VMI Basketball Rolls 87-53 over Christendom in Home Opener

The VMI basketball team rolled to an 87-53 victory against Christendom College to open the 2023–24 home season in Cameron Hall Nov. 9, 2023.

A total of 11 Keydets scored on the night, including seven rats, and 13 players saw action. Koree Cotton ’27 netted a game- and career-high 17 points, and Tyran Cook ’27 had 13 points and added seven rebounds. Stephen Olowoniyi ’27 had 11 points and six rebounds as the Keydets’ top three scorers were first-year players.

VMI scored the first eight points of the game and finished the half on a 7-0 run to take a 43-19 lead into intermission. The Keydets extended a 57-37 edge with 12 minutes left in the second half to a 68-37 lead after an 11-0 surge.

Inside the box score:

• Devin Butler ’24 had 10 points and four rebounds
• Brennan Watkins ’25 had seven points and a career-high five assists, while D.J. Nussbaum ’24 had six points
• Taeshaud Jackson II ’26, Corey Chesley ’27, Robert Peters ’27, and Jaren Morton ’27 each had five points
• Jake Johnston ’24 entered the game late in the contest and earned his first career steal
• Jackson grabbed a game-high 10 boards, his second double-digit rebound game in the first two contests of the season. Maurice Wright Jr. ’27 also grabbed seven caroms.
• John Paul Vander Woude had 16 points and seven rebounds for Christendom
• VMI held a substantial 48-28 rebound advantage
• The Keydets shot 51.5 percent from the floor (35-68) and held the Crusaders to just 33.3 percent shooting (21-63)

Quotes from Andrew Wilson, VMI Basketball Head Coach

On Second-Half Play and Setting a New Standard

“I thought we did a great job. I’m interested in getting better at every single possession. We had all our guys get a chance to step out on the floor. I want them to pursue excellence. Nine of our 13 scholarship guys are freshmen, and we’re a work in progress. We’re trying to figure out how to chase that standard every single day. We’re not there yet, but we’re going to get there.”

On Having Depth and More Bodies to Play

“We have a lot of depth right now, and we have a lot of talent. We have to figure out how to bring all that together. Our coaching staff is still learning our players, and the players are still learning the coaching staff. It’s exciting because we have competition at practice every day, and the guys have been able to push each other.”

Editor’s Note: This article was first published at vmikeydets.com.