CHARLESTON, S.C. – Wednesday afternoon, Charleston Southern Men's Basketball announced the signing of three graduate transfers: Trent Coleman (Auburn Montgomery), Jesse Hafemeister (Mercyhurst), and Luke Williams (Maryville). 

"I am very excited about the three early additions to this Spring signing class. All of these young men represent the character and values that we believe in within our program. They will bring a great deal of experience and competitiveness to this team, and we are excited to get them here this summer," said Head Coach Saah Nimley.

Trent Coleman | Forward | 6'7" | Ridgeland, MS | Auburn Montgomery

As a senior with the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks, Coleman averaged 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 27.9 minutes per contest. He scored over 300 (305) points in his lone season as a Warhawk, including a 23-point outing at home against West Alabama (Feb. 22). Coleman recorded six double-double performances last season, including an impressive 23-point, 14-rebound statline at home against Valdosta State. Coleman also shot over 77% from the foul-line, over 48% from the field, and over 36% from three-point land - all percentages that would have ranked in the top four on last year's CSU roster.

Prior to his year at Auburn Montgomery, Coleman played down in Jacksonville, Florida for the North Florida Ospreys. As an Osprey, Coleman scored 76 total points and hauled in 62 total rebounds. He added 237 minutes in a UNF jersey to his resume of experience. His first career point at North Florida occurred in the 2022-23 season opener against Gonzaga.

His freshman year was played in his home state of Mississippi where Coleman suited up with Southwest Mississippi State Community College. As a freshman, Coleman logged 17 minutes per contest, averaging six points and over four rebounds.

"Trent is a versatile combo forward that does a little bit of everything offensively and takes a lot of pride on the defensive end. He has the qualities to be a leader on this team from day one, and we can not wait to coach him," said Head Coach Saah Nimley.

Jesse Hafemeister | Forward | 6'5" | Mendham, NJ | Mercyhurst

Although he is coming to Charleston Southern from Mercyhurst, an injury sidelined Hafemeister for the entirety of the 2024-25 season.

Before Mercyhurst, Hafemeister was a 4-time All-Landmark Conference First Team selectee while playing for Catholic University (Washington DC). Hafemeister's list of accolades as a Cardinal is impressively longer than his last name. During his four years in the Landmark Conference, he received the following honors: 23-24 Landmark Conference Player of the Year, 23-24 NABC All-Region 5 First Team Selection, 2x D3hoops.com All-Region V First Team Selection, 2022-23 NABC All-Region 5 Second Team Selection, 21-22 D3hoops.com All-Region V Third Team Selection, 4x All-Landmark Conference First Team Selection, 20-21 D3Hoops.com Regional Rookie of the Year, and the 20-21 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year.

Hafemeister scored 1,489 points as a Cardinal (17.7), pulled in 547 total rebounds (6.5), shot 83.9% from the free-throw line (234-279), and converted 38.4% of his three-point attempts (135-352). His career-high scoring night occurred about halfway through his senior year when he scored 38 points against Wilkes University.

One of the special aspects about Hafemeister that Bucs' head coach, Saah Nimley is thrilled to be adding to his program is his history of winning and his abundance of in-game experience. At Catholic, Hafemeister played 2,505 minutes, started in 83 games, and won 68 contests.

"Jesse is a proven scorer and winner at the collegiate level. He has size, skills, and feel for the game that should translate nicely to our team," said Head Coach Saah Nimley.

Luke Williams | Guard | 6'0" | Olathe, KS | Maryville

As the leading scorer (15.4) on last year's Maryville roster, Luke Williams arrives in Charleston with four-years of collegiate basketball experience. During his two seasons with the Maryville Saints, Williams scored 689 points, dished out 86 assists, and recorded solid shooting splits (46.8% from the field, 37.2% from three, and 75.9% from the free-throw line).

Williams scored 30 points in his last game as a Saint against Southwest Baptist, shooting 55% (11/20) from the floor. He crossed the double-figure scoring threshold 40 times during his two years at Maryville.

Before his time with the Saints, Williams spent his first two years at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska. At SCC sophomore, Williams scored 512 points (which was Top-50 in all of junior college basketball that season) while starting in all 28 of the Bobcats' contests.

"Luke is a very talented scorer at the guard spot, and can play effectively with or without the ball in his hands. I am looking forward to seeing how he displays that in our system when we get him on campus this summer," said Head Coach Saah Nimley.
 

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