Stephen Slezak, Campus Carrier asst. sports editor
The 2024-2025 men’s basketball season came to an end when Berry lost to Emory University in the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) by a score of 84-68. This season was a historic year for the Vikings with many accomplishments and awards being won along the way. The Vikings finished the year with a 20-9 overall record and a 10-2 conference record.
Heading into the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) tournament, the Vikings won their last ten of 11 games and won another regular season SAA championship. The season was capped off with a SAA tournament championship win and they punched their ticket once again to the NCAA tournament. The team then went on to make history as they were the first ever Viking team to win an NCAA tournament game in school history and advance to the second round. This was also the first win an SAA team had in the NCAA tournament since 2016.
The Vikings were led by senior Braxton Benham, who had a career year for the team and led the SAA as one of the top men in the conference. Benham won the title of “SAA Athlete of the year”, “SAA tournament MVP” and “First Team All-SAA”. He finished his career as Berry’s all-time leading scorer in the Division III era.
“We grind very hard each summer to reach our maximum potential so I’m glad it was all on full display for others to notice,” Benham said. “I knew it was going to be a great year but [it] definitely was unexpected with a lot of the accolades I was presented with.’
Transitioning from one coaching staff to another can be difficult for some programs. Some teams take a step back in their first year under a new staff. The Vikings were able to embrace their new coaching staff and succeed under Richter and Logsdon.
“We were happy about Richter being named head coach,” Benham said. “We knew it would take some adjusting, but we trusted him and the process this whole season. He was everything we needed and more.”
Matthew Richter was at the helm for the Vikings this past year, in his first season being head coach of the team. Richter previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the Vikings. Richter is assisted by Chris Logsdon, a partnership that allowed the Berry coaching staff to win SAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
“Our assistant coach Chris Logsdon did an incredible job this year in his first year at Berry and he connected with our team right away,” Richter said.
The season started off shaky, with the Vikings losing three out of their first five games to start the year off with a record of 2-3. The team started the year off with one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, playing both top five nationally ranked Emory University and 18th ranked Christopher Newport University on the road.
“Iron sharpens iron, and what was also so important about our non-conference schedule is losing several close games early really helped us learn and improve,” Richter said. “By the time conference play got here and the end of conference play, our guys looked and felt like different people in the late moments of close games. Their confidence was extremely high because of all the different experiences they learned from throughout the year.”
Three more players were honored by the SAA at the end of the season. Seniors Parker Godwin and Jacob Morgan both earned an All-SAA Honorable Mention for their performance throughout the season. Godwin averaged 10.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Godwin’s best game of the season came against Covenant where he scored 27 points and shot 82 percent from the field. Morgan averaged 11.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Morgan’s best game came against Emory where he scored 22 total points with also adding seven rebounds to his stat line. Sophomore Grant Stubbs also earned SAA All-Sportsmanship for his presence on the team.
“Our three seniors, including Braxton, were the heart and soul of our team this year,” Richter said. “Not just because of their on-court contributions, but because who they are as people and teammates off the court. When other players see the work those guys put in, and see how much they prioritize the team above themselves, that’s what builds culture.”
The season finished as good as the team could have hoped for in the preseason. This year was historic for the Berry basketball program, and the Vikings will look to build on this season heading into next year.