Richards PEMBROKE — UNC Pembroke men’s basketball head coach Drew Richards recently announced the addition of five players for the 2024-25 roster. Ant Abraham, Joe’l Pettiford, Demar Anderson, Jonathan Kurtas and Javecckio “JT” Thomas all are transfer student-athletes that will be eligible to play immediately.
“We are very excited about this recruiting class,” Richards said. “I want to give a huge thank you to our coaching staff for working their tails off on getting these quality people and players locked in to be UNCP Braves. We believe this group addresses several of our biggest issues from last season. With the combination of experience in the guards, depth for our forwards, and some great young pieces, I believe we have a chance to be special this coming year.”
Thomas, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound junior guard, comes to Pembroke after two seasons at Olney Central College, a junior college in Illinois. The Sandersville, Georgia native averaged 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season as part of a 19-11 season for the team. His major at UNCP is undecided.
“JT is a diamond in the rough,” Richards said. “After only playing three years of organized basketball, this season he led his junior college in multiple statistical categories and to one of the best records in Olney Central College history. He is a versatile forward who is just as productive both offensively and defensively in the paint as he is on the perimeter. He has a very high ceiling if he continues to develop his skillset.”
Abraham is a graduate transfer from Division-I Texas A&M Commerce, where the 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard averaged 2.7 points and 1.7 assists in 11.1 minutes per game last season. He played two seasons for the Lions after transferring there from Navarro College in Texas. Abraham is originally from Mount Vernon, New York.
“Ant is a true QB1-type point guard that since his days at Liberty Heights has been more worried about the scoreboard than the stat sheet,” Richards said. “In both tough junior college and Division-I leagues, he was able to shoot the ball from the perimeter at a good percentage, maintain a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and defend at a high level. He will also be pursuing his (masters of business administration) while at UNCP so his maturity on and off the court is welcomed.”
Anderson, a Charlotte native who prepped at Victory Christian, joins the Braves for his senior season after three years at Coker. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard averaged 16.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season for the Cobras, starting 20 games. He is an interdisciplinary studies major at UNCP.
“Demar is a seasoned-veteran guard who has always been a high-level scorer, but this past season showcased his ability to make plays for his teammates,” Richards said. “When he steps on the court he plays with a chip on his shoulder and has a competitive streak that fits in very well in our program. We look forward to him continuing to refine his guard skills as he brings a level of toughness to practice and games.”
Greensboro’s Pettiford was part of two 3A state championship teams at Southwest Guilford, including an undefeated season in 2018-19. In two seasons at Virginia-Wise, he was named to the South Atlantic Conference’s All-Freshman Team in 2022-23 and averaged 10.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game as a starter for the Cavaliers. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound redshirt-junior forward is majoring in sports management.
“Joe’l is a high motor and athletic forward whose offensive skill has developed immensely since he has been in college,” Richards said. “He is versatile on both ends of the floor, being able to efficiently score both inside and outside the paint and defend bigger and quicker players. He is also an effective shot blocker that does a good job cleaning up messes and he rebounds at a high level by pursuing boards outside of his area.”
Kurtas, a Mooresville native, has spent time in two Division-I programs and joins the Braves after redshirting last season at Jacksonville, and is now a redshirt junior. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward averaged 3.8 points per game in 2022-23 at SIU-Edwardsville. The Lake Norman Christian alumnus is majoring in sociology.
“We are thrilled about finally getting Big Jon in a Braves jersey,” Richards said. “We recruited him heavy out of high school and thought his blend of size, mobility, and skill would translate very well to our system. He has shown flashes of being an anchor in the paint offensively that still has the ability to step out and knock down shots. Defensively he has a presence about him that will make it difficult for opponents to score in the paint and he is a physical rebounder.”
The five signees will join a class of incoming freshmen including Charlotte guards Quay Watson, from Hopewell High School, Josh Bullock, from Northside Christian, and Will Brown, from United Faith Christian; Michael Green, a forward from Darlington, South Carolina; and Kaleb James, a Fayetteville wing from New Life Christian.
Purnell Swett alumnus Connor Harris also joins the team. The 6-foot, 160-pound guard will be a redshirt-freshman; he averaged 15.0 points, 3.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game as a Rams senior in 2022-23 as the program reached the state playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
“He’s a high-IQ kid, he knows the right way to play,” Richards said. “He knows his role, and in practice he’ll be able to pick up things quick and make our team better on the practice court.”
Harris was a manager in the Braves program last year before earning the opportunity for a roster spot in 2024-25.
“He had some college offers and he really wanted to come to UNCP. We talked to Connor and his dad and kind of just said we want to extend an offer to be a student manager for the year, and if Connor shows up on time and gives full effort and does the things we ask, he’ll have the first opportunity at a roster spot, when and if it opens up,” Richards said. “Connor did phenomenal, worked his tail off, players and staff loved him and he really made himself a critical piece and a welcome piece to our program, so we felt it was more than necessary that he earned a spot on the team.”
Returners who played significant minutes on the Braves’ 2023-24 team, which won the Conference Carolinas regular-season and tournament championships, include five seniors — guards JaJuan Carr, Bradlee Haskell and Nygell Verdier and forwards Elijah Cobb and Josh Berenbaum — and sophomore guard Dallas Gardner.
Notable players with remaining eligibility to not return to the Braves are forwards Amare Miller, Cortez Marion-Holmes and guards Javonte Waverly and Will Gray, among others. Of these, Miller has signed to play at Florida Southern. Forward Tyreik McCallum and wing Jamarvious Jones completed their eligibility.
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