VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson has announced the signing of eight student athletes who will join the men's basketball program for the 2016-17 season.
Benson's signing class is laden with guards. Six of the eight players signed are backcourt players with the seventh checking in as a combo shooting guard/small forward. The eighth is a center.
"This has been an interesting situation when you consider we lose a Carson Brooks and a Josh Rogers," Benson said. "They're the two players who have won the most games out of any players since we've been a Division II team.
"We've changed things a little bit. The injury bug bit us this past year and it felt like we didn't have enough people to play. Then the style of basketball feels like its changing. We want to be a little more versatile and that can be seen in how we recruited."
The seven guards are John Reed Barnes (Gate City, Va./Gate City High School), Shaun Jones (Lawrenceville, Ga./Valdosta State/Central Gwinnett High School), Cameron Holmes (Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford High School), Malik Abraham (Snellville, Ga./Florida State College at Jacksonville/Parkview High School), Dawan Perry (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day), Reece Anderson (Douglasville, Ga./Douglas County High School) and Kevin Tucker (Knoxville, Tenn./Karns). The lone post player in the signing class is Dmitrii Bykov (Moscow, Russia, Impact Academy).
John Reed Barnes – Gate City, Va. – Gate City – 6-6 – 200 – SG/SF - @JohnReedBarnes
John Reed Barnes is a combo shooting guard/small forward who played for Scotty Vermillion at Gate City High School. Barnes scored 1,087 points in his career while averaging 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in his senior year.
He is a three-time Conference 40 first team selection and a two-time 2A West Region first team selection. He earned second team all-state honors as a junior before moving up to the first team as a senior.
"He comes in here after a really solid high school career," Benson said. "He can shoot it, and has great genes. His mom and dad were both players. There will be some adjustment for him as a freshman, he knows the game very well and has some tremendous upside."
Barnes helped the Blue Devils to a state runner-up trophy as a freshman and the final four as a senior. He also competed in tennis and golf for the Blue Devils.
A member of the National Junior Honor Society, Barnes is the son of Andy and Marsha Barnes. He is also an Early College Scholar and a Tennessee/Virginia Scholar. He comes from an athletic family. He mother played basketball at East Tennessee State. His aunt Leslie Hennigan played basketball at NC State while his uncle Mike Hannigan played football for Tennessee Tech before moving on to a pro career with the New York Jets and Detroit Lions. His uncle also was the head football coach at Tennessee Tech from 1996-2006.
Shaun Jones – Lawrenceville, Ga. – Valdosta State – Central Gwinnett – 6-4 – 205 – G - @shaunthedon_
Shaun Jones transfers to Carson-Newman from Valdosta State and will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Eagles.
As a sophomore at Valdosta State he appeared in 17 games while starting a pair. He averaged 10.5 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three. He also snagged 4.7 rebounds per game.
"We were after him coming out of high school and we just couldn't get it done," Benson said. "I'm glad we've reconnected now. He's a proven college player and he will give us some immediate help as a big, strong powerful guard who can score it and defend."
Jones dropped 30 on North Alabama on 62 percent shooting. He turned around from that game and followed it up with a 27-point effort against Alabama-Huntsville on 71 percent shooting. He hit double digits seven times and 20 points on three occasions.
As a freshman, he played in 24 games with three starts. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures six times with a season-best 16 points against Carver.
In high school at Central Gwinnett, he averaged 20.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He was the Region 8 6-A player of the year and the Gwinnett County Player of the Year.
The son of Eric and Mardy Jones, his plans to study business administration at Carson-Newman.
Cameron Holmes – Fort Mill, S.C. – Nation Ford – 6-3 – 175 – G - @cameronholmes14
Cameron Holmes comes to Carson-Newman from Nation Ford High School where he played for Michael Tew. A three-point marksman, Holmes knocked down 142 triples at a 41 percent clip in his high school career. In his senior season, he led the Falcons in scoring, assists, steals and blocks in his senior season.
He helped Nation Ford to the second round of the AAAA state playoffs, the furthest the school had ever made it in postseason play. He was a two-time all-region and all-area selection.
"He came on the radar this past fall," Benson said. "We watched him from a distance and liked his size, athleticism and his ability to shoot. He can run and jump and he'll be a bigger guard who adds versatility for us."
The son of Stafany and Dan Holmes. He plans to study health science at Carson-Newman. His biological father is Eric Moulds, who had a 12-year NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.
Malik Abraham – Snellville, Ga. – Florida State College at Jacksonville - Parkview – 6-3 – 175 – G - @_MalikAbraham
Malik Abraham will have three seasons of eligibility left after transferring from Florida State College at Jacksonville. He was a first team all-conference guard for FSCJ as well as the league's co-rookie of the year. He set a school record for threes made in a game with eight while setting the program's record for threes made in a single season with 97.
Abraham averaged 14.4 points while shooting 43 percent from the field and 41 percent from three for FSCJ.
"He had an outstanding first year of his JUCO season shooting the ball," Benson said. "He lit it up for FSCJ. He'll give us a punch from the perimeter from day one. He's an elite level shooter, but also a bigger bouncy guard. He's also a good friend of one of our current players in Parker Role'."
In high school, he was a 1,000-point scorer while averaging 17.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He was a two-time offensive player of the year at Parkview while earning all-region and all-county honors for his final two seasons with the Panthers.
The son of Elliot and Rose Abraham, Malik plans to study finance at Carson-Newman. He has three older brothers.
Dawan Perry – Detroit, Mich. – Detroit Country Day – 6-4 – 170 – G
While playing for Mark Bray at Detroit Country Day, Dawan Perry averaged 14 points for four assists and four rebounds per game.
"He's a prep school guy, but he has that one extra year of playing because of that," Benson said. "He can play the one, two or three and get to the rim through the paint. He's such a hard worker that I think his best basketball is definitely in front of him too."
He is the son of Lisa and Julian Hill. Perry plans to study business at Carson-Newman.
Reece Anderson – Douglasville, Ga. – Douglas County – 6-2 – 180 – G - @reeceand5
Reece Anderson stuffed the stat sheet for coach Hollis Bethea at Douglas County High School with 10.3 points, 3.3 boards, 6.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game with the Tigers. He was an All-Region selection for region 3-AAAAAA and helped the Tigers to the state playoffs. He was named the region's defensive player of the year.
"He's a combo guard who can create for other people while also scoring himself by getting to the rim," Benson said. "He played on an elite high school team and held his own and be a leader with a bunch of teammates who are going on to play collegiately."
The son of Laurie Anderson, he plans to study zoology at Carson-Newman.
Kevin Tucker – Knoxville, Tenn. – Karns – 6-2 – 194 – G
Kevin Tucker has one year of eligibility remaining. The Karns High School product averaged 6.7 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting as a senior before enrolling at the University of Tennessee. He scored 22 points against Powell and 20 against Central for his high water marks in his high school career.
"He's had a whirlwind life experience," Benson said. "He's an older guy. We bring him in to be a leader on and off the court. His work ethic and attitude are off the charts. He has a quick release and can make shots."
He graduated from UTK and will pursue a Master's in Social Entrepreneurship while resuming his basketball career.
He said he was a diehard Eagle fan growing up and wanted to play for the team he cheered for in his youth.
He is the son of Mark and Carol Tucker
Dmitrii "Dima" Bykov – Moscow, Russia – Impact Academy – 6-10 – 250 – C - @Real_Dima_Bykov
Dmitrii Bykov comes to Carson-Newman from Impact Academy in Florida. However, the 6-10, 250-pound center is a native of Moscow, Russia.
In his high school career, Bykov averaged 18.3 points and seven rebounds per game en route to scoring more than 1,500 career points.
"We took one guy with great size and that's Dima," Benson said. "We like his skillset, size and strength. He's a guy who will do it academically. Then we needed a guy with some size to go with Sawyer, Parker and Josh. He plays for the Russian national team, so I think his transition to college will be a bit different than others. If you throw it to him, he'll catch it and score it."
He was named the team's MVP for his senior season and was an all-tournament selection at the Impact Winter Classic in 2015-16.
The son of Vadim Bykov, he was an honor roll student for his three years at Impact Academy. He graduated with high honors.
