Photo: Courtesy of Belmont Athletics
Belmont’s roster was gutted headed into the 2024-25 season, losing four of its starters last season to the transfer portal and its fifth starter graduating. Questions regarding the Bruins’ rotation swirled throughout the offseason among fans — and likely head coach Casey Alexander’s coaching room as well — many of which were answered in Belmont’s first two games of the season this past week.
Despite a tight first half, the Bruins took care of a feisty Maryville team in its season opener on Monday, 93-70. To cap the week, Belmont lost in heartbreaking fashion to Furman on Friday, surrendering a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining on the clock to lose, 76-74.
In typical Belmont fashion, it does not appear the Bruins will have issues scoring this season. Four players are averaging double-digits through the first two games and the team is shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. However, a failure to guard its own 3-point line (Furman shot 45.7% from 3Pt) and late defensive rotation could be something to keep an eye on early in the season.
Recapping the Performances of Belmont’s Key Transfers
Carter Whitt, Brody Peebles, Tyler Lundblade and Jonathan Pierre all transferred to Belmont in the offseason with the expectation that they play critical minutes for Alexander’s group. While chemistry is not cultivated overnight and roles are still being defined, Belmont appears to have unearthed several gems through the portal.
Carter Whitt missed the Bruins’ season opener due to a preseason injury, but the senior transfer from Furman showcased team MVP potential in his return against his former team on Friday night. The guard scored 14 points on 6-8 shooting and logged 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 rebounds.
Brody Peebles, a graduate student transfer from Liberty, erupted for a career-high 26 points vs. Furman and is averaging 19 points per game on the season to lead the Bruins. He has yet to hit a 3-pointer through two games this season, but his elbow jumper is deadly. In addition, he clearly has the confidence and experience to put the team on his back when needed.
Tyler Lundblade joins the Bruins from TCU and dazzled in the season opener despite a quiet encore showing. The junior scored 14 points vs. Maryville, going 4-4 from 3-point range, before putting up only five points vs. Furman. His minutes were cut in half from the first game to the second (21 compared to 11), likely due to the return of Whitt to the Belmont lineup.
Jonathan Pierre’s Belmont career has gotten off to an icy start from a scoring perspective as the senior transfer from Memphis went 2-9 from the floor in each game, scoring four and five points respectively. He leads the Bruins in rebounds per game (7) and has showcased a nifty passing ability for a big man — hopefully it is just a matter of time before the easy buckets begin to fall his way.
Other Notable Performances
Isaiah Walker scored 19 points, a career high, vs. Maryville in the season opener. The junior is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 73.3% from the floor.
Sam Orme, a redshirt freshman from Indiana, scored 15 points and was a perfect 3-3 from 3-point land vs. Maryville in his NCAA debut. He followed up his noteworthy night by going perfect from the floor vs. Furman (2-2).
Forward Brigham Rogers also impressed vs. Maryville with 10 points and four rebounds.
Belmont’s Top 10 Players
Below are Belmont’s top 10 rated players through the first two games of the season per EvanMiya.com using its Bayesian Performance Rating system, a calculation reflecting the offensive, defensive and overall value a player provides his team when he is on the floor.
The BPR measures a player’s impact in terms of point differential. It interprets how many more points per 100 possessions a player’s team would score compared to their opponent if that player was on the court alongside nine average players.
| Rank | Player | Offensive BPR | Defensive BPR | Overall BRP |
| 1 | Carter Whitt | 1.12 | 0.65 | 1.77 |
| 2 | Brigham Rogers | 0.35 | 1.15 | 1.50 |
| 3 | Isaiah Walker | 0.77 | 0.28 | 1.05 |
| 4 | Aidan Noyes | 0.31 | 0.58 | 0.89 |
| 5 | Brody Peebles | 1.21 | -0.54 | 0.67 |
| 6 | Tyler Lundblade | -0.44 | 0.34 | -0.10 |
| 7 | Sam Orme | -0.03 | -0.12 | -0.15 |
| 8 | Drew Scharnowski | -0.17 | -0.21 | -0.37 |
| 9 | Win Miller | -0.38 | -0.36 | -0.74 |
| 10 | Jonathan Pierre | -0.55 | -0.30 | -0.86 |
Next Up for the Bruins
Two miles down Belmont Boulevard sits Lipscomb University, the site of Tuesday’s bout between the Bruins and the Bisons.
Belmont won a thrilling Battle of the Boulevard last season, 72-71, largely due to a Ja’Kobi Gillespie 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Bruins have claimed victory in seven of the previous eight meetings with Lipscomb.
