NASHVILLE — Tennessee State men’s basketball head coach Brian “Penny” Collins has announced the addition of four transfers who have signed with the program and will be joining the 2024-25 roster. Joining TSU next season will be Carlous Williams from Tulsa, Brandon Weston from Rhode Island, Aaron Nkrumah from Worcester State, and Khalil London from the College of Charleston.
Williams, Weston, Nkrumah, and London join transfers Ahmir Langlais, Travis Harper II, and freshman signee Kavien Jones in this year’s class.
Carlous Williams, a 6’5″ forward from Hattiesburg, Miss., joins TSU after spending two seasons at Pear River CC and this past season at Tulsa. The Mississippi native saw action in 31 games with 25 starts in his lone season as a Golden Hurricane. He averaged 5.1 ppg, and 4.2 boards in 24.5 minutes per contest. Williams was efficient from beyond the arc, knocking down 21-of-65 attempts. He finished the season with 158 points, 129 rebounds, and scored a season-high 16 points against Memphis.
At Pearl River, he earned first-team all-MACCC all-conference honors in 2022-23 and was ranked as the No. 33 JUCO player in the country by JucoRecruiting.com. He averaged team-highs of 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds his sophomore season while helping his team post an 18-8 record. He eclipsed the 20-point mark in seven games and had a season-high 25 points vs. Coahoma while scoring in double digits in all but one game and had three double-doubles.
He played prep basketball at Harrison Central High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., while averaging 11.3 points and 12.2 rebounds as a senior. He was ranked as the No. 2 player in the state of Mississippi by 247Sports and had offers from South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Baylor, and Houston.
“I am really excited about his upside. The sky is the limit for Carlous,” said Collins. He can be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams and will be counted on right away when he gets to campus.”
Brandon Weston comes to TSU with two years of eligibility after spending the past two seasons at Rhode Island. Weston started his career at Seton Hall in 2021-22 and transferred to Rhode Island where he played in 59 games with 10 starts.
The 6’5″ guard from Brooklyn N.Y., made 10 starts this past season while seeing action in 27 contests and upped his ppg to 5.4 per outing. He finished in double-figures five times and logged a season-high 17 against James Madison. Weston logged 294 points and 152 and 46 assists as a Ram.
He played in 32 games as a redshirt freshman in 2022-23 and averaged 4.7 ppg, and 2.7 rebounds. Weston logged a double-double against Kansas State, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Weston started his high school career in Chicago at Morgan Park and spent his senior season at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix. He was a consensus four-star prospect and was the 70th-ranked overall recruit in the country by 247Sports, and had offers from Seton Hall, Illinois, Michigan, and Wake Forrest.
“Brandon is tough and physical,” stated coach Collins. “A big wing that can guard multiple positions. He’s an elite defender that we expect to give a lot of OVC top guards off nights. As a former top 100 player, we expect him to get back to that level as a player.”
One of the top players at the DIII level, Aaron Nkrumah comes to the Music City after playing two years at Worcester State. The 6’6″ guard played in 54 games with 52 starts and averaged 18.5 ppg, 8.0 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.2 assists. He scored 1,000 points in two seasons after logging 439 as a freshman and 561 this past season.
The Worcester, MA., native was named the MASAC Player of the Year both as a freshman and sophomore, while also leading the Lancers to back-to-back regular season and tournament titles. He was named a d3hoops.com All-American this past season after averaging 20.0 ppg, 8.3 boards, 2.5 steals, and 2.5 assists. He shot 40.2 percent from the floor and 31.0 percent from beyond the arc. As a freshman, he averaged 16.9 ppg, 7.7 reb, 2.6 steals, and 2.2 assists.
“Long, athletic, and smooth. Aaron can play multiple positions and can score on all three levels,” echoed coach Collins. “He is a winner with NCAA tournament experience and a high-level player, earning Player of the Year honors twice.”
Khalil London joins the program after spending two seasons at College of Charleston where his team advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice. The 6’3″ guard played in 34 games this past season while making an NCAA First Round Tournament appearance against Alabama, after using a redshirt season in his first year with the program.
London was a key contributor for Charleston’s 27-8 team that won the CAA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament this past March. The New York native played in 34 of the team’s 35 games and averaged 3.0 ppg and 1.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per outing. He had a season-high 14 against Hampton while logging 102 points on the year.
“He’s a high IQ point guard with vision and shooting ability,” Coach Collins expressed. “We love his size at the position. Additionally, Khalil brings experience, making back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances at Charleston.”
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