The Oldest Players In College Basketball 2023–24

9 min readOct 30, 2023

It all began back in February of 2021. I took my usual position on the couch to catch some late-night Big West action between Hawaii and visitors Cal Poly. As the broadcast lulled my weary eyes, the announcer’s conversation suddenly drew my attention.

A player for Hawaii was old, quite old. Rainbow Warriors wing Casdon Jardine graduated high school in 2014, and seven years later, he was still playing college basketball.

Jardine served a two-year Mormon mission in Brazil out of high school before starting his college career at Southern Idaho in 2016–17. He then transferred to Boise State, spending a season there before transferring to Utah Valley. Per NCAA rules, he sat out a season, played one year for UVU, and then joined Hawaii as a graduate transfer for the 2020–21. With the COVID year, he could have even played one additional season.

As a 2015 high school graduate who had toiled in post-college life for nearly two years, finding a college basketball player older than me was confusing but, above all, almost comforting. These collegiate old-timers were delaying the onset of adulthood, and as a confused college graduate, I had to commend them for that.

The query emerged: “How many other college basketball players are older than me?” The following season, I made a list. Using RealGM and some random luck, I found 37 DI college basketball players older than me in 2021–22. Five still had remaining eligibility, yet only one returned in 22–23 — Memphis forward DeAndre Williams, who was 26 years old at the start of the season.

This year, with the number of old players dwindling, I diligently compiled my most comprehensive list. Birthday sources include a 2016 Facebook post with a broken newspaper link, social media posts from family members, and multiple Instagram captions mentioning a “Kobe year” (aka turning 24). At times, in true journalistic fashion, I even had to combine happy birthday posts from teams with articles mentioning a player’s age.

I found 37 confirmed Division I men’s basketball players born in 1997 or 1998. Unfortunately, unless DeAndre Williams gets his waiver, none of them will be older than me. While my original quest seems to finally be ending, between COVID years, medical redshirts, transfers, and even Mormon missions, there is still an intriguing assortment of stories to tell in this season’s list of the oldest players in college basketball.

Oldest DI College Basketball Players 23–24

*Click here to read about the oldest non-DI players in college basketball*

DeJuan Clayton (Manhattan)

Born: May 18, 1997
Years in College: 8
Number of Schools: 3, possibly 4 (Coppin State, Hartford, California, Manhattan?)
2022–23 Stats (Cal): 9.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, 21.9 Assist Rate

***March Update***

DeJuan Clayton’s waiver wait is not as captivating as DeAndre Williams’ plight, but the 26-year-old still provides a compelling examination of NCAA eligibility. Clayton spent the first five years of his career at Coppin State, missing one year with injury while twice earning All-MEAC honors.

He transferred to Hartford in 2021–22, missing all but three games due to injury. Clayton then spent 22–23 at Cal, where injuries and illness limited him to nine contests. With four full seasons played and three largely eliminated by health issues, the 6–2 guard benefited from multiple suits against the NCAA — including one Clayton filed himself.

Clayton won the case, becoming the the first college basketball player to appear in a game in eight seasons when he suited up for Manhattan against Marist on February 23. This appearance also made him the oldest active DI college basketball player.

Alexis Yetna (Fairfield)

Born: July 7, 1997
Years in College: 8
Number of Schools: 3 (South Florida, Seton Hall, Fairfield)
2021–22 Stats (at Seton Hall): 8.1 PPG, 7.6 PPG, 0.8 APG, 22.7 Defensive Rebounding rate

A native of France, two knee injuries and two years of post-high school prep basketball (which made him ineligible as a true freshman) mean that at 26 years old, Alexis Yetna was the oldest DI college basketball player in 2023–24 until the late-season debut of DeJuan Clayton.

Yetna was the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year at USF in 2018–19 before becoming a key contributor on the Seton Hall team that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2022. He now takes a step down to Fairfield, where he is a Preseason All-MAAC Third Team nominee this year.

Spencer Johnson (BYU)

Born: September 3, 1997
Years in College: 6
Number of Schools: 3 (Weber State, Salt Lake Community College, BYU)
2022–23 Stats: 11.1 PPG, 3.7 PPG, 1.8 PPG, 46.1 3P%

Spencer Johnson’s long collegiate career began at Weber State in 2018, but he is a 2016 high school graduate who went on a two-year Mormon mission after high school. Johnson redshirted at Weber before transferring to Salt Lake CC. After a breakout year at the JuCo level, Johnson joined BYU and has become one of the top shooters in the West Coast Conference. He will be a key contributor for the Cougars and as the eldest player in the NCAA Tournament this year.

Seth Towns (Howard)

Born: November 5, 1997
Years in College: 8
Number of Schools: 3 (Harvard, Ohio State, Howard)
2020–21 Stats (at Ohio State): 3.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.3 APG, 113.9 ORTG

The Ivy League Player of the Year during his sophomore season at Harvard in 2017–18, Seth Towns was once one of the hottest mid-major prospects in college basketball. Since then, Towns has missed four of the last five seasons with injury, playing just 25 games for Ohio State in 2020–21 during that entire span. He will turn 26 the day before Howard’s opening night game against Hampton as he enters an unprecedented eighth year of college. Towns could even have an extra year of eligibility after this season.

Osborn Shema (Iona)

Born: January 5, 1998
Years in College: 6
Number of Schools: 2 (New Mexico Military Insitute, Iona)
2022–23 Stats: 7.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 5.1 Block Rate

Shema originally signed with Florida Gulf Coast but played his freshman season at New Mexico Military Insitute. In his lone year with the Broncos, Shema earned Western Junior College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors, blocking nearly three shots per game. The native of Rwanda came on strong during the latter stages of last season for Iona, averaging 10.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG over his final 11 MAAC contests.

Aanen Moody (Montana)

Born: January 15, 1998
Years in College: 7
Number of Schools: 3 (North Dakota, Southern Utah, Montana)
2022–23 Stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 40.7 3P%

Not many college basketball players are married with two kids, but that hasn’t stopped Aanen Moody from being part of the preseason all-Big Sky Conference team this year. He was Second Team All-Conference a year ago with a league-leading 40.7% shooting from three. The North Dakota native has patiently waited for success on the court, starting in his home state before spending two years at Southern Utah. He is now emerging as a star with the Grizzlies.

Juan Munoz (Hawaii)

Born: February 2, 1998
Years in College: 8
Number of Schools: 2 (Longwood, Hawaii)
2020–21 Stats (Longwood): 13.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 38.4 3P%

Few players in college basketball have had it rougher than Juan Munoz, who has suffered season-ending injuries during preseason on four occasions during his career. After missing the last two years, the career 38.5% three-point shooter will finally hope to suit up for the Rainbow Warriors in his eighth season for his first competitive game since March 2021.

Cam Martin (Boise State)

Born: March 24, 1998
Years in College: 7
Number of Schools: 4 (Jacksonville State, Missouri Southern State, Kansas, Boise State)
2020–21 Stats (Missouri Southern State): 25.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.3 APG

A three-time DII All-American at Missouri Southern State, Cam Martin transferred to Kansas in 2021, where, as a redshirt, he was a member of the 2021–22 National Championship team. A medical redshirt sidelined him after four games last year, and he will spend his final collegiate season at Boise State playing alongside his younger brother Alex — six years his junior.

Waiting on Waivers

DeAndre Williams (Memphis)

Born: October 4, 1996
Years in College: 6
Number of Schools: 2 (Evansville, Memphis)
2022–23 Stats: 17.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 9.1 Box Plus-Minus

Update 11/7/2023: The NCAA denied Williams’ eligibility appeal

Ninth months older than any player on the list, DeAndre Williams’ shot at a sixth season of college basketball depends on the NCAA’s view of his precarious pre-college education journey. Williams attended Klein Forest High School in Houston before continuing his education at a homeschool institution.

In 2015, according to Williams, he was advised to leave Klein Forest (Texas) High School and enroll at Sports Association of Texas for Christian Homeschoolers (or SATCH, which is now Houston Homeschool Athletics). He said he was told by someone in a position of authority that his grades weren’t good enough to get into a Division I school. But SATCH was not an NCAA-approved institution, and none of Williams’ three months’ worth of schoolwork counted toward his Division I academic requirements. (Jason Munz, Memphis Commercial Appeal)

Williams then spent 2017–18 at Nation Wide Academy — a basketball prep school in Oklahoma City. He signed with the University of Evansville the following year but sat out after the NCAA ruled him academically ineligible. His first collegiate season on the court came in 2019–20, and his second career appearance came in Evansville’s historic upset of Kentucky.

Williams transferred to Memphis and quickly became an All-AAC caliber wing and one of the best two-way players in the nation. After the 2022–23 season — his fourth season of college basketball and fifth year overall — Williams believed he still had another year of eligibility. The NCAA decided otherwise. The Memphis forward reapplied for a waiver in September 2023, arguing that he received bad advice before college.

The application stems from the 2018–19 season, in which he was enrolled at Evansville but didn’t play due to being academically ineligible. The NCAA still counted that year of eligibility against him, however, citing a “delayed enrollment” violation. Williams and his legal team allege that he received bad advice from people in position of authority while in high school, which includes having him enroll in an online institution that wasn’t NCAA accredited, and that the violation would’ve never happened without that poor advisement. (Roman Cleary, Bluff City Media)

With less than two weeks until the start of the season, DeAndre Williams is still waiting on a decision, and I am waiting to see if there will be a player older than me in college basketball this year.