SoCon Basketball Portal Recruiting Profiles: VMI Keydets

Read Time:19 Minute, 19 Second

VMI (15-19, 7-11/7th in SoCon)–If there was a breakthrough team in the Southern Conference last season, it was VMI. The improvement head coach Andrew Wilson’s club and the commitment VMI’s athletic department has made to basketball was evident from the outset of the season, and despite having one of the youngest teams in the nation once again in Wilson’s third season, the Keydets also had one of the most improved teams, as the Red and Gold went from just four wins two years ago to 15 last season and a trip to the SoCon Tournament semifinals, upsetting No. 2 seed UNC Greensboro en route to getting to the semifinals of the tournament after winning through from the opening round of the tournament.

One of the major commitments to the program and to its improvement was being able to admit transfers, and that was something that not only helped the Keydets be competitive, but be competitive near the top of the league and in the mix for a top six seed all the way until the final day of the season. In mid-February, VMI sat in sixth place ahead of Furman in the running for a top six seed and a bye in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament.

Although the Keydets struggled down the stretch, they did enough to finish in seventh and headed to Asheville as perhaps the most dangerous play-in day teams in league tournament history. No one really wanted to tangle with the Keydets in Asheville, which was the task that eventually fell to Mike Jones’ UNCG Spartans, who had beaten the Keydets twice in the regular-season, but anything can and usually does happen in Asheville.

After dispatching The Citadel, 73-62, in the second game of the tournament, the Keydets posted an outstanding defensive performance, utilizing a matchup zone along with mixing in other defenses to keep the Spartans off-balance en route to a 64-57 win in the quarterfinals of the tournament. VMI would eventually run out of gas against in the semifinals of the tournament against eventual tournament champion and NCAA Tournament participant Wofford, dropping an 85-65, contest to close out a successful 2024-25 season.

There was a definite intention to go out and find guys that would not only fit Wilson’s system, but also guys that might also be willing to stick around instead of immediately checking out to the transfer portal as soon as the season ended. For the first time as head coach for VMI the strategy, except for one or two departures, appears to have worked.

The Keydets went across the pond to look for talent and they ended up procuring two of the better young players in the league, in Tan Yildizoglu and Augustinas Kiudulas. Originally, Yildizoglu hailed from Turkey and played at a high level internationally as a point guard, and despite his overall youth, he proved wise beyond his years on the court and in basketball acumen. Kiudulas, who was Lithuanian, had already made his way to the United States and after attending Indiana State for one season, which saw him rarely see the floor, he decided to transfer in to VMI. Both would end up developing into all-league caliber players in the 2024-25 season.

The other main piece to the puzzle outside of the talent brought in from overseas were two players that were brought in from solid mid-major programs, in TJ Johnson from Lipscomb and Rickey Bradley Jr. from Georgia State. For Bradley, the decision was easy, as he had already been at VMI, garnering SoCon All-Freshman Team accolades in the 2022-23 season and after things didn’t go according to plan in his new destination, he would become the first and only one of Wilson’s players to return to where he started and with the success he had this past season, he might not be the last.

Now what can Wilson and company do for an encore in his fourth year. Obviously, VMI has had trouble keeping the talent around due to the strenuous military regimen, as well as the lack of having a full graduate school program. But accepting transfers and finding loopholes to take classes at VMI through other local schools like James Madison that would count towards a graduate degree at VMI would be a start in the right direction, and would allow the Keydets to be able to keep some of that talent around for at least a year longer after they have already graduated in their major and have hardwood eligibility remaining.

This spring was important for VMI, and making sure that retaining as much talent as he possibly could for the foreseeable future was as important as what he could bring in from the portal for Wilson.

Wilson has to endure really one major loss, with Augustinas Kiudulas () moving on, as he transferred out of the VMI program for his final season to play at Colorado State. It appeared that Tan Yildizoglu was going to also leave for perceived greener pastures but thought better of it after entering the portal and decided to return to VMI. That was huge.

Despite losing Kiudulas, the Keydets bring back six of their top seven leading scorers from a year ago and return the most scoring production of any team in the SoCon and the 12th most scoring production of any team in college basketball.

Headlining the returning talent for the 2025-26 season will be rising senior guard Rickey Bradley Jr., who will likely enter the campaign as an All-SoCon candidate. Bradley Jr. is coming off a 2024-25 season, which saw him named Third-Team All-SoCon last season after ranking fifth overall in the SoCon in scoring average last season, posting 16.5 PPG. Bradley Jr. and also ranked third in the SoCon in minutes per game, averaging 33.6 MPG last season.

His 1.4 steals-per-game ranked Bradley Jr. tied for seventh in the league in that particular category and he comes off a 2024-25 season having started all 34 games for the Keydets last season. He posted his first-career double-double in VMI’s upset win in the Southern Conference Tournament against UNCG, as he posted 23 points and 11 boards in the 64-57 win by the Keydets.

Bradley Jr. scored a career-high 30 points in Mercer’s early SoCon home contest against Mercer, which resulted in a 70-67 loss at Cameron Hall. In that 30-point effort, Bradley Jr. also tied a career-high with five three-pointers. He also posted 29 points in VMI’s 75-70 road win at The Citadel. In VMI’s late-January win at Wofford, Bradley Jr. tied a career-high five steals. Bradley Jr. also finished the season shooting 38.0% from long-range, connecting on 57-of-150 from downtown last season.

Joining Bradley Jr. as a key returnee in the backcourt is the aforementioned point guard Tan Yildizoglu, who is a rising junior and comes off a 2024-25 season, which saw him rank third overall in the SoCon in assists-per-game at 3.9 APG, and he comes off an inaugural season with the Keydets basketball program having averaged 8.5 PPG.

Yildizoglu posted 13 double-figure scoring games last season, including each of the final three games of the season, as he had a strong showing in the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament, posting 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the opening night win over The Citadel, while following that up the next day with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds in the upset win over UNCG. In that SoCon quarterfinal win over UNCG, Yildizoglu also posted a crucial late-game block to help the Keydets preserve the 64-57 upset win over the No. 2 Spartans. Yildizoglu finished out his tournament in strong fashion by adding 12 points, four rebounds and two helpers in the 85-65 season-ending loss to Wofford.

The native of Istanbul, Turkey started 31 of 34 games, missing three games due to injury last season for the Keydets. He scored a career-high 23 points in a late-season SoCon home loss to Samford, while posting four steals on two occasions last season, which included an impressive 91-82 win over Furman.

One area that Yildizoglu will hope to see much improvement in his overall game in the 2025-26 season is as a perimeter threat, as he finished the 2024-25 campaign connecting on just 24.8% (31-of-125).

Another key cog returning to the backcourt for the Keydets in 2025-26 is also arguably the league’s top returning on-ball defender, in rising 6-4 junior AJ Clark. The Suffolk, VA., native was a SoCon All-Defensive Team selection last season, as well as finishing the season ranking second in steals-per-game, averaging 1.9 SPG, while also ranking fifth overall in blocks-per-game average, posting 0.9 BPG in 2024-25.

The third category in which Clark finished ranking in the Top 10 in the SoCon last season is field goal percentage, completing the 2024-25 campaign ranking 10th in that particular category, knocking down shots at a 54.9% clip.

Clark enjoyed an outstanding performance in an early SoCon home loss to Mercer, recording a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. He also posted a career-high five blocks in a late-season home loss to Samford. He posted five steals on two occasions last season, which came in an early February home loss to East Tennessee State and a Dec. 7 home loss to Queens.

In addition to his defensive numbers, Clark added 4.9 PPG and 4.5 RPG, with 21 starts in 34 games. Clark had off-season foot surgery, however, should be 100% healthy when the 2025-26 season rolls around.

Clark will again be a defensive enforcer for Wilson, and he might actually be the most valuable player returning for VMI for the upcoming campaign because of his ability on that end.

Giving the backcourt even more of a boost this coming season will be the return of Linus Holmstrom, who returns to the fold after a strong first season in the Red and Gold for the Keydets. Holmstrom enjoyed his best game of the season against Regent, posting a season-high 17 points, and he was one of the better young perimeter shooters in the SoCon last season, posting a pair of games in which he connected on four three-pointers last season.

Holmstrom was an effective outside threat throughout the season for the Keydets, finishing out the season by connecting on 33.5% (53-of-158) from long-range and he finished the season by making five starts and saw action all 35 games. Holmstrom hails from Stockholm, Sweden and will add vital depth at guard this coming season.

The return of TJ Johnson is also vitally important to the potential success for the Keydets for the coming 2025-26 season. Johnson was one of the Keydets’ most-effective three-point threats last season, and the rising junior from Belton, TX,, by way of Lipscomb finished out the season in ranking third in the SoCon in three-pointers made-per-game (2.8).

Johnson’s 32.6 minutes-per-game saw him fifth in the league in minutes-played-per-game, and he logged 33 starts in 35 games for VMI during the 2024-25 season. He finished with a career-high 23 points in VMI’s early-season win over Christendom and tied his career-high with nine rebounds in VMI’s SoCon Tournament win over The Citadel.

In VMI’s final game of the season against Wofford, Johnson was held to seven points to go with six rebounds. Johnson returns as VMI’s second-leading scorer and was the team’s third-leading scorer last season, averaging 12.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG, which also ranked third on the squad last season.

Johnson finished the 2024-25 season sporting a 40.5% field goal percentage, while ranking second on the team behind only Rickey Bradley Jr. in three-point accuracy, as he connected on 36.5% from downtown, and his 93 triples (93-of-255) led the Keydets in 2024-25. In my opinion, Johnson provided the toughest matchup for the opposition to account for on the defensive end last season because of his versatility, as he was effective shooting the three, as well as possessing the ability to effectively to score from the mid-range, as well as low in the paint around the basket.

Two key returnees that provided support as mostly reserves off the bench for head coach Andrew Wilson last season are both 6-8 forward Kaden Stuckey and 6-5 guard Jaylen Pazon.

Both will be rising sophomores heading into the 2025-26 season. Stuckey saw action in all 34 games for VMI during his freshman season, logging a total of 13 starts and finished averaging 3.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 12.8 minutes-per-game during his rookie season.

Stuckey is a good athlete that will continue to make improvements to his game on the offensive end this season, and when he can stay out of foul trouble, is excellent on the defensive end of the floor. He finished his rookie season with 15 blocks and 10 steals.

Offensively, he recorded his first-career double-double in a win over non-Division I Regent, posting 11 points and 10 boards, while posting a season and career-high 12 points in a late-November game against George Washington. He finished the season with a 53.1% field goal percentage, which ranked 12th overall in the SoCon.

Pazon saw action in 19 games during his rookie campaign, enjoying his best performance of the season in a lopsided loss at Chattanooga, which saw him post a career-high 15 points, while recording a season-high five rebounds in a 75-70 road win at SoCon rival The Citadel. He averaged 10.2 minutes-per-game last season, averaging 3.5 PPG and 1.5 RPG, while shooting 49% (24-of-49) from the field and 44.4% (8-of-18) from three-point range.

Robert Peters is a rising junior forward that saw action in 18 games, including making three starts and scored a career-high 12 points in an early-December non-conference loss to Queens. He had a career-high 12 rebounds in the previous game in what was a lopsided win over Virginia University Lynchburg. He will add depth in the paint in 2025-26.

Rounding out the holdovers from last season are rising sophomore forward Cal Liston, who logged action in 23 games with one start, completing the season averaging 1.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG, while rising redshirt sophomore guard Walker Andrews returns after seeing his first action in a VMI uniform last season, logging action in 15 games with one start, which included posting a pair of 20-point scoring efforts for the Keydets in wins over non-Division I Virginia University Lynchburg and Christendom. Andrews also posted a season-high five three-pointers made in the win over VUL. He finished the season averaging 5.5 PPG and 0.5 RPG.

In conclusion, Wilson managed the potential damage from the transfer portal in strong fashion, with the only real detrimental departure being Augustinas Kiudulas, who was VMI’s second-leading scorer (15.2 PPG) and finished as the team’s leading rebounder (6.3 RPG).

Kiudulas was a SoCon All-Tournament selection and he finished the season with five double-doubles and started 29 games for VMI last season. The biggest impact felt will be rebounding even more than what he gave VMI as an offensive presence, as he ranked fifth in the league in offensive rebounds-per-game (2.4)

The only other players that will not return but did see action last season are sophomore guard Maurice Wright Jr. (3.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG) and 6-11 sophomore center Cyprian Hyde (1.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG), who spent just one season in Lexington and played in only 11 games.

All told, despite all the chaos experienced by Wilson with injuries and early departures by players in his short, but stressful first couple of seasons in charge, things have settled down and that has allowed Wilson to actually establish an identity for his program and show the players that came in and believe that success was not only possible, but could be a reality in the immediate.

He was able to lead VMI to at least 15 wins in a season for just the 12th time in program history. The 11-win improvement from 2023-24 to the 2024-25 season is the biggest turnaround in school history. That was good enough to keep most of the talent around for the future, and it should make VMI a preseason pick in the top half of the league come prediction time for the 2025-26 season.

So what did the Keydets bring in from the transfer portal during the offseason? One of the pickups appeared to have been 7-0 center Dhiakuei “DK” Manyiel Dut, however, six days after his verbal commitment he decided to transfer for to California.

That gives VMI with one scholarship to work with the remainder of the off-season should they choose to use it. comes in as a bit of a project player but will give the Keydets size and athleticism to match, with the latter something they really haven’t had much of in a big man under Wilson. Dut would have helped ease the loss of big man Cyprian Hyde, and perhaps a late summer addition in the middle is already in the works.

Freshman Additions:

Head coach Andrew Wilson has added one player from via the high school ranks so far, as the Keydets welcomed in 6-2 guard Mario Tatum out of Edgewood, MD, and the newcomer will likely have an immediate chance to play his way onto the depth chart in the backcourt as a part of the rotation as soon as the 2025-26 season.

Tatum prepped at Mt. Carmel High School and will come in as a point guard to VMI, looking to break into a lineup that will feature plenty of depth entering the 2024-25 season, led by both Tan Yildizoglu and Linus Holmstrom.

Tatum played at Our Lady Mount Carmel HS in Baltimore MD, which is an excellent area to find basketball talent, and he faced off against programs like the famed DeMatha Catholic during his prep career. He is a shifty, athletic point guard that comes to VMI as a pure scorer and elite distributor of the basketball. He helped lead Our Lady of Mount Carmel to a 34-4 record during his senior season and a No. 2 ranking in the state. He rates as a three-star recruit by most recruiting services.

Early 2025-26 Outlook:

VMI and head coach Andrew Wilson haven’t had all that much to do during the off-season, and that’s a very good thing. For the first time since arriving in Lexington, Wilson hasn’t had to scramble to find players to fill out a roster, and that’s a great thing.

The Keydets again won’t feature a big rotation of players, with probably seven or eight being the limit, but it’s something VMI has done a nice job of managing the past couple of seasons. The improvements made on the defensive end of the floor were most notable from the 2023-24 season to the 2024-25 campaign.

The Keydets were also a better perimeter shooting team last season than they had been before under Wilson, and that’s thanks to bringing in an excellent shooter like TJ Johnson from the transfer portal.

While the departure of Augustinas Kiudulas sees the front court take a bit of a hit, Johnson, Kaden Stuckey and even Cal Liston, who should see his minutes increase this season. During the remainder of the summer, I would look for Wilson and staff to maybe add one more big man, whether that be from the transfer portal or from the high school ranks, but it will most likely be from the portal.

As far as the backcourt is concerned, the Keydets are pretty much locked in for the upcoming season, with the only notable addition made at point guard, with the recruitment of talented freshman guard Mario Tatum into the fold out of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Baltimore.

The Keydets will have two of the top guards in the SoCon entering the 2025-26 season, in assists machine Tan Yildizoglu, who is a key piece to the team’s overall success, and his decision to return from the transfer portal brought about a collective sigh of relief in Lexington, and with him at the controls and one of the top scoring guards alongside him, in Rickey Bradley Jr., the Keydets will have one of the better one-two punches at guard in the SoCon in 2025-26.

Linus Holmstrom will be ready to add depth in the backcourt, and he is again a player that offers experience at the international level, which helps offset his youth. He was a solid perimeter threat last season, but I look for him to be one VMI’s most-reliable perimeter threats this season alongside TJ Johnson and could be the real breakout player for VMI this season.

Finally, there was one alteration to the coaching staff for VMI, with the addition of Nick Korta, who comes to VMI after one year as Director of Basketball Operations and will join a solid staff that includes associate head coach and offensive coordinator Xavier Silas, assistant coach and defensive coordinator Paul Harrison, and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Austin Kenon.

Korta replaces Perin Foote on the VMI staff and took a similar route as Foote did to Lexington, as he comes from Missouri and, where he was the director of basketball operations for the Tigers, but before that, similar to also similar Foote in coaching specialization, Korta served as the director of player development from 2021-23 at Bowling Green. Foote moved on to Florida State, as he accepted a spot on Luke Loucks’ new staff at Florida State as the Director of Basketball Operations.

Overall, the Keydets appear to be headed for a upper echelon finish an opening round bye for the 2026 Southern Conference Tournament, thanks in large part to being able to retain so much talent from last season’s 15-win team and one that had that magical run in Asheville to the semifinals, which included an upset of No. 2 seed UNC Greensboro.

Starters Lost: (1)–F–Augustinas Kiudulas (transferred to Colorado State)

Others Lost: (2)–C–Cyprian Hyde (entered transfer portal/not committed), G-Marcus Wright Jr. (entered the transfer portal/not committed)

Potential Breakout Player in 2025-26: G-Linus Holmstrom

Best Transfer Portal Get:

Best Freshman Addition: G-Mario Tatum

Overall Portal/Recruiting Synopsis and Grade: B+