ELON – The Elon men's basketball team wrapped up the regular season on Tuesday in a matchup against UNCW. While the Phoenix could not overcome the regular-season champion Seahawks, Elon believes it has the pieces in place to make some noise at the 2026 Air Force Reserve CAA Championship this weekend.
 
Leading the charge into the nation's capital will be graduate forward Chandler Cuthrell, who has averaged 20 points per game this season and was named to the All-CAA Second Team on Friday. Cuthrell's biggest contribution against UNCW came at the free throw line, where he knocked down 11 of his 12 shots.
 
"[I was] just staying composed and relaxing on the free throw line," Cuthrell said. "I was just relaxing and taking my time."
 
Cuthrell was one of five players celebrated on Senior Night before Tuesday's game. Also recognized before the game was graduate forward Kacper Klaczek, who led the team with six defensive rebounds on the night. Graduate guard Ja'Juan Carr also contributed in his final game at Schar Center, distributing the ball well with a team-high four assists.
 
"These seniors have meant a ton to our program," head coach Billy Taylor said. "Their kind of leadership and toughness has meant a ton to our program."
 
Another key player for the Phoenix in D.C. will be sophomore Bryson Cokley. The guard has averaged almost 14 points per game in CAA play and been a major contributor for Elon down the stretch.
 
Cokley credits much of his success in his sophomore season to the Elon coaching staff that has helped develop his game.
 
"I think it's having a coaching staff that believes in you," Cokley said. "For the first time, I've had somebody believe in me at the level that this staff does. It does a lot for your confidence, being able to go out there and play your game and having the coach's trust."
 
The coaches' trust in a pair of young rotational players also showed up in the regular season finale. Sophomore center Caleb Middleton flashed on both ends of the floor against the Seahawks, using his size to grab three boards on offense and using his length to steal the ball twice. Redshirt sophomore guard Ned Hull was even more feisty on the defensive side, taking the ball away three times, including a back court steal that he bounced to Cuthrell for an electric double that fired up the crowd.
 
"A lot of their effort was just disciplined plays," Taylor said. "Being in the right place at the right time, playing with activity and playing with urgency."
 
Taylor believes a push in the CAA Tournament for the Phoenix is within reach. 
 
"You have to believe that you can win," Taylor said. "Believe in yourself and believe the guy next to you can make the right decisions. Be able to go out and execute and do it at a high level so that we have a chance to win."
 
The Phoenix heads to Washington D.C. on Saturday to face off against the William & Mary Tribe in the second round of the CAA Tournament at 8:30 p.m. 
  'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Sydney Spencer at sspencer9@elon.edu.