Aussie college duo team up at Charleston

• New South Wales product Will Mortimore and Victoria's Chol Machot have committed to the College of Charleston
• Sharpshooter Reyne Smith also played there before going to Louisville
• Both made the switch in the NCAA Men's Transfer Portal

The College of Charleston should be a familiar basketball program to Australian basketball fans that have kept an eye on the NCAA over recent years — its maroon and gold uniforms draped over one of our best college shooters in recent years in Reyne Smith before his transfer to Louisville as a senior.

With the dust now settling on the 2025 transfer portal, two more Australians will now represent the college, with New South Wales’ Will Mortimore and Victoria’s Chol Machot committing to the program for the 2025-2026 season.

Mortimore, a regular on NSW Metro since the 2021 Australian Junior Championship, made a name for himself as a tough-minded, workhorse big-man, serving as an important piece for the team’s silver medal performance in the Under 20 division in 2023 — the team falling short to a stacked West Australian group that featured Alex Condon, Ben Henshall, Ethan Elliot, Alex Kovatchev and Josh Ibukunoluwa.

Mortimore played his freshman season at Division 2 school Colorado Mesa University — one of eight Australian’s on the team’s roster along with Malakye Cunningham, Yaak Yaak, Mason Honeyman, Harvey White, Harley Kent, Jaylen Pitman and Ben Kaye. Such strong representation is the result of head coach Mike Dunlap’s ties with Australia — Dunlap coached the Adelaide 36ers from 1994 to 1997.

In Mortimore’s freshman season, the big man finished second on the team in scoring with 11 points per game, as well as leading the rebounding count with 6.8 boards per game. Despite starting as the team’s five, Mortimore would spend time sliding into a dual big-man lineup with fellow centre and Oregon State commit Yaak Yaak, making the big man’s production even more impressive.

As Mortimore makes the jump to Division 1 basketball with the Cougars in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), he’ll again have the opportunity to play alongside a big man, as he is joined by Chol Machot by way of Junior College Florida Southwestern.

Machot’s road to Division 1 basketball has been very different — the late blooming seven-footer was never selected for any state level tournaments in the Australian system and instead chose to finish his high school basketball career in the US, attending Winston Salem Christian Academy.

After wowing college recruiters with a rare combination of size, athleticism, shot blocking and shooting, Machot was initially committed to Mississippi State in the Southeastern conference, but would ultimately be required to attend a year of junior college before passing eligibility criteria. For Florida Southwestern, Machot had a prolific season filled with highlights, averaging 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.

Due to roster turnover and changing opportunities in the ever-fluid college landscape, Machot opted to decommit from Mississippi State, instead committing to the Cougars.

Between the two bigs, Charleston possesses two wide ranging and contrasting frontcourt pieces — Mortimore a more traditional, bruising post player, screen setter, passer and post player, and Machot a mobile, athletic and perimeter-oriented scoring threat.

In 2024, previous Head Coach Pat Kelsey moved on from the program, taking his services, along with Reyne Smith’s, to the Louisville Cardinals. With new head coach Chris Mack, the team was able to maintain a high level of success in the CAA, along with fellow Australian Evan Kilminster, who now sits in the portal. Despite Kelsey’s departure, the Cougars retain connections to the Australian pipeline through Assistant Coach Chris Harriman, who was born in Sydney and played for both the Sydney Kings and Hunter Pirates.

The team’s top scorer last season, 6’10" big man Ante Brzovic, was denied an injunction for a fifth year of eligibility earlier this month, opening the door for more frontcourt opportunities. Expect Machot in particular to experience opportunity in what will be considered his freshman season due to current eligibility rules — the seven footer stands out as one of Australia’s highest potential players currently in the college system.

About the Author

Michael Houben is an Australian basketball writer and scout based in Melbourne, Victoria. As well as covering the game as a journalist, Michael supports US colleges to identify and recruit Australian talent as the owner of Airtime Scouting, and supports grassroots athletes through Airtime Basketball.