EASTON, Pa. - Head coach Mike McGarvey has announced the addition of five first-year players and a transfer student-athlete to finalize the men's basketball roster for the 2023-24 season.

Mark Butler, Joshua Wyche, Luke Rasmussen, Mike Bednostin and Andrew Phillips will each join the roster out of high school and be eligible to compete in the upcoming fall semester. Luka Savicevic will also be added to the squad as a transfer with two years of eligibility.

"We are excited to start working with these players and feel like we've been able to add size, skill and athleticism to blend well with our core of returners." McGarvey said.

Mark Butler is a four-year varsity point guard out of Philadelphia, Pa., who attended William Penn Charter School. The 5-10 incoming Leopard was given the Coaches Award as a freshman and tabbed Second Team All-Inter-AC as a sophomore. His junior season saw accomplishments such as the Inter-AC championship winner, MVP of the Inter-AC, First Team All-Inter-AC, non-PIAA All-State Third Team and Third Team All-City. Butler has club experience for Philly Pride, under coach Brandon Williams in his home city where he was a 16u Under Armour Association champion as an eighth grader. The Philadelphia, Pa. native received multiple semesterly academic honors and lists extracurriculars as Bookbag Drive member, Food Drive member, Cleaning the Highway program and the Share Food program. He also participated in one year of varsity track.

Joshua Wyche is a three-year varsity guard/forward from Philadelphia, Pa., who attended Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School. The 6-6 wing earned honor roll laurels and was a member of the National Honor Society and the Campus Ministry. Wyche has club experience with the K-LOW Elite, under coach Kyle Sample in his home city.

Luke Rasmussen, a 6-7 guard, will join the squad in the fall. The Haverford, Pa. native lists three years of basketball experience at the Hill School and the Haverford School while averaging 12 points, six rebounds and three assists per game. He earned the Don Ronnie Award and was the starting quarterback for two years. Rasmussen has club experience with both the East Coast Power in the UA Rise circuit and the PMT Warriors in the New Balance circuit.

Mike Bednostin, who attended Trinity High School and Crestwood Prep, stands in as a 6-11 center from Dillsburg, Pa./Kyiv, Ukraine. He was a runner-up in the state finals at Crestwood and was a District 3A champion with Trinity High School. Bednostin has club experience with Grassroots Elite Canada under Ro Russell in Toronto, Ontario. He is currently participating in the FIBA U20 European Championship for his home country of Ukraine.

Andrew Phillips is a 6-4 wing who hails from Downingtown, Pa. with three years of varsity experience at Malvern Prep. His accolades include a 2020-21 honorable mention Inter-AC, 2021-22 First Team Inter-AC, 2021-22 All-State Inter-AC and 2021-22 All-County champions. During senior year, Phillips averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game, which earned him Inter-AC MVP, First Team All-State and All-County laurels. He was named the Markward Award Winner as an Inter-AC champion in 2022-23.

Luka Savicevic is a 6-3 point guard from Skopje, North Macedonia, who came to the Leopards with two years of eligibility remaining after playing at Eastern Michigan University. At EMU, he totaled 83 points, 41 assists, 40 rebounds and 12 steals in two seasons. Savicevic was named to the Academic All-MAC team following his final season with the Eagles. Previously, he graduated from Sports Academy Skopje and was a member of the Senior and U18 Macedonia National teams. He averaged 9.2 points, 2.9 assists and 2.0 rebounds in the North Macedonia Super League for KK MZT Skopje in 2020-21 to take a fourth-place finish at the European Championship for Division B.


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