Scouting Diaries: College of Charleston vs. Belmont

Stephen Gillaspie recaps one of the better low-major matchups in the 2026 NBA Draft cycle!

Logging the Miles

This past month has been quite busy for me. In October, I was able to be credentialed to cover the Hoop Exchange Fall Festival down in Tavares, Florida. In mid-November, I went to Atlanta, Georgia, to watch two matchups in the Overtime Elite. That was followed by scouting The Legends Classic in Daytona Beach, Florida. In the closing hours of November, I drove to Charleston, South Carolina, to see College of Charleston vs. Belmont. Over the course of this time, I drove almost 1,460 miles to watch some awesome High School and College hoops.

However, I love the grind of being able to go to these new places and meet new people. The most recent trip to Charleston was one of my favorites. That’s mostly because I was able to bring my oldest son, Trevor, to the game with me. I have four kids, so this was special because it was the first time I was able to go somewhere with him—just us—somewhere neither one of us had ever been. It was also cool because the folks at the College of Charleston credentialled me to cover the game for No Ceilings, so Trev (as I call him) got to see me in “scout mode” for the first time.

He and I both brought in our notebooks into TD Arena and found our seats. We watched the shoot-around together, and I got to point out a few players for Trev to keep his eyes on. In between media timeouts and halftime, we traded notes on players and who was standing out. I’ll tell you now, 13-year-old boys think the tallest players are the best (he’s already being sorted into the “Anthro House” already). It was a very cool experience.

Thank you for indulging a sappy, old dad. Now, let’s get into the scouting!