VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson has announced the signings of six student-athletes to join the program for the 2023-24 season.
Benson has signed two high-school players and four transfers for the upcoming year to fill holes created by the graduations for Luke Brenegan, Bryant Thomas and Ivan Hadzic.
The four transfers are Casper College's Ousmane Dia (Mbao, Dakar, Senegal), Miles Community College's David Gorianskii (Tralee, Kerry, Ireland), Queens' Trey Hubbard (Charlotte, N.C.) and Clayton State's Bryce Weinmunson (Ponchatoula, La.). The two high school players are Stone Memorial's Matthew Bilbrey (Crossville, Tenn.) and Uwharrie Charter Academy's Ashton Troutman (Asheboro, N.C.).
"We wanted to add depth at the point," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We feel like we've done that. We wanted to find some big, mobile bodies to give us depth in the post. We feel like we've done that. We did this all with mindfulness toward class balance given that we have so many juniors. That will be good for us in the short-term, but we have been intentional, so we don't have big gaps to fill in two years."
Matthew Bilbrey – 6-0 – 150 – G - Crossville, Tenn. – Stone Memorial - @Matthewbilbrey3
HIGH SCHOOL: Bilbrey played basketball at Stone Memorial High School for coach Neil Capps. In his senior year, he became a member of the 1,000 point club and averaged 18.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. He shot 49.6 perent from beyond the arc and 55.6 percent from the field. Bilbrey was named the District 7 AAA MVP for the 2022-2023 season and earned numerous other accolades, including All-Region Tournament Team and All-District Tournament Team honors.
PERSONAL: The son of Cindy and Dave Bilbrey, he plans to study accounting at Carson-Newman. Bilbrey was a member of the Key Club in high school and graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Ousmane Dia – 6-11 – 210 – C - Mbao, Dakar, Senegal – Khachioji Japan – Casper College - @bb_ouzzi
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN: Dia averaged six points and six boards per game while at Casper College. He led his team with 1.7 blocks per game.
HIGH SCHOOL: Dia was a standout player at Khachioji Japan High School, excelling in basketball. He was recognized as the best player in Tokyo, Japan in 2020 and was named the MVP of the Winter Cup Tokyo in the same year. Dia's team, Sijinsen, also won the Winter Cup Tokyo and the Inter High Tokyo championships in 2019 and 2020. He played his high school ball in Japan while his older brother was playing professionally in the country. He averaged a double-double with 23 points and 12 boards per game.
PERSONAL: Dia played baseball, soccer, and basketball competitively in high school.
David Gorianskii – 7-0 – 225 – C - Tralee, Kerry, Ireland – Mercy Mounthawk – Miles Community College - @goreanskii
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN: Gorianski averaged 5.1 points and four boards per game at Miles Community College.
HIGH SCHOOL: Gorianskii started playing basketball competitively at the age of 16. Gorianskii's skills and dedication earned him the Most Improved Player award for his club team two years in a row. He also had the opportunity to train with the Irish national team, although his involvement was cut short due to an injury. During his senior year, he won the Irish national championship with his high school team, losing only one game throughout the season. He averaged 12 points and eight boards per game to go with three blocks.
PERSONAL: The son of Natalia and Stanislav Gorianskii. He plans to study art (graphic design) at Carson-Newman. In high school, he was a member of the Key Club.
Trey Hubbard – 6-3 – 180 – G – Charlotte, N.C. – Northside Christian Academy – Queens - @TreyHubbard_
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN:
2022-23: Appeared in 12 games off the bench for the Royals and averaged 4.5 minutes per game... Hubbard averaged 2.8 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game on a 46 percent shooting clip from the field... Scored a season-high 12 points on a 6-for-8 mark from the field against Clinton on Nov. 10
2021-22: Pivotal player off the bench for the Royals in first season averaging 13.2 minutes per game across all 34 games... Scored 5.3 points per game, grabbed 1.6 rebounds per game, and kicked out the second most assists on the team with 66... Led all Royals non-starters with 30 total steals... Posted a highlight performance in the season opening victory over Young Harris pouring in 20 points, dishing out eight assists, and swiping six steals... The six steals tied Daniel Carr for the most in a single game in program history
High School: A multi-sport athlete playing basketball, football, and track... Three-time All-Conference and two-time All-State selection in basketball... Scored 1,000 career points... Voted the No. 1 player in Charlotte and No. 13 player in the state of North Carolina
Ashton Troutman – 6-7 – 200 – F - Asheboro, NC – Uwharrie Charter Academy -@atroutman04
HIGH SCHOOL: Troutman attended Uwharrie Charter Academy in Asheboro, N.C., where he played basketball and baseball competitively. In basketball, he had an outstanding senior year, averaging 26.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Throughout his high school career, he accumulated 1,500 career points, making him the all-time leading scorer in school history. Troutman received numerous athletic honors, including being a two-time First Team All-District selection and earning All-Conference and All-County honors three times. His team also won the Conference Tournament Championship in 2022.
PERSONAL: The son of Ben and Tracey Troutman, he plans to major in business in college.
Bryce Weinmunson – 6-3 – 185 – G – Ponchatoula, La. – Mandeville – Clayton State - @BWeinmunson
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN:
2021-22: Weinmunson played in 27 games for the Lakers and made eight starts. He logged 493 minutes (18.3 minutes a game) while scoring 90 points, grabbing 39 rebounds, making 12 three-pointers, dishing out 48 assists, stealing 25 passes and rejecting five shots. He had a pair of double-digit scoring efforts including a career-high 11 against nationally-ranked Augusta. He shot 41% from the three-point line.
HIGH SCHOOL: As senior at Mandeville High School, Weinmunson was a combo guard who scored over 1,300 career points. Weinmunson was a first-team 6-5A All-District player as a junior and was also named 6-5A District Offensive Player of the Year the same season. As a sophomore, he was named a second-team All-District player. His parents both attended Southeastern Louisiana University where his mother played basketball and his father played baseball.
