Full Troy basketball roster preview for year two of the Scott Cross era
In an unceasing year of twists, turns and turbulence, there is only one chapter left. The entire sports world has been upended and is staring down the start of the last major sport to arrive in 2020: college basketball.
In the relatively microscopic world of sports amid COVID-19, we’ve already seen a number of unexpected results. The Phoenix Suns were the kings of the NBA bubble, the Miami Marlins were the true winners of pandemic baseball and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have exploded into the disruptive cinderella of college football.
So why not Troy basketball?
A second new start
College basketball rebuilds are can be deceptively slow in some places with the sheer number of moving parts a program typically sees adding up. In the Trojans’ case, year two of the Scott Cross era will see a completely retooled roster for the second straight year.
Just five players return from last year’s squad and only one player remains from the Phil Cunningham era. The roster features eight new scholarship faces, three from the junior college ranks and five freshmen.
College basketball is an extremely fluid sport and Cross has taken advantage of that in order to find a group that fits.
“It was a good thing for us this year,” Cross told the Trojan Wall. “I think we needed another reset. Get some new guys in here and build the culture the way that we want it. We brought back five guys that from a style, the way they play fits what we’re looking to do.”
The result is a roster with players from six different states and two different countries making up a new-look team that has the program quietly excited for the future.
Roster
| position | year | height | weight | hometown | previous | |
| Marquel Bryant | GUARD | Freshman | 6’2 | 195 | Sarasota, Fl | Riverside HS |
| Antwan Burnett | FORWARD | Freshman | 6’5 | 210 | Montgomery, AL | Sidney Lanier HS |
| Quinnus Fletcher | GUARD | Freshman | 5’10 | 130 | Opelika, AL | Auburn HS |
| Lydell Geffrard | FORWARD | rJunior | 6’8 | 245 | New York, NY | Three Rivers College |
| Jakevan Leftridge | GUARD | Sophomore | 6’7 | 180 | Dallas, TX | |
| Miles Mendes | FORWARD | Freshman | 6’5 | 225 | Farmington, MN | TaylorMade Academy |
| Duke Miles | GUARD | Freshman | 6’2 | 175 | Montgomery, AL | Robert E. Lee HS |
| Nick O’Brien | GUARD | Freshman | 6’0 | 180 | Troy, Al | Pike Lib |
| Rory Pantophlet | FORWARD | Junior | 6’10 | 230 | Sint Maarten | Tyler JC |
| Kieffer Punter | GUARD | Junior | 6’5 | 175 | Bronx, NY | Tyler JC |
| Nick Stampley | FORWARD | Senior | 6’6 | 210 | Broward Co, FL | |
| Christian Turner | FORWARD | Freshman | 6’7 | 220 | Grand Prarie, TX | S. Grand Prarie HS |
| Khalyl Waters | FORWARD | Senior | 6’5 | 190 | Douglasville, GA | |
| Desmond Williams | GUARD | Sophomore | 6’1 | 165 | Montgomery, AL | |
| Zay Williams | FORWARD | Junior | 6’9 | 190 | Birmingham, AL | |
| Kam Woods | GUARD | Freshman | 6’1 | 170 | Bessemer, AL | Pinson Valley |
New kids on the block
Antwan Burnett
A football standout in high school who once held blue blooded offers, Burnett is an athletic forward with a wide skillset. His frame and football build make him a versatile wing who can hold his own in the paint and handle the basketball on the perimeter. Burnett is an effective scorer who used his body effectively in high school on his way to becoming Sidney Lanier’s all-time leading scorer.
“He’s been a very good three-point shooter for us (in practice),” Cross said. “He’s built like an NFL tight end or wide receiver. He’s very strong, he’s become a solid defender for us… He’s a guy who plays within himself and doesn’t try to do too much.”
Cross said his biggest area of potential is in rebounding the basketball, hoping to see the freshman become more aggressive on the glass.
Lydell Geffrard
Geffrard is a big-body junior college product who was an efficient scorer and sound rebounder at Three Rivers College. He will be taking a redshirt this season as he recovers from an ACL injury.
Miles Mendes
Mendes combines size and bounce to create an athletic forward that will slide into a depth 4-role position. The Minnesota native has a knack for rebounding with even more room for improvement with fundamental development.
“He’s one of the strongest guys that we have on the team,” Cross said. “He’s just a freshman but he’s probably the most explosive jumper on our team… I think he’s got potential to be a great defender and be a guy who is great in transition.”
Mendes falls into the tweener prototype who is undersized for his primary position but too strong to sit on the wing.
Duke Miles
Another Montgomery native, Miles experienced a high level of success at Robert E. Lee high school playing in Alabama’s highest classification. He’s a smart point guard with strong instincts on both sides of the ball and has built-in qualities associated with a winning basketball player.
“He’s a guy we can put in the starting lineup and feel really, really good about him even as a freshman at the point,” according to Cross. “He’s done a great job up to this point. I think he’s a guy who is going to have a fantastic career here.”
Miles, along with Kam Woods, gives Cross his first true point guard at Troy and will be featured heavily in the rotation.
Rory Pantophlet
From the small Caribbean island nation of Sint Maarten, Pantophlet makes his way to Troy via Tyler Junior College as an already polished inside scorer and rebounder.
“He’s a guy that can definitely give us some depth,” Cross said. “He can be an elite rim-runner and shot blocker.”
Pantophlet passes the eye test and, according to Cross, is among the quickest players on the team.
Kieffer Punter
The second of two Tyler JC products, Punter projects as a conference-leading three-point shooter with a natural stroke.
“He’s been shooting 44 percent or better from the three-point line in practice,” Cross said. “He is the most studious player I’ve ever coached. There’s probably not a day in the week where he doesn’t come by office wanting to watch practice. Some days he’ll come in here and watch practice for an hour and a half. It’s amazing.
Punter may settle into a shooter’s role early on but his work ethic can lead to an expanded role in the offense as a ball handler.
Christian Turner
Turner was a defensive standout who played at a high level of Texas high school basketball who can slide between the post positions.
“He shoots the ball really well,” Cross said. “Came in with a great defensive base… he’s a guy that I think is going to continue to get better. He’s got a great feel for the game.”
Kam Woods
Another Alabama native, Woods is a wired scorer who is naturally gifted at running up the scoreboard from the point guard position. He’s creative and has a jump shot that can be launched from numerous setups.
“Kam is probably the guy that puts the ball in the hole the easiest on our team,” Cross said. “He’s just got a knack for scoring. He’s been in the gym a lot on his own (recently). We’re starting to see him get more consistent with his three-point shot.”
Woods will see plenty of minutes running the point with Miles in the backcourt.
Back for more
| 2019-20 stats | Games | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Leftridge | 13 G 9 GS | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 6.2 |
| Stampley | 31 G 21 GS | 4.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 5.6 |
| Waters | 24 G 3 GS | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 3.5 |
| D. Williams | 24 G 21 GS | 2.5 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 9.8 |
| Z. Williams | 16 G 12 GS | 5.5 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 11.1 |
Jakevan Leftridge
Leftridge had his first season hampered by injury but the Dallas native was the strongest perimeter defensive presence the Trojans had for the 13 games he played. His shot selection was advanced for a freshman and actually led the team in true shooting percentage despite having the second lowest usage rate on the team.
“He was one of our best defenders last year,” Cross said. “He’s long. He’s probably grown since last year, honestly.”
Cross said Leftridge has been battling a knee injury throughout the offseason and had only just started going full speed in the week leading up to the first game.
Nick Stampley
The most “Troy Kinda Guy” on campus is easily the stocky forward Stampley. A charge-taking expert, the big could be expanding his game this season as a shooter. He shot extremely around the post but was a limited scorer from beyond. That part of his game has been an area of focus for Stampley over the offseason.
“He’s the poster boy for our culture,” Cross said. “Very thankful to have him on our team… He’s going to be much-improved offensively.”
Khalyl Waters
Waters played the least amount of minutes among returning players but is starting the new season as a team captain and front rotation player for Cross on the wing. He’s got long arms and has potential to be disruptive on defense and effective on the glass.
“He’s been shooting the ball well,” Cross said. “He’s probably our best finisher in transition. Khalyl has always been a really good defender for us. He can guard one through five. He’s long and he’s a great athlete.”
Desmond Williams
Williams provided Troy with a shot in the arm last season with his scoring ability as a volume shooter. He had the green light throughout the year and took full advantage of that, attempting 108 threes. Williams was streaky, though, and is working on improving his consistency. It’s his defense, however, that has Cross excited.
“That’s where I think he has a chance to be special just harassing the ball,” Cross said. “If we get that energetic, fly around the ball Desmond Williams who can run in transition and hit open threes, I think that’s the guy that can help us win basketball games.”
Zay Williams
The only third year player on the roster, Williams is easily the most polished and developed product on the floor for Cross. The tall power forward battled injuries through his sophomore year but is a mature scorer when healthy and a constant threat to add a couple points on each possession.
“Over our last two scrimmages we’ve seen the blossoming Zay that we saw against Auburn (in last year’s secret scrimmage) and Indiana,” according to Cross. “In our last scrimmage he was by far the best guy and I don’t think it was even close.”
Williams had 28 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in that Indiana game last season.
Schedule notes
The Trojans have a nine game non-conference schedule ahead of them before conference play begins. Only three of those nine are at home and just one of those three is a Division-I opponent.
Troy was set to open the season with NAIA Middle Georgia State but COVID-19 issues canceled that. Now the Trojans open the season by playing in the Mako Medical Classic in Asheville, North Carolina where Troy will face a well-coached Western Carolina team.
Among Troy’s true road games are trips to high majors Auburn and Wake Forest. Also featured is the return trip to Birmingham to face a UAB team that is now led by former Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy.
Troy will continue to keep it in state with a home game against Stanford and a road match with North Alabama, both games representing the backend of home-and-homes.
Fun fact: Four of the seven D-I opponents on Troy’s non-con schedule will be breaking in new head coaches.
Attendance policy
Seating at Trojan Arena will operate similarly to football season. Attendance will be capped at 25 percent of the 6,000-seat building and will prioritize season ticket holders and students. In addition, a limited supply of 100 single game tickets will be sold for each home game.