CAA Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

18. Joe Chealey

A 6’3 point guard originally from Orlando, Chealey made some waves during his own college career, spending it all at the College of Charleston. He grew into an important role in the Cougars’ backcourt, first under Doug Wojcik before spending much of his career under Earl Grant. However, he also missed his entire junior year with a leg injury, but he’d come back stronger than ever.

Decent contributions dotted his early years in Charleston, with Chealey starting for most of his career. He had a 30-point outburst in his sophomore season and was starting to hit his stride before that season-ending injury. As a redshirt junior, Chealey averaged 17.8 points and shot 39% from outside the arc, bouncing back as an impactful contributor for the Cougars. During a senior season with similar scoring figures, he helped lead the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament, with 32 points in an overtime win over Northeastern in the CAA Tournament title game.

Chealey brought his best when it mattered most, averaging more than 23 points a game in the two CAA Tournaments after his injury. He was named First Team All-CAA for those two seasons, becoming one of the league’s top scorers. Helping lead the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 was one of the clearest highlights, with Chealey ending his collegiate career on college basketball’s biggest stage and walking away from the game with 1827 career points.