By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – University of Tennessee at Martin head men’s basketball coach Ryan Ridder has announced the additions of seven newcomers for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign. The Skyhawk program welcomes in Christian Fussell, Justus Jackson, Kenny White, Jr., Yassin Hussein, Linton Brown, Issa Muhammad and Braylon Jackson as the newest members of the roster.
“We are extremely excited about this class,” Ridder said. “Every player has won at a high level whether it be the NCAA, NJCAA or high school ranks. It has been very important for our staff to identify student-athletes who are accustomed to winning. We look forward to having this group join a great collection of returners.”
This group joins Jacob Crews (Hilliard, Fla./Daytona State College) in UT Martin’s signing class for Year Three of the Ridder Era. Last season, the Skyhawks tallied the fifth-most victories in their Division I Era as their 19 wins were good enough for the second-best turnaround in school history. UT Martin advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship semifinals for the first time since 2017.
Christian Fussell, F, 6-10, 220, Jr., Decatur, Ga. (Middle Tennessee)
Joins the Skyhawks after playing 58 games over three seasons under head coach Nick McDevitt at Middle Tennessee…Helped the Blue Raiders to 50 victories during his tenure, including a 45-25 record over his final two seasons in Murfreesboro…Was responsible for 144 points, 103 rebounds, 31 assists, 12 blocks and 11 steals while averaging 9.8 minutes per contest…Shot 76.9 percent (30-for-39) from the free throw line…Connected on a career-best 47.1 percent of his field goal tries – including an even 50 percent clip (4-of-8) from three-point range – during the 2022-23 campaign…Set season-highs in points (five) and minutes played (16) while handing out a career-high four assists against Rice on Nov. 15, 2022…Played in all 37 contests during the 2021-22 campaign, helping Middle Tennessee to 26 wins, the Conference USA East division championship and a runner-up finish at the College Basketball Invitational…Tallied career-highs in points (11), rebounds (six) and minutes played (22) against Bryan on Nov. 27, 2021…Also registered 10 points and five rebounds in just 21 minutes in the Nov. 9 season opener against Brescia…Hauled in at least five rebounds on eight separate occasions…Had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in 17 minutes at Chattanooga on Dec. 22, 2021…Sank a pair of three-pointers at Western Kentucky on Jan. 29…Had his first career multi-steal game with a pair of swipes at North Texas on Jan. 8…Best game of his freshman season came on Feb. 21, 2021 at Marshall, delivering five points and three rebounds in just five minutes of playing time…Prepped at Greenforest Christian Academy, where he was spotlighted as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com and the 18th best prospect in Georgia (No. 35 ranked center in the country) by 247Sports…Averaged a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds as a senior under head coach Rory Griffin, following a junior campaign where he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds…Began his high school career under head coach Rodney Latham at Stockbridge High School.
Justus Jackson, G, 6-1, 170, Jr., Surprise, Ariz. (Hawai’i)
Comes to UT Martin after 39 games spread out over two seasons at Hawai’i, where he played for head coach Eran Ganot…Was part of a 22-win season last year (the program’s most in seven years), helping the Rainbow Warriors go 13-7 in Big West Conference play…Amassed 109 points, 33 rebounds, 30 assists and eight steals while averaging 11.4 minutes per outing…Appeared in 29 games in 2022-23, scoring in double figures on three separate occasions…Poured in a career-best 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting (including a 4-for-5 performance from three-point land) in only 25 minutes at CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 20…Also dialed up 12 points in a season-best 27 minutes against UC Davis on Dec. 29 and 10 points against Saint Francis on Dec. 11…Canned multiple trifectas in six different contests…Dished out a career-high four assists against UNLV on Dec. 7…Joined the Rainbow Warriors during midseason of the 2021-22 campaign, playing in 10 games…Prepped at DME Academy in Melbourne, Fla. during the fall of 2021 before joining Hawai’i…Spent one season at Eduprize Prep in Gilbert, Ariz., averaging 19.6 points and 2.9 assists per contest while connecting on 84 percent of his free throw attempts…Began his prep career at Millennium High School, helping guide the Tigers to two appearances in the 5A state championship game while scoring over 1,000 career points…Averaged 14 points per game during his three-year MHS career, receiving all-state, all-region and all-conference honors…Was responsible for averages of 14.3 points, 5.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game as a junior, helping MHS to 24 victories…Was named the 2018 6A Offensive Player of the Year…Father Chris is a former NFL wide receiver who is currently the passing game coordinator at the University of Texas.
Kenny White, Jr., F, 6-7, 225, Jr., Madisonville, Ky. (Murray State)
Has scored 621 points over three collegiate Division I seasons, including a pair of years competing in the OVC at Tennessee Tech (2020-22)…Most recently played at Murray State under head coach Steve Prohm in 2022-23…Averaged 7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 29 games (18 starts) while also posting a team-best 25 blocks last season, helping the Racers go 17-15 overall with an 11-9 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference…Scored in double figures 11 different times in 2022-23, including a season-best 18 points (plus a team-high six rebounds and season-highs of four assists, two steals and two blocks) against Texas A&M on Nov. 17…Also scored 16 points twice (Nov. 20 against Tulsa and Feb. 15 at Illinois State) while tossing in 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Austin Peay on Dec. 16…Shot a season-best 70 percent (7-for-10) in the aforementioned game at Illinois Tate…Splashed multiple three-pointers on three separate occasions…Grabbed at least five rebounds in 13 games, including a career-best nine boards at Northern Iowa on Jan. 10…Accounted for seven multi-block games and five multi-steal performances…Played in 42 games (25 starts) over two seasons at Tennessee Tech under head coach John Pelphrey…Averaged 10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per outing in 2021-22, ranking fourth in the OVC in three-point field goal percentage (.398, 37-for-93)…Shot 46.6 percent (124-of-266) from the field during his last season in Cookeville…Generated 19 double-digit scoring games in 2021-22, leading the Golden Eagles in scoring seven times…Went off for a pair of 20-point outbursts, scoring career-best 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 3-for-3 from three-point range at Wright State (Dec. 18) and 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting including a 4-of-6 effort from beyond the three-point arc against SIUE on (Jan. 20)…Swished multiple three-pointers on 12 different occasions, including a career-high five treys (in only seven attempts) to go along with a career-best five assists against Eastern Illinois on Feb. 7…Went a career-best 8-of-9 from the free throw line on his way to 18 points against UT Martin on Feb. 26…Snared at least five rebounds in a dozen separate games, including a season-high eight boards three times (all in OVC play)…Has nine multi-steal outings (including a career-best five swipes against Southeast Missouri on Feb. 17) and rejected a career-high three blocks at Belmont on Jan. 13…Saw playing time in 10 games as a true freshman before suffering a season-ending injury, leading the team in scoring twice in the first seven games of the season…Scored in double digits four times, tossing in a season-high 13 points twice (accomplishing that feat in his collegiate debut at Indiana on Nov. 25, 2020 and again at Xavier on Dec. 2, 2020…Led the team in points in the previously mentioned Xavier contest and again on Dec. 16 with 12 points against then-OVC rival Jacksonville State…Hauled in a season-best eight rebounds on Dec. 6 at Western Carolina…Recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and a season-high three assists at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 3…Prepped at Madisonville North Hopkins High School under head coach Matt Beshear, finishing seventh in program history with 1,616 points…Piled up three triple-doubles during his accomplished career as he was named a finalist for the Mr. Basketball Award and led the Maroons to four straight District 7 championships…Was a first team all-state honoree and Region 2 Player of the Year after averaging 18.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.7 steals per outing during his senior campaign, shooting 61.1 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from three-point range…Helped MNHHS to a 31-3 record (the most wins at the tradition-rich program since 1984, ending the season on a 20-game winning streak), posting 27 points and 17 rebounds in the Region 2 championship game victory…Junior season included a 30-6 record, a state tournament victory for the first time since 1989 and the school’s first Region 2 championship since 2001…Averaged 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest as a junior, securing all-state second team honors…Was part of the Kentucky/Ohio Senior All-Star Game roster as a senior and the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star Game after his junior season…Was a three-time All-Region 2 performer.
Yassin Hussein, F, 6-9, 215, Jr., Cairo, Egypt (Lake Land College)
Played on the Egyptian National Team this summer…Joins the Skyhawks out of Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill., where he pumped in 701 career points in three seasons under head coach Julian Larry…Started in all 32 games in 2022-23, leading the Great Rivers Athletic Conference with 2.5 blocked shots per game while ranking third in the league in rebounding (7.0 per contest)…Averaging 12.7 points per outing, shooting 52.9 percent (157-of-297) from the field and connecting on 72.8 percent (91-for-125) of his free throw attempts…Scored in double figures 21 times as a sophomore, including six 20-plus point games…Poured in a career-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting at Kaskaskia on Dec. 3…Was responsible for seven double-doubles, three of which he scored at least 20 points…Hauled in a career-best 18 rebounds (to go along with 15 points) at Olney Central on Dec. 10…Shot 50 percent or better in 20 separate games with a season-high of 80 percent (8-for-10) at Southeastern on Nov. 25…Sank a career-high 13 free throws (in 16 tries) on his way to 23 points at Vincennes on Dec. 17…Registered 23 multi-block outings, including nine games of at least four swats…Rejected a career-high five shots and handed out a career-best six assists against Shawnee on Dec. 14…Equaled a career-high with five blocks at Southeastern Illinois on Jan. 21…Tallied four multi-steal performances…Developed into an impact player during conference play of the 2021-22 season, scoring 10.5 points with team-high averages of 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 54.9 percent shooting (56-for-102)…Averaged 8.1 points, 5.5 rebounds (10th in GRAC ranks) and 1.7 blocks per contest (ranking second in the GRAC) overall during his debut collegiate campaign…Racked up double-digit points in eight different games, including a season-high 24 points against both Rend Lake (7-of-8 shooting, 10-for-12 from the free throw line on Feb. 5) and Kaskaskia (nine field goals made plus 6-for-8 shooting on Feb. 22)…Managed three double-doubles, all coming via season-best 11-rebound performances…Knocked down at least 50 percent of his field goal attempts in 16 outings…Had 16 multi-block efforts, setting a season-high with four swats on four separate occasions…Played in 15 games during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting a team-best 62.8 percent (27-of-43)…Sank 70.6 percent of his shots (24-for-34) during GRAC play…Tallied double figures in the scoring column three times as a true freshman, including a season-high 11 points (on 5-of-6 shooting) against Lincoln Trail on Feb. 1…Set season-highs in rebounds (nine) and assists (three) against Shawnee on Feb. 8…Swatted away multiple shots in three different contests, tying a career-high with five blocks against Wabash Valley on Jan. 29…Swiped a career-high three steals against Lewis & Clark on March 17…Prepped at West Oaks Academy in Orlando, Fla….Boasts extensive international experience, helping Egypt to a bronze medal at the FIBA U18 Africa Championship in 2018…Averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 50.9 percent over eight games in the prestigious event.
Linton Brown, G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Delray Beach, Fla. (Coastal Carolina)
Comes to UT Martin from Coastal Carolina, where he played for head coach Cliff Ellis last season…Paced the Chanticleers in three-point field goals made (50), connecting on 37 percent of his 135 attempts from beyond the three-point arc…Averaged 8.7 points and 2.3 rebounds while logging 20.9 minutes per contest, shooting 85.7 percent (30-for-35) from the free throw line, starting in six of his 29 games played…Reached double figures in the scoring column 13 times in 2022-23, including a career-best 23 points (aided by a 5-of-9 effort from three-point range) against Methodist on Nov. 11…Shot 50 percent or better in 10 separate games, including a season-high 58.3 percent (7-for-12) on the way to 18 points plus a career-high three assists in just 22 minutes against St. Mary’s (Md.) in the Nov. 7 season opener…Knocked down multiple three-pointers in a dozen games, including four or more in six different contests…Equaled a career-high with five trifectas (in nine attempts) on the way to 19 points and a season-high six rebounds at James Madison on Jan. 26…Displayed a clutch gene as he calmly nailed three free throws with one second remaining in a 67-66 road win at Old Dominion on Jan. 12…Was part of a record-setting run at St. Bonaventure under head coach Mark Schmidt in 2021-22, helping the Bonnies go 23-10, appear in the Associated Press top-25 rankings for the first time in over 40 years and advance to the NIT semifinals…Played in 10 games, starting the Nov. 9 season opener against Siena…Tallied 30 points, 15 rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal in 130 minutes of playing time…Posted a season-best 10 points in only 20 minutes against Buffalo on Dec. 4…Began his collegiate career at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla., where he was a standout under head coach Charlie Wilson as the program combined for a 42-12 record and a pair of Southern Conference championships…Helped lead the Pioneers to a 20-4 mark, a league title, their first ever trip to the NJCAA Tournament (where they advanced to the Elite Eight) and an appearance in the Florida College System Activities Association Region 8 title game in 2020-21…Was one of 10 players to earn a spot on the NJCAA All-American first team while also bringing home Region 8 Player of the Year, Southern Conference Player of the Year and FCSAA Male Athlete of the Year accolades…Accounted for a team-high 18.4 points (third-best scoring average by any NJCAA sophomore in the state of Florida), 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 51.4 percent (161-for-313) from the floor…Drilled a team-high 73 three-pointers while boasting a 48.3 percent accuracy from downtown…Poured in double-digit scoring tallies in 21 of his 24 games as a sophomore, including eight games of at least 20 points (all coming in the final 13 contests of the season)…Went off for a trio of 30-plus point games in a four-game span from March 2-17, including a career-best 33 points (on 11-of-15 shooting, 5-for-7 from three-point range and 6-of-8 from the free throw line) at Palm Beach State College on March 17…Shot at least 50 percent in 14 games with his season-high of 78.6 percent (11-for-14) coming in a 31-point effort against Game Changers Academy on Feb. 15, including a remarkable 8-for-9 shooting performance from three-point range…Swished multiple trifectas on 18 separate occasions, including 10 games with at least four triples…Canned seven treys on the way to 31 points at Miami Dade College on March 13…Was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line while snaring a season-best nine rebounds on Feb. 27 at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota…Hauled in at least eight rebounds in six different games, tying a season-high with nine boards at Florida Southwestern State…Accumulated seven multi-steal games (a season-best three steals on three separate occasions) and four multi-block performances…Was part of a IRSC squad that went 22-8 with an 11-1 conference record in 2019-20…Averaged 9.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 27 games, making four starts as a true freshman…Scored double-digits in 13 different contests, including a season-best 27 points (on 12-of-17 shooting) against Game Changer Prep on Nov. 4…Connected on 50 percent or better of his field goal attempts in 10 games…Made multiple three-pointers on nine separate occasions, including a season-best four treys on the way to 18 points against Palm Beach State on Jan. 8…Swiped multiple steals in seven games and also added one multi-block performance…Graduated from Wellington High School, where he was spotlighted as Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 9A-7A Player of the Year under head coach Matt Colin…Averaged 21.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 assists per outing while pacing WHS to the state finals during his senior campaign…Scored 40 points in a Senior Night win over North Miami Beach-Hillel on Feb. 6…Helped the Wolverines go 31-1 with their only setback coming in the Class 9A state championship game as a junior, posting averages of 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals per outing.
Issa Muhammad, F, 6-9, 240, Sr., Atlanta, Ga. (New Mexico State)
Joins the Skyhawks from New Mexico State, who competes in the Western Athletic Conference…Previously played at Northwest Florida State College, where he was the No. 28 ranked junior college prospect in the nation who helped the Raiders win the 2021-22 NJCAA national championship…Started in 18 of his 23 games played last season with the Aggies, tallying 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in just 24.4 minutes per game, shooting 58.2 percent (92-of-158) from the floor…Scored in double figures 11 times last season with his season-high of 20 points (on 9-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes) coming in the Nov. 7 season opener against New Mexico Highlands…Produced a pair of double-doubles (17 points, 10 rebounds against eventual Mid-American Conference champion Kent State on Dec. 21; 12 points, season-best 11 rebounds against Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 1)…Shot over 50 percent from the floor in 17 of his 23 contests, including a perfect 7-of-7 shooting performance on his way to 17 points in just 19 minutes of playing time at Duquesne…Had 15 points with season-highs of three steals and two blocks against UTEP on Nov. 30…Equaled a career-high with three swipes while distributing a season-best three assists to go along with 11 points and seven rebounds at Seattle on Jan. 12…Was an All-Panhandle Conference performer at NFSC, helping the squad go 31-5 en route to the program’s third national championship…Averaged 10.0 points and 6.5 rebounds with a team-high 26 blocks, connecting on 51.3 percent (138-for-269) of his field goal tries…Reached double-digits in the scoring column on 18 separate occasions, including a pair of 20-plus point outings (season-highs of 24 points on 12-of-17 shooting, 13 rebounds and five blocks against Marion Military Institute on Dec. 10; 22 points, 10 rebounds against Eastern Florida State College on March 2)…Shot over 50 percent in 20 different games…Registered six double-doubles, including an 18-point (9-of-14 shooting) and 12-rebound performance in the NJCAA Final Four national semifinals against Triton College…Grabbed at least 10 rebounds in eight separate contests and had multiple blocks in six different games…Earned Florida College System Activities Association/NJCAA Region 8 All-Tournament team honors…Began his collegiate career at Daytona State College under head coach Martin McCann…Claimed All-Central Conference first team accolades in 2020-21, averaging 15.9 points and team-highs of 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over 18 games (all starts)…Shot 34.3 percent (23-of-67) from three-point range…Reached double figures in the scoring column 14 times in 2020-21, including two games of at least 30 points (season-high 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting against Polk State College on March 15; 30 points, 12 rebounds at Santa Fe College on March 24)…Dialed up 10 double-doubles, including a pair of monster efforts on the glass (17 points, season-high 23 rebounds at Indian River State College on Jan. 30; 16 points, 21 rebounds at Hillsborough on March 18…Hauled in at least a dozen rebounds on eight separate occasions and reached double-digits in the rebounding column 11 times…Had nine multi-block games, swatting away a season-high four blocks at St. Petersburg College on March 29…Made multiple trifectas in six games, including a season-best 5-of-6 performance from beyond the three-point arc in the aforementioned March 15 contest against Polk State College…Sank a season-best nine free throws in the previously mentioned March 29 outing at St. Petersburg College…Started in 26 out of 30 games as a freshman in 2019-20, averaging 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per outing…Pumped in double figure point tallies in 13 games as a freshman, which includes high-scoring affairs against Florida Coastal Prep (27 points on Dec. 4) and against PHS Academy (26 points on 11-of-13 shooting with 10 rebounds on Nov. 19)…Had four double-doubles in 2019-20 and shot 50 percent or better from the floor 15 times…Posted 16 points and a season-best 15 rebounds on Dec. 15 against Northwest Florida State College…Sank multiple three-pointers on five different occasions, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep at ASA College on Jan. 4…Distributed a season-best five assists on Nov. 9 against State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota…Had four multi-steal games, including a season-high three swipes against College of Central Florida on Feb. 5…Also was responsible for six multi-block performances, including a career-high four rejections on Dec. 29 against Oakton…Prepped at Norcross High School, where he helped the squad to a 22-9 record and a No. 5 ranking in the state of Georgia during his senior campaign.
Braylon Jackson, G, 6-0, 165, Fr., Newnan, Ga. (Newnan HS)
Prepped at Newnan High School under head coach Trent Gayzemeyer, helping the Cougars to a winning season in 2022-23…Tossed in 1,181 points, 592 assists, 288 rebounds, 171 steals and 28 blocked shots over 81 games in his final three seasons at the high school level…Captured Class 6A All-Region 5 accolades as a senior, averaging 14.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per outing…Attended Rock Springs Christian Academy in Milner, Ga. as a junior, earning all-state accolades after accumulating 20.6 points (seventh in Georgia’s AAA ranks), 8.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest…Posted three double-doubles as a junior, including a near triple-double (career-high 32 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds) against Central Georgia Arts on Jan. 21, 2022…Attended Camp Jewell House Academy in Conyers, Ga. during his sophomore campaign, helping the squad to a 17-15 record with an unblemished 6-0 mark in the region standings…Secured averages of 10.1 points, 9.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game as a sophomore…Father played collegiate basketball at Columbus State University.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information
