BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Ricky Clemons of Campbell University has been named to the Big South preseason all-conference second team.
 
A fifth-year senior guard from Raleigh, N.C. and Rolesville High School, Clemons is coming off a career year when he ranked among league leaders in scoring (30th, 9.8), rebounds (15th, 5.1), free throw percentage (10th, .705), defensive boards (13th, 4.1) and minutes (7th, 34.0) while shooting 60.5 percent from the floor and starting all 29 games. 
 
He scored what proved to be the decisive buckets in wins over NC A&T, Marshall, and Hartford.  Clemons scored 18 points - one shy of his career high - in a 67-56 loss at No. 9 Duke.
 
Clemons was originally an invited walk-on to join the Camel program in 2018 but worked his way into a starting role in the final month of his sophomore year ('19-20) and was presented a scholarship before his junior season ('20-21).  Clemons started 22 games in '20-21 and was named to the Big South all-tournament team.
 
UNC Asheville's Drew Pember was named preseason player of the year and joined on the preseason first team by Isaiah Wilkins of Longwood, Jordan Gainey of USC Upstate, Zack Austin of High Point and Cory Hightower of Winthrop.
 
Clemons was joined on the second team by DeShaun Wade of Longwood, Tajion Jones of UNC Asheville, Winston Hill of Presbyterian and Kareem Reid of Gardner-Webb.
 
In addition to Clemons, Campbell returns two additional fourth-year seniors in Jesus Carralero and Joshua Lusane.  A 6-foot-8 forward from Malaga, Spain, Carralero was the only Big South player in 2021-22 to rank among league leaders in rebounding (9th, 5.7), assists (4th, 3.9), steals (10th, 1.2), assist-turnover ratio (7th, 1.5) and blocked shots (8th, 0.9).  He also averaged a career-best 9.3 points per game and scored in double figures 14 times - eclipsing his total from his first two seasons (9).
 
A 6-foot-7 center, Lusane has appeared in 78 games with 31 starts over his first three seasons.  He is a career 49 percent shooter from the floor and 75 percent from the line while averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
 
The Camels are coming off their fifth winning season in the last six years (16-13) and finished second in the Big South's North Division.  CU opens its regular season at home on Mon., Nov. 7 vs. William Peace.  For season tickets information, visit GoCamels.com/tickets or call 1-877-GO-HUMPS.
 
2022-23 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON POLL: 1. Longwood (16 first place votes) 195 points, 2. Winthrop (1) 170, 3. UNC Asheville (2) 159, 4. Gardner-Webb 136, 5. High Point 89, T6. Campbell (1) 88, T6. Radford 88, 8. USC Upstate 86, 9. Presbyterian 49, 10. Charleston Southern 40.
 
YEAR 10 UNDER COACH McGEEHAN: The 2019 Big South Coach of the Year, Kevin McGeehan has guided the Camels to the most wins (105) in a 6-year span during the program's Division I era (since 1977-78). In 2019, Campbell earned its first top seed in a conference tournament and the program's first league regular season crown since 2010.  Campbell's 20 victories in 2018-19 tied for the most in the school's Division I history (20 in 1993-94).
 
ON-GOING SUCCESS:  Over the last six years, the Camels have won 105 games and made three post-season appearances – both tops in Campbell's Division I era, which stretches to the 1977-78 campaign.  During that span, the Camels have claimed three Big South trophies. Campbell won the 2019 Big South regular season title and finished as Big South tournament runner-up in 2017 and 2021.
 
DISCIPLINE AND DEFENSE:  The 2021-22 Camels ranked among the nation's best defensive teams.  Campbell held 22 of its 29 opponents below 70 points and ranked first in the Big South - 18th in the nation - in scoring defense (62.0).  Campbell averaged just 10.4 turnovers - 27th in the country - and committed the nation's 14th-fewest fouls per game (13.8) last season.
 
#PROHUMPS: 2021-22 seniors Jordan Whitfield and Milos Stajcic are now plying their trade overseas.  Stajcic signed with BC Komarno in the Slovak Extraliga first division, while Whitfield is with Messolonghi BC (Greece).  In addition, Chris Clemons (2015-19) played for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Summer League after staring last season with the G-League Maine Celtics.  Andrew Eudy (2015-19) plays for Decin in the Czech Republic NBL, while Eric Griffin (2010-12) plays for AEK in the Greek GBL.  Mogga Lado (2017-19) is with Saitama in the Japanese B3 League, William Kossangue-Toro (2008-10) played with Alfortville in the French NM3 in 2022, Jon Ander Cuadra (2015-19) played for Algeciras in the Spanish LEB Silver and D.J. Mason (2012-16) played for the Carolina Thunder in the ECBL.
 
KEY LOSSES:  2022 graduates Cedric Henderson, Jr. (14.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Jordan Whitfield (11.5 ppg) and Austin McCullough (29 starts, 6.9 ppg) combined for 305 games played and 2,847 points over the last three-five seasons.  Including a fifth-year waiver (Covid-19), Whitfield played in a school-record 139 games and scored 1,171 points.  Henderson tallied 1,196 points in his three seasons with the Camels.
 
NEW FACES: Campbell signed a pair of freshmen in 6-6 Anthony Dell'Orso (Australia) and 6-5 Elijah Walsh (England), while adding transfers 6-1 Devon Dunn (Fairleigh Dickinson), 6-9 Jay Pal (Jacksonville State), 6-3 Juan Reyna (Alabama State) and 6-3 Jasin Sinani (Milwaukee) in its 2022 recruiting class.  CU also added a pair of invited walk-ons in 7-foot Wesley Johnson and 6-3 Omar Harris.