Benson adds eight for 2025-26
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men’s basketball coach Chuck Benson has announced the addition of eight student-athletes to the Eagles’ 2025-26 roster.
VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson has announced the addition of eight student-athletes to the Eagles' 2025-26 roster.
Benson has signed four high school players and four transfers for the upcoming season.
The Eagles add in high school players Troy Boswell (Winter Haven, Fla., Winter Haven), Colin Brown (Bristol, Tenn., Tennessee High), Gaas Herman (Chattanooga, Tenn., Notre Dame) and Isaac Stamper (Middletown, Ohio, Huntington Prep).
Transfer players who join the program this year are Shamir Caruthers (Rochester, N.Y., National Park College), Rylan Houck (Oxford, Ala., Lipscomb), Sean Lindsey (Spartanburg, S.C., Lamar Community College) and Oli Smith (Sydney, Australia, Lees-McRae)
Troy Boswell – 6-5 – 200 – G/F – Winter Haven, Fla. – Winter Haven - @TroyBoswell_10
HIGH SCHOOL: Boswell averaged 20.7 points per game and was named player of the year while starring for Tyrone Woodside at Winter Haven High School.
PERSONAL: The son of Latoya Boswell, he is studying business at Carson-Newman.
Colin Brown – 6-1 – 170 – G – Bristol, Tenn. – Tennessee High - @cbrovvn3
HIGH SCHOOL: A three-time all-district and all-region player, and a two-time all-state star for Michael McMeans at Tennessee High, Brown helped the Vikings to three straight conference titles. Brown is THS' second-leading scorer in school history with more than 2,000 career points. He also holds the Vikings school records for most points in a game (54) and most threes in a game (eight).
PERSONAL: The son of Missy and Mike Brown, his is studying sports management at Carson-Newman. In high school, he was a member of the Beta Club and the men's recipient of the Dale Burns Student-Athlete Award.
Shamir Caruthers – 5-11 – 170 – G – Rochester, N.Y. – East High Upper School – National Park College - @ShamirCaruthers
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN: An all-region selection, Caruthers led NPC in scoring and three-point percentage, making 15.9 points per game and 44.8 percent of his threes.
HIGH SCHOOL: Caruthers led EHUS to a trio of district titles. He was a three-sport athlete, also playing volleyball and tennis.
PERSONAL: The son of Loretha Caruthers, he is studying business at Carson-Newman.
Gaas Herman – 6-3 – 185 – G – Chattanooga, Tenn. – Notre Dame
HIGH SCHOOL: Herman was a 1,000-point scorer for Notre Dame High School, where he was a three-time all-state selection, and three time all-tournament team selection for the state tournament. He helped the Fighting Irish to a state championship runner up while averaging 23.4 points per game.
PERSONAL: The son of Stacy and Geoff Herman, he is undecided on a major at C-N. His father played basketball at ETSU.
Rylan Houck – 6-5 – 210 – G/F – Oxford, Ala. – Oxford – Lipscomb - @rylanhouck
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN: Played in 22 games, averaging 5.3 ppg for Lipscomb as a sophomore. He averaged 1.2 points and rebounds per game with a season-high six points at Alabama A&M (11/30/24). As a freshman in 2023-24, he scored 3.0 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game in 10.2 minutes a contest.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Oxford High School under head coach Joel Vanmeter. Helped guide his team to a 20-13 overall record as a senior. Led OHS to four Calhoun County championships. Named All-State in 2021 and 2022. 3x All-Region, All-District and was voted team captain three times. Team MVP in 2022. He had 1,412 points in high school, leading the team in scoring back-to-back years averaging 21.2 as a junior and 23.8 as a senior.
PERSONAL: Son of Trista and Jeremy Houck. Has one brother - Trafton - who was a cheerleader at Lipscomb.
Sean Lindsey – 5-10 - 170 – G – Spartanburg, S.C. – Dorman – Lamar Community College - @Theseanlindsay
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN: Lindsey averaged 19 points, five assists and four rebounds for Lamar Community College. He was named first team all-conference.
HIGH SCHOOL: Lindsey was named the 5A Player of the Year for Thomas Ryan at Dorman High School. He was a two-time all-region selection and all-state choice. He averaged 14 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 47 percent from three.
PERSONAL: The son of Stephen Lindsey. He is undecided on a major.
Oli Smith – 6-7 – 190 – G – Sydney, Australia – Trinity Grammar School – Lees-McCrae - @olismiith6
PRIOR TO CARSON-NEWMAN: Smith appeared in 25 games and started four for Lees-McRae. He shot 51 percent from the field and 38 percent from three en route to averaging 6.7 points per game. He also snagged 1.8 boards per game. He produced a career-high 21 points against Erskine (12/17).
HIGH SCHOOL: Smith was the Waratah League MVP and an All-CAS second team selection for Trinity Grammar School.
PERSONAL: The son of Adam and Sarah Smith. He is studying business administration at Carson-Newman. He hails from an athletic family. His father played basketball for Indiana before embarking on a pro career in Australia. His mother also played basketball professionally in Australia. His sister Charlotte is a professional netball player in Australia, while is brother Angus plays high level representative cricket in Australia.
Isaac Stamper – 6-8 – 245 – F – Middletown, Ohio – Middletown – Huntington Prep - @Isaac_stamper55
HIGH SCHOOL: Stamper averaged 16 points, eight boards and three assists to go with two blocks per game. He was a four-time recipient of the GMC Academic Award and a two-time second-team all-conference selection. Stamper was the MVP of the 'Skyline Chili' Cincinnati Reds Future High School Showcase. A two-sport star, he was named the baseball MVP for Middletown High School.
PERSONAL: The son of Kyle and Christy Stamper, he is studying sports management at Carson-Newman.
