Daytona Beach, Fla. – The NCAA basketball regular signing period is in full swing. The future gets underway for Bethune-Cookman Men's Basketball as head coach Reggie Theus begins to welcome in the next wave of Wildcat Nation in his first full recruiting cycle as Wildcats head coach.
 
 
This story will be updated as needed throughout the signing period.
 
 
The Wildcats have plenty to be excited about as the spring signing period gets underway.
 
The 2021-22 Wildcats were characterized by hard work and competitiveness. In his first season at the helm, Theus saw his squad compete from tipoff to final buzzer every night. Despite a year off due to the global pandemic, his Wildcats saw historic Moore Gymnasium return to its place as one of the most electric venues in all of college basketball as the Wildcat faithful packed the house every game in support of their squad.

The Wildcats will return all but five players from a season ago, which saw the Wildcats finish the year only a game out of the SWAC playoffs in a conference whose 5-8 seeds were separated by only three games. B-CU took games from conference leaders in Alcorn State and Southern towards the end of the 2021-22 campaign. The Wildcats also won back-to-back road games to close the season, setting up a win-and-get-in game in the season finale at Florida A&M.
 
The Wildcats return their top four players in points per game, led by guard Joe French, who led the Wildcats in scoring and finished third in the SWAC at 15.8 points per game. He shot 44.12 percent from behind the arc – the fourth-highest three-point percentage in all of college basketball and a Wildcats program record.
 
Forward Kevin Davis finished the season with 14 points per game – seventh in the SWAC. He led the Wildcats in rebounds per game at 7.6 – the second-highest mark in the conference.
 
Guard Marcus Garrett, and center Dylan Robertson, the two team captains a season ago, round out the Wildcats top four scorers.
 
Garrett finished just outside the SWAC's top ten at 13.6 points per game and added over four rebounds per game and a team-high 83 assists a season ago. Garrett showed incredible growth in the 2021-22 season, which he showcased by attempting double-digit free throws in four of his final five games
 
Robertson anchored the paint for B-CU, grabbing over six boards per game and shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.
 
Damani McEntire, B-CU's third-leading player in minutes per game and key defensive presence, will return to the Wildcats in the fall. He finished last season with 66 steals – the second-highest mark in the SWAC and the 32^nd highest total in all of college basketball.
 
With a foundation in place, Theus welcomes in a new class of Wildcats as the signing period gets underway.
 
"Seeing the growth in our guys this past season was fun to watch," Theus said. "The blend of these players that we're bringing in – in concert with the guys coming back is going to make Bethune-Cookman basketball as good as it's ever been."
 
"It always takes little time to for things to gel," Theus continued. "But from a talent perspective, we are going to be solid. For our fans, this is a team that is going to be exciting to watch every single time we take the floor."
 
"With age comes experience. With the core of guys we already have in place, these young players will have valuable time to develop – they're going to fit perfectly."
 
Theus had clear priorities on the 2022 recruiting trail.
 
"Shooting and toughness encompass everything about the game that I believe in," Theus said. "It takes toughness to play good defense. It takes toughness to be present when the game is on the line."
 
"Shooting speaks for itself," Theus continued. "On paper, we weren't the best shooting team last season - but we made up for that because we didn't take a lot of bad shots. We've added shooting to our team, and we will look completely different than we looked a year ago."
 
The identity and culture of a program is unquestionably important. Theus talked about what it means to be a Wildcat:
 
"I think we set the culture of this team last year in a very positive way," Theus said. "Setting that culture for years to come is what I thought last year was all about. One of the things I think is really important for our players to understand that no one is bigger than the program. How our players conduct themselves, how hard they play and how hard they practice matters. I think ultimately when we were faced with injuries, being undersized, and COVID complications, our character and toughness shined through - we were able to compete in practically every game."
 
For every student-athlete, competition is not everything. Academics also played a part in Theus's recruiting process.
 
"As a coach, it's also my job to make sure we keep in mind that these are students first. If we don't put in the work in the classroom, we can't enjoy the opportunity to play. It is important to me that we bring in student-athletes that are committed to the classroom as much as they are to the court."
 
Theus also credited his staff as well as Wildcat Nation for their contributions.
 
"I have to give my staff credit for their work throughout the recruiting process," Theus said. "Through our work, I hope to give the best fans in the SWAC a team that plays hard, is exciting to watch, and that Wildcat nation can be proud of when they step on the floor every night."
 
 
The full list of signees is listed below. The list will be updated as new players are signed. Most recent signees will appear at the top of the list.
 
 
BETHUNE-COOKMAN MEN'S BASKETBALL -  2022 SIGNING CLASS


Derrick "DJ" Carter-Hollinger  [ Forward | 6-5 | 205 | San Diego, CA | University of Montana ]
 
6.7 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 60% FG% | 47% 3PT% | 24 BLK
 
2019-20 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year | 2019 East County Player of the Year | Bill Dickens All-Star Game MVP
  Theus: "DJ is a great get for our program. He's an incredibly versatile player who can excel at the three and the four spots. He can score on all levels. He's shown the ability to be a great three-point shooter on top of being able to get to the rim. He comes from a great family, and he's got a great basketball pedigree. He had an outstanding freshman season at the University of Montana where he was named Freshman of the Year, and I think we'll see that he has plenty of room to grow."
 
"He walks into our program and instantly gives us much more versatility as a team. A player like DJ gives us the ability to play many different ways, especially with the talent we already have on board. We have multiple guys who have the ability to play different positions, who are big enough to rebound and really cause some problems for opposing teams in our conference. He'll be exciting to watch."
 

James Henderson Jr. [ Forward | 6-9 | 230 | Miami, FL | Westminster Christian School | Scotland Campus
 
14 PPG | 12 RPG | 4 BLK/G Theus : "We are really excited about this young man. James has great size and tremendous upside – He can be a force around the basket. He's an excellent rebounder who can control the red zone on both ends of the floor."
 
"He provides something we really needed - a big-bodied presence down low. He's well-built with long arms and great shoulders. He has the ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter as well as get to the rim. If he digs in on rebounding and putbacks, he's going to be really effective for us even as a freshman."

Donovann Toatley – [ Guard | 5-9 | 185 | Largo, MD | Monmouth University ]
 
7.3 PPG | 40% 3PT% | 70% FT%
  Theus: "Donovann is a dynamic player. He's got all the tools you want. He'll be exciting for our fans to watch. He's super quick, he can get to the rim, and he can shoot it. He sees the floor, he's a willing passer. He's going to draw a lot of attention – all he has to do is find the open guy. "
 
"He has experience, he's got wisdom, he's got age. I think he's going to fit in perfectly with our guys and what we need. He's got deep range. My job is going to be able to teach him a lot of when to and when not to. There's a right time and right place for everything."
 
Elijah Hulsewe – [ Center | 7-0 | 250 | Windermere, FL | Hargrave Military Academy ]
 
15 PPG | 13 Reb/G | 3 BLK/G  
Theus: "One thing I respect and I appreciate about Elijah is that he wanted to play for me – he never wavered on that. He had other choices. These players all have had other choices, but they want to be here."
 
"Elijah has a great sense of the game. He's going to get a lot of opportunities. Being young, the best part for him is he doesn't have to carry the team. He's tough, and his growth is going to be rapid. I'm excited to coach him because he's a sponge. He's got a lot of promise. He's got the one element that we need desperately in that size. It will be exciting to watch him grow. "
 
Lukas Gudavicius – [ Point Guard | 6-9 | 205 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Avon Old Farms School ]
  Theus: "Lukas is an exciting, high-level recruit – he wanted to play for me. He's multi-talented. He reminds me a lot of myself as a young player because I played four positions. Lukas has the ability and the tools to be a point guard at 6'9. I only know one other 6'9 point guard and that's Magic Johnson. It takes a pretty special individual to have that ability. With that kind of size, he can see the floor extremely well. It will be my job as coach to show him how to use his size from that point guard spot, but he's going to have the chance to play four positions. "
  
The Wildcats offseason is far from over. As the spring signing period continues, Theus and his staff still have high hopes and plans to bring in other exciting recruits to fill out the 2022-23 roster. With roster spots and resources left to play with, the Wildcats are not done. This story reflects the current additions to
Bethune-Cookman basketball, and it will be updated as new signees are announced.

This story will be updated as needed.
 

Follow Bethune-Cookman Men's Basketball on Twitter (@BCUHoops) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics) and www.bcuathletics.com.