Gaston College basketball looks to improve on record-setting 2024-25 season

It may be end of summer but Gaston College's basketball team is putting in work at Gastonia United Methodist Church in hopes of improving on a record-setting 2024-25 season.

The Rhinos finished 22-8 overall, 8-6 in Region 10 Division I play and had a record-tying 17-game winning streak earlier in the season.

Three sophomores - guards Jordan Brown, Tyheim Love and Judah Ravenell - led the way as each made the All-Region 10 team and will be playing at four-year schools.

Ten returning players from a year ago and seven newcomers are currently starting to practice for second-year head coach Benny Moss and his coaching staff.

"It's great when you have a group of returnees who know the game plan from last year," said leading returning scorer E.J. Joyner, a sophomore guard from Newport News, Va. "And we've got newcomers that we can compete with. And not just in Region 10 but in the other schools in Juco.
"We've had a great start in practice but we've got to keep getting better and improving."

Joyner averaged 11.2 points and 3.5 assists last season. Ryan Evans, a sophomore guard from Charlotte, is the second-leading scorer (8.7) and top returning rebounder (4.7).

"The goal is to take every day 100 percent," Evans said. "You can't take shortcuts. We have to maintain focus all season long."

Returnees with starting experience are Spencer Breeden (30 starts), Jozohn Price (19), Joyner (11) and Evans (4).

Last year's 22-8 finish is third best all-time in wins behind the 29-4 team in 1970 and 24-12 team in 1971 and the .733 winning percentage trails only the 1967 team's .889 (16-2 record) and the 1970 team's .878.

"It feels amazing being back at work," said sophomore guard J.R. Watson, a top reserve last season. "I'm ready for my sophomore year and ready to do better than we did last year.
"This year we've got more chemistry and we're ready to compete and make a deeper run and make it to Hutch."

'Hutch' as in the Hutchinson, Kansas, Auditorium that is the annual site of the National Junior College Athletic Association basketball tournament.

Gaston College unofficially opens its season during the Oct. 10-11 All-American Jamoboree in Tavares, Fla. Then after closed scrimmages at NCAA Division II schools Lenoir-Rhyne (Oct. 17) and Mars Hill (Oct. 23), the Rhinos open their regular season on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. against the Pfeiffer University developmental team at Gastonia's Ashbrook High School.