VIDEO: Nick Brenegan Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the second part in a two-part series breaking down Carson-Newman men's basketball's positions for the 2024-25 season. This preview chronicles the guards with help from all-conference shooting guard Nick Brenegan.
Carson-Newman bids adieu to two steady role players in Jarius Satterfield and Caleb Bridewater after a half decade on the banks of Mossy Creek, but Brenegan, as well as point guard Trey Hubbard are both back after all-league caliber seasons in 2023-24.
Brenegan, the nation's leader in threes, earned his second academic all-district honor after turning in the best three-point shooting season in school history. He also adds it to second-team All-SAC honors. Nick Brenegan's 3.97 made triples per game were the most in the country. He buried 108 last season, also first nationally among all divisions by pure volume. Brenegan is the first C-N player to hit 100 threes in a season, breaking Ish Sanders' 12-year-old single-season record of 99.
"I put in a lot of work and effort into my craft," Brenegan said. "I'm diligent, I'm in the gym every day and just fine tuning some different three point opportunities. A little more off the dribble fakes, simple stuff like that, but staying consistent with it."
Brenegan is the 12th player in South Atlantic Conference history with a 100-three-point season. Brenegan sits in ninth in league history. For the year, Brenegan averaged 17.3 points per game, good for eighth in the conference. He had 24 double-digit scoring efforts this year, nine games where he has crested 20 and two where he topped 30. Brenegan was named national player of the week on Jan. 9 following a historic performance against Newberry. The junior guard torched Newberry for 64 points, canning 18-of-27 threes. He singlehandedly outscored Newberry in the Eagles' 103-51 win. The 64 points reset the Carson-Newman and South Atlantic Conference single-game scoring record held by the Eagles' Charles Clark since 2017.
Hubbard was the benefactor of Brenegan's marksmanship with five assists per game.
"Just a maturation in terms of our culture. He's made a complete 180 in terms of his acceptance into who we are and just in terms of growth and just development mentally, it's really impressive. I'm proud of him and what he's become."
A premier point guard in the Southeast Region, Hubbard finished fourth in the league in assists. Hubbard finished the season averaging 5.0 assists per game, the 12th time in school history a player has handed out five or more a game. Hubbard averaged 16 points per game, topping 20 points on nine occasions. He turned in two double-doubles with points and assists on the season, something that had only been done twice before in the last 15 years for the Eagles.
Hubbard topped out at 27 points twice, against Wingate (Jan. 20) and Tusculum (Feb. 14). He handed out a career high 13 assists on senior night against Mars Hill (Mar. 2) - one of three double-digit assists nights on the year. He tallied three double-doubles on the year. He had 15 points and 10 boards at Limestone (Feb. 24) with double-doubles in points and assists coming against Newberry (Jan. 6) with 12 points and 10 dimes, and Anderson (Feb. 17) with 25 points and 10 helpers.
A capable rebounder, he averaged 4.3 boards per game with 12 contests of at least five boards, including six of his last seven games on the year. Hubbard shot 43.5 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from three. He converted 94-of-118 free throws (79.7 percent). Hubbard had nine games where he drained multiple threes, including four contests where he hit three - at Lincoln Memorial (Jan. 3), at Wingate (Jan. 20), at Limestone (Feb. 24) and versus LMU in the SAC tournament (Mar. 7).
While Hubbard's backup, Satterfield, graduated, Matt Bilbrey returns after a redshirt year with the program.
"You see a small sample size, but we see every day in practice a stone cold killer," Brenegan said. "He just gives us problems on the defensive end and we're making adjustments defensively and he just picks us apart. And it's so fun to see him especially off his redshirt year, just really learn and grow into what becoming a college basketball player is."
Bilbrey, who retains the look of an recent eighth-grade graduate, 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.
Carson-Newman adds in one transfer guard in former Coker marksman Tate Mulkey.
"His reputation is historically better than any guy on our team," Brenegan said. "So whenever he steps on the floor just adds more spacing. Really good playmaker, knows how to play with us and just a great addition to our team."
Mulkey appeared in 29 games with starts in 20 for the Cobras. He averaged 10.1 points per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three. He connected on 77-of-198 threes. Mulkey has buried 156 threes in his two seasons in the SAC. That's the third-most in the league in the last two years (behind Carson-Newman's Nick Brenegan and Anderson's Garrett Denbow). Mulkey had 13 games last season scoring in double digits, including a quartet of 20-point nights. He scored a season-high 29 against Newberry (Mar. 2). He had 14 games where he canned three or more threes.
The final member of the backcourt is Caiden Botts. Botts was a 4A all-district selection at Bradley Central. After transferring to Link Academy, he averaged 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game. He also played football for the Silverdale Seahawks.
Carson-Newman opens the season at 11 a.m. Saturday against Lake Superior State in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 10:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
