Meet the New Players of Team 109
Head men’s basketball coach Rob Senderoff welcomes in seven newcomers for #Team109 and the 2024-25 season. Get the know the players in advance of the upcoming season by reading about them below.
#0 Jonas Nichols |
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Freshman Akron, OH / Archbishop / HobanJonas Nichols makes the short trip to Kent State from Archbishop Hoban High School. A two time District Player of the Year, Nichols helped lead the Knights to a state title in 2023 and placing third nationally. Nichols averaged 16.4 points per game in high school while grabbing six boards per game. Nichols plans to major in business management and enjoys video games and hanging out with friends and teammates away from the basketball court. He credits his mother for her strength and being an ideal role model. The local product chose Kent State because of the family atmosphere and the coaching staff. He is excited to get his college career started and competing for a MAC championship. |
#2 Marquis Barnett |
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Senior Saginaw, MI / PresbyterianMarquis “Quis” Barnett joins the squad from Presbyterian, spending the last three seasons with the Blue Hoes. The senior guard ranked seventh in the Big South last season at 16.4 points per game and leading the Conference in steals at 1.9 thefts per game. He helped lead Presbyterian to an upset of Vanderbilt last year while earning All-Big South honors. Away from the game, the Saginaw, Michigan native enjoys spending time playing games with his brother. He admires his father the most and credits him for always being there and helping to keep the family together. He chose Kent State for the opportunity to be a part of a winning program, play for a great coaching staff and play closer to home. |
#4 Jamal Sumlin |
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Redshirt Sophomore / Cleveland, OH / Northwest Florida State CollegeJamal “Wopp” Sumlin is a combo guard originally from Cleveland, Ohio and James Ford Rhodes High School. He redshirted at UTEP before transferring to NW Florida State College where he was named Co-Player of the Year in the Panhandle Conference. Away from the court he loves being a father to his daughter and looks to use his Kent State education to give back to the area youth. His favorite player growing up was Andre Iguodala and loves to play a similar defensive-minded game. He admires his mother, who has since passed away because she always pushed him to be a better father, brother, son, teammate and player. He credits her for getting him to where he is today. He chose Kent State because it feels like home to him and loves the opportunity to be close to home to help with his family. He is looking forward to playing in front of friends and family again and playing for Coach Sendy and leading the Flashes back to the NCAA Tournament. |
#8 Morgan Safford |
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Graduate Student / Columbus, OH / Miami (Ohio)Morgan Safford joined the Flashes from Miami of Ohio midway through last year but will officially hit the floor for the Flashes this season. He spent two seasons at Wofford before a breakout season with Miami, averaging over 15 points and nearly six rebounds a contest. He was part of the Wofford Terrier squad that took down UNC in Chapel Hill. Safford enjoys catching up on shows and hanging out with teammates and never turns down a pick up game. The Columbus native looks to his mom and her strength and credits the winning culture as the main reason he is a Golden Flash. He looks forward to the season and bringing home another MAC title. |
#11 Cian Medley |
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Sophomore / Sicklerville, NJ / Saint LouisCian Medley is a guard originally from Sicklerville, New Jersey and Camden High School and is a transfer from the Saint Louis Billikens. He saw action in 33 games during his freshman year, logging a solid 22 minutes per game. As a senior, he led Camden to a 22-3 record averaging 7.7 points and 6.6 assists per game and helped the Panthers capture a New Jersey state title. Away from the court, Medley will major in communications and enjoys being around friends and family while cheering on his Boston Celtics. Medley admires his brother for his work ethic and the time and effort he puts into his craft. He chose Kent State because of its winning culture as well as the bond he quickly formed with his teammates. |
#21 Deandre Jones |
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Freshman / Cleveland, OH / Garfield HeightsDeandre “Dre” Jones is a freshman coming to Kent State out of Garfield Heights. A 6-8 forward, Jones has three-point range and is an elite rim protector. Dre helped lead Garfield Heights to a district crown, one of many highlights in his high school career. He plans to major in finance and enjoys playing video games and rooting on his hometown Cavs as well as Kevin Durant. He credits his parents for being ideal role models and staying together and being a strong example through thick and thin. He chose Kent State because of the way he fits into the program and looks forward to developing under the coaching staff as well as the raucous MAC Center crowds. |
#22 Anthony Morales |
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Graduate Student / Boston, MA / Boston UniversityAnthony Morales comes to Kent State from Boston University as a graduate transfer. The stretch-four averaged 10.9 points per game, 4.3 rebounds and shot 44/39/89 from the field, three and the free throw line. The Boston native fondly looks back on a buzzer beater at Florida State and loves playing video games when not playing basketball. Morales will be studying leadership and working towards a marketing certificate at Kent State. He admires his mother as he sees her as a someone who is selfless, caring and always puts others before herself. Kent State was a no-brainer for the grad transfer as he felt right at home and sees an opportunity to contribute and help lead the team towards a MAC Championship. |
#41 Derrick Lee Jr. |
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Freshman / Novi, MI / IMG AacademyDerrick (DJ) Lee Jr. comes to Kent State from IMG Academy in Florida where he played a prep year after playing at Detroit Central Catholic. He helped IMG to a 33-7 record and averaged 12.3 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field. Away from the court, Lee enjoys catching up on social media and playing video games. He looks to his parents for his role models and credits them for helping motivate him to be the best that he can be. The sports management major found Kent State to be a welcoming, respectful and inclusive environment. He felt that the program was a good fit and looks forward to filling his role, winning games in front of a big crowd and working towards a MAC title. |
