman
Katy, Texas (Seven Lakes HS)
Martins comes to #CatamountCountry after spending his career at Seven Lakes High, where he was named 19-6A first-team All-District after averaging 12.2 points per game on 53.6% shooting and made 36% of his threes. He averaged 3.8 assists per game with 75 steals as a senior, as his team was in the top 25 with multiple DI commits, including Martins. He also spent time playing for the U18 Brazil national team.
Jacob Zhu
6-1 – 175 lbs. – Freshman
Atlanta, Ga. (Overtime Elite)
Zhu joins the Catamounts after spending his senior year at Overtime Elite with Fear of God and Calvary Christian Academy, where he averaged 13.4 points per game along with 4.1 assists per game and shot 42.6% from deep. Cavalry Christian Academy earned the 2026 Florida Class 3A State title. He put together a strong U19's performance for the Chinese National team in the World Cup as well in the 15th National Games of the People Republic of China, which included a 26-point performance during the qualification tournament where his team earned a Bronze medal.
During the U19 World Cup, Zhu scored 19 points against the Canadian team and also saw action in a matchup with Germany, scoring 12 points.
Fola Sodipo
6-8 – 215 lbs. – Freshman
Katy, Texas (Tompkins HS)
Sodipo finished his prep career averaging 18.3 points per game at Tompkins High. He also pulled down an average of 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 58% and 38% from deep. Sodipo was also strong defensively, averaging 2.6 steals and deflections per contest and a blocked shot per game. Sodipo was a first-team all-district and defensive player of the year selection.
Antonio McKoy
6-5 – 210 lbs. – Freshman
Salemburg, N.C. (Harrells Christian Academy)
Coming from Harrells Christian Academy, McKoy joins WCU off an impressive prep career that included multiple CIC Conference Player of the Year honors, while garnering multiple all-conference plaudits. He additionally earned multiple all-tournament team honors and won conference tournament MVP during the 2024-25 season. As a senior, McKoy totaled 1,051 points at a 28.4 per game average and eclipsed the 3,000 career point plateau in his high school career. He also pulled down 1,119 rebounds and dished out over 300 assists.
