KANSAS CITY, MO (January 3, 2023) – As the Claflin Panthers continued their terrific start to the season, the team is beginning to gain attention on a national level. For the second week in a row, the Panthers earned a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 Coaches Poll. After breaking into the top 25 last week, the team moved up to #24, Tuesday afternoon.
The ranking came after the team continued a terrific start to the 2022-23 season. The Panthers improved to 10-1 overall when the team took a thrilling 85-84 overtime road win over the Clayton State Lakers, Saturday afternoon. The win would secure the Panthers’ spot in the top 25 and keep the team there for the first time since the 2018 season.
It’s the team’s overall balanced attack that is powering the team’s strong start to the season. The Panthers feature seven players to average at least eight points per game with the junior guard duo of Bryson Dennis and Jailen Williams leading the way. Dennis is currently leading the Panthers at 14.3 points per game. However, as he has been hampered by injury, Williams has stepped in to keep things going well for the Panthers. Currently, Williams is averaging 11.7 points per game and he was recently named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Food Lion Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
The Panthers will get their biggest test of the season when they return to the court as they will head to Barco-Stevens Arena in Richmond, Virginia to take on the #19 Virginia Union Panthers in the first of a three-game CIAA Northern Division road trip.
For more information on Panthers basketball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to www.athletics.claflin.edu.