# 2024–25 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team represents Kent State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Flashes, led by 14th-year head coach Rob Senderoff, play their home games at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, also known as the MAC Center, in Kent, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference.

## Previous season

The Golden Flashes finished the 2023–24 season 17–17, 8–10 in MAC play to finish in eighth place. They upset top-seeded Toledo and Bowling Green, before falling to Akron in the MAC tournament championship game.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Julius Rollins | 0 | G | 6'7" | 199 | RS Sophomore | Chicago, Illinois | Transferred to Western Illinois |
| Reggie Bass | 2 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Sophomore | Muncie, Indiana | Transferred to Lindenwood |
| Chris Payton Jr. | 4 | F | 6'7" | 226 | Graduate student | Bloomington, Illinois | Exhausted eligibility |
| Giovanni Santiago | 11 | G | 6'1" | 170 | RS Senior | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | Exhausted eligibility |
| Tyem Freeman | 22 | G | 6'5" | 206 | Graduate student | Springfield, Missouri | Transferred to UIC |
| LA Hayes | 24 | G | 6'5" | 181 | Freshman | Cleveland, Ohio | Transferred to Frank Phillips College |
| Jake Snyder | 31 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Graduate student | Stow, Ohio | Exhausted eligibility |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Marquis Barnett | 2 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Senior | Saginaw, Michigan | Presbyterian |
| Jamal Sumlin | 4 | G | 6'3" | 180 | RS Sophomore | Cleveland, Ohio | Northwest Florida State College |
| Morgan Safford | 8 | G | 6'5" | 210 | Graduate student | Columbus, Ohio | Miami (OH) |
| Cian Medley | 11 | G | 5'11" | 165 | Sophomore | Sicklerville, New Jersey | Saint Louis |
| Anthony Morales | 22 | F | 6'8" | 195 | Graduate student | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston University |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Jonas Nichols G | Akron, Ohio | Archbishop Hoban High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 206 lb (93 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Deandre Jones F | Cleveland, Ohio | Garfield Heights High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Derrick Lee Jr. F | Novi, Michigan | IMG Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Drew Huffman F | Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio | Cuyahoga Falls High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 223 lb (101 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Jaiden Pennicott G | Ajax, Ontario | Oakville Prep | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 164 lb (74 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Kent State was picked to finish third in the MAC regular season. Kent State received 3 votes to win the MAC Tournament.

### Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 121 (11) |
| 2 | Akron | 106 (1) |
| 3 | Kent State | 99 |
| 4 | Toledo | 95 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 72 |
| 7 | Ball State | 67 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 55 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 36 |
| 10 | Western Michigan | 33 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois | 24 |
| 12 | Buffalo | 11 |
MAC Tournament Champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source

### Preseason All-MAC

Preseason All-MAC teams :
| Team | Player | Position | Year |
| 1st | VonCameron Davis | F | R-Sr. |
| 2nd | Jalen Sullinger | G | Sr. |
Source

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Louisiana MAC-SBC Challenge | W 70–66 | 1–0 | 17 – Davis | 9 – Safford | 3 – Sullinger | Cajundome (1,412) Lafayette, LA |
| November 8, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Miami Hamilton | W 98–53 | 2–0 | 18 – Tied | 9 – Hornbeak | 6 – Sullinger | MAC Center (2,056) Kent, OH |
| November 13, 2024* 8:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+ | | at No. 5 Auburn | L 56–79 | 2–1 | 19 – Davis | 7 – Hornbeak | 2 – Medley | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| November 21, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Niagara | W 76–73 | 3–1 | 17 – Safford | 7 – Safford | 4 – Medley | MAC Center (1,886) Kent, OH |
| November 23, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Cleveland State | W 68–52 | 4–1 | 11 – Tied | 11 – Hornbeak | 5 – Davis | Wolstein Center (2,019) Cleveland, OH |
| November 28, 2024* 9:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Towson Western Slam | W 65–54 | 5–1 | 18 – Davis | 6 – Safford | 3 – Tied | VisitLethbridge.com Arena (1,256) Lethbridge, AB |
| November 29, 2024* 9:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. UC Irvine Western Slam | L 39–51 | 5–2 | 9 – Gillespie | 7 – Hornbeak | 2 – Tied | VisitLethbridge.com Arena (1,478) Lethbridge, AB |
| November 30, 2024* 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Kennesaw State Western Slam | W 67–60 | 6–2 | 16 – Davis | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | VisitLethbridge.com Arena (1,603) Lethbridge, AB |
| December 6, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Portland | W 76–57 | 7–2 | 16 – Davis | 11 – Safford | 6 – Medley | MAC Center (1,374) Kent, OH |
| December 15, 2024* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Mercyhurst | W 82–57 | 8–2 | 17 – Davis | 6 – Hornbeak | 4 – Medley | MAC Center (1,376) Kent, OH |
| December 22, 2024* 1:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 6 Alabama | L 54–81 | 8–3 | 9 – Tied | 9 – Hornbeak | 2 – Barnett | Coleman Coliseum (12,198) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 29, 2024* 3:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Heidelberg | W 84–80 | 9–3 | 25 – Sullinger | 10 – Hornbeak | 5 – Tied | MAC Center (2,960) Kent, OH |
| January 4, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Ball State | L 67–75 | 9–4 (0–1) | 20 – Davis | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | MAC Center (1,608) Kent, OH |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northern Illinois | W 68–50 | 10–4 (1–1) | 31 – Davis | 11 – Hornbeak | 5 – Medley | Convocation Center (1,004) DeKalb, IL |
| January 10, 2025 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Buffalo | W 68–49 | 11–4 (2–1) | 20 – Davis | 8 – Tied | 8 – Medley | Alumni Arena (1,448) Amherst, NY |
| January 14, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Western Michigan | L 83–94 | 11–5 (2–2) | 32 – Sullinger | 9 – Gillespie | 9 – Medley | MAC Center (1,488) Kent, OH |
| January 18, 2025 3:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Miami (OH) | L 61–70 | 11–6 (2–3) | 15 – Medley | 8 – Gillespie | 5 – Davis | MAC Center (3,054) Kent, OH |
| January 21, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Toledo | W 83–64 | 12–6 (3–3) | 22 – Medley | 8 – Sumlin | 7 – Medley | Savage Arena (3,983) Toledo, OH |
| January 24, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPNU/ESPN+ | | at Ohio | L 59–61 | 12–7 (3–4) | 13 – Tied | 11 – Hornbeak | 3 – Medley | Convocation Center (5,134) Athens, OH |
| January 28, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Bowling Green | W 75–57 | 13–7 (4–4) | 24 – Davis | 7 – Gillespie | 10 – Medley | MAC Center (1,988) Kent, OH |
| January 31, 2025 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | Akron | L 71–85 | 13–8 (4–5) | 23 – Sullinger | 8 – Tied | 2 – Tied | MAC Center (6,327) Kent, OH |
| February 4, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Eastern Michigan | W 70–49 | 14–8 (5–5) | 15 – Davis | 18 – Gillespie | 6 – Medley | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,696) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 8, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Arkansas State MAC–SBC Challenge | W 76–75 | 15–8 | 27 – Sullinger | 9 – Gillespie | 4 – Tied | MAC Center (1,746) Kent, OH |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Central Michigan | W 91–83 | 16–8 (6–5) | 28 – Barnett | 14 – Gillespie | 7 – Medley | MAC Center (1,280) Kent, OH |
| February 14, 2025 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | Ohio | W 76–75 | 17–8 (7–5) | 24 – Medley | 12 – Gillespie | 3 – Davis | MAC Center (2,113) Kent, OH |
| February 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Bowling Green | W 91–84 | 18–8 (8–5) | 32 – Sullinger | 7 – Tied | 7 – Sumlin | Stroh Center (1,418) Bowling Green, OH |
| February 21, 2025 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Miami (OH) | L 92–96 $^{OT}$ | 18–9 (8–6) | 20 – Tied | 12 – Gillespie | 5 – Sumlin | Millett Hall (6,339) Oxford, OH |
| February 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Toledo | W 105–65 | 19–9 (9–6) | 21 – Davis | 9 – Hornbeak | 7 – Sumlin | MAC Center (2,104) Kent, OH |
| February 28, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Akron | L 72–77 | 19–10 (9–7) | 19 – Sullinger | 8 – Gillespie | 5 – Medley | James A. Rhodes Arena (4,967) Akron, OH |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Western Michigan | W 77–76 | 20–10 (10–7) | 31 – Sullinger | 18 – Gillespie | 8 – Medley | University Arena (1,503) Kalamazoo, MI |
| March 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Eastern Michigan | W 76–70 | 21–10 (11–7) | 18 – Sullinger | 6 – Hornbeak | 3 – Tied | MAC Center (2,231) Kent, OH |
| MAC tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | (3) | vs. (6) Western Michigan Quarterfinals | W 73–66 | 22–10 | 18 – Barnett | 10 – Gillespie | 5 – Medley | Rocket Arena (8,737) Cleveland, OH |
| March 14, 2025 7:30 pm, CBSSN | (3) | vs. (2) Miami (OH) Semifinals | L 64–72 | 22–11 | 29 – Sullinger | 12 – Gillespie | 3 – Medley | Rocket Arena (7,738) Cleveland, OH |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at (3) St. Bonaventure First round | | | | | | Reilly Center St. Bonaventure, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: