The Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team finished the 2024-25 season with nine victories and ended the season tied for fifth place in the University Athletic Association.
The Spartans finished the season with a 9-16 overall record, including a 5-9 mark in UAA games. CWRU averaged 80.2 points per game and made 10.4 three-point shots per contest, the 18th-most among all NCAA Division III teams. The Spartans finished the year shooting 42.5% from the floor and 32.5% from three-point range, while allowing 85.7 points per contest on 49.1% shooting overall and 39.8% from long range.
The Spartans were led by senior guard Sam Trunley, who claimed all-region and all-UAA honors in 2024-25, in addition to being named a finalist for the prestigious Jostens Trophy. Trunley averaged 23.5 points per game (the eighth-most among Division III players) during the season and set a program record with 587 total points scored, breaking the previous mark of 545 points set by Anthony Mazzeo just a season prior. He also set a program record with 143 made free throws while his 88.3% mark from the charity stripe was the 25th-best mark among Division III players during the campaign. Trunley also led all Spartan players with 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while adding 5.9 rebounds and shooting 43.7% overall and 36.5% from three-point range.
Trunley also twice set the program record for points in a game. He first accomplished the feat in CWRU's second game of the season, scoring 45 points in a 101-99 win in double overtime against SUNY Brockport, besting the previous mark of 39 points set by Funso Lafe against Westminster in 2005. Then, he dropped 51 points in a 110-104 win over Carnegie Mellon in the final game of his collegiate career, not only besting his program record but surpassing the UAA single-game record of 49 points set by Chicago's Matt Johnson against Emory in 2012. It was the fourth-most points scored by a Division III player in 2024-25.
Trunley also set the program's single-game records for free throws made (18) and attempted (19) in the win over SUNY Brockport and matched the record for steals (seven) against Houghton on November 16. He scored in double digits in all but one game during the year, scored at least 20 points on 17 occasions, and had four efforts of 30 or more points. He finished his career with 1,195 points, the 11th-most in program history.
Senior forward Umar Rashid turned in a career year as well, recording career highs with 15.5 points and leading the team with 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, en route to earning an honorable mention to the All-UAA team. He eclipsed 1,000 career points against NYU on February 23, while his 137 career blocks rank second all-time in program history.
Several graduate students supplemented the Spartans' lineup throughout the year. Forward Andy Barba appeared in 20 games and was third among all CWRU players with 12.1 points per game, while guard Christian McDaniel played in all 25 games and scored 2.5 points per contest with 1.0 steals. Guard Nicholas Schiavello played in 14 games before suffering a season-ending injury and averaged 5.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
Junior Anand Dharmarajan emerged as a scoring option late in the season, starting the final seven games of the season and averaging 11.6 points per game during the stretch, including a career-high 27-point output in the season finale against Carnegie Mellon and 20 points in an 83-79 win over the 24th-ranked University of Chicago on February 16. Sophomore guard Charlie Fox joined Trunley, Rashid, and McDaniel as the only Spartan players to appear in all 25 of the team's games, averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 assists per game, while first-year Matthew Ellis saw action in 21 games and averaged 6.5 points per contest during his first year of collegiate basketball. Other players to have an impact on the team during the year included senior forward Andrew Fox (3.3 points, 3.0 rebounds), first-year forward Nolan Demski (2.8 points, 1.9 rebounds), junior guard Drey Fox (2.8 points), and junior forward Aaron Rucker (1.8 points per game, 82.6% shooting from the floor).
CWRU opened its season with three straight wins, including a pair at the Bill Sudeck Tournament to claim the title at the event for the third consecutive season. However, the Spartans went on to drop their next four games before breaking the drought with a 102-76 at home against Hiram on December 11. CWRU then suffered three straight losses, heading into UAA play with a 4-7 overall record.
The Spartans began UAA play with an 89-67 win over Carnegie Mellon at home, the team's first win over a ranked opponent during the campaign, but lost eight of their next nine with the lone win coming at Rochester. However, CWRU turned around its play late in the campaign with wins in three of its final four games, including an 83-79 victory against 24th-ranked Chicago in the team's home finale, a 73-69 victory at Brandeis, and the season-finale victory at Carnegie Mellon.
Four Spartan players – Dharmarajan, Charlie Fox, Drey Fox, and Trunley – received College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors following the season, while nine Spartans – junior guard Caleb Chapman, Dharmarajan, Andrew Fox, Charlie Fox, Drey Fox, Rashid, Aaron Rucker, sophomore forward Elvin Stowell, and Trunley – received UAA Winter All-Academic honors.
Spartan players earned the following honors during the 2024-25 season:
The following were the CWRU team leaders during the 2024-25 season:
