Brown Unveils Roster Overhaul For Lakers In 2023-24

CHICAGO – Roosevelt men's basketball coach Dee Brown unveiled a retooled roster Monday ahead of the 2023-24 season.

In his first season at the helm, Brown led the Lakers to the top of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference for most of the season, finishing in a tie for second. Maurice Commander, the 2022-23 CCAC Newcomer of the Year, Julio Montes II, a 2022-23 CCAC All-Rookie team selection, and Shane Stevensen, a major contributor last year, all return to the Green and White this season.

Brown re-affirmed his commitment to the Chicagoland area with seven of the 12 new faces hailing from Chicago and six total players from Chicago Public School. The second-year head coach also loaded up on talent with five players who began their careers at an NCAA Division I institution, two from Division II schools and a Division III transfer.

"I really like our team, I think we have a group of guys who have experience and played at the highest level," Brown said. "We did a good job of recruiting local talent as well, Chicago is our campus so we wanted to make sure we covered the Chicagoland area. I look forward to getting to work and competing for a championship."

Kani Acree | G/F | Carbondale, Ill. | Ball State

Acree arrives at Roosevelt as a redshirt junior after spending his first three years at Ball State. The wing started three times in 56 appearances for the Cardinals while averaging 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He was a two-time all-conference player in high school at Carbondale Community High School and averaged 19 points per game as a senior.

Myles Baker | G | Chicago, Ill. | Virginia State

Roosevelt is the fourth stop on the collegiate journey for Baker, who will be a redshirt sophomore this winter. The Whitney Young High School graduate was a top-10 prospect in Illinois before beginning his collegiate career at Central Connecticut State, where he was an all-freshman team selection in the Northeast Conference. He played one season at Eastern Illinois then spent last season at Virginia State.

Aedan Campos | G | Rockford, Ill. | Boylan Catholic

Campos comes to Chicago after a standout career at Boylan Catholic High School, where he left as one of the school's premier 3-point shooters in history. He was a first-team All-Northern Illinois Conference selection as a senior, leading the team to a 22-12 overall record and a regional title.

Cortez Harris | G | Chicago, Ill. | Carl Schurz HS

Harris is one of the Chicago Public School graduates on the roster after graduating from Carl Schurz High School this past year. He helped lead the Bulldogs to the regional final this past season while averaging more than 12 points and nearly five rebounds per game.

Cody Mitchell | C | St. Charles, Ill. | Illinois Wesleyan

Mitchell adds plenty of experience to the Lakers after four years at Illinois Wesleyan. Last season, Mitchell averaged 14.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. He also was named an all-region player by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and D3Hoops.com.

Sangolay Njie | F | Chicago, Ill. | Purdue Northwest

Njie spent his first two seasons at future Great Lakers Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Purdue Northwest before coming to Roosevelt. The Chicago native averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 44 appearances for the Pride while playing more than 17 minutes per game. He was a top-100 player in Illinois coming out of Whitney Young High School.

Chinedum Okpukpara | F | Chicago Heights, Ill. | South Carolina State

Okpukpara spent last season as a redshirt at South Carolina State and comes to Chicago with all four years of eligibility remaining. The Chicago native earned the prestigious Silver Pin as a Presidential Scholar at South Carolina State with a GPA above 3.5 for his two semesters.

Forte Prater | G | Starkville, Miss. | Bishop State Community College

Prater is a top-100 junior college recruit who is making his way north to Chicago to play for the Lakers as a junior. The Mississippi native averaged 17.3 points per game last season at Bishop State Community College in Alabama and reached at least 20 points eight times in 27 games. He averaged 11.5 points per game in 13 appearances in 2021-22 at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Daniel Reed | G | Chicago, Ill. | Parkland College

Reed arrives at Roosevelt as a junior after spending two seasons in junior college at Parkland College in Champaign. He averaged 6.7 points per game while appearing in 61 contests for the Cobras following a strong high school career in Illinois. He was an All-South Suburban Blue Conference selection as a senior at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.

David Swedura | G | Mt. Prospect, Ill. | Eckerd College

Swedura joins the Lakers as a graduate transfer after two standout seasons at Eckerd, where he averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game during his career. He started his journey at Triton College, where he scored 10.6 points and dished out 3.2 assists per game. He also ranked 11th in the NJCAA in 3-point field goal percentage by making 48 percent of his attempts.

Malcolm Townsel | G | Chicago, Ill. | Holy Cross (Mass.)

Townsel returns home to Chicago to play his final season after playing two years for the College of Holy Cross in the Patriot League. He was twice selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court and averaged 4.8 points per game in his final year with the Crusaders. In 2019-20, Townsel was a second-team all-region selection at State Fair Community College in Missouri.

Katrell Weekley | G | Chicago, Ill. | Michele Clark HS

Weekley is the final new addition to the squad after graduating from Michele Clark High School last year. He led the Eagles to a regional title in his senior year with a pair of dominant victories in the state tournament.