2023–24 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team represented Kent State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Flashes, led by 13th-year head coach Rob Senderoff, played their home games at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, also known as the MAC Center, in Kent, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).^[1][2][3] They finished the season 15–16, 8–10 in MAC play to finish in 8th place. They defeated Toledo and Bowling Green in the MAC tournament and beforing falling to Akron in the championship game to conclude the season with a 17–17 overall record.^[4][5][6][7]

2023–24 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	17–17 (8–10 MAC)
Head coach	Rob Senderoff (13th season)
Associate head coach	Julian Sullinger (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Randal Holt (3rd season) Jon Fleming (2nd season)
Home arena	MAC Center
Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Toledo	14	–	4		.778			20	–	12		.625
Akron †	13	–	5		.722			24	–	11		.686
Ohio	13	–	5		.722			20	–	13		.606
Central Michigan	12	–	6		.667			18	–	14		.563
Bowling Green	10	–	8		.556			20	–	14		.588
Western Michigan	9	–	9		.500			12	–	20		.375
Miami (OH)	9	–	9		.500			15	–	17		.469
Kent State	8	–	10		.444			17	–	17		.500
Ball State	7	–	11		.389			15	–	16		.484
Eastern Michigan	6	–	12		.333			13	–	18		.419
Northern Illinois	5	–	13		.278			11	–	20		.355
Buffalo	2	–	16		.111			4	–	27		.129
† 2024 MAC tournament winner

Previous season

Main article: 2022–23 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team

The Golden Flashes finished the 2022–23 season 28–7 overall, 15–3 in MAC Play to finish in second place in the conference.^[8] As the second seed they defeated Northern Illinois, Akron, and top seeded Toledo to win the MAC tournament.^[9][10][11] Kent State was placed as the 13th seed in the Midwest Regional where they lost to Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.^[12][13]

Offseason

Departures

Departures

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Malique Jacobs	G	6'3"	194	RS-Senior	Wilmington, North Carolina	Exhausted Eligibility
Sincere Carry	G	6'1"	185	RS-Senior	Solon, Ohio	Declared for NBA draft^[14]
Robert Carpenter	F	6'7"	210	RS-Junior	Detroit, Michigan	Transferred to New Mexico State
London Maiden	C	6'9"	258	Freshman	Cleveland, Ohio	Entered Transfer Portal
Miryne Thomas	F	6'8"	215	RS-Senior	Cleveland, Ohio	Exhausted Eligibility
Akeem Odusipe	F	6'8"	225	RS-Sophomore	Lagos, Nigeria

^[15][16][17]

Incoming transfers

Transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Reggie Bass	G	6'3"	185	Sophomore	Muncie, Indiana	Central Michigan
Tyem Freeman	G	6'5"	205	Grad. Student	Springfield, Missouri	UCF
Jake Snyder	G	6'1"	175	Grad. Student	Stow, Ohio	Baldwin Wallace

^[15][16]

Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
LA Hayes G	Akron, Ohio		6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	181 lb (82 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Donovan Hunter F	Cleveland, Ohio		6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	197 lb (89 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2023–24 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 0 Julius Rollins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 199 lb (90 kg) RS So Chicago, Illinois F 1 VonCameron Davis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 229 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Columbus, Ohio G 2 Reggie Bass 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Muncie, Indiana F 4 Chris Payton Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 226 lb (103 kg) GS Bloomington, Illinois G 5 Brendon Moss 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Rockford, Illinois G 11 Giovanni Santiago 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr Bayamón, Puerto Rico G 13 Jalen Sullinger 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Jr Columbus, Ohio F 14 Magnus Entenmann 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Columbus, Ohio G 15 Mike Bekelja 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Jr Solon, Ohio G 22 Tyem Freeman 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) GS Springfield, Missouri F 23 Delrecco Gillespie 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 216 lb (98 kg) So Benton Harbor, Michigan G 25 LA Hayes 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 181 lb (82 kg) Fr Akron, Ohio G 25 Jake Snyder 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 176 lb (80 kg) GS Stow, Ohio C 42 Cli'Ron Hornbeak 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 238 lb (108 kg) Jr Toledo, Ohio F 55 Donovan Hunter 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 197 lb (89 kg) Fr Cleveland, Ohio	Head coach Rob Senderoff (Albany/Miami (FL)) Assistant coach(es) Julian Sullinger (Kent State) Randal Holt (Kent State) Jon Fleming Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster Last update: September 29, 2023

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Malone	W 79–58	1–0	15 – Santiago	6 – Tied	3 – Payton	MAC Center (2,954) Kent, OH
November 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		James Madison MAC-SBC Challenge	L 108–113 ^2OT	1–1	30 – Sullinger	17 – Payton	11 – Santiago	MAC Center (3,126) Kent, OH
November 11, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Fresno State	W 79–69	2–1	17 – Sullinger	7 – Payton	6 – Santiago	MAC Center (2,655) Kent, OH
November 17, 2023* 7:45 p.m., ESPN+		vs. Hampton Paradise Jam quarterfinals	W 100–62	3–1	20 – Payton	8 – Payton	5 – Santiago	UVI Sports & Fitness Center  St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
November 19, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		vs. Missouri State Paradise Jam semifinals	L 52–56	3–2	11 – Hornbeak	8 – Davis	3 – Santiago	UVI Sports & Fitness Center (924) St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
November 20, 2023* 5:45 p.m., ESPN+		vs. Fordham Paradise Jam 3rd Place Game	W 79–72	4–2	23 – Payton	9 – Payton	4 – Bass	UVI Sports & Fitness Center  St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
November 26, 2023* 5:30 p.m., ESPN+		Charleston	L 78–84	4–3	23 – Sullinger	7 – Sullinger	5 – Santiago	MAC Center (1,813) Kent, OH
November 30, 2023* 7:00 p.m.		Shawnee State	W 103–61	5–3	19 – Moss	7 – Hornbeak	4 – Hayes	MAC Center (2,225) Kent, OH
December 5, 2023* 9:15 p.m.		at South Dakota State	W 82–73	6–3	19 – Santiago	11 – Payton	4 – Santiago	Frost Arena (2,453) Brookings, SD
December 9, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Cleveland State	W 83–77	7–3	18 – Payton	20 – Payton	3 – Tied	MAC Center (3,124) Kent, OH
December 21, 2023* 9:00 p.m., Pac-12 Network		at Oregon	L 70–84	7–4	16 – Freeman	7 – Tied	5 – Sullinger	Matthew Knight Arena (5,056) Eugene, OR
December 29, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Saint Mary's	L 46–66	7–5	18 – Payton	6 – Payton	2 – Santiago	University Credit Union Pavilion (3,380) Moraga, CA
MAC regular season
January 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Ball State	W 82–69	8–5 (1–0)	20 – Payton	6 – Tied	5 – Santiago	MAC Center (1,796) Kent, OH
January 6, 2024 3:30 p.m., ESPN+		at Eastern Michigan	L 69–71 ^OT	8–6 (1–1)	15 – Payton	8 – Payton	8 – Santiago	George Gervin GameAbove Center (3,058) Ypsilanti, MI
January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Toledo	L 75–89	8–7 (1–2)	21 – Sullinger	6 – Payton	5 – Santiago	MAC Center (1,786) Kent, OH
January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Central Michigan	L 62–77	8–8 (1–3)	20 – Davis	7 – Payton	5 – Sullinger	McGuirk Arena (1,667) Mount Pleasant, MI
January 16, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Northern Illinois	W 83–76	9–8 (2–3)	23 – Tied	5 – Payton	3 – Tied	Convocation Center (809) DeKalb, IL
January 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		Akron	L 71–77	9–9 (2–4)	16 – Santiago	8 – Payton	4 – Sullinger	MAC Center (6,330) Kent, OH
January 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Bowling Green	W 90–84 ^OT	10–9 (3–4)	30 – Sullinger	12 – Davis	5 – Santiago	Stroh Center (2,099) Bowling Green, OH
January 26, 2024 6:30 p.m., CBSSN		Ohio	L 64–71	10–10 (3–5)	16 – Freeman	9 – Freeman	4 – Tied	MAC Center (3,557) Kent, OH
January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Miami (OH)	L 67–71	10–11 (3–6)	16 – Sullinger	7 – Payton	3 – Tied	MAC Center (2,114) Kent, OH
February 3, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPN+		at Buffalo	W 83–52	11–11 (4–6)	17 – Tied	7 – Tied	10 – Santiago	Alumni Arena (2,042) Buffalo, NY
February 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Western Michigan	W 63–61	12–11 (5–6)	19 – Davis	6 – Payton	3 – Santiago	MAC Center (2,564) Kent, OH
February 10, 2024* 4:30 p.m., ESPN+		at Troy MAC-SBC Challenge	L 68–78	12–12	21 – Bass	7 – Payton	6 – Bass	Trojan Arena (3,912) Troy, AL
February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Northern Illinois	W 85–47	13–12 (6–6)	17 – Tied	8 – Hornbeak	7 – Sullinger	MAC Center (2,894) Kent, OH
February 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Ohio	L 57–63	13–13 (6–7)	14 – Tied	6 – Payton	4 – Santiago	Convocation Center (4,132) Athens, OH
February 23, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Akron	L 70–83	13–14 (6–8)	20 – Sullinger	10 – Payton	4 – Tied	James A. Rhodes Arena (5,160) Akron, OH
February 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Buffalo	W 76–64	14–14 (7–8)	30 – Sullinger	7 – Payton	7 – Santiago	MAC Center (2,928) Kent, OH
March 2, 2024 3:30 p.m., ESPN+		Central Michigan	W 79–73 ^OT	15–14 (8–8)	21 – Santiago	9 – Hornbeak	5 – Davis	MAC Center (5,310) Kent, OH
March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Ball State	L 69–76	15–15 (8–9)	17 – Bass	7 – Hornbeak	6 – Santiago	Worthen Arena (3,412) Muncie, IN
March 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Toledo	L 71–86	15–16 (8–10)	20 – Davis	9 – Hornbeak	8 – Davis	Savage Arena (6,520) Toledo, OH
MAC tournament
March 14, 2024 11:00 a.m., ESPN+	(8)	vs. (1) Toledo Quarterfinals	W 67–59	16–16	26 – Davis	12 – Davis	3 – Davis	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,854) Cleveland, OH
March 15, 2024 5:00 p.m., CBSSN	(8)	vs. (5) Bowling Green Semifinals	W 73–60	17–16	22 – Sullinger	9 – Hornbeak	6 – Santiago	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,802) Cleveland, OH
March 16, 2024 7:30 p.m., ESPN2	(8)	vs. (2) Akron Championship	L 61–62	17–17	21 – Davis	8 – Sullinger	3 – Santiago	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,955) Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[18][19]

References

1. "ROB SENDEROFF". Kent State Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
2. "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings - 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
3. "Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center". Kent State Athletics. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
4. "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
5. "Kent State 67, Toledo 59". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
6. "Kent State 67, Bowling Green 60". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
7. "Akron vs. Kent State". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
8. "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
9. "Northern Illinois 57, Kent State State 76". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
10. "Akron 73, Kent State 79". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
11. "Toledo 78, Kent State 93". ESPN. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
12. "Indiana men open NCAA Tournament push against Kent State Friday". WDRB. March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
13. Horner, Scott (March 18, 2023). "LIVE: Indiana basketball beats Kent State in March Madness action". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
14. Thomas, George. "Kent State basketball standout Sincere Carry declares for 2023 NBA Draft". Akron Beacon Journal.
15. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". Kent State Athletics.
16. "2023 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
17. "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Kent State Athletics.
18. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Kent State Athletics.
19. "Kent State Golden Flashes Schedule 2023-24". ESPN.