Campus News
November 3rd, 2025
Experienced Lakers look for redemption
10 return to program after tough playoff loss to Catamounts
Garrett College's 74-72 loss to Potomac State College of West Virginia University in last season's regional tournament was a bitter ending to a sweet, 21-win men's basketball season. The Lakers, however, seem intent on turning that negative into a positive.
"We have quite a few guys who returned with a sour taste in their mouth from the tough playoff loss," said fifth-year GC head coach Matt McCullough. "That's a major reason so many guys wanted to return – they knew we still had work to do.
"It's motivation – we came up a little bit short last year, but this group is hungry to take the next step," added McCullough. "This has been the best preseason we've had, and the hardest-working team I've had."
The Lakers return 10 players, including four who redshirted last season. That experience is one of several reasons McCullough is optimistic about the upcoming season, which starts Wednesday with a 7 p.m. contest at NJCAA Division II Region 20 rival Frederick Community College.
"This is the largest group of returners I've had, which is pretty cool," said McCullough. "They know what it takes to win and compete in this league, and they know how to prepare. They can also provide leadership for our new guys and show them the things that need to be done to be successful."
Carmello Myles
Carmello Myles – a guard/wing who averaged a double-double (11.6 points, 10 rebounds) last season – leads a group of six returners from last season's active roster.
"Carmello's a big-time athlete and he came back a much-improved shooter," said McCullough, adding, "His biggest improvement's been in his 3-point shooting."
Keyonta Johnson – who averaged 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds last season as GC's sixth man – "does a little bit of everything for us," according to McCullough. "He has a very high basketball IQ; he's kind of the piece that will hold us together."
Nehemiah Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward, comes back dramatically improved after averaging 2.6 points per game as a freshman.
"He's got a much better understanding of the game," McCullough said of Johnson. "He had a limited role last year – but he learned a lot, knew what he had to work on, and put in the time to come back a much better player."
Cory Harper, a 6-4 wing shooter who averaged 5.1 points per game last season, came back this year a much more well-rounded player, according to McCullough.
"He may be the best pure shooter I've had here," said McCullough. "When he gets going, he can shoot it with the best of them. After last season, he understood he had areas in his game outside of shooting that he needed to work on."
Bosnian Petar Kos, a 6-8 wing player, and Brazilian point guard Luis Botelho are also much improved after a season of acclimating themselves to American junior college hoops.
"Petar had to adjust to the speed and physicality of the game," said McCullough. "Maryland JuCo basketball is a lot different from European basketball. He was another player who understood what he needed to do in the offseason and did it. We're looking for him to play a big role in our success.
"Luis didn't get a ton of playing time last year, but he's a great leader and a great student," McCullough said of the first-team Academic All-American. "He knew he wasn't satisfied with the role he had last season, so he spent a lot of time working on his game and watching film."
Uniontown guard Jamire Braxton leads a quartet of 2024-25 redshirts who will play roles on this season's varsity roster.
"Jamire just has an incredible work ethic – and it really showed," said McCullough. "He might not have been in the top 20 of our players when last season started, but he spent the year getting bigger, faster and stronger. He took full advantage of the redshirt year."
Tyree Eloise, Sefton Robinson, and Josh Evander are the other former redshirts who've made their way onto the Lakers' roster.
"They weren't getting a ton of practice reps once we got into the season last year," McCullough said of the trio, "but they did a lot of watching, a lot of learning, and spent a lot of time in the weight room and individually in the gym. They did well academically. They've all improved enough to make the team and play a role for us this year."
McCullough will also be able to call on five transfers, including 6-4 guard Isaiah Gill, who averaged 12 points per game playing for Montgomery College last season.
"He plays the game extremely hard," McCullough said of Gill, who is originally from Los Angeles. "He's going to play a big role for us this year. He impacts the game in a positive way in a wide range of categories."
Donovan Keyes (University of North Carolina-Pembroke) is a 6-1 guard who's "a very good shooter, scorer, and defender," said McCullough, also noting Keyes has a family history that connects him to Garrett College.
"His Dad, Damion Keyes, played for Coach [Dennis] Gibson and went on to become an all-American at Bowie State University," said McCullough, noting the younger Keyes "has a good basketball pedigree."
Will Huckabone a 6-foot-9 forward who graduated from high school in 2018 without having played basketball, is now chasing his hoop dream.
"He played in outside leagues and wanted an opportunity to play college basketball," said McCullough of Huckabone. "He's hungry to learn and he just wants to get better. He's got as much upside as anyone I've coached."
Dechaun Reed – a 6-foot, 24-year-old guard who started out at Virginia Union University – is "mature and very reliable," said McCullough. Lenny Smith, a 6-5 wing from Utah State-Eastern who is from the Washington, D.C. area, "is big, physical, and a good shooter who is ready to do whatever he can to help."
