Former players returning to the college basketball programs they once called home is nothing unusual. This offseason, however, the Charleston Southern men's basketball program intentionally created more than an invitation for former Buccaneers—it created an opportunity for previous generations of players to invest in and connect with the young men who will wear the blue and gold this winter.
On a hot and humid Monday in July, three former Buccaneers who now play professional basketball returned to the campus they once called home. Tahlik Chavez (2021-23), Christian Keeling (2016-19) and Travis McConico (2017-19) were welcomed by coaches and staff members they once played with and for, earned the respect of players who now occupy the lockers they once called their own, and were reminded of the joy and gratitude that continue to make the Lowcountry a meaningful part of their basketball offseason.
This summer's reunion, however, was unlike anything Buccaneer Fieldhouse had witnessed in years. The former Bucs weren't invited simply to visit–they were asked to compete against the program's new roster. It's a concept that is not only rare at the mid-major level but increasingly difficult to replicate in an era when players are less likely to remain at one institution long enough to truly consider it their home base.
As the now-professional Buccaneers warmed up for an afternoon of scrimmages, one thing quickly became apparent: they were one player short.
When someone asked who would round out the lineup, the answer came with confidence.
"We've got a big man on the way."
Enter Reis Jones, who graduated from Charleston Southern just two months prior and had landed at Charleston International Airport only 30 minutes before Monday's practice.
Over the course of the week, former and current Buccaneers battled through a series of spirited scrimmages that bridged generations of Charleston Southern basketball. Watching it all unfold from the sideline was the man at the center of the program's culture, head coach Saah Nimley. Those who have followed Charleston Southern or the Big South Conference understand what Nimley means to Buccaneer basketball, but McConico summed it up better than written words ever could.
"(Nimley's) value to the program has evolved through all the time he has invested here."
From a freshman in 2011, to Big South Player of the Year in 2015, to a professional playing career overseas, and eventually every rung of Charleston Southern's coaching ladder before becoming head coach in 2024, Nimley has been part of everyone's journey within the men's basketball program at CSU for the last decade and a half.
Even while playing professionally in Europe, Nimley routinely returned to Charleston during the offseason to work out with the next generation of Buccaneers–just as he now invites former players to do each summer.
"When he used to come play against us, I remember thinking it was so cool because we got to hear and see the things he did during his own days playing here," Keeling said. "In my opinion, he's the best player to ever play at Charleston Southern."
McConico said seeing players like Nimley return to the Buc Dome gave him genuine optimism about what his own future could look like.
"I valued his advice so much because we met him while he was a professional player," McConico said. "He gave us hope and real insight into how to begin our professional careers."
For McConico, those conversations evolved into relationships that continue to shape his career.
"That's a big part of why we all try to stay in contact to this day and why we consider it so important," he said. "I've built and continued my career through relationships. You never know when you're going to need these guys."
Chavez, the youngest of the professional trio in town for the week, got to build a relationship with Nimley during his assistant coaching days. Their relationship has blossomed into a brotherhood forged in basketball but now resonant in life.
"(Nimley) and Nate (Louis) were both coaches here when I came to play at CSU. They were like my best friends," Chavez said. "We would go bowling. I would go play video games at their house. All of that stuff. To this day, the three of us are in a group chat and talk at least every week. Even last summer when I came to visit Charleston, (Nimley) let me stay at his house with him and his family."
If there was one word that surfaced more than any other throughout these conversations, it was family. The phrase "keeping it in the family" came up repeatedly when discussing the coaching staff now leading the next generation of Buccaneers.
"I remember when (Nimley) got the head coaching job here and being so happy that Coach Radebaugh wanted to keep it in the family," McConico said. "We all played for Coach (Radebaugh), and we all share those same values of trusting our family."
Keeling echoed the sentiment, pointing to Nimley's leadership as a driving force behind the program's continued growth.
"We respect (Nimley) so much–not only as a player, but as a brother who did immeasurable things for the program we all played for," Keeling said. "It's been special getting to see his vision and his touch come to life in the direction the team is headed."
McConico expanded on that thought, turning his attention to the next wave of Buccaneers now under Nimley's guidance.
"The new players don't realize how good they have it with a coach who has this much life experience," McConico said. "He's not just a basketball coach like you see at a majority of schools. He's not only been in their shoes, but he's walked across the world in them."
The tradition of former players pouring back into the program did not begin this summer. Faces like Lamar Oden Jr. (2024-25) were found in the Buc Dome stands this past December and former Big South Player of the Year Taje' Kelly (2021-25) was in the gym earlier this off-season. For those who have worn the blue and gold, staying connected is less about making appearances and more about investing in the brotherhood that shaped them.
"Because I was able to reach out to former players like (Keeling and McConico), I want to be that former guy," Chavez said.
Keeling shared that same perspective.
"We want to be an outlet. I love Charleston Southern, and everyone knows it. We've been in their shoes, so we want them to succeed," he said. "If you have a younger brother, you want him to do even better than you. It's exactly like that. When Taje' passed me on the all-time scoring list, I was excited because I knew the work he put in to achieve that."
As the conversation shifted from the present to the past, stories began to flow effortlessly. The group traded memories from their playing days, laughing through moments that, years later, still felt as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
"Some of my favorite memories in life were made here in Charleston," McConico said. "I remember when (Keeling) used to call up the College of Charleston players, and we would ride downtown to play pickup with them."
For Keeling, some of his favorite memories had little to do with basketball itself.
"CSU is so intimate. When we were here, we knew everyone's name. We went to all the other teams' games," Keeling said. "It was a family atmosphere because we knew we were a small school, and that made us want to support each other."
When asked what words best described his time at Charleston Southern, Keeling didn't hesitate.
"Grateful and togetherness," he said. "CSU was the only university I visited out of high school. It was a place that allowed me to gradually grow and learn a lot about life. I had so many amazing men around me who held me up during bad times and made me more resilient in the process… Everything was always rooted in love, and that's what inspired that togetherness. When we hang out to this day, we all hang out together. That's why, in weeks like this one, we come back together… I've never forgotten that Charleston Southern is the reason I was able to go anywhere else in life."
Along with the relationships he built, McConico said one of Charleston Southern's foundational values has stayed with him long after graduation.
"Jesus Christ was the focus of the whole university," McConico said. "That allowed us to not only be student-athletes, but Christian-athletes as well."
As the conversations continued, another word surfaced almost as often as family: home.
"A lot of us played at more than one school during college, and to this day when we're overseas and people ask us what school we played at, we all say Charleston Southern," Keeling said. "When we tell guys overseas that we played for CSU, we say it with so much pride."
Chavez echoed that feeling.
"It's been a trend for CSU to recruit guys who are good people," Chavez said. "That's one of the reasons we all want to stay connected, because we know how special that is. I feel like these guys were my teammates even though we played here at different times."
"These relationships have bled into life. We'll be in each others weddings, go on vacations together, all those type of things," McConico said. "We have so much in common because we all live in the gym and were molded by a culture built on grit. At the same time, we recognize that our differences are what make this group and this brotherhood stronger."
As the conversation about home came to a close, Keeling offered one final thought.
"When I touch down in Charleston, walk into the gym and see so many familiar faces in a place where I spent so much time, I feel like I'm home."
For the countless men who have worn a Charleston Southern uniform, Buccaneer Fieldhouse has become more than just a basketball gym. It has become a place where lifelong friendships are formed, careers are launched and a brotherhood continues to grow long after the final buzzer.
No matter where basketball takes them, the pull back to Charleston remains the same. Chavez summed up that feeling–and the reason former Buccaneers continue to return to the place they once called home–with one final reflection.
"I've lived and been in a lot of places in my life. When I feel that Charleston air, I'm home."
