VIDEO: Luke Brenegan Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the first part in a two-part series chronicling Carson-Newman's men's basketball's positions for 2019-20. Junior guard Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) helps analyze the Eagles' backcourt for the upcoming season.
The Eagles return a fair amount of experience in the backcourt from a year ago led by Brenegan and leading scorer Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.). Kaleb Wallace (Atlanta, Ga.) also emerged late in 2019-20, scoring in double digits over the final seven games of the season.
"We have tons of experience and a fair amount of chemistry among that experience," Brenegan said. "We've added new players, but they seem to have meshed well within that chemistry and add value to it."
Brenegan stepped into a starting role for the Eagles as a sophomore, logging 25 starts in 28 appearances. The Eagles' top three-point marksman, Brenegan averaged 7.5 points per game while knocking down 42 percent of his threes. He made 51 long-distance dedications on the year to pace the Eagles in both threes made a three-point percentage.
He also averaged 3.6 boards per game. Brenegan topped 10 points on 10 occasions in his sophomore year, heralded by a 21-point explosion against Warren Wilson (12/4). A streaky scorer, 60 percent of his double-digit efforts came in a pair of three-came streaks - one from Nov. 13-20 and a second from Feb. 1-8. He handed out a career high sseven assists against Wingate on Nov. 30.
"I've worked on my playmaking ability and my ability to distribute," Brenegan said. "I want to be a leader on the court and bring everyone together."
Carson-Newman's leading scorer for 2019-20, Davis averaged 14.1 points to go along with 4.6 rebounds. He dished out 67 assissts as well to rank third on the team. Davis had an exceptional middle portion of the year. From Dec. 18 - Jan. 11 Tennessee State Transfer Tripp Davis posted five consecutive 20+ point outings against Mars Hill, Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne and Queens.
"Tripp brings so much energy to practice and to games," Brenegan said. "That's true on both sides of the ball. He helps everyone out in that regard."
He's the first player to achieve that since Charles Clark scored 20 or more in six straight games to close his junior year in 2017. Davis and Clark are the only players since the turn of the century to post five or more 20+ point games in consecutive fashion. Davis averaged 23.6 a game on his string while shooting 53 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. Davis scored in double digits on 17 occasions on the year and had six games with at least 20 on the season.
Wallace emerged as a force at the tail end of his freshman campaign. He made 19 appearances but started the final four contests of the season. Wallace averaged 7.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per season, but led the Eagles in scoring over their final seven games with 13.4 points on 47 percent shooting from the field, 42 percent shooting from three and 71 percent shooting from the foul line.
"Kaleb has put in a ton of work over the summer," Brenegan said. "You can tell by the way he's playing that he has more poise. He's more vocal and talks a lot more on both sides of the ball and starting to trend toward being a leader."
Wallace tallied his first career double-digit scoring effort against Lincoln Memorial (1/29) and the number two team in the country. He would follow that by going for 10 or more in six of the Eagles' final seven games of the year. Wallace's top effort came at UVa-Wise (2/26) with a 20-point, eight-rebound affair. Both of those figures were the top marks of his freshman year.
That trio combined to average more than 28 points per game in the month of February last year.
Trey Smith (Boiling Springs, S.C.), Jarius Satterfield (Clarksville, Tenn.) and Caleb Bridgewater (Charlotte, N.C.). all return after logging minutes off the bench a year ago. While Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) re-enters the fray after a redshirt season.
"I've never seen a kid play so hard," Brenegan said. "He never takes a play off whether he's sick or hurt. It's one of the craziest things I've seen. He would play hard if he was playing on a farm somewhere and no one was around."
Dyer makes his way to Mossy Creek after a stellar career at North Buncombe High School. He was a two-time conference and District 12 Player of the Year for the Hawks and coach Chuck Robinson. He tallied more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career. His senior year was the stuff of legend. Dyer average 30.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game en route to leading all of North Carolina in double-doubles and his conference in points, rebounds and steals.
Carson-Newman adds a pair of freshman guards to the mix as well in Sevier County's Camden McElhaney and Luke Brenegan's younger brother Nick.
McElhaney averaged 10.5 points and eight boards per game to go along with 4.0 assists in his senior season at Sevier County High School. He was a 1,000-point career scorer for the Smoky Bears. He helped SCHS to back-to-back district titles, a region title in 2018-19 and an Elite Eight appearance at the state tournament the same year. He earned all-region and all-conference honors on two occasions.
Brenegan was a two-time all-conference player and two-time all-county player. He earned all-state honors as a junior and senior. He scored more than 1,000 points in his high school career.
Carson-Newman's position previews continue Friday with the frontcourt.
