CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Lee University men's basketball team and Head Coach Bubba Smith have announced the 2025-26 signing class. In total, five new players will join the Flames program. Three freshman and two transfers are a part of the class. Eli Stapler, Reese Frazier, and Garrett Giles will be starting their collegiate careers, while Dayveun Anderson and Dylan Holt will transfer to the Flames.

Eli Stapler
Stapler, a six-foot-two-inch guard, joins the Flames following a standout high school career at Huntsville High School in Huntsville, Ala. During his senior season with the Panthers, Stapler was one of the top floor generals in the state, averaging 12 points, eight assists, and five rebounds per game. He helped lead his team to a 32-2 record and a berth in the state Elite Eight.
His high school varsity career was marked by team success. Huntsville High School had a 64-5 overall record Stapler's final two years, two Area 7 Regular Season and Tournament Championships, and a State Elite Eight and Final Four appearance. His teams also earned national recognition, ranking inside the top 40 both years. Stapler was named to the All-Area 7 Team for both the regular season and the tournament in each of his final two years and was a two-time All-Huntsville Metro Team selection.

Coach Smith on Stapler: "Eli quickly rose to the top of our recruiting efforts this past year with his basketball IQ, decision making, and ability to make those around him better. True floor leaders who understand the game are such valuable assets for coaches and programs. Between the basketball pedigree of his family and the success of his teams at Huntsville High, Eli knows what it takes to win! Our fans will love watching him play and we can't wait to get him on campus in August." 

Reese Frazier
Frazier, a six-foot guard from Dayton, Tenn., comes to Lee University via McMinn County High School. He has deep family ties to the program. His aunt, Katie Nelson Frazier, is a 2015 Lee Flames Hall of Fame inductee for her career with the Lee women's basketball team.
Frazier had  an outstanding high school career. He was named District MVP twice, made the All-Region Team three times, and led his team to a state tournament appearance. Over 64 games, Frazier totaled 1,541 points, 430 rebounds, 330 assists, and 220 steals. His career averages included 24 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. He finished in the top ten in scoring in Tennessee during both his junior and senior seasons.

Coach Smith on Frazier: "When I think of Reese Frazier, I think competitor. Everyone who has watched Reese play over the last few years, knows that Reese has a competitive drive that is unmatched. We have watched Reese score a lot these last couple years, but what stood out more than his scoring ability was his competitive character. Players with this mindset find a way to win and we know Reese will bring that competitive effort to our team and program. We look forward getting Reese acclimated to all things Lee here shortly! 
 
Garrett Giles
Giles, a six-foot-six wing from Loudon, Tenn., played at Oak Ridge High School. The future Flame concluded a successful high school career that included two district championships, a regional championship, and a state runner-up finish in his senior season.
Giles scored over 1,500 points during his four-year career. He was a four-time All-District selection and a three-time All-Region honoree. He earned spots on the All-Region Tournament Team twice and the All-State Tournament Team once. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

Coach Smith on Giles: "We are intentional in recruiting players from winning programs and Garrett falls in line with that tradition in playing for Oak Ridge's Aaron Greene.  Garrett has tremendous versatility as a big wing and athleticism that will allow him to defend multiple positions. We were drawn to Garrett's motor and upside and feel his best basketball is ahead of him. Evaluating potential in a player is so valuable in the recruiting process. Garrett's growth these last two years has been substantial, which made an offer to him a no-brainer. Garrett is going to be a fun player to watch these next few years! 

Dayveun Anderson
The first of two transfers, Anderson, joins the Flames from Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Miss.. A five-foot-eleven guard from Tupelo, Miss., Anderson brings a winning pedigree to Cleveland. He started all 60 games of his junior college career, leading his team to a 77% win rate as the floor general.
Anderson posted 623 points, 283 assists, and 70 made three-pointers across two seasons. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 39% from beyond the arc. He boasts an impressive 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, a key stat for point guards. During the 2024-25 season, he ranked 14th nationally and third in Region 23 in that category. ICC finished with a school-record 25 wins.

Coach Smith on Anderson: "Signing a seasoned and veteran point guard was a big need for the 2025 class, and we feel we have done that with the signing of Anderson. We were drawn to Dayveun's competitive drive, playmaking ability, and desire to defend other teams' best guards. He is a proven decision maker and unselfish floor leader.  We are excited to add Dayveun's experience and leadership to our team and feel he will be a great compliment to our backcourt.  We can't wait to get him to campus in August and acclimated to our program and culture! 

Dylan Holt
Rounding out this years class is international forward Dylan Holt. A six-foot-nine native of Sydney, Australia, Holt arrives in Cleveland after stints at Fort Hays Technical College Northwest and Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla.
Known for his work ethic, defense, and athleticism, Holt averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 52% from the field over his junior college career.  

Coach Smith on Holt: "We are excited with the last addition of Dylan Holt to our 2025 recruiting class. Dylan brings athleticism, motor, and versatility to our frontcourt. When evaluating post players and how they fit into our system, Dylan quickly stood out. We love post players than can stretch the floor, rim protect, be active in ball screen defense, and rebound outside their area. Dylan checks those boxes and much more. Dylan also comes from a basketball family. His brother, Bailey, will playing with Overtime Elite next season. 

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome these five newcomers to our program," summarized Coach Smith. "Not only are they talented players, but they're even better individuals. They align perfectly with our values and will complement a seasoned core of veteran players who have won at a high level. We look forward to welcoming them to campus in August and helping them get acclimated to all things Lee."

The 2025-26 men's basketball season will tip-off on November 8 at 2:00 PM with an exhibition game during homecoming weekend. The regular season will begin on November 17 at Walker Arena, when the Flames will face Lindsey Wilson College.