CHARLESTON - Head Coach Saah Nimley and his staff are rolling this summer as they prepare for the program's first campaign with Nimley as its head man. Nimley added three new full-time members to his staff along with a trio of graduate assistants.
 
This year's basketball coaching regime includes a pair of CSU alumni, a seasoned Director of Operations, and a former conference opponent who's been in Charleston for just over a month. All of Coach Nimley's staff members have different experiences and have had different paths to the Holy City, but one common denominator remains, they are ready to grow the Buccaneer basketball program and treat every day as Game 7.
 
For a breakdown of this year's coaching staff, check below:
 
Saah Nimley – Although it is his sixth year as a coach of the Bucs, Saah Nimley is now stepping into his first season as the head coach. A former CSU basketball player and Lawrenceville, Georgia native himself, Head Coach Saah Nimley is ready to grow the program he has been loyal to. He was officially promoted into the top role on March 4, 2024 ahead of the Big South Championships
 
During his assistant coaching tenure, Nimley showed great success developing players in multiple areas, especially on the defensive aspects of their game. Phlandrous Fleming Jr., a former Big South Defensive Player of the Year, was developed extremely well as a student-athlete in the Holy City under Coach Nimley's wing.
 
The coaching qualities that Nimley possesses still must compete with his reputation as a record-breaking player. He leads the CSU hoops program in all-time assists, while also sitting third on the all-time scoring podium. Only one player in Big South Conference history has tallied 1,800 points and 500 assists, and that player is now set to lead his alma mater into competition later this year.
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Mike Howland – Coach Mike Howland has arrived in Charleston this off-season as an assistant on Coach Nimley's staff, journeying to the Bucs by way of William & Mary University. As a five-year staff member at W&M, Howland aided in spring boarding the Tribe to 21 wins in 2019-2020. He also played a significant role in the development of players such as Nathan Knight. Knight earned the Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Year award, as well as the CAA Player of the Year and CAA Defensive Player of the Year for good measure.
 
The growth of the guard play is where Howland primarily thrived while at William & Mary. Luke Loewe (2021 CAA All-Second Team), Connor Kochera (2021 CAA Rookie of the Year), and Tyler Rice (2022 CAA All-Rookie Team) have all accumulated accolades while under Howland's guidance.
 
Before his tenure with the Tribe, Coach Howland spent four years in Rock Hill, SC at Winthrop University. While with the Eagles, Howland collected an 86-40 record. He pocketed immense postseason experience while in Rock Hill, winning two Big South championships, a Big South Tournament title, and appearing in the 2017 NCAA tournament. Howland coached two Big South Players of the Year, Keon Johnson (2017) and Xavier Cooks (2018), as well as six other All Big South selections across his four years there.
 
Similar to Coach Nimley, Howland also has Big South experience as a defensive specialist. In 2018, Howland was titled the Defensive Coordinator of the Eagles program. During his single season as Winthrop's defensive adviser, the Eagles ranked number one in the Big South in defense according to KenPom. The next year however, Howland switched sides and earned the key to the Eagle offense. As head of the offensive helm, Howland led the Eagles to an 8^th place ranking in the nation in scoring (83.3 points per game). Winthrop also showed comfort scoring at all three levels, specifically outside the three-point line where they made more jumpers than any other school in the country that year (2019).
 
Before Winthrop, Howland gained experience at Missouri State University (Director of Basketball Operations), Saint Viator High School (Head Coach), and at the AAU level.
 
Howland is an alumnus of DePauw University and is a member of the school's hall of fame. A four-year basketball starter, Howland racked up various awards; NABC All-American (2002), Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year (2002), a 24-4 season record (2001-2002), and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Elite Eight.
 
Saah Nimley - Head Coach of Charleston Southern: "We are super excited to add Mike Howland as an assistant coach. Mike brings a great deal of experience to our staff. His offensive mind, player development skills, and familiarity in our league is something that will help bring an immediate impact to our program. Mike checks off all the boxes that we were looking for, and we couldn't be any happier to have him and his family apart of our basketball family."
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Trey Johnson – Coach Johnson returned to his alma mater this off-season to join Coach Nimley's staff as an assistant and Recruiting Coordinator.
 
Last season he served on fellow Big South member school, Presbyterian's staff as co-offensive coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator. Johnson also served on the Blue Hose's staff from 2019-2021 as the Director of Basketball Operations. Between his Presbyterian stints, Coach Johnson helped the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne during their 2021-2023 seasons.
 
Following his graduation from CSU in 2018, Johnson first coached at Francis Marion where he guided a pair of Peach Belt Conference award winning athletes, Brandon Parker (Co-Player of the Year) and Kailex Stephens (Co-Freshman of the Year).
 
Coach Johnson is a native of Myrtle Beach, SC, a Business Management graduate of Charleston Southern, and is now back on his undergraduate turf to help Coach Nimley and the men's basketball program into competition this upcoming season. 
 
Saah Nimley - Head Coach of Charleston Southern: "We are thrilled to add Trey Johnson as an assistant coach. Trey brings an edge on the recruiting trail, a history of player development, and has been directly involved in orchestrating some very good offenses at the division one and division two levels. Trey has a deep passion for CSU being a basketball alumni, and we couldn't be any happier to welcome him back to Charleston."
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Nate Louis – Another Buccaneer graduate is on Coach Nimley's coaching roster. Coach Louis is entering his fifth season, second as an assistant, on staff with Charleston Southern, but his tenure at CSU began back in 2018 when he was a member of the basketball team for two seasons. A successful shooting threat himself, Coach Louis ranked in the top five in three-point field goal percentage as a CSU student-athlete. In 2020-2021, Louis joined the staff as the Video Coordinator, which aided the program in many operations and scouting efforts.
 
Saah Nimley - Head Coach of Charleston Southern: "We are excited to have retained Nate Louis as an assistant coach.  Nate is someone that wears many hats and makes our program go. He is a big time relationship builder and does a great job of developing our guys as both men and as basketball players. He has a bright future ahead of him with his work ethic and knowledge of the game. Being a basketball alumni member is something he takes very seriously, and we see it in his daily work. We are excited for what he is going to continue to bring to our program for years to come."
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Eric Wagenlander – Wagenlander returns to CSU after a six-year absence. Coach Wagenlander serves as Coach Nimley's Director of Basketball Operations as well as assisting on the coaching front. Wagenlander brings years of experience to this CSU staff from institutions such as James Madison, Virginia Tech, and most recently North Alabama where he served as the Director of Player Development. He originally served at CSU during the 2017-2018 season as the video coordinator.
 
Wagenlander was a four-year hoops letterman at Wofford University. He is a back-to-back Southern Conference title winner (2014 and 2015) and served as a team captain his senior campaign as a Terrier.
 
Saah Nimley - Head Coach of Charleston Southern: "We are grateful to add Eric Wagenlander as Assistant Coach/Director of Basketball Operations. Eric is someone who is well seasoned and has experience at many different levels in division one basketball. He has a great ability to connect with the guys, has an unbelievable work ethic, and will be great at developing our perimeter players. We are glad to have Eric with us."
 
Additionally, Coach Nimley has added: Johnny Anderson, Jamal Edmonson, and Michael Ervin to the staff as graduate assistant coaches.