After its heartbreaking loss to Charleston in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship game had settled, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team was left grappling with the reality of significant roster changes on the horizon.

Guards Aaron Clarke, Dean Noll, Tyler Stephenson-Moore and forward Chris Maidoh — who were starters on the seventh-seeded Seawolves squad that defied the odds in the tournament and fell just one game short of the NCAA Tournament  — became ineligible.

To further complicate matters for head coach Geno Ford, center Keenan Fitzmorris — the team’s sixth man during its conference playoffs run — transferred to Northwestern for his final collegiate year during the offseason.

Following the 2023-24 campaign, Stony Brook lost 80.8% (59.4 out of 73.5 points per game) of its scoring just among those five players; that figure not even accounting for the departures of guards Kaiden Space and Ra’Sean Frederick, as well as center Rocco Muratori.

To address these significant losses and ensure immediate competitiveness, Ford revisited a strategy that had proven successful before: leveraging the transfer portal.

Between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, 11 players departed from the program, prompting Ford to recruit Clarke, Noll and Fitzmorris from the portal. Although Fitzmorris was the only one from the trio to enjoy a healthy season, they ultimately played together the following year, with Maidoh and forward Andre Snoddy by their side — both of whom were also brought in as transfers before the last campaign.

For this season, the Seawolves’ roster features five transfers: guards Joe Octave and C.J. Luster II along with forwards Ben Wight, Nick Woodard and Jeremiah Nyarko.

Naturally, Octave and Wight — who transferred in from Division I’s Holy Cross and Toledo, respectively — have drawn the most attention from this class of transfers. However, the extent of Stony Brook’s success this year may ultimately hinge on the contributions of Luster II, Woodard and Nyarko.

Although the three players’ National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) journeys differ, they share a commonality: each had standout Junior College (JUCO) tenures prior to joining Stony Brook.

Before donning the Seawolves’ red, white and blue colors for his junior season, Luster II played for two NJCAA programs: Kilgore College as a freshman and Salt Lake Community College as a sophomore. 

With Kilgore, Luster II posted 14.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on a .417/.400/.900 shooting line in 20 games; 17 of those appearances came off the bench. At Salt Lake, he averaged 16.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists with a .475/.479/.890 slashline in the span of 32 contests, including 25 starts — which earned him the distinction of being ranked as the 22nd best JUCO player in the nation.

“There’s a lot of JUCO-level players that are Division I players,” Luster II said in an interview with The Statesman. “In a sense, you’re playing other Division I players every single night.”

Luster II’s swift acclimation to the highest level of collegiate basketball, bolstered by his previous experience, was evident during Stony Brook’s scrimmage against Manhattan. In an 82-73 Seawolves win, he led the team with 25 points.

More standout performances such as that one from Luster II could be expected throughout the year, as he is anticipated to take on ball-handling responsibilities for Stony Brook, alongside Octave and returning guards Sabry Philip and Toby Onyekonwu. 

“We have a team that has a lot of depth to it,” Luster II said. “We can play many different ways. We can play inside-out, outside-in. We can shoot the ball.”

Woodard was also recognized among JucoRecruiting.com’s top 50 players in 2024. The 44th ranked JUCO player in the nation, he spent two seasons at Southwest Tennessee Community College. In the 2022-23 campaign, Woodard registered 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in just 29.4 minutes per contest across 29 games and 24 starts. That year, he had a .490/.331/.718 shooting line.

His numbers went up across the board in his second collegiate season, as Woodard tallied 21.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on 34.8 minutes per 32 contests — while starting all but one — with a .484/.294/.758 slashline.

“At JUCO it’s like, ‘We need you to get 20 and 10 every night,’” Woodard said. “I left a lot of key elements that I had there. Being here, around a bunch of guys that can play at a high level and really compete, a lot of the other stuff that I can bring to the table can finally come out. Being a better playmaker, a better leader.”

At its core, JUCO serves as a vital stepping stone for players aspiring to reach higher levels of basketball. Its competitive environment, combined with the multitude of opportunities it offers, fosters gratitude among those who have a stop in the NJCAA on their resume.

“JUCO is a place where real grind happens,” Woodard said. “People don’t put enough emphasis on the grind that JUCO really is. Not having access to recovery, not having access to other coaches. People [say] it’s a waste of time because of that stuff, but, in reality, the ones that come out are the ones who put that extra work in when they don’t necessarily have the tools and the intangibles.”

While Luster II and Woodard went directly to JUCO after high school, Nyarko chose a different path altogether, which encapsulated the essence of his basketball journey as a whole.

A native of Ghana, West Africa, the 22-year-old Nyarko began playing basketball in 2017. Despite his limited experience, he seized the opportunity when the NBA Academy came to his homeland in 2018. He earned a selection to represent Ghana in the program, which opened the door for him to play high school basketball in America.

Nyarko first played for St. John Bosco before transferring to Sierra Canyon, the school where Bronny James, the son of NBA player LeBron James, also played, as well as a plethora of highly-touted recruits over the years.

His first collegiate stop was at Division I’s San Diego, where he saw limited action in the 2022-23 campaign. In 16 games — which included just a single start — Nyarko totalled 1.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per contest while playing 6.9 minutes a night. Following his freshman season, he transferred to NJCAA’s Western Texas College.

“I decided to go to JUCO to prove myself,” Nyarko said. “I got my points, got my career-high, did everything I needed to do and got my offers.”

In his one year at Western Texas, Nyarko delivered 14.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game in just 14.5 minutes per contest across 19 appearances and 17 starts. Additionally, he posted a .531/.372/.698 shooting line.

After initially committing to Arizona State following his time at JUCO, Nyarko ultimately decided to switch to Stony Brook, as he was drawn to the balanced lifestyle being a student-athlete at a mid-major institution could offer, which he got a taste of at San Diego.

His raw but relatively untested talent — being that he is only in his seventh year as a basketball player — leaves room to learn a lot at every practice. Nyarko is actively honing in on the aspects of his game he aims to enhance.

“I think I’ve proven that I can play offense,” Nyarko said. “Right now, I want to focus on the defensive part. I want to help [by being] a really good shot blocker and rebounder. Do things that will make the team win games.”

Luster II, Woodard and Nyarko will look to translate their successes from the JUCO level to Division I with the Seawolves beginning on Monday, Nov. 4, when Stony Brook kicks off its season by taking on the No. 18 Marquette Golden Eagles. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.