Akron wasted no time announcing Dustin Ford as the next head coach of the Zips. He joined Groce at Akron in 2017 where he served as an associate head coach up until his promotion a few months ago. Prior to that, he’d been with Groce since Ohio in 2009 and Illinois when Groce was the head coach of the Illini. It was a no-brainer for the athletic department, and it was evident as they were able to retain some players from the roster this past season rather than starting over from scratch.

With Ford taking over, they were able to stabilize the roster this offseason while adding some crucial pieces. Let’s dive into what they roster is looking like heading into the 2026-2027 season.

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Roster Turnover

• Shammah Scott (Ineligible)

  • 12.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists

• Amani Lyles (Ineligible)

  • 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1 steal

• Tavari Johnson (Senior) ~ College of Charleston

  • 19.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.2 steals

• Ognjen Stankovic (Sophomore) ~ Manhattan

  • 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds

• Conner Groce (Senior) ~ College of Charleston

  • 0.8 points (13 games / 2.1 minutes)

• Bowen Hardman (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 7.6 points, 1.5 rebounds

• Rich Brisco (Sophomore) ~ Rider

  • 1 points, 0.7 rebounds (10 games / 2.4 minutes)

• Sharron Young (Junior) ~ Western Kentucky

  • 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals

• Eric Mahaffey (Sophomore) ~ Cincinnati

  • 7.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists

With John Groce heading to the College of Charleston, there was going to be some significant turnover, but the Zips did a solid job of not completely restarting.

They knew they were going to lose Shammah Scott and Amani Lyles who both wrapped up strong careers in college basketball. Lyles ended up playing in the NBA Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers where he appeared in five games and averaged 9.6 points with 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Tavari Johnson jumped to Charleston to follow his head coach after a prolific career at Akron. Meanwhile, Eric Mahaffey jumped up to Cincinnati where my guess is he saw some nice NIL money come through. For Sharron Young, he made the move to Western Kentucky where he’ll slot into the starting lineup for the Hill Toppers.

Returning Players

• Cody Head (Senior)

  • DNP (Injury)

• Evan Mahaffey (Senior)

  • 10.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.7 steals

• Chabi Barre (Senior)

  • 3.1 points, 2 rebounds

• Marvin Musiime-Kamali (Sophomore)

  • 2 points, 2 rebounds

• Zach Halligan (Sophomore)

  • Walk-on

• Tai Perkins (Redshirt Freshman)

• Josh Henderson (Redshirt Freshman)

Evan Mahaffey (6’6)

Mahaffey made a huge impact in his first season with the Zips last year. After transferring in from Ohio State, he started in all 35 games he appeared in while averaging 10.2 points with 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He shot 57.8% overall and 30.4% from three-point on 46 attempts. He’s the definition of a stat-sheet stuff, finished with lines like nine points, 16 rebounds, and four assists against Central Michigan, and eleven points with five rebounds, and seven assists against Evansville.

His metrics tell the true story:

• 125.0 offensive rating (152nd overall)

• 58.5% effective field goal percentage (166th overall)

• 8.3% offensive rebounding percentage (410th overall)

• 13.7% defensive rebounding percentage

• 18.9 assist rate

• 2.8% block percentage (457th overall)

• 3.3% steal percentage (128th overall)

• 62% 2pt shooting percentage (188th overall)

At 6’6, he functions as a strong bodied combo guard with the ability to facilitate an offense and lock down opposing players. He isn’t a three-point threat and he won’t be getting to the free throw line as he took just 62 shots from the charity stripe, but he provides you with the perfect combination of offense and defense. Him staying through the coaching change is a massive step forward for the Zips this season.

Cody Head (6’3)

Cody Head emerged as a solid freshman at Lipscomb during the 2023-2024 season where he averaged 8.1 points with 2.5 rebounds while shooting 53.2% overall and 35.2% from three-point. His playing time diminished at Arkansas State, appearing in just 19 games and averaging 6.2 minutes per game. He’s battled injuries and missed the entire season last year after transferring into Akron.

I was able to watch him as a freshman live, and I thought he had some strong potentially. He’s an efficient scorer, but he’s not a guard that’s going to distribute the ball at a high rate. Given he hasn’t played a full season in three years, I can see the Zips bringing him off the bench to prove himself as he works to earn a higher spot in the rotation.

Chabi Barre (6’10)

Barre appeared in 18 games in first first season with Akron, but averaged just 6.4 minutes. Prior to joining the Zips, he spent three years with the Duquesne Dukes, where he averaged 4.1 points with 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as a junior. Last season, he averaged 3.1 points with two rebounds in his minimal playing time.

He had a nice stretch of games between November 29th against Milwaukee and through December 13th against Murray State. During those four games, he averaged 8.8 points with 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He suffered a injury in the Murray State game and he saw minimal playing time after. He was out until January 30th, and he was deep on the depth chart as Coach Groce had his rotation locked heading into the stretch.

Throughout his career, Barre has battled injuries, but he’ll always be a remarkable defender. The year prior he finished with a 12.7% block percentage and last year he finished at 9.7%. He’ll have an opportunity to earn a large spot in the rotation this season, but his impact will be determined by whether or not he can string together a healthy season.

Marvin Musiime-Kamali (6’6)

Through two seasons with the Zips, Musiime-Kamali has appeared in 67 games and started in four. Last year, he averaged two points with two rebounds per game while shooting 70% overall on 40 attempts from the floor. To be transparent, his best games came against two non-Division I opponents.

With some of the additions coming in, I don’t see his role rapidly expanding. However, I could see 10-12 minutes per game on average.

Josh Henderson (6’5)

The 6’5 shooting guard out of Westerville, Ohio was highly sought after from other programs including: Marshall, Eastern Kentucky, Youngstown State, Xavier, Bowling Green, Ohio, and more. He was a prolific scorer, and you can check out some highlights on his Hudl account here. He led his team to their first district title since 2021 after dropping 35 points on 13-14 shooting.

He won’t jump up far in the rotation, but you can expect to see him eight minutes a game or so.

Tai Perkins (6’0)

Perkins was also from Westerville, Ohio, but he wasn’t as heavily recruited as Henderson. Akron was his only offer coming out of high school following his outstanding offensive campaign during his senior season. He finished with 35 points in their regional final, in which he had dropped 32 points the game prior.

Similar to Henderson, he isn’t going to jump straight into a large role in the rotation, but he should see the floor some this season to continue to develop.

Zach Halligan (6’5)

Halligan is a walk-on, so you should expect a minimal role in the coming season.

Roster Additions

• Tahj Staveskie (Redshirt Senior) ~ Incarnate Word

  • 17.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1 steal

• Ty Pence (Senior) ~ Illinois State

  • 9.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Buddy Hammer, Jr. (Senior) ~ North Texas

  • 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds

• Max Burton (Redshirt Senior) ~Western Michigan

  • 5.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Colin White (Junior) ~ Ohio State

  • 0.9 points, 1 rebound

• Exavier Wilson (Redshirt Freshman) ~ Kansas State

• R.J. Jones (Freshman)

• Devan Christion (Freshman)

Guards

Tahj Staveskie (6’1)

The Sandusky, Ohio, native has bounced around between Canisius, Cleveland State, and Incarnate Word before committing to spend his senior season a little bit closer to home. He’s been a starter since stepping on the court for Canisius back in 2022, starting in 98 of the 99 games he’s appeared in. His second season was cut short, appearing in just two games, but he bounced back with Cleveland State the following season where he averaged 12.5 points. He put together his best season yet with the Cardinals last season, averaging 17.3 points with 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 43.6% overall and 37.3% from three-point.

Staveskie was one of the most underrated mid-major players in the country last season, teaming up with Davion Bailey on an Incarnate Word team that at times was flashy. He finished the season with a 108.4 offensive rating, 27.1% possession usage, 54.6% true shooting percentage, 10% defensive rebounding percentage, 24.5 assist rate (218th in the country), and a strong 80% shooting clip from the line against Division I talent.

The 6’1 guard is an ideal addition to try and replace the hole that Tavari Johnson left. He’ll team up with Mahaffey to dish out the ball, but he’ll also step up as a huge offensive threat. He’ll become a go-to player in the first season with Dustin Ford at the helm.

Ty Pence (6’6)

Ty Pence has spent the last three seasons with the Illinois State Redbirds where he turned himself into a reliable starter and player inside Coach Pedon’s rotation. Last season, he appeared in 36 games while starting 23 and averaging 23.5 minutes per game. He finished with a line of 9.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting a strong 53.7% overall from the floor and 36% from three-point on 2.1 attempts per game.

He’s the type of player that when he’s on, he can be one of the best players on the court. He finished with 20 points and ten rebounds against Furman, 21 points against Utah State, and 23 points in their huge 78-75 win over Wake Forest in the NIT. His offense is easy to show, as he finished with a 120.7 offensive rating which was 323rd best in the country. Joining that, he finished with a 60.8% true shooting percentage, 16.2% defensive rebounding percentage, 13.3 assist rate, all while shooting 61.2% from inside the arc which was 222nd in the nation.

At 6’6, 205 pounds, he’ll provide Akron with strong offense and a strong body. He can rack up the boards, all while pouring in what I’ll expect to be double-digit points per game this season. Zips fans are going to fall in love with him.

Exavier Wilson (6’1)

Before committing to Kansas State, Wilson was a three-star prospect out of Missouri. He ranked 328th best in this class and 11th overall in his state. Wilson had offers from others like West Virginia, Missouri State, and more. After redshirting his freshman season, and what I’m sure was a not ideal locker room situation with the Wildcats, he hit the portal and landed at Akron.

Coming out of high school, he was a touted offensive threat. He averaged 20.6 points with 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a senior at Father Tolton Catholic High School. He won’t start in year one with Akron, but he’ll definitely be seeing the floor in his first season of action. He’s a talented scorer with the ability to dish it out to his teammates.

R.J. Jones (6’5)

Jones wasn’t highly recruiting as he held just one other offer from Jacksonville. He has a nice frame at 6’5, and there is no doubt that he has some high energy. He can cut inside and finish around the rim with ease. You can check out some of his highlights here, but overall I see him fitting into a minimal role as a freshman.

Forwards

Buddy Hammer Jr. (6’7)

I wrote about Buddy Hammer Jr. last season when I previewed the North Texas Mean Green, and I had high hopes for the JUCO star, but he didn’t see a ton of playing time. He appeared in 29 games off the bench while averaging 14.2 minutes. He finished with a line of 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 47% overall and 31.6% on 19 attempts from three-point. Prior to North Texas, he was ranked as the 29th best JUCO recruit in the country as he averaged 12.3 points with ten rebounds per game at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 117.1 offensive rating, 60.3% true shooting percentage, 11.3% offensive and 11.9% defensive rebounding percentage, with a very strong 4.5% block percentage. He functions as a power forward, but one that is strong on offense. He shot 52.2% from inside the arc, but notably 76.6% from the free throw line on 64 attempts, which increased to 82.9% in conference play.

He’s looking for an opportunity to play and he’ll get it at Akron. He has a year of experience under his belt now, and he’ll complement others on this roster well. Look for a potential big year from him this season.

Max Burton (6’10)

Inter-conference transfers always mean more, and after four seasons with the Western Michigan Broncos, Max Burton landed in the transfer portal and committed to Akron. Burton became a reliable starter the last two seasons, starting in 60 of his 62 appearances. Last year, he averaged 5.9 points with 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 47.9% overall from the floor.

You aren’t going to see him drop 20 points with 15 rebounds, but he’s consistent. He finished with a 105.1 offensive rating, 51.7% true shooting percentage, 7.4% offensive and 15.7% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 2.6% block percentage. He’s a true big man, one that isn’t fast, doesn’t take threes, but will fight down low and finish around the rim.

I’m not convinced he’ll be named the starting center, but regardless he’ll be playing plenty this season in the rotation.

Colin White (6’6)

Coming out of high school, Colin White was a top-150 three-star recruit. He landed at Ohio State after holding offers from Northwestern, TCU, Stanford, Nebraska, and many more strong programs. Throughout his first two season, he appeared in 48 games while starting one and averaging 8.4 minutes per game. Last year, he averaged 0.9 points with one rebound per game while shooting 39.3% overall.

We aren’t going to dive into his metrics as deep, given the lack of playing time. In his longer opportunities, he didn’t make a huge impact for the Buckeyes. In 25 minutes against #15 Michigan State, he finished with three points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal with four fouls. Against Minnesota, he put up two points with two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 19 minutes.

While he didn’t get his big break at Ohio State, he was a top-150 recruit and a former Ohio Mr. Basketball. During his senior season, he averaged 25.1 points with 8.4 rebounds, three assists, and 2.6 steals per game. This will be his first real opportunity and you should expect to see him play a strong role within the rotation.

Devan Christion (6’9)

Similar to RJ Jones, Christion wasn’t highly recruited as he held just one offer from Akron. He’ll be a long-term prospect for Akron, so don’t expect to see him a ton this season. However, it’s evident that he has Division I potential. He has great size, he is quick on his feet, and he’s a force down low in the paint. His hook shot is already well crafted as you can see from some of his highlights below.

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Expectations

With some solid returning pieces and important additions in the roster, this team has some strong options throughout their roster. Let’s look at what a potential starting lineup could look like:

• Tahj Staveskie

• Ty Pence

• Evan Mahaffey

• Buddy Hammer, Jr.

• Chabi Barre / Max Burton

This is a pretty stout starting lineup for year one of a new head coach. Retaining Evan Mahaffey was huge for Coach Ford, but adding in some experience in Ty Pence and Tahj Staveskie speaks volumes. Staveskie had no problem against better talent, dropping 27 points against Colorado State, 17 points with four rebounds and five assists against IU, and 19 points against High Point. He’ll do a fantastic job at trying to replace Tavari Johnson in the lineup. Ty Pence will attempt to replace Shammah Scott, who similarly was a strong complimentary guard at Illinois State. They produced nearly identical metrics:

• Offensive Rating: Pence ~ 120.7 vs Scott ~ 121.9

• True Shooting Percentage: Pence ~ 60.8% vs Scott ~ 59.1%

• Assist Rate: Pence ~ 13.3 vs Scott ~ 16.5

For the rest of the lineup, Evan Mahaffey is a lock, then I believe that Buddy Hammer, Jr. will provide a great option at the four spot. He was a star in JUCO and now he has Division I experience. The traditional five spot is the one where it could go either way between Chabi Barre and Max Burton, but we’ll discuss that more in depth in the coming section.

Looking at the bench, they’ll have Colin White, Cody Head, Marvin Musiime-Kamali, and either Chabi Barre or Max Burton as the first wave. Don’t be surprised though if you see someone like Exavier Wilson sneaking in there as well. Colin White has the pedigree to potentially slot into the starting lineup some, but between Pence and Mahaffey, I feel that’s locked in.

My largest concern is their at the five position. They have Chabi Barre, Max Burton, and Devan Christion as the main three options. Barre is tremendous on defense, but he’s never averaged more than 11.5 minutes per game and he’s injury prone. Burton has plenty of experience in the MAC, but he isn’t a highly impactful big man on offense and he isn’t a huge shot blocker. Christion is a freshman, and judging off the footage I found, he’s more likely a depth player this season. Together, Barre and Burton can be a strong combination, but there is no doubt they are going to significantly miss Amani Lyles in the starting lineup this season.

The MAC is going to look a little bit different this season. Northern Illinois is gone, John Groce is no longer at Akron, and Miami Ohio has seen some large movement throughout their roster. However, on paper, I fully believe that this is an Akron team that could win 20+ games in year one under Dustin Ford. What do you think? Can they keep up the momentum that Groce built?

MTSU fans are ready for a return to the NCAA Tournament, and on paper, this team could have the potential to make some noise in the Conference USA. With some strong players from lower conferences and outside of Division I, along with a key returning player, the makeup of this roster appears to be one that should be projected to outperform those last year.

Let’s dive into how the team is shaping up for the 2026-2027 season.

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Roster Turnover

• Tre Green (Ineligible)

  • 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds

• Sean Smith (Ineligible)

  • 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals

• James Dent, Jr. (Ineligible)

  • 1.9 points, 1.7 rebounds

• Savon Wykle (Ineligible)

  • 10 points, 2 rebounds (1 game)

• Kamari Lands (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1 steal

• Charvez Ambrose (Senior)~ TBD

  • DNP

• Brandon Oloumou (Senior) ~ TBD

  • DNP

• Alec Oglesby (Senior) ~ Stetson

  • DNP

• Chris Loofe (Senior) ~ Tulsa

  • 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds

• Torey Alston (Junior) ~ VCU

  • 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists

While Middle Tennessee was able to return five players, they still lost two of their top three scorers. Torey Alston is heading to VCU and Kamari Lands ran out of eligibility. However, in the grand scheme of the offseason, they’ve done a solid job improving their roster overall. Among those that left, three didn’t play and one appeared in just one game against a non-division I opponent.

Returning Players

• Jahvin Carter (Junior)

  • 10.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists

• Marcus Whitlock, Jr. (Redshirt Junior)

  • 3.9 points, 1.1 rebounds

• Jarred Hall (Senior)

  • 2.3 points, 1.3 rebounds

• Luka Jovanovic (Sophomore)

  • 2.2 points, 3 rebounds

• Jax Howard (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

Jahvin Carter (6’3)

Retaining Carter was some of the best news for Middle Tennessee this offseason. The 6’3 point guard was a former three-star recruit that was one of the best in his class in the state of Tennessee. He started his career out at Penn State where he appeared in 26 games off the bench and averaged 2.1 points with 0.7 rebounds as a freshman. He then transferred to Middle Tennessee last year where he immediately took off. In 32 games, he started 19 while averaging 10.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He shot 40.5% overall and 33.6% from three-point.

He had some massive games, but his 18 points with four rebounds against #7 Michigan may be his personal favorite. His best game overall came against New Mexico State with 27 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Carter finished with a 104.6 offensive rating, 49.2% true shooting percentage, and a 11.9% defensive rebounding percentage. While there are some efficiency gains that could help him, he already put up solid numbers in his first full season in the rotation. He’ll be slated for a true breakout season this year.

Luka Jovanovic (6’11)

The 6’11 Serbian appeared in 31 games as a freshman, averaging 2.2 points with three rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game. He shot 69.8% overall and knocked down his one attempt from beyond the arc. While he isn’t an offensive threat quite yet, he was remarkable on the boards. He finished with ten rebounds against Belmont, a 9.9% offensive rebounding percentage, and a 14.6% defensive rebounding percentage. In what offensive impact he did make, he finished with a 124.2 offensive rating.

The Blue Raiders don’t have a ton of depth with height, so you should expect to see Jovanovic with an opportunity to significantly bump his impact upward this season.

Jarred Hall (6’9)

Hall started his freshman season with Tulsa where he appeared in 24 games. In search of more playing time, the Lebanon, Tennessee native headed close to home with Middle Tennessee. He appeared in just three games in his first season, then just twelve last season. He averaged 2.3 points with 1.3 rebounds in 7.7 minutes. Granted, he missed the majority of his sophomore season with an injury. Head Coach McDevitt was looking for a big season from him last year, but he never really got the opportunity.

Hall will most likely continue to fill a depth role on the bench.

Marcus Whitlock, Jr. (6’3)

After the 6’3 guard redshirted as a freshman at Kennesaw State, he transferred to Cowley where he took off in his first full season. Across 35 games, he averaged 16 points with 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 47.3% overall and 42.3% from beyond the arc. Following his successful season, he headed to MTSU last year. He appeared in 21 games while averaging 11.6 minutes while posting a line of 3.9 points with 1.1 rebounds. He shot 41.8% overall and 35.8% from three-point.

His best game of his career thus far came against FIU where he stepped up with 25 points on 7-11 shooting from three-point. 79% of his shots came from beyond the arc, making him a true three-point specialist for the Blue Raiders. His metrics backed it up as he featured a 131.3 offensive rating with a 64.5% true shooting percentage.

While they’ve added some additional offensive weapons, I believe that Whitlock, Jr. should see an increase in minutes this season to provide a spark in the rotation.

Jax Howard (6’0)

Howard hails from Shelbyville, Tennessee, which is just south of Murfreesboro. MTSU was his only Division I offer coming out of high school where he took his team to the Elite Eight in the state tournament. He redshirt as a freshman, but I don’t expect him to see a ton of time on the court this season for the Blue Raiders.

Roster Additions

• Kevin de Kovachich (Junior) ~ North Alabama

  • 11.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals

• Quintero Barnett (Junior) ~ Walsh University (D-II)

  • 14.6 points, 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.6 steals

• Eli Rice (Junior) ~ Penn State

  • 6.7 points, 1.7 rebounds

• Ofri Naveh (Junior) ~ Oral Roberts

  • 11.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals

• Kaleb Siler (Junior) ~ Gaston College

  • 18.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks

• Landyn Colyer (Freshman)

• Aiden Bolden (Freshman)

• Garrison White (Freshman)

• Braylin Davis (Freshman)

Guards

Kevin de Kovachich (6’4)

The 6’4 guard has spent the last two seasons with the North Alabama Lions where he turned himself into a quality starter during his sophomore campaign. He started in 30 games while averaging 11.8 points with 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals. He shot 41.3% overall and 33.7% from three-point. Over the final seven games of the season, he was electric as he averaged 15.1 points with 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and one steal per game down the stretch.

Looking at his metrics, he featured a 101.4 offensive rating, 51.8% true shooting percentage, 13.3% assist rate, and a 2.9% steal percentage which was the 249th best in the country. He also proved that he has a knack for getting to the free throw line as he drew 3.8 fouls per game with a 38.1 free throw rate.

There is no doubt that de Kovachich will be looking to take another step forward with the Blue Raiders this season, so look for him to serve on a committee at the point guard position.

Quintero Barnett (6’4)

Barnett followed up a strong freshman season at Walsh University with an even better sophomore campaign. He started in 33 games while averaging 14.6 points with 2.3 assists, four rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. the 6’4 guard shot 52.5% overall and 41.4% from three-point on 111 attempts. While he wasn’t a primary point guard, he had some nice games where he finished with seven assists against Ashland and six assists against Cedarville.

While you never know how someone will adapt to transitioning up to Division I from a lower-level, Walsh University was one of the strongest teams in Division II last season. The Cavaliers finished with a 29-4 overall record, received a #1 Seed in the D-II NCAA Tournament, and reached the Sweet 16 where they fell to Michigan Tech. You should expect to see plenty of him this season for the Blue Raiders.

Eli Rice (6’7)

The Gallatin, Tennessee native started his career out at Nebraska where he appeared in 17 games as a freshman and averaged 4.2 points with 1.6 rebounds. He hit the transfer portal and headed to Penn State where he redshirt as a sophomore after appearing in just one game. Last season, he appeared in 29 games while starting in 18 games and averaging 6.7 points with 1.7 rebounds per game. The 6’7 guard shot 38.5% overall and 39% from three-point where he took 67% of his shots.

While Penn State had a tough season overall, Rice’s metrics were a solid highlight. He finished with a 106.5 offensive rating, 55.1% true shooting percentage, and a 1.9% steal percentage. He was 287th in the nation in three-point shooting. His playing time wasn’t as consistent over the back-half of the season in Big Ten play, however, he put up 20 points against Ohio State, eleven against #5 Purdue, and eleven points with four rebounds against #20 Illinois.

Rice brings in valuable experience at the highest level of college basketball. He’ll provide the Blue Raiders with some strong three-point shooting, which is an area that they have been average or below average over the last few seasons.

Landyn Colyer (6’6)

The Florida native is listed as a three-star recruit and top 220 recruit in his class. He played with the IMG Academy where he averaged 17.2 points with 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. The kid is a force on the court and has the potential to become a solid player for the Blue Raiders. At 6’6, he is an excellent combo guard that can slash to the paint and flush a dunk or step outside and knock down a shot from beyond the arc. He’ll be in the rotation plenty as a freshman for Middle Tennessee this season.

Colyer held offers from Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, DePaul, Northwestern, Ole Miss, High Point, Washington, and more.

Garrison White (6’0)

White is a 6’0 point guard out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he graduated from McCallie School. He went under the radar with no other Division I offers that I could find, but he helped lead his team to win the Tennessee Division II-AA State Tournament in a thrilling win over Brentwood Academy. Brentwood Academy is a premier program in the state of Tennessee, one that’s produced several stars including Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner. In the championship game, he finished with 17 points.

There isn’t much video of him out there, and normally I’d say he’d be a redshirt candidate. However, with the new eligibility rules it’ll make more sense to let him sit deep in the rotation as a developmental season.

Braylin Davis (6’2)

Braylin Davis, similarly to Garrison White, was unknown coming out of high school. He was a monster on offense though for the University School of Nashville. He averaged 33 points per game and scored an absurd 58 points in one game during his senior season. Davis didn’t have any other Division I offers coming out of high school, but you can check out some of his highlights here. The kid can flat out score. I don’t think he’ll play a ton as a freshman, but I do believe he’s Division I talent. Look for him to be a longer-term prospect for MTSU.

Forwards

Ofri Naveh (6’7)

The 6’7 forward out of Israel started out his collegiate career at West Virginia where he appeared in 24 games and started seven. He averaged 2.6 points with 2.5 rebounds while shooting 29.1% from the floor. He jumped to Oral Roberts where he gained his footing. He started and appeared in 32 games last season while averaging 11.2 points, six rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He shot 46.8% overall and 29.1% from three-point on 1.7 attempts per game.

Naveh had some strong games last year including 17 points with 12 rebounds against St. Thomas, 22 points with 13 rebounds against Omaha, and 25 points with seven rebounds against Montana State. He finished the season with a 100.7 offensive rating, 53% true shooting percentage, 18.3% defensive rebounding percentage, 12.6% assist rate, 2.5% steal percentage, and a 51.2 free throw rate.

Aiden Bolden (6’6)

Aiden Bolden was listed as a three-star recruit and he ranked 286th in the country. I believe that Bolden could turn into a massive player for the Blue Raiders. He’s already well built, he has the ability to put up some monster dunks, and he is not afraid of some contact. He’d been playing with Cayden Daughtry, who’s listed as a five-star recruit and is bound for one of the top programs in the country. Bolden’s an underrated pickup here that will absolutely be playing in his first season on the court.

Bolden held offers from California, UIC, Jacksonville, and more.

Centers

Kaleb Siler (6’10)

Siler is another non-Division I player that had a dominant season joining Middle Tennessee. The 6’10 center averaged 18.7 points with 9.9 rebounds and 1.2 blockers per game while shooting 64.5%. Similarly to Barnett, he wasn’t just an outstanding player on a bad team. Gaston finished the season 28-4 and narrowly missed appearing in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

He’s a traditional big man that’s going to lock down the paint and rarely miss a shot around the rim. Siler finished with some monster games, including 20 double-digit rebound games and two 16-rebound games. With Torey Alston hitting the transfer portal, the Blue Raiders needed to find a solid replacement.

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Expectations

They’ve brought in some talent from all levels, with a power conference transfer, some lower level transfers, non-Division I transfers, and talented freshmen. The lineup is going to look very different this season, so here’s my projection for how the starting lineup could shape out:

• Jahvin Carter

• Kevin de Kovachich / Quintero Barnett

• Eli Rice / Ofri Naveh

• Ofri Naveh

• Kaleb Siler / Luka Jovanovic

Jahvin Carter is the number one guarantee for the starting lineup. He led the team in assists last season while adding nearly eleven points per game on average. Then at the secondary guard position, McDevitt will be able to go with either Kevin de Kovachich or Quintero Barnett. I lean towards Kovachich with his Division I experience, but like I mentioned with Barnett, he was the leading scorer on one of the best Division II teams in the country, so he could easily beat out someone with Division I experience. Either way, they are going to have a great secondary option off the bench when the other isn’t in the lineup.

At the center position, Kaleb Siler holds the edge because he was a monster in JUCO. Now, granted, you don’t always know what you are going to get when someone transfers from JUCO. Luka Jovanovic showed some strong signs as a freshman last year, so he’ll have ample opportunities to make a jump this season. Looking at the power forward position though…I’m honestly unsure. I listed Ofri Naveh, but I feel like he fits more of a traditional small forward role. Eli Rice is a three-point threat, and he’s not really a strong rebounder so even being at 6’7/6’8 I don’t think he fits the true four position well. My guess is, they’ll just run a smaller lineup with more offensive options while Siler and Jovanovic lock down the paint and Jarred Hall provides some backup minutes.

Their bench is going to have a plethora of options. Looking at both Aiden Bolden and Landyn Colyer, they will both be playing 12+ minutes a game as freshmen, if not more in backup guard roles. You also still have Marcus Whitlock, Jr., who already has experience with the team as well.

Overall, I like the makeup of this team. As I alluded to, my largest concern is the lack of depth with height. You have the two centers, but it gets questionable after that. I love their guard play though. I have high optimism for the freshmen, and I think that Kovachich and Barnett both are going to be great players for the Blue Raiders.

What do you think? Can MTSU take a step forward this season?

Northern Iowa named Kyle Green as their official head coach for the 2026 season. He’s been a long-time assistant, including three separate stints with the Panthers underneath Jacobson. He was the Associate Head Coach from 2017 to 2021 before spending the last five years with Iowa State as an assistant. He brings a ton of experience and notable ties to the surrounding region.

The Panthers weren’t a deep team last year, but the coaching change made roster turnover even harder. Head Coach Green was able to retain a couple of players and incoming freshman recruits, but he, like many others around college basketball, had to resort to using the transfer portal to put together his team for the upcoming season. Let’s take a look at how their roster is shaping up for the 2026-2027 season!

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Roster Turnover

• Max Weisbrod (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists

• Ben Schwieger (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5, 1.1 steals

• Ismael Diouf (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 3 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1 assist

• Trey Campbell (Senior) ~ Utah

  • 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 steals

• Leon Bond III (Senior) ~ Iowa State

  • 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Will Hornseth (Junior) ~ Utah State

  • 11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists

• Marino Dubravcic (Junior) ~ Hawaii Pacific (D-II)

  • DNP

• R.J. Taylor (Junior) ~ Oakland

  • 2.6 points, 1 rebound, 1.1 assists

With Ben Jacobson heading to Utah State, Northern Iowa fans knew that they were going to be in for some turnover. Trey Campbell and Leon Bond III are both heading to the power conference ranks, while Will Hornseth followed his head coach where he’ll play in Utah State’s inaugural season within the newly reformed Pac-12.

For the rest of their players, they didn’t run a deep bench last season. Just six players averaged more than 12 minutes per game. Keep in mind, this was a team that finished 6th in the Missouri Valley before going on a run and defeating UIC in the Championship game of Arch Madness. With that being said, they didn’t lose a ton of talent that was going to obviously step up in the coming year aside from their graduating seniors. Though at this point, who knows whose eligibility is truly expired.

Returning Players

• Kyle Pock (Senior)

  • 3.7 points, 1 rebound

• Levi Valdo (Sophomore)

  • DNP

• Geon Hutchins (Sophomore)

  • 1.5 points, 1.2 rebounds

• Jalen Wilson (Sophomore)

  • DNP

• Cade Courbat (Sophomore)

  • 0.9 points, 0.5 rebounds

• Redek Born (Walk-on)

  • DNP

Kyle Pock (6’6)

Pock has spent the last three seasons with the Northern Iowa Panthers, bringing in the most experience on the returning list. He’s appeared in 99 games and averaged 3.2 points with 0.8 rebounds over that stretch of time. Last year, he shot 38.9% overall and 34.5% from three-point across 34 games.

He didn’t average a ton, but he had some nice games in expanded opportunities. He went on a three-game stretch while playing UC Irvine, Loyola Chicago, and Tulsa during the non-conference where he averaged 13.7 points, one rebound, and one assist. On the season, he finished with a 105.8 offensive rating and 53% true shooting percentage.

He isn’t going to take a leap into double-digit points per game this season, but he provides valuable experience and he’ll have an impactful role off the bench.

Levi Valdo (6’4)

Levi Valdo redshirted last season for the Panthers, but this was just his first season in college basketball after playing for Fidenza in the Itally-B professional league. Across 41 games, he averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.3 steals while shooting 39.8% from the floor. He shot just 28.3% from beyond the arc, while finishing 45.2% of his shots from inside the arc.

At 6’4, he fits well into more of a complimentary off-ball guard rather than a point guard. He isn’t a playmaker, but he can be a strong rebounder and there is no doubt about his ability to score. He took a developmental season last year as a redshirt, so you should expect to see him have an opportunity to earn some minutes in the rotation this season with a new head coach.

Geon Hutchins (6’4)

After committing to Northern Iowa over Western Michigan, Robert Morris, Oakland, and Central Michigan, Geon Hutchins averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 36% from the floor across 35 games. The majority of his production came against a non-division one opponent where he was just one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.

There was a stretch of six games where he saw the court for at least ten minutes, but he shot just 3-11 from the floor in those opportunities. You shouldn’t expect to see him take a huge step forward this season, but don’t be surprised if you see more of him on the court for Northern Iowa.

Jalen Wilson (6’8)

Wilson was another freshman that redshirted last season after committing to the Panthers over Nebraska, Kansas City, and Bryant. Per 247 Sports, he was a three-star recruit and ranked 313th in his class. During his senior season of high school, he was a monster at Benilde-St. Mary’s. He finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer while averaging over 22 points per game.

It’s great to see that Wilson stuck around after the head coaching switch. He won’t start in his first season, but you should see him on the floor in what will be a developmental season for the forward.

Cade Courbat (6’8)

Courbat is technically entering year three with Northern Iowa, but he redshirted as a freshman then missed the entire season last year due to an injury. He is one of several players on the roster that played at Cedar Falls High School where he averaged 10.8 points with 5.7 rebounds and two assists.

Redek Born (6’3)

Born is a walk-on, so you should expect to see a minimal contribution this season.

Roster Additions

• Tate McCubbin (Junior) ~ Austin Peay

  • 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals

• Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (Junior) ~ St. Thomas

  • 10.5 points, 4 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Ian Smikle (Junior) ~ Tulsa

  • 3.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1 assist

• Greyson Uelmen (Sophomore) ~ North Dakota

  • 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals

• Carson Vis (Sophomore) ~ Western Michigan

  • 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds

• Jaydon Kimbrough (Freshman)

• Jules Isebaert (Sophomore)

• Will lGerdes (Freshman)

Guards

Greyson Uelmen (6’2)

It was tough to find a better player over the second half of last season, let alone as a freshman in the mid-major ranks. Uelmen had a standout season overall, averaging 16.8 points with 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 49.7% overall and 33.9% from beyond the arc. From January 17th through the end of the season, he was phenomenal. The 6’2 guard averaged 22.4 points with three rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. It was no coincidence the Fighting Hawks went 7-4 to end the regular season and went on a run to the Summit League Tournament where they battled to the end against North Dakota State as they fell 70-62.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 29.5% possession usage which was 72nd best in the country and a 60.4% true shooting percentage which was 251st. He also featured an 18.6 assist rate, 2.2% steal percentage, 57.7 free throw rate which was 102nd overall and a strong 56.2% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

While there is still plenty of room for him to grow as both a playmaker and from beyond the arc, Uelmen will immediately be one of the best offensive players in the rotation for the Panthers this season.

Carson Vis (6’3)

Carson Vis had several mid-major offers coming out of high school from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Toledo, and Eastern Michigan, but he opted to committed to the Broncos at Western Michigan. As a freshman, he appeared in 31 games while averaging 14.8 minutes per game. He finished with a line of 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 43.5% overall and 30.6% from three-point.

As with any freshman, he had some up-and-down games throughout the season, but he was a consistent scorer in larger opportunities. Over the final four games of the year, he averaged 11.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting a strong 53.8% from the floor. Vis featured a 104.9 offensive rating, 51.4% true shooting percentage, 12.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 2% steal percentage.

We should see plenty of him this season as he looks to take a large step forward as a sophomore with the Panthers.

Jaydon Kimbrough (6’3)

The Iowa native only had two other Division I offers from Vermont and North Florida, but he is very underrated in my opinion. The 6’3 guard was dominant at Cedar Falls High School where he averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. He led his team to an undefeated state championship season, solidifying himself as one of the stronger prospects in the state.

Kimbrough has a remarkable ability to score the ball, one that will absolutely translate to the next level. After originally committing to Winona State, he decommitted after garnering more attention from Division I programs. I don’t think he’ll be starting as a freshman given others at the position. They lack depth at the point guard position, so he’ll have a good opportunity to see some minutes as a back-up in year one.

Forwards

Tate McCubbin (6’8)

After spending the last two seasons with Austin Peay, the 6’8 forward hit the transfer portal and landed with the Northern Iowa Panthers. McCubbin immediately made a splash as a freshman, starting in 22 out of 31 games and averaging 10.6 points with 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.7 points with 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals while starting in all 31 games. It’s worth noting with Collin Parker, Rashaud Marshall, and Zyree Collins, it was to be expected that his offensive production slightly decreased. However, he still shot 37.5% overall and 34.6% from three-point.

He finished the season with a 108.3 offensive rating, 52.3% true shooting percentage, 15.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and 2.4% steal percentage. These metrics were down a bit from his freshman season. For example, he featured a 56.8% true shooting percentage, 56% effective field goal percentage which was 257th overall, and a 115.3 offensive rating the year prior.

The Panthers are getting a reliable forward in McCubbin, one that if he can regain what he did as a freshman then he’ll make a nice slash this season.

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (6’7)

The former three-star was a top-150 recruit before he committed to Miami heading into his freshman season. He appeared in just eight games as a freshman, so he entered the transfer portal and landed with St. Thomas last season. He appeared in 33 games off the bench while averaging 21.4 minutes per game. The sophomore had a strong season as he averaged 10.5 points with four rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 54.3% overall and 32.5% from three-point.

The 6’7 forward finished with a 113.1 offensive rating, 63% true shooting percentage, 17.8% defensive rebounding percentage, 2.9% block percentage, all while shooting 67.4% from inside the arc which was the 58th best overall in the country. In the Summit League, he metrics improved across the board. He had a 115.7 offensive rating, and he shot an absurd 69.9% from inside which was the third best in the country. He also knocked down 13-38 attempts from three-point within conference play.

Ian Smikle (6’8)

Tulsa was a fantastic story to follow last year, including a run to the NIT Finals. Ian Smikle spent the past two years with the Golden Hurricane where he went from starting in nearly every game as a freshman to coming off the bench while averaging 13.8 minutes last season. He averaged 3.1 points with 3.6 rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 53.3% overall. He serves as more of a smaller traditional big man as he has yet to attempt a shot from beyond the arc.

It was interesting when diving into his metrics. Across the board they were nearly the same with some improvements. He jumped up to a 107.8 offensive rating, 54.5% effective field goal percentage, 11.8 assist rate, and an 11.3% offensive rebounding percentage which were all improvements. Smikle also featured a 17.4% defensive rebounding percentage, 2.3% block percentage, and 1.4% steal percentage.

At 6’8, he’ll provide the Panthers with some solid minutes at the traditional center position. He’s strong at cleaning up the boards, but he’s a liability at the free throw line as he shot just 37% against Division I opponents. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do in an expanded role.

Jules Isebaert (6’5)

Isebaert is another international prospect on the Panthers’ roster this season. He spent the last three seasons in Belgium where he played for Kortrijk. Last season, he averaged 3.2 points with 1.6 rebounds across 31 games while shooting 46.3% overall and 36.7% from three-point. As a part of team Belgium, he appeared in four games throughout the FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament where he averaged 3.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

The 6’5 wing has more development to do, but he has the potential to blossom into a reliable player for Northern Iowa. He already has a strong shot and his rebounding could turn him into a solid wing at this level. He’ll be a bit of a longer term developmental player, but he’s someone to keep a watch on this season.

Will Gerdes (6’8)

Gerdes is another incoming freshman that was a bit underrated. The 6’8 guard also played at Cedar Falls high School with Jaydon Kimbrough as they went undefeated on the season. At 6’8, he plays more like a traditional big man with a remarkable ability to lock down the paint. Gerdes is also proficient from inside the arc where he shot 70% on the season during his junior campaign.

With Ian Smikle being the other more traditional center, though similarly undersized at 6’8, you should expect to see Gerdes coming off the bench in the rotation as a freshman.

Gerdes held offers from South Dakota, Bryant, and Nebraska.

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Expectations

This roster is one of the more interesting ones that I’ve written about thus far because there are a lot of unknowns. Greyson Uelmen was a major splash in the portal, but they added a couple of players that weren’t the star of the show at their own mid-major programs. The players that stayed are going to have a similarly equal opportunity as the incoming freshmen to compete for minutes as there won’t be a single true senior on the roster, pending any late additions.

Let’s look at what a potential starting lineup could look like for the Panthers:

• Greyson Uelmen

• Carson Vis

• Tate McCubbin

• Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

• Ian Smikle

Overall, this is a solid offensive starting lineup. Uelmen is prolific on the offensive end, Vis showed signs as a freshman and he’ll certainly take a step forward, and Tate McCubbin has been consistent over the last couple of seasons. Johnson-Arigu is also poised to take a step up this season in an expanded role, similar to Vis, and then Smikle will be looking to take advantage of sliding into a starting lineup.

This is going to be a fairly physical team, one that poses a majority threat from inside the arc. They will be able to knock down some threes, but that’s most likely not going to be their strong suit. If the season were to start today, I’d expect to watch a slower offense with a focus on isolating defenders to create opportunities for themselves.

I have two areas of concern for the Panthers: lack of point guard depth and lack of height. I wouldn’t consider Uelmen a floor general, but he very well could turn himself into one. If so, paired with his offensive capabilities, he’d be putting himself on the map. However, outside of Uelmen, they only have Jaydon Kimbrough as a freshman that was a bit of a late bloomer. Levi Valdo is more of a shooting guard, so if something happened to Uelmen, it could get wild at the point.

On the other side of the court, they have Ian Smikle and Will Gerdes who are 6’8 and can be smaller traditional centers. The other is Cade Courbat who is 6’8, but has no experience due to missing two seasons. They are going to fall flat when it comes to playing some of the true big men both in the non-conference part of their schedule and the Missouri Valley Conference.

There is still time for them to add a last minute addition to their roster as there have been several new transfers come in over the last week, but what do you think? Can Northern Iowa compete in year one of the Coach Green era?

It’s worth noting, they did battle the injury bug last year, but it was clear that they were going to need to hit the reset button. They finished just 274th overall in offensive adjusted efficiency and 212th overall in defensive adjusted efficiency. However, that year is behind them and Coach Schwartz has assembled a roster that is destined to put them in a better position for the 2026-2027 season.

They’ve added significant offensive depth and taken a huge step forward with their defensive capabilities. I believe that East Carolina could be an underrated team within the American this season. Let’s take a look at how their roster has shaped up!

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Roster Turnover

• Jordan Riley (Ineligible)

  • 23.6 points, 6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals

• Demitri Gardner (Ineligible)

  • 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Luke Davis (Ineligible)

  • 2.6 points, 3.1 rebounds

• Grant Smith (Ineligible)

  • DNP

• Giovanni Emejuru (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 12.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks

• Jake Baker (Sophomore) ~ TBD

  • DNP

• Ladontae Felton (Sophomore) ~ TBD

  • 0.5 points, 0.3 rebounds

• Paddy D’Arcy (Sophomore) ~ TBD

  • 1.1 points, 0.7 rebounds

• Vito Perkovic (Sophomore) ~ Portland

  • 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds

• Trevion Labeaux (Senior) ~ WKU

  • DNP

• Corey Caulker (Senior) ~ FIU

  • 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists

• Tybo Bailey (Junior) ~ SE Louisiana

  • 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Reid Cason (Junior) ~ UTEP

  • 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds

• Iasiah Mbeng (Junior) ~ Elon

  • 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists

Jordan Riley was an absolute star last season. After starting his career at Georgetown before ending at East Carolina, he solidified himself into the history books for the Pirates after last season. Riley averaged 23.6 points with six rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 41.9% overall. He ended up signing with the New Orleans Pelicans for the Summer League where he appeared in a couple of games. He’ll most likely end up signing a G-League contract somewhere for the upcoming season.

Outside of Riley, they did lose the majority of their roster, but after going 11-20 overall a reset wasn’t the worst thing. Among the transfers, many went to lesser conferences or equal caliber teams.

Returning Players

• Jayshayne Woodard (Senior)

  • 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1 assist

• Eli DeLaurier (Junior)

  • 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds

• Daithi Quinn (Sophomore)

  • DNP

Eli DeLaurier (6’10)

DeLaurier spent his first two years with Providence where he redshirted his first season then appeared in 22 games in his freshman season. He averaged 1.2 points with 1.1 rebounds for the Friars while shooting 39.3% overall and knocking down five of his 15 attempts from beyond the arc. After transferring to East Carolina last season, he appeared in 23 games while starting ten and averaging 4.8 points with 2.8 rebounds. The 6’10 big man shot 42.3% overall, but just 13.3% from three-point on 30 attempts. From inside, he shot 54%.

As eluded to with his shooting percentages, he wasn’t the most efficient offensive player as he finished the season with a 94.4 offensive rating. On the glass, he did finish with a 5.8% offensive rebounding percentage and an 11.9% defensive rebounding percentage with a 1.9% block percentage. For a big man, he shoots it well from the free throw line as well as he knocked down 19-21 attempts from the line against Division I opponents.

Last year was his first real experience on the court and he had some strong games. He finished with nine points and 14 rebounds against Wichita State and 11 points against Memphis. If he can become more consistent on the offensive end, he’ll blossom for East Carolina.

Jayshayne Woodard (6’7)

Entering year three with East Carolina, Jayshayne Woodard spent his first two seasons with Indian River where he was a two-time All-American in JUCO. In his first season with the Pirates, he appeared in 33 games and started in nine while averaging 5.8 points with 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 43.6% overall and 39% from three-point. Last season, he was cut short as he suffered a season-ending injury after appearing in just five games.

Looking at his metrics from the year prior, he finished with a 101.0 offensive rating, 51.6% true shooting percentage, 13.7% defensive rebounding percentage, 16.2 assist rate, 4.4% block percentage which was 250th in the nation, and a 3.3% steal percentage which was 149th best in the country.

At 6’7, he can be a valuable playmaker, but his true value comes from his hardcore defense. As long as he is fully back to health, Woodard will provide some important veteran experience for East Carolina this season.

Daithi Quinn (6’3)

Woodard wasn’t the only player that missed the season due to an injury as Daithi Quinn was out before the year even began as he injured his knee while playing for team Ireland in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket in 2025. His injury came in the first game he appeared in that season for the tournament, so he’s ad a rough past year.

Coming into the season there was a lot of hype around Quinn. He was listed as a three-star recruit while ranking 220th overall in his class. He committed to the Pirates over quite a few strong Mid-Major programs in South Florida, Utah State, Samford, Chattanooga, and many more. Similarly to Woodard, if he is able to come back at 100% he’ll provide East Carolina with a valuable rotational spot even in his official freshman season.

Roster Additions

• Cian Medley (Senior) ~ Kent State

  • 10.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.3 steals

• Brycen Blaine (Senior) ~ Charleston Southern

  • 17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals

• Kaden Cooper (Senior) ~ Louisiana Tech

  • 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.5 steals

• Kaseem Watson (Senior) ~ UTEP

  • 12.5 points, 5 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Trevor Best (Junior) ~ Arizona State

  • 1.3 points, 0.6 rebounds

• Jordyn Buchanan (Junior) ~ Cal U of Pennslyvania (D-II)

  • 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals

• Matthew Hinton (Junior) ~ Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (JUCO)

  • 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds

• Ashton McCullough (Freshman)

• Mason Pandov (Freshman)

• Dreylan Creasy-Quirindoongo (Freshman)

• Maxim Klitschko (Freshman ~ Third Year)

• Bryan Little (Freshman ~ Walk-on)

Guards

Cian Medley (5’11)

Kent State was a blast to watch last season and Cian Medley was a huge piece of the puzzle for the Golden Flashes. He started his career out at Saint Louis before transferred to Kent State where he spent the last two seasons. last year, he averaged 10.5 points with 2.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 34.6% overall and 32.1% from three-point. Over 58% of his shots from the floor came from beyond the arc.

The floor general finished with four double-doubles with assists, which is represented well by his elite 32.9 assist rate which was 46th best in the country. In the MAC, that jumped to 36.0 which was 2nd best. Overall, he finished the season with a 101.3 offensive rating, 49.6% true shooting percentage, 2.1% steal percentage, and a 43.6 free throw rate. Out of the 123 attempts from the line against Division I opponents, he knocked down 93.

He is an elite point guard that will slot into the starting lineup for East Carolina this season. He averaged over a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, and he is strong with his on-ball defense.

Brycen Blaine (6’4)

Charleston Southern hadn’t won more than ten games since 2020, but they finished 15-17 overall and 236th in KenPom which was the best since 2019 when they finished 18-16 overall and 160th in KenPom. A large reason for their resurgence from the bottom last season was thanks to Brycen Blaine.

Blaine has had a bit of a wild ride as he started his career out at James Madison in the 2022-2023 season, but he suffered a season-ending injury the following season. After missing a full year, he transferred to Gulf Coast State, then to Charleston Southern where he took. He averaged 17.2 points with 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals in 25 games with the Buccaneers last season. The 6’5 guard shot 40.3% on a whopping 14 attempts per game and 34.6% from three-point on 8.7 attempts on average.

Blaine had some incredible games, especially at the beginning of the season. He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds against Virginia Tech and 42 points with eleven rebounds and eight assists against The Citadel. In his first nine games of the season, he averaged 23.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. If he’s able to come close to what he was replicating last season, he’ll be a focal piece for the Pirates this season.

Trevor Best (6’4)

After spending the past two seasons at Arizona State and appearing in 29 games for the Sun Devils, Trevor Best entered the transfer portal and headed to East Carolina. During his freshman season, he averaged 3.6 points in eleven games, but his playing time fell to just 5.8 minutes on average across 18 games while averaging just 1.3 points. The former three-star recruit is no doubt going to be looking for his big break with the Pirates this coming season.

Looking at his metrics from his freshman season where he saw more playing time, he finished with a 103.7 offensive rating which jumped to 103.7 in the Big-12. He also finished with an 8.2 assist rate and 5.6% defensive rebounding percentage while knocking down 40% of his attempts from three point and 41.2% of his shots from inside.

Best is a highly athletic guard that hasn’t even begun to touch the surface of his potential. Look for him to be a potential breakout candidate this season.

Ashton McCullough (6’3)

The 6’3 point guard put together some monster numbers at Oak Hills in California before he transferred to Golden State Prep. He averaged 21.4 points with 8.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game at Oak Hills. After he transferred to Golden State Prep, he ended up becoming the MVP of the Golden State Prep Classic as he really stepped it up on both the offensive and defensive ends. You can view some of his highlights here from the 2024-2025 season, but what stands out to me is his ability to create offense for himself. There is no doubt that he can dish it out, but being able to shoot it efficiently will take his game to the next level. Look for him to be lower on the depth chart this season as he develops.

McCullough held no other offers.

Mason Pandov (6’5)

Pandov attended Orlando Christian Prep for his senior season where he averaged 11.6 points with 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He also played with Montverde Academy which has produced some high-level talent over the years. He’s physical and already of strong size. He’s a strong three-point shooter, but don’t expect him to make a huge impact in year one. He looks to be more of a long-time developmental prospect for the Pirates.

He held one other offer from Alcorn State.

Bryan Little (6’4)

Little is listed as a walk-on per Verbal Commits, so you should expect to see him in a minimal role this season if that’s truly the case. However, he was a star in high school as he was averaging 22.8 points with 10.8 rebounds at one point deep in his senior season. He finished the year averaging 21.2 points with 9.9 rebounds with 18 double-doubles on the season.

Forwards

Jordyn Buchanan (6’5)

The 6’5 wing had a dominating season at California University of Pennsylvania last year as a sophomore. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.2% overall and 39.2% from three-point on 212 attempts from beyond the arc.

He is yet another strong defensive player that’s joining this roster, but he brings a strong offensive prowess that should have no problem translating to the Division-I level. Similar to others on the roster, he has a strong ability to rebound which makes him an excellent 3-&-D wing. 61.8% of his shots came from beyond the arc, so he should be able to slot into the rotation pretty easily whether that’s in the starting lineup or as a 6th or 7th man off the bench.

Kaden Cooper (6’7)

Cooper started out his career at Oklahoma before transferring to Louisiana Tech where he’s spent the last two seasons with the Bulldogs. He turned himself into a reliable contributor, averaging nearly identical lines in both seasons. As a junior, he averaged 9.7 points with 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the floor overall and 29.2% from three-point.

He featured a 103.5 offensive rating, 50.8% true shooting percentage, but his best metrics came on the glass and defensive end. Cooper was 38th in the country in defensive rebounding percentage at 24.6% and 395th in offensive rebounding percentage at 8.5%. He also had a 2.9% block percentage and a 3.4% steal percentage which was 249th overall.

Every team thrives with a “do-it-all” type player and Cooper fits that mold. He’s tremendous on defense, and at 6’6 he’ll clean up the glass better than some big-men. While he isn’t a great three-point shooter, he shot 50.4% from inside the arc against Division I opponents. He’ll be a huge contributor for the Pirates this season.

Kaseem Watson (6’8)

While he’ll be headed to his fourth team in college basketball, there is no doubt that Kaseem Watson has solidified himself as a strong player at the mid-major level. He averaged over 15 points per game at Delaware State before transferring to UTEP last year. In his junior season he averaged 12.5 points with five rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 38.8% overall and 39.2% from three-point.

The 6’9 forward finished the year with a 100.9 offensive rating, 51.3% true shooting percentage, 13.2% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 37.7% three-point shooting percentage against Division I opponents on 146 attempts which was he 411th best in the country.

At the start of the season, he had some up-and-down games, but he finished strong. In February, he finished with two double-doubles while averaging 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 39.1% from three-point. He’s a huge threat from beyond the arc, which the Pirates desperately need on this roster all while he can also be a strong force on the glass.

Dreylan Creasy-Quirindoongo (6’7)

Dreylan Creasy is a major recruit coming in this season for East Carolina. He was listed as a three-star recruit and 146th overall in his class per 247 Sports and others had him listed as a four-star. He averaged 19.6 points with 4.3 rebounds while leading his high school to a 27-5 overall record.

At 6’7, he has incredible mobility and overall athleticism. He can put up some huge dunks, but his ability to knock it down from deep with ease at 6’7 makes him not just a strong prospect for East Carolina, but one with a promising career ahead of him. I don’t think he’ll start as a freshman, but you should see plenty of him on the court this season.

Creasy-Quirindoongo held offers from Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and many other strong programs.

Centers

Matthew Hinton (6’9)

Hinton started his collegiate career out at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where he put together a successful freshman and sophomore campaign. He jumped into the starting rotation last season as he started in 25 of the 27 games he appeared in. In just 21.4 minutes per game, he averaged 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and nearly one steal per game. He shot 62.8% overall from the floor on 6.4 attempts per game.

He’s not a three-point threat, so he serves as more of a traditional big man at 6’9. He’s a huge body down low, one that is hard to move against as he can great a brick wall in the paint. He’ll provide the Pirates with some strong defense, but don’t look for him to be a huge offensive threat this season as he transitions to Division I.

Maxim Klitschko (7’3)

Maxium Klitschko is a massive center that spent the last season with Monaco U21 where he was a dominant star. He averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 68.8% overall from inside the arc. He finished with five double-doubles and put up some monster lines like 25 points with 14 rebounds against Le mans U21.

With his professional experience overseas, he’s listed as a “third-year” according to East Carolina’s official roster. At 7’3, he’s an absolute force down low and he already has valuable experience. I expect him to slot into the starting lineup on day one.

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Expectations

I mentioned this in the opening segment of this review, but I firmly believe that this is a team that can compete in the American this season and win somewhere in the range of 20 games. They’ve done a great job of addressing key areas of improvement from the prior year. With that said, let’s look at what a potential starting lineup could look like:

• Cian Medley

• Brycen Blaine

• Dreylan Creasy / Kaden Cooper

• Eli DeLaurier / Kaseem Watson

• Maxim Klitschko

This is one of the more clear starting lineups that I’ve written about thus far this offseason. Cian Medley was the main point guard at Kent State and he featured a top-50 assist rate at 32.9. He’s solid on the offensive end as well, but he won’t have to be the go-to player. Brycen Blaine was outstanding at Charleston Southern, so he’ll fit in perfectly as the off-ball option at the guard position. He can also dish it out as well, so he’ll be a great a great complimentary option to Medley.

Looking at the three and four-spots, that’s where there could be some variation. Kaden Cooper should probably be in the starting lineup because he is a prolific rebounder and another player similar to Medley that isn’t going to light it up on offense, but will be consistent. Creasy obviously has outstanding pedigree, but he is a freshman while Cooper has several years of experience at the Division I level. Which ever one falls out of the lineup, you should still expect to see 20-25 minutes per game in another spot on the floor.

Eli DeLaurier started in 10 of 23 games last year and posted some solid numbers. He isn’t a three-point threat, but he’s solid from inside the arc where he can compliment Klitschko. Kaseem Watson on the other hand is a better option from outside and he came from where he started in nearly every game last season for UTEP. Overall, he wasn’t as efficient from inside the arc, but he is a strong rebounder. This decision will come down to matchups most likely. If you have Blaine and Creasy in the starting lineup, then you’ll probably want to slot in Watson at the start-four spot. If you go with Blaine and Cooper, then you could lean DeLaurier. Keep in mind, Klitschko isn’t going to be able to play all 40 minutes and while Matthew Hinton will provide minutes off the bench at the center position, they could use DeLaurier as a backup at the five where you could have Cooper / Watson/ and DeLaurier in the lineup at the same time.

If I were to call out one area of concern, I’d say it’s the significant lack of depth at the point guard position. Cian Medley will be the starter, but the next up is Trevor Best who’s appeared in just 29 games over two years and is averaging a career line of 2.2 points with 0.3 assists. While yes, he did play at Arizona State, there’s no guarantee for how he’ll jump into a larger role. If Medley were to get hurt, it’d have to be a combination of Best with someone like Brycen Blaine and maybe one of the younger players to step up and help out. Over his four years as head coach, Schwartz’s assist rate for the team has decreased every year, but I’m a firm believe that assist rates translate to success.

Overall, this is a much better team than last season. They have a solid line of sight for their starting five, and they have plenty of bench pieces that are going to be able to help them like Trevor Best, Jordyn Buchanan, Matthew Hinton, Jayshayne Woodard, Daithi Quinn, and the freshman. Schwartz hasn’t had a team finish above 306th in KenPom in three-point shooting percentage or 257th in two-point shooting percentage, in which I think both metrics should improve. They’ve addressed the offense and the defense, and should be able to compete at a much higher level in the American.

In year one, the Dukes finished 20-12 overall and 13-5 in the Sun Belt, but they followed up with just an 18-15 record overall last season. They ranked 172nd in offensive adjusted efficiency and just 255th in defensive adjusted efficiency, which helped Spradlin paint a picture for exactly the areas he needed to improve.

While practically resetting their entire roster with just two players returning, Spradlin and his staff have assembled a very intriguing roster that appears on paper to have addressed those areas of concern. Let’s take a look at how their roster is shaping up coming into the 2026-2027 season!

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Roster Turnover

• Bradley Douglas (Ineligible)

  • 12.1 points, 2 rebounds, 3.5 assists

• Oriekose Egbule (Ineligible)

  • 3.7 points, 2 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• Justin Taylor (Ineligible)

  • 1 point, 0.6 rebounds (18 games / 7.6 minutes)

• Ike Cornish (Ineligible)

  • 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Gabe Newhof (Ineligible)

  • 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds

• Cliff Davis (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 15.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals

• Justin McBride (Senior) ~ Kentucky

  • 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Eddie Ricks III (Senior) ~ Loyola Chicago

  • 7.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Josh Stephen (Senior) ~ TBD

  • DNP ~ Redshirt

• Paul Lewis (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 2.5 points, 1.8 assists

• Eli Wilborn (Senior) ~ Merrimack

  • 2.4 points, 2.9 rebounds

• Christian Brown (Sophomore) ~ Ole Miss

  • 3 points, 3.8 rebounds

It was as brutal offseason for James Madison, but it was to be expected. Five players ran out of eligibility while another three entered the transfer portal in an attempt to regain another season of eligibility. At the time, I haven’t seen if any of the players have gained their extra year following the recent announcement of some players receiving one last season.

Among those that did transfer, Justin McBride was the toughest loss. He’ll be headed to his fourth team after starting out at Oklahoma State, then heading to Nevada, and finally landing at James Madison where he blossomed last season.

Returning Players

• Paul Jones III (Junior)

  • 2.8 points, 0.9 rebounds

• Preston Fowler (Sophomore)

  • 6.2 points, 4.6 rebounds

Preston Fowler (6’8)

Coming out of Connecticut, Fowler was listed as a three-star recruit where he committed to James Madison over the likes of Penn State, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, and more strong programs. During his freshman campaign, he appeared in 33 games while starting in 14 and averaging 23.1 minutes per game. He finished the season averaging 6.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 38.9% overall and 29.8% from three-point on 3.7 attempts per game.

While his shooting percentages weren’t the strongest, he still finished with a 115.3 offensive rating and 53.2% true shooting percentage. His rebounding was consistent throughout the entire season which was represented by a 5.9% offensive rebounding percentage and a 15.6% defensive rebounding percentage. From inside the arc, he shot 58.8% overall on 51 attempts against Division I opponents, so what drew down his overall averages was his 31% shooting from three-point on 116 attempts. In the Sun Belt, that diminished to just 25.8% from beyond the arc.

At 6’8, Fowler presents as a stretch four. He has the ability to knock it down from deep, but he lacks efficiency from outside. If he can step up during his sophomore season and flex more inside where he’s strong, he will become an invaluable player for the Dukes.

Paul Jones III (6’3)

Paul Jones III transferred into James Madison last season after starting in 17 games and appearing in 34 for Winthrop during his freshman season. He averaged 7.6 points with three rebounds that season, but his playing time decreased with James Madison where he appeared in just 20 games and averaged 11.2 minutes with the Dukes. He finished the season averaging 2.8 points and 0.9 rebounds while shooting 29.8% overall and 29.5% from three-point. Wildly, his best game of the season came in their blowout loss against #18 Arkansas where he finished with nine points and two assists in 18 minutes.

Roster Additions

• Cavan Reilly (Senior) ~ Delaware

  • 24-25’ ~ 12.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals

• Emarquis Jones (Senior) ~ Goldey-Beacom (D-II)

  • 13.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.9 steals

• Gage Lattimore (Junior) ~ North Carolina Central

  • 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals

• K.J. Windham (Junior) ~ Northwestern

  • 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Adrian Myers (Junior) ~ San Jose State

  • 11.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

• Garrett Sundra (Junior) ~ Notre Dame

  • 3.5 points, 3.2 rebounds

• Jacob Hogarth (Junior) ~ Gardner-Webb

  • 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Brandon Lee (Sophomore) ~ Illinois

  • 1.7 points, 0.3 rebounds

• Marley Curtis (Sophomore) ~ North Dakota

  • 6 points, 3.6 rebounds

• Ashton Meeks (Freshman)

• A.J. Evans (Freshman)

• Matthew Owens (Freshman)

Guards

Gage Lattimore (6’1)

Lattimore started his career out at Seton Hill, a Division II program in Pennsylvania where he posted some strong metrics as a freshman. He then transferred to North Carolina Central where he dominated as a sophomore. The 6’1 guard averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for the Eagles while shooting 39% overall and 39.2% from three-point. He had some monster offensive performances, including 29 points against James Madison and 25 points against Virginia. He also finished with 12 points against #18 North Carolina and 14 points with six rebounds against Kentucky.

This is a player that isn’t afraid of the spotlight. While his shooting percentage overall has some room to grow, you should expect to see that increase with a more talented team around him this season. Despite the lower percentage shooting, he still finished with a 105.8 offensive rating, which jumped to 112.3 in the MEAC. In conference, he featured a 57.1% effective field goal percentage, 14.8 assist rate, 2.6% steal percentage, 38.2 free throw rate, and an 83.3% shooting percentage from the line which was 3rd best in the conference.

There is no doubt that Lattimore will become a focal piece of the Dukes’ rotation and offensive game this coming season.

K.J. Windham (6’3)

The former three-star recruit has spent the last two seasons with the Northwestern Wildcats where he’s seen plenty of time at the highest level. As a freshman, he appeared in 29 games and started four while averaging 16.7 minutes. He averaged 5.6 points with two assists, and 1.1 rebounds while shooting 37.8% overall. Last year, he took a step back as he shot just 32.6% overall and averaged 3.5 points in 14 games. His decrease in playing time wasn’t related to an injury, rather he simply just fell out of the lineup. It was no surprise that he hit the portal and has transferred somewhere that he believes he can play a large role in the rotation.

Let’s look at his metrics from his freshman season to paint a better picture. He featured a 102.2 offensive rating, 49.6% true shooting percentage, 22.9% assist rate, 2.5% steal percentage, and he shot 47% from inside the arc. Notably, he took only ten shots from inside the arc compared to 36 from three-point this past season, but as a freshman he shot 66 times inside and 82 from outside.

Windham has had a weird journey in college basketball so far, but his ability to knock it down from deep is going to land him an important role with the Dukes next season.

Ashton (Ace) Meeks (6’0)

Meeks was listed as a three-star recruit and 215th overall in his class according to 247 Sports. The 6’0 guard out of Maryland is listed as the third-highest ranked commit in James Madison’s history. He averaged 22 points with four rebounds, four assists, and 1.5 steals during his senior season. He is incredible on the offensive end with a clean shot that will translate immediately at the Division I level. Some claim that he’s a three-level scoring threat, and I don’t disagree. The Dukes need playmaking abilities as well, and Meeks should be able to provide meaningful minutes at the Point Guard position in year one.

Ashton Meeks committed to James Madison over Saint Louis, Mississippi State, West Virginia, George Washington, and more.

Cavan Reilly (6’4)

Reilly appeared in just one game for Delaware last season after suffering a hamstring injury that kept him on the sidelines all year. He spent four years with the Blue Hens and his best was no doubt his junior season. He started in 32 of 33 games while averaging 12.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Reilly shot 47.7% overall and 35.6% from beyond the arc on 5.3 attempts on average.

There’s no sense in looking at metrics for one game, so let’s dive into his junior season. He finished with a 117.3 offensive rating, 61.7% true shooting percentage which was 109th best in the county, 2.2% steal percentage, and a very strong 64.3% shooting percentage from inside. In conference play, that shot up to a ridiculous 66.2% rate which was second best in the CAA.

Reilly is a versatile scorer that has the ability to light it up from beyond the arc when he’s hot and score from inside. He should slot nicely into the rotation this season for James Madison.

Emarquis Jones (6’5)

Jones will be joining his fourth team so far in college basketball, but his first in Division I. He started out at a couple of JUCOs in Fort Hays Tech Northwest and Cowley College before jumping to Division II Goldey-Beacom last year. He appeared in 32 games and started in 31 while averaging 13.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.9 steals per game. He shot 51.6% overall from the floor and 44.7% from three-point.

At 6’5, he’s a remarkable rebounder. He finished with six double-digit rebound games, with five of those coming over their last ten games. He developed into a high caliber player for them as the season went on. What stands out the most is, his efficiency on offense. There are several other players on this list that lacked strong shooting percentages, so Jones helps buck that trend and will provide the Dukes with some valuable minutes.

Brandon Lee (6’4)

Unless you are an elite freshman that’s going to land in the NBA after one year in college basketball, you probably aren’t going to see a ton of time on the floor for one of the top ten programs in the country like Illinois. He was listed as a four-star recruit and he ranked 99th overall in his class, so this is a massive pickup for the Dukes. During his freshman season with the Illini, he appeared in 18 games, averaging 4.1 minutes per game, while posting 1.7 points on average and shooting 44.4% overall. Most of his stats game against teams in the non-conference, but he did finish with four points against USC. He also appeared twice in the NCAA Tournament while scoring four points again Penn in their 105-70 blowout win in the first round.

In his minimal playing time, he finished with a 113.9 offensive rating, 59.7% true shooting percentage, and he shot 93.3% from the free throw line. There’s a lot of unknown because we haven’t seen him a ton on the floor, but this is a former big-time prospect that saw time on one of the best teams in the country last year. Dukes’ fans should be pumped up about this pick up, and I’m excited to see him take off during his freshman season. Don’t be surprised if he ends up back at the power conference ranks in the next couple of years.

Matthew Owens (6’3)

There is admittedly not a ton of information on Owens out there. He hails from Luray, Virginia which is just 30 miles away from James Madison’s campus. According to his roster profile, he averaged 21 points with five assists, two steals, and 1.2 blocks per game during his senior season while leading his high school to their first state championship appearance in 50 years.

There is no doubt that he has an impressive resume, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he redshirted this season.

Forwards

Adrian Myers (6’6)

Myers is another solid former power conference recruit that James Madison has picked up this offseason. He started out his career at Mississippi State where he entered as a three-star recruit, appearing in ten games then redshirting his sophomore season. Following minimal playing time, he transferred to San Jose State last season where he made a large impact. The 6’6 forward averaged 11.1 points with 4.9 rebounds, one assist, and one steal per game. He shot 42.9% overall and 37.2% from three-point on 4.6 attempts per game.

San Jose State had plenty of problems last year, but Myers was a bright spot. He featured a 113.0 offensive rating, 54.4% true shooting percentage, 14.8% defensive rebounding percentage, 7.2% offensive rebounding percentage, 3.1% block percentage, and he shot 38.9% from three-point in the Mountain West which was 15th best in conference.

Myers had some solid games throughout the year, but he turned it on over the last nine games of the season. He averaged 18.7 points and 7.6 rebounds, while reaching three double-doubles including 16 rebounds against Fresno State and 34 points against Air Force. He burst onto the scene towards the end of the season, so if he can pick up where he left off…he’ll become a fan favorite quickly.

Marley Curtis (6’6)

Marley Curtis showed no fear during his freshman season with North Dakota. The 6’6 forward averaged six points with 3.6 rebounds while shooting 35.4% overall and 30.7% from three-point on 2.5 attempts per game. In his first game against #15 Alabama he finished with six points and four rebounds, then he followed up with 14 points with four rebounds against Creighton a few games later. While his production was sporadic at times, the potential would shine through when given the opportunity.

His efficiency wasn’t perfect, which is represented by just a 90.7 offensive rating and 40.9% effective field goal percentage. However, he had a 20.2% defensive rebounding percentage and a 45.2% true shooting percentage. If he can find more consistency on the offensive end, he’ll become a valuable piece of the rotation with his strong ability on the glass.

Garrett Sundra (6’11)

The former three-star recruit has spent the last two seasons with the Fighting Irish where he saw an uptick in production during his sophomore season. He appeared in 31 games last year while starting 16 and averaging 3.5 points with 3.2 rebounds and shooting 44.4% overall and 30.8% from three-point.

At 6’11, he provides a versatile game. He featured a 116.1 offensive rating, 54.5% true shooting percentage, 7% offensive rebounding percentage, 13.4% defensive rebounding percentage, 2.6% block percentage, and he drained 16 of his 52 attempts from beyond the arc. In fact, he took his 38 shots from inside where he shot 63.2% overall.

Sundra can serve as a flex big man that can clean up the paint on defense, rack up the boards, and knock down a shot from outside. His shooting percentage from outside dipped in the ACC to just 26.9% on 26 attempts vs his 66.7% shooting rate from inside on 18 attempts. He can be a monster inside, so I’ll be curious if they let him shoot at a higher volume from outside than inside, but regardless the potential for him is massive at James Madison.

Jacob Hogarth (6’9)

There is no doubt that Gardner-Webb had a slew of problems last year, but Jacob Hogarth made the most of his opportunity. The 6’9 forward averaged 10.7 points with 7.1 rebounds and 1.3 assist per game. He shot 52.6% overall and knocked down six of his 15 shots from three-point. He’s more of a traditional undersized big man, which will mix well with Sundra down low.

He had some big games, including 14 points and 11 rebounds against DePaul and 20 points with eight rebound, four assists, and one block against Winthrop. He finished with seven double-doubles, represented by his strong 9.3% offensive rebounding percentage and 21.4% defensive rebounding percentage which was 108th best in the country. He also finished with a 55.7% true shooting percentage, 2.8% block percentage, and a 49.5 free throw rate.

A.J. Evans (6’9)

As a freshman, A.J. Evans will provide James Madison with some depth with height. Coming out of Cedar Rapids, he was named third on the Sports Illustrated 31 Iowa Boys Basketball Player of the Year award. He is pretty quick on his feet and presented to be sturdy on the glass. Similar to Owens, I believe that he’ll be on the lower end of minutes, but look for him to serve as a developmental type player for a future season.

Evans held offers from Jacksonville, Penn, Navy, and Western Illinois.

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Expectations

James Madison fans should be excited about how this roster has come together. There are many players that are looking for their big break, which is going to make them hungry to perform well this season. With that, there are a ton of different rotations that we’re most likely to see at the beginning of the season while the coaching staff finds the right combination. Let’s look at what a starting lineup could look like:

• Ace Meeks / Gage Lattimore

• Gage Lattimore / Cavan Reilly / K.J. Windham

• Adrian Myers / Emarquis Jones

• Jacob Hogarth

• Garrett Sundra

There are many combinations that you could make with the guards on this roster, and it’ll come down to what Spradlin and his staff see during practice season. There are still other players like Marley Curtis and Brandon Lee that can come off the bench with whoever falls out of the starting lineup, but someone like Brandon Lee could easily slide into the starting rotation with his pedigree.

At the forward and center positions, it’s a bit more clear on the surface. Garrett Sundra is the tallest player on the roster and he is strong both offensively and on the glass, so he’s a no brainer. Despite Gardner-Webb being a bad team last year, JacobHogarth serves as more of a traditional big man despite being just 6’9. You can imagine that this will provide them with some versatility on the floor when he’s out there with Sundra who can step out and knock down a three-pointer.

My largest concern is a carryover from last season which is their lack of point guard play. They ranked just 283rd last season in assists per field goals made and it looks like they probably won’t be far off this year. This is a stark difference from some of Spradlin’s better teams at Morehead state where they were 111th and 187th in their two seasons they reached the NCAA Tournament, while even hitting 12th in 2022. Staring at their roster, I can’t tell you who I think their starting point guard will be, let along who will lead the offense when that person is off the court. Ashton Meeks has the potential, but he’s going to be a freshman. After him, I’d say it’s maybe Gage Lattimore, but he has never been a floor general.

Despite my concern with the lack of playmaking, I think this is a team that should surpass their record from last season. They’ve upgraded their offense by featuring more than just three players that will lead. There is also no doubt that they’ve improved their ability to score from inside the three-point line where they were just 120th in two-point shooting percentage and scored just 46.5% of their points from that range last season. They don’t have a ton of height, but they have both guards and forwards that can become forces down low.

Their non-conference schedule isn’t the toughest, but they do play Kentucky, Miami Ohio, and some solid mid-majors like Towson. How many wins do you think the Dukes will reach this season?

Essentially, the Spiders are winning 20+ games nearly every other season…and if the pattern continues it looks like this could be another. They did reach the NCAA Tournament with the 24-13 record in the 2021-2022 season where they finished just 10-8 in conference, but went on a run to win the Atlantic-10 conference tournament.

Chris Mooney is entering year 22 at the helm with Richmond and he’s looking to reach the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time during that stretch in an ultra-competitive conference. With several notable departures, he was able to retain a key freshman and another rotational player to provide depth while bringing in some talented players through the transfer portal. Let’s take a look at how the team is shaping up!

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Roster Turnover

• Will Johnston (Ineligible)

  • 9.7 points, 3 rebounds, 2.2 assists

• Apostolos Roumoglou (Ineligible)

  • 2.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Jonathan Beagle (Ineligible)

  • 6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Mike Walz (Graduate Senior) ~ TBD

  • 7.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 rebounds

• A.J. Lopez (Graduate Senior) ~ TBD

  • 13.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1 steal

• Jaylen Robinson (Sophomore) ~ Sacred Heart

  • 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds

• Jaden Daughtry (Senior) ~ Stony Brook

  • 8.9 points, 3 rebounds

• Bryson McGlothin (Sophomore) ~ UT Arlington

  • 1.3 points, 1 rebounds (3 games / 4.3 minutes)

• Mikkel Tyne (Senior) ~ Buffalo

  • 6.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists

• David Thomas (Senior) ~ Georgia State

  • 4.2 points, 1.1 rebounds

As one of the more senior heavy teams at 52nd in Division I experience, the Spiders were destined for significant turnover in the coming season. Three of their players ran out of eligibility with another two attempting to gain a year back with no luck thus far.

Among the rest of the turnover, five transferred out of the program with all of them taking a step back and dropping to lower conferences. Jaden Daughtry is the steepest loss as he emerged as a threat at Indiana State two years ago. He averaged 8.9 points with three rebounds in just 15.8 minutes per game, but he’ll be heading to Stony Brook as he’ll look to slide into the rotation for his largest opportunity to date in his career.

Returning Players

• Collin Tanner (Senior)

  • 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds

• Aiden Argabright (Sophomore)

  • 10.8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.2 steals

• Will Harper III (Sophomore)

  • 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds

• Dylan Homenick (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Donovan Richardson (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Kirby Mooney (Walk-on)

  • 0.7 points, 0.7 rebounds (3 games / 4 minutes)

Aiden Argabright (5’11)

The Richmond Spiders have a few key players returning, but Aiden Argabright coming back is a huge boost for their growth this season. Coming out of high school, he had offers from Mississippi State, Murray State, and several other mid-majors before he committed to Richmond. During his freshman season, he averaged 10.8 points, two rebounds, two assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 42.1% overall and 35% from three-point.

He hit the ground running with some strong performances while averaging 13.2 points and 2.2 steals over his first five games. He didn’t slow down either, in fact he improved as a playmaker over the course of the full season. By the end of the year he was averaging less than one turnover per game to his two assists.

Argabright finished the season with a 122.5 offensive rating which was 236th overall, 60% true shooting percentage, 15.9 assist rate, 8.9 turnover rate which was 98th overall, 2.7% steal percentage, and a strong 6.5 fouls drawn per game. With his knack to draw fouls, he also finished with an 88.4 free throw rate where he shot 82.7% from the line on 168 attempts against Division I opponents.

Collin Tanner (6’6)

Tanner is entering year four with Richmond and he’s continued to improve as each season has gone on. Last year, he started in 22 of the 29 games he appeared in while averaging 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds. The 6’6 guard shot 44.3% overall and 29.2% from beyond the arc on 2.2 attempts per game.

His performance diminished a bit in conference, but he stepped up in February to close out the regular season. Tanner finished with a 109.1 offensive rating, 53.6% true shooting percentage, 13.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and he shot 56.6% from inside the arc against Division I opponents.

Will Harper III (6’5)

Harper was listed as a three-star recruit and ranked 365th overall in his class coming into his freshman season last year. Across 14 games, he averaged 3.4 points with 1.6 rebounds and shot 33.3% overall and 29.4% from three-point. He missed some time due to an ankle injury, but he shined against Saint Louis when he finished with 17 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes. You should expect to see some more playing time for the sophomore guard this coming season.

Dylan Homenick (6’11) & Donovan Richardson (6’6)

Both Homenick and Richardson redshirted last season for Richmond. Homenick is a 6’11 center that was one of the last to sign to the roster last year, meaning he was destined to be redshirt. He hails from British Columbia and he held one other Division I offer from Idaho State, but he decided to head to Virginia instead. There isn’t a ton of height on this team, so I could see him play in a limited role to provide some depth.

Richardson on the other hand had some legitimately strong offers from programs like Mississippi State, Murray State, Charleston, and more. The 6’6 guard was listed as a three-star recruit coming out of high school, and he looks like he could develop into a solid combo guard. Similarly to Homenick, I don’t think that he’ll be lighting up the court in year one, but you should expect to see him some as he continues to develop himself.

Kirby Mooney (6’3)

Mooney is listed as a walk-on, so you should expect to see him in a limited role this season.

Roster Additions

• Andrew Ball (Senior) ~ Monmouth

  • 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds

• Derin Saran (Junior) ~ UC Irvine

  • 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.7 steals

• Dominick Stewart (Junior) ~ Penn State

  • 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Jamie Kaiser, Jr. (Junior) ~ Butler

  • 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1.2 steals

• Jack McCaffery (Sophomore) ~ Butler

  • 2.8 points, 1.6 rebounds

• Amon Dorries (Sophomore) ~ Bucknell

  • 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists

• Sam Simmons, Jr. (Freshman)

• Jaden Shoultz (Freshman)

• Dane Caldwell (Freshman)

• Chad Cook (Freshman)

Guards

Dominick Stewart (6’5)

Stewart has spent the last two seasons with Penn State where he turned himself into a regular starter during his sophomore year, starting in 24 of 32 games. The 6’5 guard averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 40.1% overall and 34.8% from three-point. While he had some strong games in the non-conference slate, arguably his best came in the Big Ten. He finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists against UCLA, and 17 points with four rebounds and four assists against Maryland.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 110.7 offensive rating, 54.8% true shooting percentage, 10.4% defensive rebounding percentage, 12.8 assist rate, and he shot 50% from inside the arc. It’s worth noting that he essentially served as a three-point specialist while shooting nearly double the amount from outside at 112 compared to just 60 shots inside.

Richmond was 28th overall in three-point shooting percentage last year and just 234th from inside the arc. There’s no doubt that Stewart fits Chris Mooney’s scheme well and he’ll play a large role on the Spiders this season.

Derin Saran (6’5)

This isn’t Saran’s first rodeo in the transfer portal. The 6’5 guard out of Turkey started his career at UC Irvine where he averaged a strong 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman. He then transferred to Stanford and then back to the Anteaters after appearing in just five games for the Cardinals. Last year, he averaged 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 40.3% overall and 26.5% from three-point on 2.8 attempts per game. He had some monster games including 29 points with ten rebounds against Northern Iowa, and Saran even finished with a triple-double in just 25 minutes against a non-Division I school.

Saran’s metrics speak for themselves as he featured a 23.8% possession usage, 12.2% defensive rebounding percentage, 19.9 assist rate, and a 3.3% steal percentage which was 139th best in the country. Offensively, he took a step back from his freshman season, but his defense has continued to improve. During the Big West slate, he finished with a 3.5% steal percentage which was fourth best in the conference.

Jamie Kaiser Jr. (6’6)

After a strong showing in his freshman season at Maryland, Jamie Kaiser Jr. transferred to Butler where he took off in year two after recovering from an ankle injury that made him miss the 2024-2025 season. For the Bulldogs, he started in 29 games while averaging 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, one assist, and 1.2 steals per game while averaging 43.6% overall and 34.5% from three-point on 3.9 attempts per game. Over the last five games of the regular season, he averaged 10.2 points, five rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

Similar to Saran, Kaiser is another strong defensive guard that the Spiders have added. He finished the season with a 2.4% steal percentage last year and a 3% steal percentage for Maryland the year prior which was 195th best in 2024. Last year, he had a 118.7 offensive rating, 55.8% true shooting percentage, 11.5% defensive rebounding percentage, and a solid 9.4 turnover rate which was 127th best. From inside the arc, he shot 53.2% overall.

You should expect to see Kaiser Jr. land in the starting lineup this coming season.

Jaden Shoultz (6’4)

Shoultz was a late addition to the team this year and there admittedly isn’t a ton of information out there on the young guard. He played for Dematha Catholic last season where he averaged just eight points as a senior. Prior to transferring to DeMatha, he did averaged over 16 points per game at Northland High School. He’s most likely going to redshirt this season, or see very limited time on the floor.

Shoultz held one other offer from UMass Lowell.

Sam Simmons Jr. (5’9)

Simmons Jr. might be just 5’9, but that didn’t stop him from winning Kansas’ Gatorade Player of the Year, ranking in the top-300 of his class (#1 in Kansas), and achieving a three-star recruiting status. During his senior season, he averaged 14.4 points, five assists, and 2.7 steals per game. There is no doubt that he’s undersized, but he’s not afraid to be a floor general. He has a high ceiling given the height disadvantage, and with that you should expect to see him on the court some this season as he begins to develop his game in college basketball.

Simmons Jr. held offers from Missouri State and Tennessee.

Forwards

Andrew Ball (6’9)

After spending the last three years with Monmouth, Andrew Ball is headed to Richmond. Last season he started in nine games and appeared in 34 games while averaging 20.5 minutes. He shot 50.5% overall and 30.5% from three-point while averaging 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. His offensive performances were a bit up and down, but when he’s hot, he’s hot. Between January 3rd and the 24th, he averaged 12.3 points and five rebounds over a seven game stretch while shooting 66%.

As eluded with his hot stretch, his metrics within the CAA were phenomenal. He finished with a 122.0 offensive rating, 16.2% defensive rebounding percentage, 63.4% true shooting percentage, 12.2 turnover rate, 3% block percentage, and a remarkable 69.6% shooting percentage from inside the arc which was 2nd best in the conference.

Jack McCaffery (6’9)

McCaffery was listed as the top recruit out of Iowa, 144th in the country, and a four-star recruit as he entered his freshman season with Butler. He started off three solid performances against USI, IU Indy, and Chicago State, but his role diminished over the next six games. After December 6th, he unfortunately battled a fluke injury that remedied him out for the season in which was was able to gain a medical redshirt.

In those nine games, he finished with a 109.5 offensive rating, 52.5% true shooting percentage, 9.3% offensive rebounding percentage, and a 9.2% defensive rebounding percentage. During his senior season in high school, he was named Iowa’s Gatorade Play of the Year after averaging 21.2 points with 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. I have no doubt that he’ll play a large role for Richmond this season in his first true season of college basketball.

Dane Caldwell (6’9)

The 6’9 forward was a dominant force during his senior season for the 29-2 Silver Creek high school in Sellersburg, Indiana. He finished the season averaging 17.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. Overall he was ranked 10th in his class coming out of Indiana, but he was still a bit underrated. He has some strong long-term potential as he’ll certainly continue to develop, especially even in a limited role as a freshman. He’s quick on his feet and he is a force on the glass.

Caldwell held offers from High Point, Buffalo, Bradley, Akron, Ball State, Miami Ohio, and ETSU.

Chad Cook (6’8)

Chad Cook wasn’t a highly touted prospect as he was mostly being looked at from smaller Northeastern programs. He was listed as the seventh best prospect out of New Hampshire. Similarly to the other freshman, Cook provides the Spiders with more long-term potential rather than a freshman that will make an impact in his first year with the program. He seems to be a strong defender with high-upside rebounding.

Cook held offers from Stonehill and Fairleigh Dickinson.

Centers

Amon Dorries (6’11)

Dorries is one of the best pickups for Richmond in my opinion. The 6’11 freshman out of Germany had a monster debut in college basketball. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while averaging 54% overall and 33.3% from three-point on 2.5 attempts per game. He finished with less than double-digit points just five times throughout the season, and he even finished with 12 points against #14 Saint John’s during the non-conference slate.

While there is no doubt that his metrics and numbers are skewed because he was the best player on a bad team, but look at some of these metrics:

• 61.4% true shooting percentage (169th overall)

• 57.8% effective field goal percentage (201st overall)

• 25% possession usage (368th overall)

• 60.1% shooting percentage from 2pt (292nd overall)

The Spiders have just two players over 6’10, in which the other is Dylan Homenick who redshirted last season. Given that, you’ll see plenty of Dorries this coming season.

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Expectations

Last year, there were some glaring gaps for Richmond. They finished 129th overall in offensive adjusted efficiency, but a lot of that was powered by their 357th ranked non-conference. In conference play, their average points per game dropped to just 72 points per game. During their 2-11 stretch, it dropped even further to 70 points on average. Once you factor in their 203rd overall ranking in defensive adjusted efficiency even with the weak non-conference schedule, you can see there were some areas for improvement.

Derin Saran is an immediate upgrade defensively over their guards from last season. Aiden Argabright finished with a 2.7 steal percentage which was 355th overall in the country, in which he’s also returning to the Spiders. Similarly, Jaime Kaiser has been strong on defense as well, giving Richmond three strong defenders at the guard position.

Richmond was also weak on scoring inside the arc as they finished just 234th in the country in two-point shooting percentage. This allowed opponents to focus more on defending the three-point line, making it difficult for the Spiders to score with a well-rounded offense. Overall, just 43.6% of their points came from inside the arc which was just 318th best in the country. Amon Dorries was tremendous down low, and Jack McCaffery and Andrew Ball both had the ability to light it up from inside. McCaffery has room to grow, but Ball in particular already has the experience even if it was at a lower level, similar to Dorries.

Overall, this is an intriguing team to me. I don’t expect much out of the freshman, but they retained Aiden Argabright who is just going to continue to get better and better, along with another high-upside freshman in Will Harper. Then you follow up with some of the incoming pieces that are helping address the defensive woes, even if they are coming from lesser conferences. They should be better from down-low as well, letting them have a more complete offense. My breakout candidate for the team is Jaime Kaiser who posted strong numbers at Butler, in which will surely translate to the Atlantic-10.

The Atlantic-10 is going to be an ultra-competitive conference as always, but don’t sleep on Richmond.

This year was no different. What I love about this competition is, we get glimpses players who flew under-the-radar with their recruitment, ended up at a Mid-Major program, and now are starting to show the world what they can do. Over the last couple of years, we watched Roman Domon who is a budding star at Murray State, Dragos Lungu who was looking like a breakout candidate at UT Martin before an injury, and Gabriel Pozzato who starred as a freshman at Evansville before landing at Xavier last year.

Let’s take a look at four players that dominated in the 2026 FIBA U20 EuroBasket that are headed to a Mid-Major team this coming season.

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Mark Padjen (Murray State)

We have another Murray State Racer that dominated in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket this season, following in Roman Domon’s footsteps. Mark Padjen is a 6’5 guard out of Slovenia with a prolific ability to lead a team as a floor general. Through seven games, he averaged 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 50.8% overall and 33.3% from three-point on 3.9 attempts per game.

Coming into the summer, he played for Ilirija in the ABA League where he was a vital player. Throughout 20 games, he averaged 11.3 points, five assists, 3.2 rebounds, and nearly one steal per game. He shot 42.5% overall, 50% from inside the arc, and 35.4% from three-point.

What truly stands out to me is the natural ability he has to be a floor general. While playing with Slovenia he averaged just 2.3 turnovers, and with Ilirija he averaged 2.3 as well. That’s over a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio at just 20 against some strong talent. Let’s compare to a player that put up some similar statistics last year in the same tournament: Omer Mayer of the Purdue Boilermakers.

Mayer went on to average 5.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game in 39 games with the Boilermakers last season as a freshman. He shot 41.2% overall and 35.5% from three-point, and he had some strong games against tough competition in the Big-10. He dropped 18 against IU, eleven against No. 11 Illinois, and nine against No. 11 Nebraska.

For Israel, he averaged 16.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists , and 1.1 steals across seven games while shooting 41.2% overall and 37.3% from three-point. He also averaged 3.7 turnovers per game. If we compare Mayer & Padjen’s metrics, here’s how they shape out:

Across the board, Mark Padjen outperformed Mayer in the majority of categories. This is a player who had a role on a top-ten team, and at one point the number one team in the AP Poll last year. Padjen is joining Murray State which is already loaded with talent, however, this is a player that you are going to have to watch this season.

Salih Altuntas (Saint Mary’s)

The Saint Mary’s pipeline with European players continues this season with a couple of players on this list. Salih Altuntas is a 6’10 center from Turkey with a strong natural ability to score and clear the glass. He spent last season with the Miami Hurricanes where he appeared in 32 games and averaged 7.8 minutes per game. He finished the season with a line of 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 65.7% overall. He scored just five points in the ACC, but he had a couple of strong performances in the non-conference slate of their schedule. he had a 13 point, eleven rebound, and four steal game against Delaware State in their 97-41 blowout win.

Altuntas averaged 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game throughout Turkey’s seven games in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket session. He finished with two double-doubles against Germany and Italy. Arguably his best game came against Croatia where he finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals, but notably just two fouls. He fouled out in four of the seven games and averaged 4.1 per game…a clear area for improvement.

If he can work on cutting down the fouls, he’ll provide the Gaels with a huge presence down low this season in year one with Mickey McConnell at the helm.

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Panagiotis Pagonis (Drexel)

The 6’9 forward played his first season in college basketball last year with the New Orleans Privateers which was a fun and scrappy team to watch. Panagiotis Pagonis averaged 4.1 points with 3.1 rebounds and one assist per game across 30 appearances. The freshman shot 34.3% overall and 24.5% from three-point. His best game of the season came against Pepperdine where he finished with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, and drained three of his six attempts from beyond the arc.

For Greece, he averaged 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game across seven appearances. He shot 44.6% overall and 41.9% from three-points on 4.4 attempts per game. What impresses me the most is, at 6’9 he actually possesses quite the ability to distribute the ball. At New Orleans, he finished with a 10.6 assist rate and with Greece it jumped to 22.7%, but given his turnovers were a bit high.

Pagonis transferred to Drexel for the coming season, but if he can tap into more of his offensive capabilities from beyond the arc and continue to develop his playmaking abilities then the Dragons might have themselves a budding underrated star.

Mantas Juzenas (Saint Mary’s)

Death, taxes, and Saint Mary’s finding hidden gems in Europe. Mantas Juzenas is returning to the Gaels this season after taking his freshman season as a developmental year. He appeared in 26 games last season while averaging just 5.8 minutes. In those minutes, he took advantage as he finished the year averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 45.9% overall and 48.4% from three-point. The 6’6 guard didn’t disappoint in big moments as he had 12 points with two rebounds against No. 9 Gonzaga in their huge 70-59 win as he drained four of his six attempts from three-point.

For Lithuania, he averaged 15.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 48.1% overall, but just 27.5% from three-point on 5.7 attempts. He was remarkable from inside with a 69.2% shooting percentage. On the glass, he was essentially a magnet. He hit double-digit rebounds in four of the seven games, including just an absurd 20 rebounds against Israel. On the offensive end, he also reached 46 points (yes, 46 points!!) against Poland along with 12 rebounds and five assists.

With Paulius Murauskas gone, there is a huge void for a player that can fill up a stat sheet both on the offensive end and on the glass. While Juzenas is smaller than Murauskas, there’s a great chance that he can step up and take a huge leap in his sophomore season. It’s worth noting that the majority of his offensive statistics in the tournament came from that game against Poland. He finished with less than ten points in three of the games, and he didn’t get higher than 13 outside of the 46 point game. There’s definitely room to grow offensively, but he could turn into a monster for the Saint Mary’s Gaels.

Coming into the 2026-2027 season, Raiders’ fans are going to have the same expectations of reaching the Big Dance once again. While they lost their top four scorers, they did return some important players with plenty of experience in college basketball and Coach Sargent’s system. With some exciting new additions from both power conference programs and mid-major rosters, can they follow up with another strong year?

Let’s take a look at how their roster is shaping up this season!

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Roster Turnover

• Sam Alamutu (Ineligible)

  • 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Bryan Etumni (Ineligible)

  • 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds

• Michael Imariagbe (Ineligible)

  • 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• Solomon Callaghan (Junior) ~ Utah State

  • 10.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Logan Woods (Senior) ~ Niagara

  • 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Alex Bruskotter (Junior) ~ Cleveland State

  • 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds (15 games / 8.3 minutes)

• T.J. Burch (Junior) ~ Utah

  • 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 steals

• Michael Cooper (Sophomore) ~ California

  • 13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists

• Ayden Davis (Sophomore) ~ Ferris State (DII)

  • 5 points, 1.3 rebounds (3 games / 8.7 minutes)

Michael Cooper and TJ Burch combined for one of the best combinations of guards not just across mid-majors, but all of college basketball. Now, they are both headed out west for the power conference ranks. While their senior leader Michael Imariagbe ran out of eligibility, fellow key player Solomon Callaghan is also migrating out west to join Ben Jacobsen at Utah State this season. That marks three players that are making large jumps to some of the strongest conferences in college basketball, which speaks volumes for the momentum this program has at the moment.

Returning Players

• Dominic Pangonis (Junior)

  • 8.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Andrea Holden (Junior)

  • 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks

• Kellen Pickett (Sophomore)

  • 8.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 blocks

• PJ Douglas (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Isaiah Williams (Walk-on)

  • DNP

While Wright State did lose their top four scorers on the team, they did manage to keep three key players from their rotation, including two huge shot blockers in Andrea Holden and Kellen Pickett. Before we dive into those two, let’s take a look at Dominic Pangonis.

Dominic Pangonis (6’7)

Pangonis started his career off at Stephen F. Austin as a freshman where he saw plenty of playing time to jump start his development. He averaged 6.2 points with 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 45% overall in 31 games. After transferring to Wright State last year, he took a huge step forward as he averaged 8.9 points with 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 47.1% overall from the floor. He started in 28 of their 34 games, but most notably his three-point shooting jumped from 27% to 38.5% on 2.8 attempts vs two attempts per game.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 119.2 offensive rating which was 406th overall, a 60.6% true shooting percentage which was 216th best, and a 47.5 free throw rate which was 251st. To reiterate on his growth from three-point, he finished 232nd overall in the country with a 39.8% shooting clip against Division I opponents.

Andrea Holden (6’6)

The 6’6 forward is entering year three with the Raiders where he’s continued to develop into a steady player within their rotation. As a freshman, he averaged 4.1 points with 3.5 rebounds and nearly one steal per game in 17 games. Last year, he stepped up to a 6.1 point per game average with 3.9 rebounds and a whopping 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 56.6% from the floor. Yes, this is a 6’6 player that averaged over one block per game…pure athleticism. Before we look at his metrics, look at this stat line against Youngstown State: 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, five blocks, and four steals.

Holden finished with a 112.4 offensive rating, 60.2% true shooting percentage, 20.3% defensive rebounding percentage, 12.8% offensive rebounding percentage, and an 8.6% block percentage. If he continues to improve during his junior season, he’ll become a monster within the Horizon League.

Kellen Pickett (6’9)

Coming out of high school, Pickett was listed as a three-star recruit and he did not disappoint in his freshman season. The 6’9 budding star averaged 8.5 points with 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.6% overall and 26.9% from three-point. There is some room to grow from beyond the arc, but he showed that he has the ability, so if he can add that to his arsenal he’ll skyrocket.

The big man finished with a 119.4 offensive rating that jumped to 121.8 in conference play. He finished with a 61.1% true shooting percentage, 22.7% defensive rebounding percentage which was 72nd overall, 6.3% block percentage that was 106th overall in the country, and a strong 64.3% shooting percentage from inside the arc was 114th in the nation.

Pickett returning to Wright State is a huge breakthrough for Clint Sargent and his staff.

PJ Douglas (6’4)

The Indiana native was a large contributor to his team’s rise to the Class 4A State Championship at Jeffersonville High School. He redshirtted last year, but don’t be shocked if you see him on the court this season. It’ll be a developmental year, but in high school he flashed signs of being an impact offensive weapon with some strong playmaking as well.

Isaiah Williams (6’3)

Isaiah Williams is listed as a walk-on, so if he appears in some games this season it’ll be in a limited role.

Roster Additions

• Ilija Milijasevic (Senior) ~ DePaul

  • 2.1 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists (16 games / 7.3 minutes)

• Nikola Djapa (Senior) ~ Colorado State

  • 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists

• C.J. O’Hara (Junior) ~ Green Bay

  • 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1 steal

• Sam Johnson (Sophomore) ~ Cedarville (DII)

  • 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds

• Chadlyn Traylor (Sophomore) ~ Charleston

  • 3.8 points, 1 rebounds, 2 assists

• Tahj Martin (Freshman)

• Terrence Hayes, Jr. (Freshman)

• Landen Northrop (Freshman)

• Noah Lewis (Freshman)

Guards

Ilija Milijasevic (6’2)

Milijasevic is listed as a junior according to Wright State’s roster after transferring in from DePaul over the offseason. He spent a couple of seasons with Mega in the ABA league within Europe prior to coming to the United States to play collegiate basketball. In his final season, he averaged 4.5 points with 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 30 games while shooting 43.4% from beyond the arc.

At DePaul, he played in a minimal role across 16 games for the Blue Demons. He averaged 2.1 points with 0.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists while shooting 35.7% overall and 35.7% from beyond the arc…yes all 28 of his shots were from three-point. He finished with a 109.4 offensive rating, 55.2% true shooting percentage, and a 3.4% steal percentage.

He’s a huge three-point threat and will provide Wright State with some firepower. I’m excited to see him take advantage of an extended opportunity with the Raiders.

C.J. O’Hara (6’4)

After developing across 31 games with the Phoenix during his freshman year, C.J. O’Hara took off in year two. He started in 33 games while averaging 14.1 points with 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and one steal per game. The 6’4 guard shot 57% overall from the floor and 28% from three-point on 25 attempts from beyond the arc. He continued to get better throughout the season as well.

During conference play, he finished with a 126.4 offensive rating, 66.2% true shooting percentage, 7.6% offensive rebounding percentage, 2.1% steal percentage, and a 65.2 free throw rate. He racked towards the top of the conference in all of these metrics. In the Horizon League, he finished with less than ten points just three times.

O’Hara will slide into the starting lineup immediately for Wright State as he’ll look to replace the hole that Michael Cooper and T.J. Burch left.

Chadlyn Traylor (6’3)

Coming out of high school, Traylor committed to the College of Charleston over some strong programs like Wake Forest, DePaul, Miami Ohio, and more. During his freshman season, he averaged 3.8 points with one rebound and two assists per game while shooting 41% overall and 39.5% from three-point.

He had a handful of great performances against top-tier mid-major teams as well. Against Belmont and Hofstra he finished with eleven points, while he put up 12 points with four assists against FAU. Traylor finished with a 113.8 offensive rating, 52.1% true shooting percentage, 21.4 assist rate, and a 1.2% steal percentage.

Wright State finished 303rd in assists per field goal made, so Traylor will provide some much needed assistance at the point guard position.

Tahj Martin (6’2)

Martin isn’t a big-time recruit, but he’s someone that has flown under the radar. Last year, he averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game as a senior. After leading his high school to its first state title in school history, he put up 14 with six rebounds in the championship game while being named MVP. He’s a quick guard and has no problem knocking down shots from deep.

Martin committed to Wright State over Grambling State and Alcorn State.

Terrence Hayes Jr. (6’2)

Wright State does a tremendous job of finding undervalued talent in high school, and Terrence Hayes Jr. is another example. Last year, he averaged 17.3 points with 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a ridiculous 3.2 steals per game. He is incredibly athletic and a massive scorer. I firmly believe that he’ll be playing an important role this season.

Hayes Jr. committed to Wright State over programs like Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, Missouri State, and more.

Landen Northrop (6’5)

Tahj Martin wasn’t the only player to help lead their high school to its first title game as Northrop did the same for Richland. Last year, he averaged 25.3 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. You can catch a few clips of him in his commitment video below in which you can clearly see how much of an offensive weapon he can be. He also has the potential to be an impact guard with playmaking as well.

Northrop had just one other offer from Cal State East Bay.

Forwards

Sam Johnson (6’7)

Sam Johnson followed up a solid freshman season at Cedarville with a stellar sophomore year performance. The 6’7 forward averaged 14.9 points with 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 62% overall from the floor and knocking down nine of his 23 attempts from beyond the arc. Over the final six games of the season he averaged 17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and just a shade under one block per game. During that stretch he shot 64.7% overall.

If you take a look at his metrics, he put up some phenomenal numbers. He finished with a 125.0 offensive rating, 63.3% true shooting percentage, 8.2% offensive rebounding percentage, and 17.3% defensive rebounding percentage. He’ll be a huge asset on both the offensive end and the glass.

Noah Lewis (6’7)

Lewis is an incoming freshman out of West Virginia where he posted some stellar numbers as a senior last year. He averaged 17.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 56.9% overall and 37.7% from three-point. If you want this clip from a couple of months ago, you can see just how athletic he is. He moves quick for a 6’7 forward and can clearly slam it down. I don’t expect him to start as a freshman, but we’ll see plenty of him in what should be a developmental season.

@mntelevisionNoah Lewis Steal and Slam to give George Washington a 4 point lead in 2OT! #westvirginia #OT #championship #basketball

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Lewis committed to Wright State over Youngstown State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and others.

Centers

Nikola Djapa (6’11)

Djapa has had an interesting career trajectory over his three seasons within college basketball. The 6’11 center from Serbia started out at Long Island as a freshman where he averaged 6.1 points with 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 56.8% overall. Following what was a solid freshman year, he made the jump all the way to the Mountain West where he spent the last two seasons with Colorado State. Last year, he averaged 2.4 points with 1.8 rebounds while shooting 66.7% overall across 19 games.

A chunk of his metrics came against a non-division one opponent, but he still finished with a 14.5% defensive rebounding percentage and a 12.6% offensive rebounding percentage. When he was at Long Island, he finished 164th in the country with a 10.9% offensive rebounding percentage along with a 17.8 defensive rebounding percentage and a 2.8% block percentage. His 60.2% shooting from inside the arc was 188th overall in college basketball.

If he is able to tap into his performance at Long Island, he’ll provide the Raiders with some important height in the rotation.

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Expectations

While there are four freshman joining this roster, there is a lot of potential among all of the additions while returning players like Kellen Pickett and Dominic Pangonis to help anchor their rotation. Here’s what a potential starting lineup could look like:

• Ilija Milijasevic / Chadlyn Traylor

• Dominic Pangonis

• C.J. O’Hara

• Kellen Pickett

• Nikola Djapa

Last year, Wright State was dominant on the offensive end. They were 114th in offensive adjusted efficiency, 43rd in three-point shooting percentage, and 81st in two-point shooting percentage. Looking at the lineup above, Chadlyn Traylor will be able to replace TJ Burch’s playmaking while C.J. O’Hara has the ability to light it up from all over the floor. Kellen Pickett put up a strong freshman campaign on a loaded roster, so now he’ll have the ability to take another step forward. This should be another borderline or even top-100 offensive team this season.

They do have a significant lack of height. Nikola Djapa is the only player over 6’9 and the next closest after Kellen Pickket who is 6’9 is Noah Lewis, Sam Johnson, and Pandonis at 6’7. This is going to hurt them in the non-conference slate, but once they reach the Horizon League their lack of ability to go up against strong big men will diminish. You don’t know fully what you are going to get out of Djapa because he didn’t post stellar numbers at Long Island and he’s been deep on the depth chart at Colorado State. However, if he’s able to bust out I’ll feel much better about the center position. Regardless, there will be times that the tallest player on the court will be 6’7.

What do you think? Can Wright State follow up with another 20+ win season and reach the NCAA Tournament?

During the non-conference, they had some close losses as they fell to Boise State by three, Saint Mary’s by five, Colorado State by six, Western Kentucky by five, and DePaul by three. They easily could have put together a 28 win season if some possessions swung their way.

There is no doubt that Mills is building something special with the Shockers and now, they are shaping up to be a force in college basketball next season. After ranking just 342nd in minutes continuity coming into last year, they are retaining nearly 50% of their minutes as they head into the 2026-2027 season. Let’s take a look at how their roster is shaping up.

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Roster Turnover

• Karon Boyd (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Kenyon Giles (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 19.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals

• Emmanuel Okorafor (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1 block

• Brian Amuneke (Junior) ~ Fresno State

  • 2.4 points, 0.7 rebounds

• Dre Kindell (Senior) ~ Drake

  • 5.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists

The Shockers did lose their top two scorers from last season in Kenyon Giles & Karon Boyd due to eligibility, but they did a phenomenal job of reducing the turnover. Brian Amuneke played a minimal role in the rotation and Dre Kindell did contribute, but they’ve replaced them with some great additions in the portal.

Returning Players

• Will Berg (Redshirt Senior)

  • 8.8 points, 8.1 rebounds

• Michael Gray Jr. (Graduate Senior)

  • 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists

• Jaret Valencia (Redshirt Senior)

  • 2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds

• Henry Thengvall (Redshirt Senior)

  • 0.3 points, 0.3 assists (11 games / 2.4 minutes)

• Dillon Battie (Junior)

  • 7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds

• Joy Ighovodja (Redshirt Junior)

  • DNP

• TJ Williams (Redshirt Sophomore)

  • 8.7 points, 5 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Noah Hill (Sophomore)

  • 1.4 points, 2.2 rebounds

• Pierre Couisnard (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Tyrus Rathan-Mayes (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

Guards

TJ Williams (6’5)

There was a lot of hype around TJ Williams coming into his freshman season, and he did not disappoint. The 6’5 guard posted an average of 8.7 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 46.6% overall. He’s not a three-point threat as he shot just 1-12 from beyond the arc, but he’s an absolute force around the rim.

During the non-conference slate, he showed some signs with a couple nice performances against Saint Mary’s with 15 points and then Northern Iowa with 18 points and nine rebounds. His contributions ebb-and-flowed, but he turned it on over the last ten games for the Shockers. He put up a 27 point, eight rebound, and two assist performance against East Carolina to make the American Conference aware of his presence. Over the final ten games, counting the NIT, he averaged 12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 56.5%.

Looking at his metrics, you’ll see the trend as he finished with a 114.3 offensive rating in conference play vs a 108.2 rating overall. He ranked 350th overall with an 8.9% offensive rebounding percentage, which went alongside a 15.3% defensive rebounding percentage.

This is a player that is going to be looking to take a huge step forward this season.

Michael Gray Jr. (6’1)

Michael Gray Jr. transferred into Wichita State last year after a successful year at Nicholls where he averaged 11.1 points with 2.8 rebounds the year prior. For the Shockers, he turned himself into a starter in all 36 games while averaging 26.9 minutes per game. His total line per game finished with 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 33.7% overall and 31.1% from three-point.

Unlike TJ Williams, Gray Jr. started off the year hot, but cooled off over time. In his first five games, he averaged 10.4 points vs just six points over the final five games of the regular season. However, his appeal is the ability to stuff the stat sheet. While he wasn’t scoring as much over those last five games, he put up six assists with six rebounds against Tulsa, four rebounds against South Florida, and six rebounds with two assists, one block, and two steals against UT San Antonio.

Gray Jr. finished with a 102.6 offensive rating, 46% true shooting percentage, 11.7% defensive rebounding percentage, 15.3 assist rate, and an 85.2% free throw shooting percentage. While none of these are outstanding, we’ll explain why we think he could put up his best season yet later.

Tyrus Rathan-Mayes (6’6)

The 6’6 Canadian guard redshirted last year after coming into Wichita State as a three-star recruit last season. He was a prolific scorer where he averaged 20 points per game during his senior season, so we’ll see what his role looks like this year, but you can expect that it’ll be minimal as he develops.

Joy Ighovodja (6’4)

Ighovodja will be entering year four with the Shockers after taking a medical redshirt last season. In his first two seasons, he appeared in a combined 27 games and averaged 1.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 41.2% overall and 26.7% from three-point. I don’t expect his role to change much this season.

Forwards

Dillon Battie (6’8)

After starting his collegiate career at Temple where he posted promising stats as a freshman, Battie transferred within the American to join Wichita State last year. He averaged 7.6 points with 4.7 rebounds while shooting 55.9% overall.

Through his first eleven games of the season, he didn’t see a ton of playing time, but he stepped up huge over the final two-thirds of the season. Against North Texas he finished with ten points, nine rebounds, one block, and two steals. Over his last 20 games, he averaged nearly ten points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Over his last eight games, he averaged 12.4 points and 6.3 rebounds.

His metrics tell a similar story to his growth as well. He finished with a 115.9 offensive rating, 58.1% true shooting percentage, 20.3% defensive and 8.9% offensive rebounding percentage, and a 2.2% block percentage. In conference play, he finished in the top-20 of several key categories including 8th in shooting percentage from inside the arc at 60.6%.

Jaret Valencia (6’8)

Valencia started out at Monmouth for his first two seasons in Division I where he was a valuable starter as a freshman. He averaged 8.9 points with 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, but that dropped to just 6.7 points with 4.1 rebounds in his sophomore season. Last year, after transferring to the Shockers his numbers dropped even more to 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds, albeit in just eleven games.

During a practice in December, he ruptured his Achilles thus eliminating his eligibility for the remainder of the season. If he’s able to return healthy and at 100% for the coming season, he’ll provide Wichita State with some valuable minutes in the rotation.

Noah Hill (6’7)

Coming out of high school, Noah Hill was listed as a top-250 recruit and a three-star prospect overall. In 23 games during his freshman season, he averaged 1.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per game while shooting 66.7% overall from the floor. One of his best games overall was against FAU where he didn’t score, but he racked up a whopping ten rebounds in just eleven minutes of action. His ridiculous 24.5% offensive and 28.4% defensive rebounding percentages represent just how much of an impact he can make on the glass.

Centers

Will Berg (7’2)

When Will Berg transferred in after spending two seasons at Purdue, there was a lot of hope that he’d break out in a big way. The 7’2 big man from Sweden appeared in 35 games last year while starting 10 and putting up career high numbers across the board. He finished averaging 8.8 points with 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.9% overall.

While he didn’t average double-digit points, he did achieve nine double-doubles on the season with three coming in his final five games of the regular season and American tournament. Looking at his metrics, he featured a 122.5 offensive rating, 59.9% true shooting percentage, 16.1% offensive rebounding percentage (15th overall), 23.1% defensive rebounding percentage (63rd overall), and a 6.2% block percentage (114th overall).

Berg had a strong season, and we really saw him blossom as it went on. I’m expecting a huge year from the big man.

Walk-ons

Both Henry Thengvall and Pierre Couisnard are walk-ons, so you can expect minimal playing time will be allocated for both players in the coming season.

Roster Additions

• Jahari Long (Senior) ~ George Mason

  • 12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assists

• Jordan Frison (Senior) ~ Chattanooga

  • 16.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assists

• Cyr Malonga (Senior) ~ New Mexico State

  • 3.7 points, 2.5 rebounds

• Bryce Heard (Junior) ~ Dayton

  • 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds

• Desmeon Jones (Sophomore) ~ Blinn College (JUCO)

  • 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.1 steals

Guards

Jahari Long (6’5)

Jahari Long is coming off a terrific season for the George Mason Patriots. Last year, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and four assists per game while shooting 45.4% overall from the floor and 37.7% from beyond the arc. If we look at his metrics, you’ll get a deeper story:

• 115.9 offensive rating

• 57.7% true shooting percentage ~ 425th overall

• 23.0 assist rate (jumped to 25.0 in conference play) ~ 280th overall

• 2.3 fouls committed per game ~ 337th overall

• 84.8% free throw shooting percentage in conference ~ 378th overall

When he is on, he’s on. He racked up nine assists in two games, while putting up seven against St. Bonaventure with no turnovers. Offensively, his statistics were up-and-down, but that wasn’t based off bad shooting. In games where he scored less than ten points, he would often do it on reasonable shooting percentages. On the flip-side, he isn’t shy at putting up 15+ points per game as he had some strong performances including 27 points in the NIT against Liberty, 21 points with nine assists against No. 25 Saint Louis, 21 points against FAU, and 17 points against Dayton.

Long will slot right into the starting rotation for the Shockers this season as he’s a high-caliber player. He can play point guard, but also serve as an off-ball option while someone else leads on the floor.

The 6’5 guard first joined the collegiate basketball ranks in 2020, but due to a Covid-19 season and a redshirt season where he appeared in just five games, he’ll be playing in his sixth season. He spent two seasons with Seton Hall, two with Maryland, and one with George Mason.

Jordan Frison (6’0)

The Chattanooga Mocs might have had a down year last season coming off a run to the NIT Championship, but Jordan Frison was a bright spot for the team. The 6’0 guard averaged 16.4 points with 3.3 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 55.7% overall and a strong 45.5% from three-point. His metrics were unreal:

• 122.5 offensive rating ~ 234th overall

• 25.2% possession usage ~ 344th overall

• 54.1% true shooting percentage ~ 71st overall

• 29.5 assist rate ~ 98th overall

• 82.8% free throw shooting ~ 242nd overall

• 59.7% shooting from inside ~ 311th overall

• 42% three point shooting against D-I teams ~ 81st overall

In conference play, all of his metrics improved further as he finished third in three categories and top ten in seven categories. Frison finished with 33 points against VMI and over his final five games of the regular season he averaged 24.2 points, three rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 52.2% from three-point and 69% from the floor. Needless to say, when he is hot offensively…you can’t stop him.

Desmeon Jones (5’11)

Desmeon Jones is another strong guard with both a knack for offense and the ability to contribute as a leading point guard on the floor. As a freshman at Blinn College last season, he averaged 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.1 steals while shooting 43.2% overall and 32.8% from three-point on 58 attempts.

Unlike Frison and Long, he isn’t as strong of a three-point shooter, but he’s a remarkable slasher and playmaker as he averaged a tad over a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. He never put up dominant games where he would drop 30 points with ten assists, rather he was consistent game in and game out. Plus, he is strong defensively as he averaged over two steals per game and finished with four steals or more in six games, including a six steal performance.

Coming from JUCO as a freshman, I don’t expect him to start as a sophomore, but he’ll provide a key role in the rotation this season.

Bryce Heard (6’6)

Bryce Heard transferred to Dayton last season after spending his freshman year at NC State. For the Flyers, he appeared in 36 games while starting six and averaging 18.4 minutes per game. He finished with an average of 6.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8% overall and 36.6% from three-point.

His contributions could be a bit sporadic, but his best game of the season came in a narrow loss to No. 9 BYU where he finished with 16 points and three rebounds on 6-7 shooting, 4-5 from deep. The metrics also show some strong potential:

• 111.1 offensive rating

• 58.2% true shooting percentage

• 11.7% defensive rebounding percentage

• 53.1 free throw rate

Centers

Cyr Malonga (6’11)

After two seasons at Eastern Carolina, Malonga transferred to New Mexico State last year. He appeared in 24 games while starting 16 and averaged 11.6 minutes. In total, he averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 67.3% from the floor. Offensively, the majority of his contributions came against a non-Division I program, then 13 points against NIT Runner-up Tulsa, and ten points against Middle Tennessee State.

Given his minimal playing time, you can’t look too much into his metrics, but he did feature:

• 118.6 offensive rating

• 11.5% defensive rebounding percentage

• 9.7% offensive rebounding percentage

• 3.8% block percentage

Overall, while he only averaged 1.5 fouls per game, in games where he played ten minutes or more he averaged a 2.3 while fouling out against Tulsa. Against Sam Houston State, he had three fouls in 11 minutes and he then followed it up with three fouls in 14 minutes against a non-division I team in a 104-33 blowout win.

While there is potential there, he’ll most likely assume a depth role on the roster.

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Expectations

While the Shockers did lose their top two scorers, they retained their next four. As we mentioned at the start of this article, they retained nearly 50% of their minutes from last season. However, the most important piece is they addressed two of their most needed areas: three-point shooting and playmaking.

Last year, the Shockers ranked just 195th in three-point shooting and 355th in assists per field goals made. With the addition of Jordan Frison, Jahari Long, and Desmeon Jones, they have added some much needed assistance with both areas of improvement. The highest average of assists last season on the team was 2.3 per game and now they have three players who averaged over four or more at their last respective colleges. From three-point, both Long and Frison are strong, and fellow incoming guard Bryce Heard is also a huge addition.

Their defense carried them to success last season as they ranked 46th overall in defensive adjusted efficiency, 44th in opponent three-point shooting percentage, and 33rd in opponent two-point shooting percentage. While they did lose Giles who averaged 1.6 steals and Okorafor who averaged one block per game, they still retained Berg who led the team with 1.3 blocks. While their guards are better offensively and at playmaking, they also bring some strong perimeter defense, which should make them a defensively efficient team once again.

They are a rare story in this day-and-age of college basketball with their retention of talent. Combine that with their significantly elevated guard play, and you have a recipe for a team that should be considered one of the better teams outside of the power conference ranks. What do you think? Can the Wichita State Shockers compete for the American conference title next season?

Head coach Mark Prosser is rolling and he’s looking to keep it that way in the 2026-2027 season. With an older team that had just three contributors that were younger than a senior, the Eagles are coming into the new season with nearly an entirely new roster. However, Prosser and his staff have put together an intriguing roster full of talent from all levels of basketball that are looking to compete against a program like High Point that features a NIL war chest.

Can the Eagles force their way to the top of the conference once again? Let’s dive into their roster.

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Roster Turnover

• Pharrell Boyogueno (Ineligible)

  • 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds

• Joshua Meo (Ineligible)

  • 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1 assist

• Daylen Berry (Ineligible)

  • 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists

• Kody Clouet (Ineligible)

  • 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists

• Tommy Kamarad (Ineligible)

  • 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1 assist

• Edward Nnamoko (Ineligible)

  • 4 points, 3.1 rebounds

• Kareem Rozier (TBD)

  • 13.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals

• Isaiah Wilson (TBD)

  • 3.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1 steal

• Braylhan Thomas (TBD)

  • 4.1 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Logan Duncomb (Notre Dame)

  • 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

As I mentioned in the introduction of this article, the Winthrop Eagles were a veteran team last year. They lost the majority of their key minutes with most running out of eligibility while star Logan Duncomb left to join the Fighting Irish in Notre Dame.

Returning Players

• Seifeldin Hendawy (Junior)

  • 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Tai Hamilton (Senior)

  • 2.5 points, 3 rebounds

• Cam Christy (Graduate Senior)

  • 0.8 points, 0.4 rebounds (8 games / 2 minutes)

• Kaleb Evans (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Henry Harrison (Walk-On)

  • 0.6 points (8 games / 2 minutes)

Looking at their returnees, they are bringing back Seifeldin Hendawy who appeared in all 34 games while averaging 16.4 minutes per game. He finished the year averaging 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 35.7% overall, but just 20% from three-point on 65 attempts. The 6’8 forward plays a solid depth role with height and he already knows the system and play style, so his experience will be crucial. While there is work to be done on the offensive end, he featured a 20.1% defensive rebounding percentage and a 7.2% offensive rebounding percentage with a 2.4% block percentage.

Tai Hamilton is a 6’10 incoming senior that has spent the last two seasons with the Eagles. Last year, he appeared in 21 games and averaged 7.7 minutes per contest. He finished averaging 2.5 points with three rebounds per game and a shade under one block per game. He shot 60.6% on his 33 attempts from the floor, but a chunk of his activity came in their non-division one games.

Cam Christy has spent the last two years with Winthrop while appearing in 15 games and averaging 0.7 points per game. Henry Harrison is another that plays in a walk-on role as he has appeared in 22 games with the Eagles over the last three seasons and he’s averaging 0.7 points per game.

Kaleb Evans committed to Winthrop over several other Mid-Major programs including Charlotte, Presbyterian, Jacksonville, and Nicholls. He redshirted last season, but you should expect to see him in the rotation as a back-up guard this coming season. He showed a lot of potential during his time in high school, so I’m excited to see him have an opportunity on the court.

Roster Additions

• Kyle Morgan (Senior) ~ UT Tyler (D-II)

  • 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists

• Tee Harris, Jr. (Senior) ~ Wheeling (D-II)

  • 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks

• George Natsvlishvili (Senior) ~ North Dakota

  • 8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1 assist

• Micah Davis (Junior) ~ IU Indy

  • 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals

• Eesher Singh Sarai (Junior) ~ Ellsworth CC (JUCO)

  • 4.1 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Spence Sims (Redshirt Sophomore) ~ Gardner-Webb

  • 9.9 points, 1.9 rebounds

• Anthony Smith III (Sophomore) ~ North Dakota

  • 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists

• Tyler Parrish (Redshirt Sophomore) ~ U-Indy (D-II)

  • 13.9 points, 2.5 assists, 2.4 rebounds

• Keshawn Fisher (Sophomore) ~ Detroit Mercy

  • 5.5 points, 2.2 rebounds

• Joel Cwik (Freshman)

Guards

Tyler Parrish (6’3)

Parrish was a lights out scorer for U-Indy last season as he shot 47.5% overall and 39.9% from three-point on 138 attempts from beyond the arc. He appeared in 30 games while starting 22 as he averaged 13.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

He put up some ridiculous lines including two 30 points performances and he continued to get better and better as the year went on. In his first nine games, he averaged just seven points, but over his last eight he averaged 18.8 points. Parrish is the type of player that you want at the two position that’s going to be able to provide you with lightning offensive capabilities.

Anthony Smith III (6’1)

Anthony Smith III finished his freshman season with a significant amount of experience. The 6’1 guard finished the year averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 47.1% overall in 17.7 minutes per game. As any freshman does, he had some up-and-down games and his impact was sporadic, but he flashed some strong signs of what could come. He had 19 points against St. Thomas, 16 points with five assists and four rebounds against South Dakota State, and 15 points with six assists and four rebounds against CSUN.

He finished the season with a 107.9 offensive rating which jumped to 117.6 in conference play, a 57.6% true shooting percentage, and a 25.1 assist rate. There is a lot of room to grow as a playmaker, and if he can tap into that he could become a prolific point guard.

Micah Davis (6’2)

IU Indy took a step forward last year and Micah Davis was a huge help after putting up solid numbers as a sophomore. He finished the season averaging 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.2% overall and 31.3% from three-point on 5.2 attempts per game. Keep in mind, IU Indy took a lot of three pointers last season, so in a system like Winthrop’s his three-point shooting will probably improve efficiency-wise.

He put up some huge games last year, and over his last five games he averaged 13.6 points with 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Consistency will be a huge contributor to his impact, but regardless he’ll have a huge opportunity in the Eagles’ rotation this coming year.

Kyle Morgan (6’4)

Morgan is another Division II offensive star that’s making the jump up to the Division I level this season. He appeared in 25 games last year for UT Tyler and started in 20. He averaged 11.2 points with 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 41.6% overall and 38.4% from beyond the arc. Prior to UT Tyler, he played at Angelina where he averaged 9.2 points with 2.3 rebounds and one assist per game in his sophomore season while shooting 46.4% overall and 39.3% from three-point.

Spence Sims (6’1)

Sims was another freshman last season that showed a lot of potential. Gardner-Webb had plenty of struggles as they finished just 4-29 overall, but Sims was one of the bright spots and he’s staying within the Big South. He averaged 9.9 points with 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1% overall and 43% from beyond the arc on 5.2 attempts per game. He finished with 12 points against Minnesota, 11 points against Clemson, and a whopping 29 against Winthrop in an 88-77 loss.

Sims is a highly prolific scorer and his metrics speak for what could be with even more improvement. He had a 102.6 offensive rating, 7.8% defensive rebounding percentage, 59.6% true shooting percentage, and he finished 59th overall in the country in three-point shooting percentage. With the right pieces around him, he’s going to be able to take a huge step forward as a sophomore.

Forwards

Tee Harris Jr. (6’7)

At Wheeling last season, Harris Jr. averaged 14.4 points with 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game across 28 contests. He shot 50.6% overall and 30.1% from three-point on 133 attempts. He had some monster performances including 35 points against West Liberty on 16-23 shooting with nine rebounds. In fact, he finished with five double-doubles on the season and over his last five games of the season he averaged 22.6 points with 7.4 rebounds per game.

This is a high octane player that’s going to slide into the rotation with ease, even as he makes the jump to Division I.

Eesher Singh Sarai (6’9)

Singh Sarai played for Ellsworth last season in the JUCO ranks where he appeared in 36 games. He averaged 11 points with six rebounds per game while shooting 55.1% overall from the floor and 31.7% from three-point on 41 attempts. When he gets hot, he’s lights out. He had 29 points against Iowa Western, and three 20+ point games overall. Overall, he’s quick on his feet and a force in the paint while taking pride in cleaning up the glass.

He’s also making some history as the first Canadian turbaned Sikh to commit to a Division I program!

George Natsvlishvili (6’10)

The 6’10 forward out of Tbilisi, Georgia has spent the last two seasons with the Fighting Hawks in North Dakota. Last season, he took a huge step forward while averaging eight points, 4.9 rebounds, and one assist per game and shooting 52.1% overall from the floor. He had some strong games including 19 points and six rebounds against Oral Roberts and 19 points with nine rebounds against Montana. Against Creighton, he finished with ten points and seven rebounds.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 109.1 offensive rating, 53.4% true shooting percentage, 15.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 13.4% offensive rebounding percentage which was 69th overall in the country. In conference play he was first in offensive rebounding percentage, 5th in fouls drawn per game, and 15th in possession usage. He has some work to do at the free throw line as he shot just 56.9% overall against Division I teams, but he did improve to 60% in the Summit League.

Keshawn Fisher (6’7)

As a freshman, Fisher appeared in 20 games and started in one while averaging 11.4 minutes per game. He averaged 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 43.3% overall and 27.5% from three-point on two attempts per contest. He flashed some massive signs him he had an increased opportunity. In a stretch of four games where he played 20+ minutes in each, he averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals. That’s a small sample size, but it represents his potential.

His metrics should see some improvement this season, but he finished with a 92.3 offensive rating, 25.7% possession usage, 47.3% true shooting percentage, 13.7% defensive rebounding percentage, 12.8 assist rate, and a 3.5% block percentage.

Joel Cwik (6’5)

Cwik is an incoming freshman from Germany where he played for both Ulm in the Germany-BBL and Orange Academy in the Germany-ProB league over the last year. For Ulm, he appeared in eleven games and averaged 12.5 points with 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 53.2% inside and 34.1% from three-point on 44 attempts. For Orange Academy, he appeared in 30 games while averaging 13.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and one steal while shooting 58.5% from inside the arc and 35.4% from deep on 130 attempts.

Cwik fits into the mold of the team well, so while I don’t think he’ll be starting this season, I do believe that we’ll be seeing him on the court so he can work on developing for the future.

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Expectations

The Winthrop Eagles have taken a lot of talent from the Division II level to fill out their roster this season, but this isn’t the only case of Mid-Major programs doing this and finding success. In fact, I believe this team with Prosser’s ability to coach will be competing at the top of the conference once again this season. Let’s look at what a starting lineup could look like.

• Anthony Smith III

• Tyler Parrish

• Kyle Morgan / Tee Harris Jr.

• Tee Harris Jr. / Seifeldin Hendawy

• George Natsvlishvili

At point guard, Anthony Smith III showed some potential with a strong assist rate if you are focused on his metrics, so I like putting him at the one spot. Keep in mind, there’s going to be a bit of a committee in terms of leading ball movement. Tyler Parrish makes the most sense to me to start off-ball with Smith III, but I can see an argument for Micah Davis going in as well. I lean Parrish because he does have Division I experience already. Tee Harris Jr. should be in the lineup somewhere, so at 6’7 he could either fit in the three or four spot while George Natsvlishvili starts at the traditional center position. That leaves one spot left which in my opinion could go to either Kyle Morgan or Seifeldin Hendawy. Keep in mind, Hendawy is returning with the program and Morgan is jumping from D-II, so I’d lean Hendawy.

Mark Prosser has always favored an aggressive tempo with his style of coaching, but three-point shooting hadn’t bee a priority over the last three years. In his first two seasons as head coach after coming over from Western Carolina, the Eagles finished 6th and 47th in three-point shooting percentage, but they haven't finished above 183rd since. They’ve now added multiple offensive guards and small forwards that have strong track records from beyond the arc, marking an emphasis on an area he wanted to address.

My major concern is their overall lack of height with extended experience. As we cover more teams and provide roster previews for the coming season, I’ve found myself writing about the diminishing average height of players on mid-major rosters several times now. Perhaps that’s a trend, but for Winthrop I still stand by that. They do have Tai Hamilton and George Natsvlishvili who are 6’10 each, but the next tallest is Eesher Singh Sarai who is 6’9 and jumping from JUCO up to Division I which can sometimes be an unpredictable transition. I’m not as concerned as I have been with other teams, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the season gets started. If you are concerned about their lack of point guard play, the Eagles have finished below 199 in KenPom in assist rate all five years underneath Prosser and nearly 300 or below in three seasons, so this fits his style.

If you couple together their lack of true dominance down low, but their increased emphasis on improving from beyond the arc, this is going to be another fast-paced team for Winthrop. The key to success will be to out run their opponents, and finding the most effective shots as the chances of having at least four shooters capable from anywhere on the court at any given time are going to be high.

What do you think about their roster? Is this a team that’s going to be able to give High Point a run for their money this season?

It went south quickly as they finished the regular season just 3-6, but they managed to demolish Saint Louis 86-57 in the last game of the season, showing how strong they could be at their peak. They went on to fall to St. Bonaventure in the A-10 tournament, then Liberty in the first round of the NIT.

After a disappointing end to what looked like it could have been a special season for the Atlantic-10, head coach Tony Skinn has his eyes set on the coming year. They’ve lost some key talent, but they retained a handful of key rotational players while bringing in some strong players to refill their loses and build what looks like a roster than can compete at the top of the conference once again. Let’s dive in!

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Roster Turnover

• Masai Troutman (Ineligible)

  • 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists

• Fatt Hill (Ineligible)

  • 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists

• Dola Adebayo (Ineligible)

  • 3.4 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Nick Ellington (Ineligible)

  • 4.7 points, 3.1 rebounds

• Kory Mincy (South Carolina)

  • 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals

• Riley Allenspach (Cincinnati)

  • 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds

• Jahari Long (Wichita State)

  • 12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assists

• Stas Sivka (William & Mary)

  • 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Devin Booker (La Salle)

  • 1.8 points, 0.7 rebounds

• Isaiah Skinn (Colgate)

  • DNP

As we aforementioned, it was a tough offseason for the Patriots. They lost four players due to ineligibility, then star Kory Mincy was picked up by South Carolina, Riley Allenspach was taken by Cincinnati, and Jahari Long ended up heading to Wichita State. In total, they lost their top six scorers from last season.

Returning Players

• Brayden O’Connor (Senior)

  • 4 points, 3 rebounds (1 game)

• Malik Presley (Senior)

  • 3.2 points, 1.5 rebounds

• Emmanuel Kanga (Sophomore)

  • 4.6 points, 5.3 rebounds

• Ryan-Preston Mendy (Sophomore)

  • DNP (Redshirt)

• Ben Woodward (Walk-on)

  • 0.2 rebounds

• T.J. Prosise (Walk-on)

  • 0.3 points, 0.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists

Brayden O’Connor (6’5)

O’Conner is entering year three with George Mason after suffering a foot injury last season, forcing him to appear in just one game. The year prior, he appeared in and started in all 36 games on a team that finished 27-9 overall and 15-3 in conference. He averaged 9.1 points, three assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44.8% overall and 37.6% from beyond the arc.

Looking at his metrics from that season, he finished with a 103.5 offensive rating, 22.1 assist rate which was 331st overall, and a 56% true shooting percentage that jumped to 59.1% in the Atlantic-10 at 12th best in the conference. He also did a prolific job at getting to the line. He had a ridiculous 61.0 free throw rate in conference play, where he shot 81.9% from the line on 72 attempts.

If O’Connor is able to return to his prior capabilities, he’ll play a huge role for the Patriots this season once again.

Malik Presley (6’6)

Presley started his career out at Vanderbilt during the 2023-2024 season where he averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.8 minutes across 26 games. He then transferred to Texas where he redshirt, in which he departed and landed at George Mason last season. He started 22 games out of his 33 appearances while averaging 3.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He shot 49.4% overall and 21.8% from beyond the arc on 22 attempts.

Despite starting in 22 games, he averaged just 16.1 minutes and the majority of his production came against lesser talent in the non-conference. From December 31st and onward, he never scored more than four points and finished with zero points in 12 games counting postseason play. It’ll be interesting to see what type of role he will play because he showed signs in the non-conference, but he clearly fell backwards into a limited role on the roster.

Emmanuel Kanga (6’8)

George Mason fans have to be excited about Kanga returning to the patriots this season. Following a promising freshman campaign, he’ll be looking to take another step forward in an expanded role. The 6’8 forward appeared in 32 games last year while averaging 13.3 minutes per game. He averaged 4.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 58.1% overall.

He put up some solid lines, including 13 points and 11 rebounds against No. 25 Saint Louis in their huge 86-57 win to close out the season, in which he followed up with 12 points, ten rebounds, and two blocks against Liberty in the NIT. He finished the season with a 26% defensive rebounding percentage and a 22.9% offensive rebounding percentage with a 128.2 offensive rating. His blocking numbers look promising as well with a 6.1 blocking percentage.

He has some work to do on the line as he shot just 59.5%, but he has a massive opportunity to grow into a key piece for the Patriots this season.

Ryan-Preston Mendy (6’9)

Mendy redshirt last season as a freshman following a strong showing in the ProA league in France. He averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. His playing was a bit sporadic, but regardless he finished with two double-doubles. He shot 31.7% overall and 25.9% from beyond the arc. I don’t expect him to make a huge jump in minutes this season, but he’ll provide some important depth with height. Look for him to start his development on the court with ten or so minutes per game.

Ben Woodward & T.J. Prosise are both walk-ons, so you can imagine they’ll play similar roles next season.

Roster Additions

• Baraka Okojie (Senior ~ Mercer)

  • 19.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals

• Elijah Jones (Senior ~ UTEP)

  • 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks

• Makhai Valentine (Junior ~ Northern Illinois)

  • 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

• Michael Marcus, Jr. (Junior ~ App State)

  • 7.8 points, 6 rebounds

• Lilian Marville (Sophomore ~ UNC Greensboro)

  • 9.5 points, 2 rebounds, 2.3 assists

• Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (Sophomore ~ Butler)

  • 5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2 assists

• Emmett Adair (Sophomore ~ Loyola Maryland)

  • 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1 assist

• Peyton Miller (Freshman)

• Shane Pendergrass (Freshman)

• Bryton Barrett (Freshman)

Guards

Baraka Okojie (6’3)

He’s back! Okojie started his Division I career at George Mason three years ago where he appeared in 32 games, started in ten, and averaged 8.1 points with 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He then transferred to Memphis where his playing time diminished to just 11.5 minutes per game, but he bounced back with a monster year at Mercer last season. The 6’3 guard averaged 197 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42.9% overall and 32.5% from beyond the arc.

The Bears went 19-13 overall last year and finished 188th in KenPom, so he was the go-to player on a strong mid-major in the SoCon. He wrapped up the season with a 116.0 offensive rating, 29.6% possession usage which was 69th overall in the nation, 57% true shooting percentage, 28.5 assist rate, and he drew a remarkable 7.5 fouls per game which was 9th best in the country. As a result, his strong ability to draw fouls contributed to a 69.8 free throw rate as he converted 218 of his 268 attempts from the line.

Makhai Valentine (6’3)

After appearing in 12 games as a freshman at Missouri State, Valentine jumped to Northern Illinois where he immediately slid into a starting role. He averaged 13.3 points with 5.3 rebounds, one assist, and one steal per game while shooting 41.3% overall and 35.8% from three-point.

He turned it on as the season progressed and put up some huge numbers. Against Kent State and UMass, he put up 27 points, while finishing with 23 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal against George State in the Sun Belt <> MAC challenge.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 114.5 offensive rating, 57.5% true shooting percentage, 14.7% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 30.5 free throw rate. He’s essentially a three-point sharpshooter as against Division I opponents he took just 88 shots from inside the arc vs 181 from outside.

Lilian Marville (6’1)

Marville had a strong freshman season after dominating at Orleans U21 in France the year prior. With Orleans, he put up a stat line of 18.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. In his jump to college basketball, the French product started in all 31 games and averaged 9.5 points, two rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 45.4% from the floor and a very strong 52.2% from three-point on three attempts per game.

The Spartans had their fair share of problems last season, but Marvile was a highlight. He finished the season with a 58.9% true shooting percentage which was 321st overall, a 112.7 offensive rating, 16.4 assist rate, and his 50.6% shooting from three-point on 89 attempts against Division I talent was the best overall in the country.

Early in the season, he didn’t put up much in terms of playmaking, but in seven out of his last eight games of the season, he was averaging 4.9 assists per game. Even if you take in the last game where he had 20 points with one assist, he was still averaging 4.4 assists per game over his last eight.

Peyton Miller (6’3)

Miller played for Overtime Elite last season while ranking as a three-star recruit and top-300 overall in his class. The 6’3 guard is a shifty point guard who’s athleticism speaks for itself. He can do it all on the court through his outside game, slashing to the rim, dishing it out, and fighting through contact to secure boards. It’s a bit up in the air on whether he will develop as a true point guard or more of a combo-guard, but don’t be surprised to see him get some playing time this season to start his development especially with the NCAA’s recent eligibility ruling.

Miller committed to George Mason over Hofstra, New Mexico State, Towson, Rhode Island, and many more.

Forwards

Elijah Jones (6’8)

Jones has spent the past three seasons with the UTEP Miners where he turned himself into a valuable starter last season. He started in all 31 games and averaged 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, with 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% overall from the floor. He can also stretch outside and knock down a three-pointer as he shot 38.6% on 4.1 attempts per game. Against Division I opponents, that jumped to 40%.

While on the court, he took 26.7% of the team’s shots which was 272nd overall in college basketball. He featured a 55.4% effective field goal percentage, 15.9% defensive rebounding percentage, and notably a 4.1% block percentage which was 195th best.

He had some monster games, including 17 points with 12 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals against New Mexico State, and he scored 20+ points five times.

Michael Marcus, Jr. (6’9)

Marcus, Jr. took a huge leap in his sophomore season with App State last year. He appeared in 32 games while starting 25 and averaging 24 minutes per game. He finished the year averaging 7.8 points with six rebounds per game while shooting 47.1% overall from the floor and 33.3% from beyond the arc on 2.8 attempts per game. He also finished with four double-double’s on the season.

He finished the year with a 117.2 offensive rating, 55.5% true shooting percentage, 11.3% offensive rebounding percentage which was 166th best in the nation, 15.2% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 56.3% shooting rate from inside the arc. This is another player that takes a lot of shots from outside as he took 85 from beyond the arc and 87 from inside.

Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (6’6)

Coming out of high school, Oliogu-Elabor was listed as a three-star recruit where he chose Butler over other strong programs like Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, Mizzou, Illinois, and many more. In his first season, he appeared in 25 games while starting in ten. He averaged five points with 2.2 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 41% from the floor. He’s not a three-point threat as he made just two of his 19 attempts. However, he’s a massive body with insane athleticism at 6’6 and 220 pounds.

On the season, he finished with a 46.8% true shooting percentage, 22.1 assist rate which jumped to 24.5 in Big East play (9th best in the conference), and a 2.6% steal percentage which jumped to 3.0% in the conference. As you can see with his metrics jumping later in the season, he really took off over the back half.

Starting on January 31st against Georgetown, his minutes jumped from 11.3 minutes per game to 22.7 minutes over the last eleven games of the season. During that span, he averaged 6.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He had some strong stat lines including 15 points with seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals in DePaul.

Emmett Adair (6’9)

The Australian freshman had a dominant campaign for his first season in college basketball. He averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and one assist across 27 games while shooting 46.6% overall and 31.5% from three-point on 5.3 attempts per game. From January 31st and on, he averaged 20 points and 6.4 rebounds with some monster games against some strong programs like 28 points, seven rebounds, and two assists against Navy.

Looking at his metrics, Adair finished with a 32.5% shot percentage which was 30th in the country, 10.1% offensive rebounding percentage which was 245th, and a 57.9% shooting percentage from inside the arc which was 431st. In the Patriot League, he was in the top in nearly every category including 6th in offensive rebounding percentage, 21st in block percentage, 19th in defensive rebounding percentage, 17th in effective field goal percentage, and 5th in possession usage.

While the Greyhounds were just 12-20 overall last season and 323rd in KenPom, you know there will be some regression in both metrics and stats as he jumps to the Atlantic 10. However, putting up these kinds of numbers with the data to back him as just a freshman speaks volumes that he’ll become a valuable basketball player for the Patriots.

Shane Pendergrass (6’8)

Pendergrass played high school at Hargrave Military Academy where he rose to top-150 rankings among his class while being listed as a four-star recruit overall. He’s had some truly dominant performances, including 18 points with five rebounds, three assists, and one block in the Capital Classic. For context, Anthony Brown Jr. who is listed as a top-100 recruit and is signed to Vanderbilt led the team in scoring with 32 points, so he was playing with some top-tier talent. This is the type of player that is going to immediately open people’s eyes as a freshman.

Pendergrass had offers from VCU, Seton Hall, California, Duquesne, and many more strong programs.

Bryton Barrett (6’8)

Let’s talk about an under-valued pickup here in Bryton Barrett. The 6’8 forward played at Archbishop Carroll where he averaged 11 points with eight rebounds and almost one block per game. He has a solid frame that will continue to develop as he puts on muscle as he’s listed at just 185 pounds on George Mason’s official roster. You probably aren’t going to see him a ton in his first season as he focuses on development, but he has some strong long-term potential over the next couple of seasons if he stays with the Patriots.

Barrett held offers from Saint Joseph’s, Howard, and Davis & Elkins.

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Expectations

There is no doubt that Head Coach Skinn and his staff with George Mason fans are going to be hungry to finish towards the top of the conference this season and are hopeful to punch their ticket to the Big Dance following the disappointing end to last season. The Atlantic-10 is going to continue to be tougher though. St. Louis has developed a war chest of NIL and are returning some key players from their dominant team last season. VCU and others are right there as well. However, on paper, there is no reason that this Patriots squad should fall outside of the top five in the conference.

Looking up-and-down their lineup, it’s overflowing with talent. It’s also obvious that Tony Skinn wanted to address their three-point shooting woes from last season. As a team, they ranked 107th in offensive efficiency, but just a measly 214th in three-point shooting percentage at 33.3% overall. They’ve added plenty of guards and forwards that can all knock it down from deep, so their three-point shooting that ultimately hurt them in their lack-luster finish to the season has been addressed. For comparison, on the 2025 team that went 27-9 they finished 92nd in three-point shooting and 181st in two-point shooting, so I’m predicting we see a similar stat line this season.

My only concern is the lack of height. Their tallest players come in at just 6’9, so they don’t have a true “center”. It seems though that this is playing into what kind of style of basketball they are going to be looking to play. Last year, they had Riley Allenspach at 6’11 and obviously Kanga is returning who followed up at 6’9. However, they lost Allenspach so someone like Kanga is going to have to play the traditional five, which at times will definitely hurt them down low. Skinn traditionally plays with a slower tempo as the highest he’s finished in the three years on the job is just 316th overall in 2025.

As for a starting rotation, it’s hard to predict in the middle of summer as practices have just started for the majority of programs, but you could imagine something like this:

• Baraka Okojie

• Makhai Valentine/Brayden O’Connor

• Brayden O’Connor/Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor

• Elijah Jones/Michael Marcus Jr./Emmett Adair

• Emmanuel Kanga

I know there are a lot of options listed above, but that’s the truth of this team. There are a number of players that are going to be able to compete for a starting position and that’s not even counting someone like Shane Pendergrass who could very well end up starting some games this season as a freshman.

Looking at the guards, I feel like Baraka Okojie is a no-brainer at point guard, and you are going to start Brayden O’Connor whether that’s as a true shooting guard at the two or slotting him in alongside someone like Makhai Valentine and running with two or three guards since O’Connor does have some height at 6’5. Looking at the frontcourt, Kanga is going to be in the starting lineup. They also have a plethora of forwards to pick from to join him.

How do you think George Mason is looking this season?

In year one, Acuff led the team to an 18-14 overall record and 11-7 in the SoCon, putting them in second place in an ultra-competitive league. Now, they are looking to build on and return to a 20+ win record and the roster is shaping up to look like it has the potential to do just that.

In the era of the transfer portal, the Bulldogs have been able to retain some key players from their rotation last season while adding talent from all levels of college basketball including a budding star from Division II. Let’s take a look at what Samford’s roster is looking like for the 2026-2027 season!

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Roster Turnover

• Keaton Norris (Ineligible)

  • 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists

• Jadin Booth (Ineligible)

  • 21.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals

• Jaxon Pollard (Ineligible)

  • 3.2 points, 3.7 rebounds

• Daijion Humphrey (TBD)

  • DNP ~ Injury

• Kam Martin (Denver)

  • 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds

• Dylan Faulkner (Clemson)

  • 17.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• Zion Wilburn (Georgia State)

  • 4.6 points, 1 assist

As you’ll see in the coming section on returning players, the Samford Bulldogs were able to return several players from their rotation last season. They did lose their top three scorers in Jadin Booth, Dylan Faulkner, and Keaton Norris. Booth & Norris closed out their collegiate careers on a high-note. I’d be shocked if we don’t see Booth land a professional contract overseas or even within the G-League after a prolific season where he averaged 21.6 points while shooting 45.4% overall and 43.6% from beyond the arc.

Dylan Faulkner followed head coach Lennie Acuff to Samford after Lipscomb and he had his best season yet. The 6’9 forward averaged nearly a double-double while shooting a career-high 61.7% from the floor. He’ll now head to Clemson where there is no doubt he earned a big payday following his consistent development over the last three seasons.

They did lose some additional rotation players in Pollard, Martin, and Wilburn, but they did a great job of replacing them in the transfer portal. Daijon Humphrey unfortunately missed the entire season after suffering an injury prior to their first game, but he did announce recently that he was granted a year of eligibility, so we’ll see where he ends up for his final season of college basketball.

Returning Players

• Cade Norris (Junior)

  • 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists

• Judson Bjornstad

  • 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Will Shaver

  • 2.7 points, 2.6 rebounds

• Isaiah Campbell-Finch (Sophomore)

  • 7.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• J.D. Gossett

  • DNP

• Caleb Harrison

  • 1.5 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Joshua Hughes (Walk-on)

  • DNP

• Corey Brown (Walk-on)

  • 0.8 points, 0.6 rebounds (6.4 minutes / 5 games)

• Zach Lamey (Walk-on)

  • 4.6 points, 1 rebound (8.2 minutes / 5 games)

• Cooper Davenport (Walk-on)

  • DNP

Guards

Isaiah Campbell-Finch (6’0)

Campbell-Finch had a phenomenal freshman season for the Bulldogs, so being able to retain him gives Lennie Acuff and his staff a large leg-up on the competition in the SoCon. He averaged 7.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 42.1% overall and 32.1% from beyond the arc. His output was a bit inconsistent, but you can expect that with a freshman knowing that with a full year of development under his belt he should be poised for a breakout in year two.

Looking at his metrics, he finished the season with a 103 offensive rating, 51.8% true shooting percentage, and 10.2 assist rate. He has some work to do at the free throw line, and I’d love to see him take another step forward with his passing game, but Keaton Norris was the go-to point guard last season. Look for a huge year out of Campbell-Finch.

Cade Norris (6’4)

Cade Norris saw a breakout year last season as a sophomore after transferring in from Illinois State. The 6’4 guard averaged 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.3% overall and 40.4% from beyond the arc. He really turned it on towards the end of the season, averaging 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game over his last seven on the season.

Norris’ efficiency showed through his metrics. He finished the season with a 121.4 offensive rating which was 296th overall and a 60% true shooting percentage which was 256th. He also featured a 12.0 assist rate, 12.5% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 39.4 free throw rate. Don’t be shocked if he emerges as one of the most important players on this roster entering year three.

J.D. Gossett (6’5)

Gossett did not play last season and is in fact listed as a sophomore according to Samford’s official roster, so he’s not technically a redshirt freshman. He was one of two incoming freshman last season out of Huntsville, which finished as the number two team in the state the year prior. It’s hard to say what his role will look like this season, but we may potentially see him in a depth position.

Forwards

Judson Bjornstad (6’8)

Bjornstad spent his freshman season at Union before transferring to the Division I level last year. He appeared in 24 games, starting one, while averaging 8.8 minutes per game. During that span, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 34.8% overall and 28.6% from beyond the arc on 21 attempts. The majority of his production came against their non-division one opponents where he put up 16 points with 6 rebounds against NAIA Reinhardt.

Will Shaver (6’10)

Shaver has had a bit of a wild journey. He started his career at North Carolina, before transferring to UAB for two seasons, then spent last season for Samford. He is technically a redshirt-senior at this point, but he’s appeared in 60 games throughout his career. Last year, he appeared in 30 games while averaging 9.7 minutes. The 6’10 forward/center averaged 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 47.6% overall and knocking down four of his 12 attempts from three-point.

Caleb Harrison (6’9)

Harrison appeared in 13 games as a freshman and averaged 1.5 points with 1.4 rebounds while shooting 60% from the floor. The Huntsville native saw the majority of his production come against their non-division one opponents, including six points with seven rebounds and two assists against Reinhardt. Look for him to see some more opportunities coming into his sophomore season.

Walk-ons

Joshua Hughes, Corey Brown, Zach Lamey, and Cooper Davenport are all walk-ons so you can expect a similar level of production this coming season. Although, shoutout to Lamey for his 14 points against the Reinhardt Eagles last season!

Roster Additions

• Brandon Fussell (Montevallo ~ DII)

  • 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals

• Win Miller (Belmont)

  • 2.9 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists

• Ty Davis (Creighton)

  • 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists

• Najimi George (New Haven)

  • 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Braeden MacVicar (Coastal Carolina)

  • 2.6 points, 2 rebounds

• Lawson Lee (Freshman)

Guards

Brandon Fussell (6’1)

Fussell did nothing but absolutely dominate at the Division II level. As a freshman, he averaged 16.6 points with 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Fast forward to his junior year last season, he averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 44.8% overall and 38% from three-point on 171 attempts. If you take out his first six games of the season where it took him a bit to get going, his three-point shooting percentage jumps to 41.4% on the year.

Fussell should most likely slot into either the starting lineup or a role where he is the first player off the bench. He has the ability to be a leader on the court, in which there is a void with Keaton Norris gone. He’s obviously prolific on the offensive end, and when he’s hot from the floor there is little you can do to stop him. Look for him to become a fan favorite quickly.

Win Miller (6’3)

The Alabama native spent his first three seasons with the Belmont Bruins where he appeared in 75 games and started one. Last year, he averaged 2.9 points with 0.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 8.7 minutes per game while shooting 39.3% overall and 40.5% from three-point. Roughly 60% of his shot attempts came from beyond the arc, so he’s a bit of a three-point specialist which will give Acuff and his staff a great option off the bench to provide a spark when needed. Look for him to average 15+ minutes per game this season.

Ty Davis (6’4)

The former number one prospect coming out of Alabama was listed as a three-star and committed to Creighton over Oregon, Northwestern, Ole Miss, and many top-tier mid-major programs like Belmont, High Point, and more.

He appeared in 61 games and started in 13 over the last two seasons for the Bluejays including 12 starts coming last season. He averaged 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 11.2 minutes per game while shooting 29.7% overall and 20% from three-point on 20 attempts.

He’ll be looking for a larger opportunity with the Bulldogs this year to give himself a chance to breakout and put up large numbers. Don’t be shocked if you see him played 25 minutes or more per game this season.

Najimi Goerge (6’4)

The 6’4 guard spent his last two seasons with the New Haven Chargers, following the team as they transitioned to the Division I level last year while joining the NEC. He appeared in 30 games and averaged 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 40.8% overall and 27.8% from three-point. Against #4 UConn, he had 14 points with four rebounds in their first Division I game.

He’s a physical guard who isn’t afraid to fight for boards. In conference play, he finished with a 12.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and he drew on average 3.8 fouls per game which was 23rd best in the NEC. As a results, he had a 38.5 free throw rate which was 14th best. He developed into an offensive weapon as the year went on, finishing with a 22.3% possession usage in the NEC and a 22.7% shot percentage meaning he took nearly a fourth of their shots when he was on the court. From inside the arc in conference play he shot 50.4%.

Braeden Macvicar (6’11)

Macvicar spent his last two seasons with Coastal Carolina, but saw his playing time slashed in half last season. His freshman year, he appeared in 26 games while starting 16 and averaged 6.1 points with four rebounds per game. Last year, he appeared in 24 games while starting none and averaged just 7.2 minutes. He still averaged 2.6 points with two rebounds in that limited playing time while shooting 30% overall.

The Chanticleers made a huge jump from 10-22 and 329th overall in KenPom to 19-13 overall and 247th in KenPom last year. As a result, Macvicar was left out with a smaller role, so he’ll be looking for a higher impact at Samford this coming season. His metrics from his freshman season were very promising. He finished with a 108.4 offensive rating, 16.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and a remarkable 4.6 block percentage which was 208th in the nation. If he can tap back into that, Acuff might have found a diamond in the rough to help replace Dylan Faulkner.

Centers

Lawson Lee (6’11)

Listed as a three-star recruit, Lee spent his senior season of high school at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee. This is exactly the kind of kid I could see ending up at Lipscomb when Acuff was the coach, so it’s no surprise that he ended up at Samford. I’m assuming there was a connection there already given that Franklin is less than 30 minutes away from Lipscomb.

Anyway, Lee has a ton of potential. He is a high-octane offensive weapon with size and he’s a strong rebounder already. Sometimes when you have a tall player coming out of high school they need to bulk-up, but Lee is already stout and is listed as 220 pounds. I think Lee is going to have a promising collegiate career and you’ll be seeing him plenty on the court this season for the Bulldogs.

Lee held offers from Georgia Southern, North Alabama, Middle Tennessee, UT Martin, and Jacksonville.

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Expectations

This isn’t a veteran heavy team with just five seniors, two of which are walk-ons. While losing their stars Jadin Booth and Dylan Faulkner who combined for 55.4% of the team’s shots when on the court is difficult, they’ve done a great job finding replacements and retaining young talent that is ready to take another step forward in Isaiah Campbell-Finch and Cade Norris.

Looking at the guard play, Cade Norris will return in the starting lineup. My guess will be that his efficiency ratings will drop slightly because he’ll most likely end up taking more than just six shots per game like he did last season. Then you have Campbell-Finch, who is going to need to develop more on his playmaking. With a year under his belt, he didn’t have to step up with Keaton Norris last year, but now he can compliment with newcomers Ty Davis & Brandon Fussell. Combine Norris with Campbell-Finch and Fussell and you have the replacements scoring-wise for Jadin Booth.

The largest question for me is one that carries over from last season and it’s their lack of height. For example, Dylan Faulkner was just 6’9 and essentially played the center position with Will Shaver providing minutes as well. Shaver is back this season, so he is already familiar with Acuff’s system and he has an opportunity to step up in a larger role. He had a 23.1% defensive rebounding percentage and a 6% block percentage in 9.7 minutes. If he bumps up to 15-20 minutes and can see just a light regression in those metrics, he can provide a large impact. However, Acuff did bring in two additional options with Braeden Macvicar & Lawson Lee, but keep in mind that Macvicar saw minimal playing time last season for Coastal Carolina and Lee is an incoming freshman. Macvicar did provide some strong metrics as a freshman, so if he can tap into that more this season I’ll feel better about their depth.

Overall, I firmly believe that Samford is a team to keep an eye on this season. With Cade Norris & Isaiah Campbell-Finch looking to step up, Najimi George, Brandon Fussell, and other rotational players like Win Milley and Ty Davis coming in, this is a roster that can be dangerous in the SoCon. Don’t be shocked when they are towards the top of the conference.

The Owls started off hot at 14-6 overall and 6-1 in the American before dropping six games in a row, including some nailbiters. During that stretch, they fell to East Carolina by one, Tulsa by two, and South Florida by two in a thrilling overtime game. In total, they lost a whopping eight games by five points or less, highlighting that just a few of those tipping the right direction could have yielded strong results for the Owls last year.

Now, in year three Jakus was able to retain one of his key players, but is left rebuilding the remaining spots on his roster. They still have spots as of June 15th if they wish to fill the remaining open roster positions, but let’s go ahead and dive into how their roster is shaping up for the 2026-2027 season.

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Roster Turnover

• Isaiah Elohim (Virginia Tech)

  • 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1 assist

• Devin Vanterpool (Providence)

  • 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals

• Josiah Parker (Georgetown)

  • 9.6 points, 6 rebounds, 1.2 assists

• Devin Williams (Seton Hall)

  • 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Jack Johnson (TBD)

  • DNP

• Xander Pintelon (Wake Forest)

  • 6.2 points, 3.7 rebounds

• Niccolo Moretti (Lamar)

  • 5.6 points, 2 rebounds, 3.3 assists

• Max Landenfeld (Evansville)

  • 3.5 points, 0.9 rebounds (16 games / 8.2 minutes)

• Vincent Neugebauer (Belmont)

  • 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds (14 games / 7.6 minutes)

• Maxim Logue (Memphis)

  • 4.8 points, 3.1 rebounds

• Amar Amkou (North Texas)

  • 5.5 points, 2.2 rebounds

• Yohann Sissoko (Long Beach State)

  • 3.3 points, 1.7 rebounds

The FAU Owls are losing all but one player who played a key role in the rotation last season. What’s notable looking at this list is the level of talent that jumped to strong programs. There are five heading to power conferences, two heading to the Missouri Valley, and another two heading to rivals within the American for programs in the conference North Texas & Memphis.

Returning Players

• Kanaan Carlyle (Senior)

  • 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals

• Lachlan Smith (Sophomore)

  • 1 point (2 games / 1.5 minutes)

• Liam Dayco-Green (Sophomore)

  • 2 points, 0.4 rebounds (8 games / 3.1 minutes)

• Zion Sampaio (Freshman)

  • DNP

Unlike many teams, the FAU Owls are returning one of their key players from last season in Kanaan Carlyle. The former Hoosier had his best season in college basketball thus far, averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 40.9% overall and 32.4% from beyond the arc. He had some huge games, making him one of the go-to players last year. He finished the season with a 105.0 offensive rating, 24% possession usage, 12.1% defensive rebounding percentage, 17.1 assist rate, and a strong 51% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

Liam Dayco-Green & Lachlan Smith are both walk-ons, so expect their output to be similar to the past season. Zion Sampaio did not play last season, but he had a strong career at St Andrews prior to joining FAU.

Roster Additions

• Braeden Speed (Sophomore ~ LMU-Maryland)

  • 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1 steal

• Josh Harris (Sophomore ~ Indiana)

  • DNP ~ Injury

• Mason Porter-Brown (Senior ~ LIU)

  • 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds

• Kieran Mullen (Sophomore ~ Pittsburgh)

  • 0.8 points, 1.1 rebounds

• Fawaz “Tacko” Ifaola (Sophomore ~ Colorado)

  • 0.7 points, 2.1 rebounds

• Matthew “Matas” Puodziukaitis (Junior ~ Lynn)

  • 6 points, 5.3 rebounds

• Felipe Quinones (Freshman)

• Franck Belibi, Jr. (Freshman)

Guards

Braeden Speed (6’3)

Speed spent his first two seasons in college basketball at Loyola Maryland where he turned himself into a force for the Greyhounds. Last season, he averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 40.6% overall and 30.3% from beyond the arc. He had some monster games, including 24 points with six assists and three rebounds against George Mason, 24 points against Navy, and a strong 13 points, 11 rebound, and seven assist performance against Lafayette.

Looking at his metrics, he finished the season with a 116.4 offensive rating, 23.9% possession usage, 58.8% true shooting percentage which was 332nd overall, 22.9 assist rate at 282nd best, and a 43.7 free throw rate while converted 80.8% of the time.

Against Division I opponents, his three point shooting percentage jumped to 36.7% on 147 attempts while he shot 51.9% from inside the arc. He’s a versatile scorer who will help compliment Kanaan Carlyle well.

Felipe Quinones (6’4)

The Miami Native out of Miami Columbus was a highly sought after recruit. He was listed as a four-star and the 133^rd overall nationally per 247 Sports. Some had him right around 100 as well. He played with the IMG Academy and most recently the Puerto Rico national team in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in 2026. He appeared in six games and averaged 9.7 points with 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 35.3% overall.

Quinones held offers from Florida State, Mississippi State, Michigan, Purdue, and many other power conference programs. He’ll slot straight into a key position in the rotation for the Owls next season, so I’m excited to see how he can develop in year one as a freshman.

Franck Belibi, Jr (6’4)

Coming out of Colorado Academy, Belibi was a three star recruit and ranked the top prospect in Colorado while coming in at 242 in the country per 247 spots. He was a dominant scorer in high school and that showed during his time with Cameroon during the FIBA U19 tournament in 2025. Through seven games, he averaged 14.4 points, four rebounds, and one assist while shooting 36.3% overall and 37.1% from beyond the arc.

Belibi Jr. held offers from Pacific and Long Island. I’d be shocked if we don’t see him on the court this season with the overall lack of depth at the guard position for the Owls. He’ll be slotted to make an immediate impact in year one in the rotation.

Forwards

Josh Harris (6’8)

Josh Harris had about as good of a freshman season as you could ask for at North Florida two years ago. He started in 30 games while averaging 13.4 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 55.7% overall from the floor. He finished the season with a 117.1 offensive rating, 13% offensive rebounding percentage which was 72nd in the nation, 19.1% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 57.7% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

After his successful campaign, he left for Bloomington as he made the jump from the Atlantic Sun to join the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, he was injured during a fall practice before the season could even start and he ended up missing the entire year.

To bounce back, he’ll look for a new opportunity with fellow former Hoosier Kanaan Carlyle with the FAU Owls. If he has fully recovered, he’ll be a force for the Owls this season and he’ll immediately slot into the starting rotation.

Mason Porter-Brown (6’6)

After two seasons in the JUCO ranks at Indian River, Porter-Brown made a jump to the Long Island Sharks last season. He finished the season averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 47.1% overall and 40.4% from three-point. The 6’6 forward averaged 20.1 minutes per game across 35 appearances.

Don’t let his stats fool you because he had some strong games. Against Notre Dame, he finished with 12 points and four rebounds, and against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament he had 15 points with three rebounds, one block, and one steal in 28 minutes.

He finished the season with a 115.2 offensive rating, 60.1% true shooting percentage, and 174th overall in the country in three-point shooting. He’s the type of player that’s going to provide you with some much needed output from beyond the arc.

Matthew Puodziukaitis (6’7)

Either Head Coach John Jakus or someone on his staff must believe that they’ve found a bit of a diamond in the rough with Puodziukaitis. He spent last season with Lynn University, a Division II program where he averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 61.7% overall. He missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.

There truly isn’t a ton of information out there on him, but he did play high school at Palm Beach Central so perhaps he has a connection with the program. He provides some depth at the forward position, and there is no doubt that he has athleticism with strong rebounding potential.

Centers

Kieran Mullen (7’0)

Mullen is an incoming 7’0 sophomore who spent his freshman season with the Pittsburgh Panthers. He appeared in 20 games while averaging 5.4 minutes per game. He averaged a shade blow one point a game at 0.8 with 1.1 rebounds while shooting 41.7% overall on 12 attempts. He finished with 5 points and 1 rebound against No. 20 Louisville in a blow out loss.

Coming out of high school, he was listed as a three-star recruit and the number one prospect out of British Columbia in Canada. The Vancouver native held offers from Coastal Carolina, Seattle, James Madison, and Montana State.

It’s hard to gauge what his role will be, but you should see him earn roughly 15-20 minutes (or even more if he takes off early) because his height is going to provide him with strong opportunities)

Fawaz Ifaola (7’0)

Ifaola is another 7’0 project coming into his sophomore season with the Owls. He spent last year with the Colorado Buffaloes where he appeared in 20 games and averaged 7.8 minutes per game. He averaged 0.7 points, but a strong 2.1 rebounds during his opportunities. In their 87-61 win over TCU, he had six points with six rebounds.

There is no doubt he can be a prolific rebounder. He finished with a 23.9% defensive rebounding percentage and he shot 77.8% from the floor. However, he has to work on the fouling. He averaged 1.8 fouls per game in his limited time. He ever fouled out in a blow out loss to Baylor in just 14 minutes of mostly garbage time.

With his height and rebounding ability, he will have a chance to make his mark this season, but he won’t be able to do that if he is fouling at an incredibly high rate.

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Expectations

The FAU Owls might not quite be done yet on the recruiting trail with a couple of additional roster spots available to fill in. However, it’s clear the areas that John Jakus wanted to focus on improving in this offseason to set themselves up for success heading into next year and get over the hump of finishing around .500.

The Owls were just 302nd in assist per field goals made last season, but they’ve done a great job of making improvement with playmaking a priority. Braeden Speed provides experience in leading a team in assists as he was the floor general for Loyola Maryland last season. Felipe Quinones is coming in as just a freshman, but he is a top-100 recruit for a reason. Last season, Niccolo Moretti led the Owls with 3.3 assists per game, but he wasn’t much of an offensive weapon at just 5.6 points per game. Now, you have Speed who is better offensively and someone like Quinones who is going to have a huge opportunity to develop this season.

Right now, there are a lot of question marks in my opinion on this roster. What are they going to get out of Ifaola & Mullen at the center position? Jakus loves to play up-tempo, can they keep up and make an impact on both ends of the court? Will Josh Harris bounce back to the budding star we saw his freshman season at North Florida prior to his injury? Can the two freshman come in and make an immediate impact? Lastly, this team lacks true experience.

I do love the potential of the team so far though. Returning Kanaan Carlyle provides you with veteran experience for someone that is already on the same page as the program and the coaching style of the staff. He’ll be the go-to player this season, while you added two additional players with strong experience at the lower levels in both Josh Harris and Braeden Speed. If they can come in and pick up where they left off, they’ll provide key support around Carlyle in the rotation.

The Ohio Valley is trending upward. After flailing a bit with the departures of Belmont and Murray State, the conference put together it’s best holistic year since 2022. The battle down the stretch for the top of the conference was a blast to watch and SEMO was right at the top the entire time. However, they ultimately fell to Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament 66-61 after taking down Lindenwood the day prior.

Coming into last year, the Redhawks were a veteran team with the majority of their roster being upperclassmen. With that in mind, the coaching staff and fans knew that it was going to be an eventfully offseason, essentially building an entirely new roster from scratch. Let’s take a look at who the Redhawks have added for the 2026-2027 season.

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Roster Turnover

• Blaize Sagna (Ineligible)

  • 1.5 points, 1 rebound

• Elliot Lowndes (Ineligible)

  • 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds

• BJ Ward (Senior) → East Tennessee State

  • 10.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists

• Troy Cole Jr. (Senior) → TBD

  • 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Luke Almodovar (Senior) → Memphis

  • 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1 steal

• Brendan Terry (Senior) → TBD

  • 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2 assists

• David Idada (Senior) → TBD

  • 1.8 points, 2.5 rebounds

• Saxton Hoepker (Senior) → TBD

  • DNP (Walk-On)

• Braxton Stacker (Senior) → TBD

  • 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists

It should have been no surprise for SEMO fans that they’d be facing nearly an entire new roster coming into the 2026-2027 season. Just two players technically transferred from SEMO to another program, with both making jumps to tougher conferences. Luke Almodovar has now gone from NAIA to Memphis just two two seasons, using his standout season at SEMO to jump him up to the AAC. On the other hand, BJ Ward who was in the top three of production for the Redhawks last season landed in the SoCon with East Tennessee State.

Several additional players that were seniors last season hit the transfer portal in search of additional eligibility, but none have broken through and landed on another roster thus far.

Returning Players

• Marqueas Bell (Senior)

  • 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• Landren Blocker (Junior)

  • 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds

• P.J. Farmer (Sophomore)

  • 1.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1 assist

• Trace Sadler (Sophomore)

  • 0.9 points, 0.4 rebounds (13 games / 3.8 minutes)

• Jay Reynolds (Sophomore)

  • 1.2 points (10 games / 5.1 minutes)

SEMO was a very veteran heavy team last season, so the staff and fans knew that they’d be returning few players. However, they did bring back two rotational players in Marqueas Bell & Landren Blocker.

Bell averaged 9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in just 22 minutes per game while shooting 52.5% overall and 30.8% from beyond the arc. The 6’3 guard finished with a 108.3 offensive rating, 12.1% defensive rebounding percentage which was 122nd overall, and a 15.0 assist rate. In conference player, his metrics skyrocketed as he finished 16th in offensive rating, third in defensive rebounding percentage, 19th in assist rate, 25th in two-point shooting percentage, and 7th in fouls drawn per game. He was streaky, with six out of 20 games in conference seeing him finish with just two points, but when he gets hot on offense he’s phenomenal. Against Lindenwood, he had 25 points with five rebounds, and he finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists against Tennessee State who would go on to win the OVC Tournament.

Blocker transferred in from Louisiana Tech last season and he jumped into SEMO’s lineup. He appeared in 33 games, started in 28, and averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 60.8% overall and 41.7% from beyond the arc on 24 attempts. He’s a 6’5 guard that is incredible on the defensive end. During the regular season, he had a 4.3% block percentage which was 241st overall and a 3% steal percentage which was 214th with a 10.4% offensive rebounding percentage which was 223rd. In the OVC, he jumped to 9th in offensive rebounding percentage, 5th in block percentage, and 6th in steal percentage. He’s the type of player that when he takes on a larger role this season, he could breakout.

PJ Farmer saw a little bit of playing time as a freshman, appearing in 32 games and averaging 9.3 minutes per game. The 6’2 guard averaged 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 41.4% from the floor. He struggled from three-point, completing just two of his 19 attempts, but he shot 56.4% from inside the arc. Farmer has a lot of potential, so you should look for him to take another step forward this season as his role expands.

Trace Sadler & Jay Reynolds both saw minimal time on the floor during their freshman seasons last year. Sadler is a 7’0 center in which most of his production came against two non-division one opponents. He did however, convert his one attempt against Iowa. Reynolds similarly saw most of his production come against SEMO’s non-division one opponents. Both will provide depth roles for the Redhawks this coming season.

Roster Additions

• Fontaine Williams (West Texas A&M ~ DII)

  • 20.5 points, 2.5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals

• Clayton Jewell (Colorado Mesa ~ DII)

  • 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, 1 steal

• Marcus Eaves (John A Lohan ~ JUCO)

  • 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Kycen Pruett (College of Coastal Georgia ~ NAIA)

  • 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists

• Darrion Sutton (Missouri State)

  • 4.6 points, 4.3 rebounds

• Alonzo Clawson-Smith (IU - Kokomo ~ NAIA)

  • 18.8 points, 6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2 steals

• Drew Cooper (Bossier Parish Community College ~ JUCO)

  • 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Curtis (Champ) Simpson (Freshman)

• Axton Perry (Freshman)

Guards

Fontaine Williams (6’2)

Well will you look at that, another Barton CC product! I feel like I write about a player with some connection to Barton in nearly every review. Williams started his career at Seward County CC before jumping to Barton where he saw success, which led to him jumping to the Division II ranks at West Texas A&M last season. He took off in his junior season, averaging 20.5 points, 2.5 assists, two rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.7% overall and 41.5% from three-point.

He has a knack for getting to the free throw line as well. He attempted 200 shots from the line last season, with the next closest on the team being 99. Of those 200, he converted a whopping 173 for an 86.5% shooting clip.

We have seen plenty of talent from Division II, JUCO, and NAIA over the recent years take flight in the Ohio Valley Conference and I have no doubt that with his tremendous scoring abilities you’ll see the same from Williams this season.

Marcus Eaves (6’4)

John A Logan has produced a lot of strong basketball talent over the years and Eaves is looking to add his name to the list of successful alumni. He finished his freshman season while averaging 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and a shade over one steal per game while shooting 48.5% overall and 34.3% from beyond the arc.

What I love about his game is his toughness. He can stretch you outside as he took 70 shots from three-point, but he can fight through track while finishing strong around the rim. He isn’t going to be a leading point guard, but he offers the much needed skillset of a secondary guard to compliment someone like Alonzo Clawson-Smith. Look for Eaves to play a lot of minutes off the bench this season and even potentially jump into the lineup later in the year if his development is successful.

Alonzo Clawson-Smith (6’0)

Clawson-Smith proved that he had Division I talent immediately as a freshman at IU Kokomo this past season. We’re seeing a lot of NAIA stars making their way to Division I and now he’ll be yet another to make waves in the Ohio Valley Conference next season. The 6’0 guard averaged 18.8 points with six assists and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 56% overall and 36.1% from beyond the arc. He isn’t a volume three-point shooter as he took just 61 attempts, which came out to roughly 18.8% of his total shots. However, he also plays strong on-ball defense as he racked up a shade over two assists per game.

You probably haven’t heard of him before this post, but he’s a name that you need to put him on your radar. With his incredible offensive prowess and ability to serve as a floor general as he averaged 2.4 turnovers per game compared to his six assists, he’ll be making a name for himself at the Division I level. Look for him to potentially be on the All-OVC First Team in year one.

Kycen Pruett (6’4)

Pruett appeared in just 13 games before cutting his season short due to an injury at NAIA College of Coastal Georgia. He averaged 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game during that stretch while shooting 37.3% overall and 39.7% from beyond the arc. 71.5% of his shot attempts came from three-point, marking his as truly a three-point specialist. Against FAU, he finished with 13 points in 20 minutes, and in total he averaged 10 points in their three games against Division I opponents while shooting 53% from three-point.

The 6’4 guard actually started his career at Marshall where he spent two seasons and appeared in 17 games. He didn’t see a ton of playing time, but served as a depth shooter on the bench.

I don’t expect him to jump to the starting lineup, but he can provide a spark off the bench when the right lineup fits to favor the three-point shot.

Curtis (Champ) Simpson (6’2)

Head Coach Brad Korn called Champ Simpson a bit of a diamond in the rough type player, and it’s easy to see why. He provides a ton of energy, and he had an electric career at Chattahoochee County High School where he averaged 26.5 points and 8.7 assists per game his senior season. That was good enough to earn Tennessee Player of the Year in Class A D-II. With the strong guards they have, I believe he’ll take a developmental year, but he can easily develop into a strong guard for SEMO in the coming years.

Simpson had one other offer from UCF.

Forwards

Clayton Jewell (6’9)

Jewell spent his sophomore season at Colorado Mesa where he averaged 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, and one steal per game while shooting 49.8% overall from the floor. He isn’t a volume three-point shooter, but I do want to call out that he shot 30.4% on 23 attempts, so there’s some skill there. For a more traditional “big man”, he converts well at the free throw line as he shot 83.1% on his 89 attempts throughout the season.

With the Redhawks losing Brendan Terry from last season, Jewell is going to be able to slot right into his position as a replacement. While I don’t know if he’s a 1:1 replacement on the offensive end, he is a stronger rebounder and should present an improvement on the defensive end with a bit more height where he can fit well into the 5 spot.

Darrion Sutton (6’9)

The Redhawks have found themselves their defensive anchor for next season in Darrion Sutton. He spent his freshman season at Georgia Tech where he appeared in 18 games and started one while averaging 1.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Coming out of high school, he held offers from Seton Hall, Providence, Florida State, Butler, and many other power conference programs.

After his freshman season, he transferred to Missouri State last year where he averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53.6% overall. He did knock down four of his 13 shot attempts from beyond the arc as well. He posted some strong stat lines, including 12 points with 5 rebounds against Xavier, seven points with 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Arkansas State, and seven points with 11 rebounds against FIU in just 16 minutes.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 111.1 offensive rating, 23.5% defensive rebound percentage, 12.7% offensive rebound percentage, and a remarkable 5.6% block percentage. This is the type of player that with his inevitable expanded opportunity this season, he’ll be able to take off and become a crucial player in the starting lineup for SEMO.

Drew Cooper (6’8)

Cooper put up a strong season in the JUCO ranks at Bossier Parish Community College last season. The 6’8 forward averaged 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, ad 1.3 assists per game while shooting 41.2% overall and 34.8% from three-point on 227 attempts.

He is going to fit into the forward position well for the Redhawks because he compliments both Jewell and Sutton well. He’ll be able to provide them with an additional shooter from outside, while still not forfeiting defense inside the paint. He won’t rack up the offensive boards as he had just 32 in 31 games, but he’ll be able to stretch the floor with his height and assist in disrupting defenses to force opposing big men to cover him outside.

Axton Perry (6’8)

Perry is a developmental big man who poses a lot of upside on both the offensive and defensive ends. He features a 6’11 wingspan. He has fantastic athleticism that is going to translate easily to the Division I level. During the TSSAA Class 4A state championship game, Perry finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 steals for Bartlett who defeated Walker Valley 69-47. I don’t believe he’ll take on a massive role his freshman season, but I’d be shocked if you don’t see him on the court earning minutes while he develops for the coming years.

Perry held offers from Miami Ohio, Murray State, UT Martin, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

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Expectations

The Ohio Valley Conference is going to continue to be a wide-open conference in this era of the transfer portal as most teams will see a plethora of players being one-and-done or staying just two seasons. This means that the head coaches of teams in this conference are going to have to get creative and they are doing just that. We’ve talked a lot about Jeremy Shulman’s international recruiting at UT Martin, while Brian Barone has done some tremendous recruiting in JUCO, and Brad Korn now has assembled a strong roster of talent from all levels outside of Division I (DII, JUCO, and NAIA).

Looking at the roster this far, I’d be stunned not to see Alonzo Clawson-Smith, Darius Sutton, and Fontaine Williams in the starting line up. Clawson-Smith put up prolific numbers as a point guard, then Williams can slot in as the two-guard and provide you with strong offense, and Sutton can hold down the paint with his defense and still pose a threat on offense. For the other two spots, I think it is more wide open, but look for Drew Cooper to slide in at the four given his outstanding offensive numbers in JUCO or Clayton Jewell if they want to go with more of a true “big man” given then he is a strong disrupter inside. For the final spot, it’ll probably be between Landren Blocker and Marqueas Bell. I’d lean Blocker because he provides a bit more height at 6’5 so he could slot into the three-spot. However, Bell is a strong rebounder at just 6’3, but neither are really strong three-point shooters so I could see that going either way. Don’t forget about Trace Sadler either. At 7’0, he is the tallest and only player with true “center height” on the roster, so you should be seeing plenty of him as a sophomore.

The beauty about this roster is, you really can mix-and-match the starting lineup and it’s reasonable to expect that there will be some changes during the non-conference as Brad Korn figures out exactly who he wants in the lineup every game.

The only concern I have on this roster is the overall lack of height. As I mentioned previously, Trace Sadler is the only true “center” on the roster at 7’0, but there are others like Jewell and Sutton that come in at 6’9. We didn’t see a ton of Sadler last season, so it’s hard to say on June 8th that he’s going to be the starting center, but regardless when he isn’t in the lineup you are going to have two 6’9 forwards to hold down the paint by themselves. While that won’t always be an issue at this level, it is something to watch out for once they get into Ohio Valley Conference play.

I’m going to continue to stay this until at the earliest August or September, but I’m not going to try and predict where this team might fall in their conference. When you are pulling in a ton of talent without Division I experience, it’s hard to predict. It becomes even more difficult when nearly every other team in the conference is doing the same thing. However, I will say that I would be thoroughly shocked if we don’t see a third consecutive 20+ win season from SEMO. The majority of these players dominated at their respective levels, and that will translate to this level. Keep at eye on the Redhawks next season!

The first team of the season we’re covering is the Bradley Braves. The Braves have been a consistent force in the Missouri Valley Conference since the 2017-2018 season where they finished 20-13 overall. Since, they’ve had seven 20+ win seasons, including a record of 114-58 overall and 68-30 in the MVC over the last five seasons. Despite this success, they haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

Last season looked promising, with blossoming star Jaquan Johnson returning to Peoria, but they ultimately fell to Northern Iowa in Arch Madness. They appeared in the NIT, but were bounced in the first round to Dayton by a score of 80-66.

With nearly an entirely new roster coming in, there are going to be a lot of new faces for the Braves this season. Let’s take a look at who’s new on the roster.

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Roster Turnover

• Alex Huibregste (Ineligible)

  • 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists

• A.J. Smith (Ineligible)

  • 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals

• Ahmet Jonovic (Ineligible)

  • 8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 blocks

• Corey Thomas (Ineligible)

  • 5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds

• Jaquan Johnson (Junior) → Iowa State

  • 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals

• Handy Toussaint III (Senior) → TBD

  • 0.8 rebounds (5 games / 2 minutes)

• Demarion Burch (Senior) → Illinois State

  • 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, one assist

• Kai Yu (Junior) → Valparaiso

  • 2.7 points, 1.9 rebounds

• Montana Wheeler (Sophomore) → Kansas State

  • 8.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists

• Matthew Zobrist (Sophomore) → Belmont

  • 1.5 points, 0.4 rebounds (13 games / 5 minutes)

The Bradley Braves made waves last year, returning some yet players including Jaquan Johnson & Demarion Burch. Johnson was on breakout alert and he did just that, jumping from 6.6 points per game to 16.9 points per game while being an absolute force on the court. At just 5’11, you would think he’d be disadvantaged, but he is built like a rock and uses that to his advantage. Now, he cashed out and will be headed to Iowa State.

Burch has been catching heat on the internet as he committed to in-state rival Illinois State after spending the past three seasons at Bradley. He has consistently improved each season, developing into a key player in the rotation. Last year, he stepped up into a wider role as he started in 16 of his 26 games while shooting 40.4% overall and averaging a career high 8.8 points.

Promising freshman Montana Wheeler was looking like a guard that should be on star watch in the Missouri Valley, but Kansas State picked him up this offseason. All-in-all, the Braves lost three players to other Missouri Valley Conference programs while they lost nearly their entire roster, but tis the life of a mid-major.

Returning Players

• Timoty van der Knaap (Junior)

  • 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds

• Dietrich Richardson (Sophomore)

  • 2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds

• Jackson Seastrunk (Freshman)

  • DNP ~ Redshirt

• Gustavo Guimaraes (Freshman)

  • DNP ~ Redshirt

• Gus Rugaard (Junior)

  • Walk-on

Timoty van der Knaap (6’8)

As I hinted in the prior section, the Bradley Braves are not returning a lot of talent from their prior season. However, Timoty van der Knaap was a solid return for Coach Wardle. The Italian forward jumped from a bench piece his freshman season to appearing in 34 games, starting 11, and averaging 22.8 minutes per game. He shot 42.9% overall from the floor, but just 23.1% from beyond the arc on nearly two attempts per game. From inside the arc, he shot 53.7% against Division I talent.

On the glass, he’s already shown what he can do. He finished with an 8.7% offensive rebounding percentage which was 375th overall and a 16.5% defensive rebounding percentage. Both jumped when he got into conference player to 9% & 17.7% respectively.

If he can work on his outside game, the talent is there on the boards and he can turn himself into an absolute force in the Missouri Valley.

Dietrich Richardson (6’7)

Coming out of high school, Richardson was well regarded. He held offers from Wyoming, DePaul, Xavier, Saint Louis, Virginia Tech, Illinois, and many more high-profile programs as he was listed as a both a 3-star and 4-star recruit on varying platforms.

He played sporadically as a freshman, appearing in 18 games and averaging 7.2 minutes per game. His best game of the year came against Illinois State where he finished with nine points and three rebounds in 20 minutes. He isn’t afraid to shoot as he finished with ten shots in that game, six shots in 12 minutes against Belmont & Murray State, and four shots against Northern Illinois in just five minutes.

There is no doubt that Richardson has some strong raw potential and he’ll have ample opportunities this coming season to tap into that and become a valuable player for the Braves.

Freshmen & Walk-Ons

Both Jackson Seastrunk and Gustavo Guimaraes redshirt last season as freshmen. Seastrunk is a 6’5 guard out of Xavier Academy that held just one offer from Bradley. Guimaraes hails from Brazil, and the 6’11 center choose Bradley over Jacksonville, UMass, U-Albany, and Drexel. In both cases, I envision these players will be taking a developmental season with depth roles on the bench in the 2026-2027 season.

Gus Rugaard is entering his three season as a walk-on for Bradley. Last year, he appeared in seven games and did not score on either of his two shot attempts.

Roster Additions

• Trevon Payton (Senior) - Arkansas-Pine Bluff

  • 10 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1 steal

• Kyle Grill (Senior) - Fort Hays State (D-II)

  • 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Ben Thornbrue (Junior) - College of Southern Idaho (JUCO)

  • 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 blocks

• Josh Ibukunoluwa (Junior) - High Point

  • 2.8 points, 2 rebounds

• Noah Williams (Sophomore) - Barton CC (JUCO)

  • 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1 steal

• Xander Alarie (Sophomore) - Northeastern

  • 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks

• Dimitrije Pavlovic (Freshman)

• Georgi Gerganov (Freshman)

• Race Kowalczyk (Freshman)

Guards

Trevon Payton (6’5)

Payton previously played at Limestone University, which has since shutdown thus making his deeper statistics difficult to find. Per his profile at Bradley, he appeared in 28 games his Sophomore season where he averaged 13.2 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game while shooting 47.5% overall and 39.2% from three-point. Following the disruption at Limestone, he transferred to Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he took no time adjusting to the Division I level. He averaged 10 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and one steal per game while shooting 51.9% from the floor and an incredible 47.1% from beyond the arc.

When playing in a conference like the SWAC, you might look at his statistics and expect more out of someone making the jump all the way to the Missouri Valley Conference, but let’s look at his games against tough talent in the non-conference. He finished with 22 points against Vanderbilt, 13 points with five rebounds and three assists against SMU, 11 points with three rebounds and two assists against Oklahoma, and 13 points with five rebounds and five assists against the Arch Madness Runner-up UIC.

When looking at his box scores, his story becomes clear. He focuses on efficiency over volume in all aspects of his game. His 65.1% effective field goal percentage was 26th in the country while his 66% true shooting percentage was 29th overall. Both jumped to 70.5% & 70.7% in conference play in which both were the best in the SWAC. He will stuff the stat sheet and provide the Braves with an important role in the rotation.

Kyle Grill (6’6)

Kyle Grill is going to help fill the offensive void that has been left for the Braves. At Fort Hays State last year, he averaged 13.3 points while shooting 44.7% overall and 33.8% from beyond the arc. As the year went on, he got better-and-better offensively. Over his last five games of the season, he averaged 15 points per game. After his strong season, he was an Honorable Mention on the All-MIAA team in both of the prior two seasons.

At 6’6, he fits into the 3-and-D wing role well. He finished with double-digit rebounds twice and he isn’t going to be a passing threat. However, he can be a menace on-ball as well as he finished with three steals against Southwest Minnesota State. He’s the type of player that when he’s hot, he can change the game for his team.

Dimitrije Pavlovic (6’5)

Pavlovic is an incoming freshman from Serbia. He attended the International Sports Academy at Hoosac School in New York last year, but prior to that he played for KK FMP SOCCERBET BEOGRAD in the SRB-3 League in Serbia. He averaged 10.2 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game during the 2024-2025 season. He’s shown the potential of becoming a floor general with strong playmaking abilities at a young age. The Braves lack a true point guard this season, so I will not be shocked if you see Pavlovic earning minutes early in the season.

Race Kowalczyk (6’6)

Kowalczyk had offers from Wyoming, Green Bay, UC Irvine, and Toledo coming out of St. John’s Jesuit in Toledo, Ohio. He finished his high school career in the top 10 scorers all right while averaging nearly 20 points per game and shot roughly 42% from beyond the arc. Bradley has shown a tendency to redshirt freshman, so given the other additions on the roster I could see Kowalczyk going either way, one taking a redshirt year and the other playing a depth role to develop and provide some offense off the bench.

Georgi Gerganov (6’5)

Gerganov is currently 22 years old, but will be 23 by the time his freshman season begins. He absolutely dominated in the NBL last season for BC Botev 2012, averaging 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He shot 47.7% overall and 35.2% from beyond the arc. He’s played professionally since 2019, bouncing between Tundja Yambol, Balkan, and then BC Botev last year were he put up his best season to date.

He is physical, a playmaker, and a sharpshooter. There is no doubt that he’ll be playing from day-one for the Braves and should be on fans of other Missouri Valley Conference teams’ radar.

Forwards

Noah Williams (6’8)

Barton College continues to produce Division I talent as they are a true pipeline from JUCO to the highest level of college basketball. Williams originally committed to CSUN where he redshirt his freshman season before transferring to Barton College. He went on to average 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8% overall and 32.8% from beyond the arc.

Williams took flight as the year went on and posted some incredible stat lines. He finished the season averaged 19.8 points & 7.8 rebounds. He’s a magnet on the glass as he even finished with 17 rebounds in a game, and double-digit rebounds in seven games. At 6’8 he is a bit undersized to serve as a “true-center”, however, his abilities are going to allow him to move quickly down low and carve his way through defenders which being a menace on rebounds.

Xander Alarie (6’8)

Northeastern had a wild season as they started off 4-5 with some nice wins over Harvard & Duquesne, while dropping close games to Boston U, Vermont, Rhode Island, and even keeping up with Wake Forest and Syracuse. They proceeded to finish the regular season just 6-23 overall, but they lost a huge piece to their early success in Xander Alarie.

In just eleven games before going down with an injury that ended his season, he had three double-doubles including some incredible stat lines like 23 points and 11 rebounds against Harvard, 13 points and 13 rebounds against Colgate, and 19 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists against Syracuse. In their win against Duquesne, he had just five points, but finished with six rebounds, three assists, and five blocks.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 101.8 offensive rating, 23.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and a ridiculous 5% block percentage. This leaves the question, what could he have done if he had stayed healthy. Regardless, he is going to play a large role for the Braves this season as long as he has fully recovered from his shoulder injury.

Ben Thornbrue (6’8)

Thornbrue is another JUCO transfer coming into Bradley after a successful year at the College of Southern Idaho. He averaged 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% overall. He isn’t a three-point threat, but he did knock down 19 last season on 66 attempts. In the National Championship game, he finished with 21 points against Howard College.

Similar to Williams, he can be a magnet on the glass which has clearly been an emphasis that Coach Wardle wanted to address this offseason. Thornbrue finished the season averaging eight rebounds per game over his last five, while posting three games on the season with double-digit rebounds.

His ability to block shots is what really stands out. He had 4+ blocks twice and 3+ blocks five times. You can imagine that if you pair him in the lineup with Williams that you are going to have two defensive magnets while Thornbrue can cover more of the “true-center” role even at just 6’8.

Josh Ibukunoluwa (6’10)

Ibukunoluwa spent his last two seasons at High Point where he appeared in 41 games total, averaging three points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.5% overall. His best game of the season came against a non-division I program, but he did finish with a solid line against Winthrop with four points, five assists, one assist, and two blocks.

With the minimal playing time, his metrics are skewed, but show promising upside. He finished with a 144.5 offensive rating, 61.9% true shooting percentage, 13.4% offensive rebounding percentage, 13.8% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 3.1% block percentage.

He is a bit of a raw talent, but he will provide the Braves with some much needed height so he shouldn’t be left without a lot of opportunities to see the court.

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Expectations

Brian Wardle and his staff had a tall task to replace some of their top players that departed from last season, but they’ve pieced together a very intriguing roster.

There is a ton of developmental talent. All of the freshman and redshirt freshman from last season have high upside, while admittedly I don’t know if you can call Georgia Gerganov a “true freshman” at 23 years old. What I like though is the fact that they pieced together some players with experience from different levels that are going to be able to compliment the overall lack of experience.

For example, as I highlighted with Trevon Payton, he isn’t going to light it up on scoring, but he has a tremendous basketball IQ and will stuff the box score with assists and rebounds while still giving you 8-10 points a game. Xander Alarie had what was looking like a stellar freshman season cut short at Northweastern. Then Kyle Grill, Noah Williams, & Ben Thornbrue both have valuable experience and put up strong metrics at their respective non-division one.

I’m not going to attempt to predict a starting lineup on June 1st, but I imagine that one could see Timoty van der Knaap, Xander Alarie, Kyle Grill, Georgi Gerganov in the lineup. My largest concern is their point guard play and lack of height. Josh Ibukunoluwa is the only player 6’10 or taller on the roster and he’s appeared in just 41 division one games within minimal minutes in his career thus far. They don’t have a true “standard” point guard either, a role that Jaquan Johnson formed into with Montana Wheeler as a secondary option.

While they do lack height, rebounding was a clear focus point for Wardle’s staff this offseason. Noah Williams has the potential to make a huge impact in year one for the Braves, while Thornbrue, Alarie, and Grill can follow it up up and down the lineup at the guard and forward positions. I’m a huge believer in Xander Alarie, and in my opinion, he will be the glue piece to the potential of this roster.

Overall, I think there are some questions with this roster, however, Brian Wardle has proved time-and-time again that he can form strong rosters that can compete and win within the Missouri Valley Conference. With the raw talent and ceilings on some of these players, you can most likely expect that this team will be competing in the MVC, but I’m not sold that they’ll be at the top of the conference quite yet. If everything clicks, which it’s still far too early to truly “call our shot” on the expectations of this roster, then you can imagine a top-five finish.

As we mentioned last week, offseason reviews will be firing up starting in June, so I figured what better way to get us in the swing of looking ahead for next season than a little look back at last year?

The transfer portal, NIL, and the current climate of college basketball has changed how programs rebuild. It’s no longer a rarity to see a team jump 100+ spots in KenPom from one season to another now with the ability to rebuild your team every season. The question now is, can the teams that see this growth sustain it? Can they retain their key players?

Let’s take a look at who were the top five teams that improved from 2025 to 2026 and what metrics drove them to see those results.

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Tulsa (267th → 56th)

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane made the largest jump of the season after finishing just 13-20 overall and 267th in KenPom during the 2024-2025 season. They jumped to an incredible 30-8 record this past season, which was good enough for 56th in KenPom and a trip to the NIT Finals where they fell to Auburn in overtime 92-86.

Looking at their metrics, two areas really stand out:

• AdjOE jumped from 101.6 to 120.1 (270th to 43rd)

• AdjDE jumped from 110.2 to 106.4 (224th to 116th)

These metrics made massive jumps while having a generally neutral strength of schedule adjustment between the two seasons. Their offensive schedule adjustment increased from -0.7 to 0.0, meaning they played statistically stronger offenses. Their defensive schedule adjustment did drop a bit from +1.7 to just +0.3, but that’s not enough to really skew the massive jump they made overall.

The four-headed monster in David Green, Tylen Riley, Miles Barnstable, and Ade Popoola was lethal for Tulsa. Green averaged 15.9 points with 4.6 rebounds, while Riley averaged 15 points, Barnstable had 14.6, and Popoola had 10.8 points with 1.3 steals as well. As a team, they were ranked in the top 50 of several key metrics including 29th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in three-point shooting percentage, and 13th in free throw shooting percentage.

It’s been a rollercoaster for Eric Konkol in his first four years on the job, finishing 316th, 184th, 267th, and then 56th in KenPom, but he has all of the momentum rolling. They’ve lost some key pieces, but they’ve built right back in up the portal and are setting themselves up for a successful season coming up. Stay tuned for our offseason review of the 2026-2027 Golden Hurricane later this offseason.

Central Arkansas (349th → 151st)

John Shulman put together one of the best stories across Mid-Major college basketball this season as the Central Arkansas Bears jumped from a 9-24 record which equated to just a 349th KenPom record to 22-12 overall and a 151st finishing position per KenPom.

The Bears ultimately lost to Queens in overtime in the Atlantic Sun Championship, but that shouldn’t overcast just how much they improved in one season. Here are their key offensive and defensive improvements:

• AdjOE jumped from 97.5 to 110.2 (332nd to 152nd)

• AdjDE jumped from 116.2 to 109 (340th to 166th)

Camren Hunter was a beast this season, finishing averaging 21 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.6% overall. Ty Robinson was right behind him with 14.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, two assists, and 1.9 steals per game.

Diving into some of the deeper metrics, their offensive schedule adjustment did drop from -1.7 to -3.2, meaning that overall they played statistically weaker offenses throughout the season. Couple that with their standout defensive improvements, and you have the recipe for what contributed to such a sharp increase within just one offseason.

While it’s the life of a growing Mid-Major, the Bears did lose several key players including Hunter, but Ty Robinson stayed committed and will be returning to the Bears for his sophomore season. He’ll be positioned as their go-to player.

Cal St. Fullerton (351th → 170th)

Cal State Fullerton was not talked about enough this past season. In 2025, they finished just 6-26 overall and 351st in KenPom, but they jumped to 18-16 overall and 170th in KenPom during the 2025-2026 season. It’s been a wild ride for head Coach Dedrique Taylor who’s been at the helm since 2014, but there is a lot of reason to believe that they will be able to build off this strong improvement.

Before I dive into the overall metrics, I have to shout out how fun they were to watch. This team was FOURTH overall in tempo and third overall in average possession length at a remarkable 14.7 seconds. If you like offense, this was the team to watch last season. Breaking down their offensive and defensive metrics, here is where they landed:

• AdjOE jumped from 93.8 to 109.3 (356th to 169th)

• AdjDE jumped from 112.6 to 109.3 (294th to 176th)

As I highlighted with their tempo, it was night and day compared to 2025. They were just 129th in tempo last season, marking a massive jump. Interestingly enough as well, their defensive adjusted schedule actually took a large jump from -1.3 to +0.3 between the two seasons, so despite facing off against tougher defenses, the increased tempo translated into success.

They’ve lost some key pieces, but they’ve also brought in six transfers with another four freshman coming in. The Big West is in a lot of limbo right now as well, so the question is, will Taylor focus on quick and effective offense next season?

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Stephen F. Austin (271st → 91st)

The Lumberjacks had a bit of an uncharacteristic year during the 2024-2025 season, finishing just 14-17 overall and 271st in KenPom. They bounced back with a massive jump to 28-6 overall and 91st finishing position in KenPom. The Southland conference as a whole is rolling with both McNeese and Stephen F. Austin on the rise among other programs as well.

While they fell to McNeese in the Southland Conference Tournament, they received an invite to the NIT where they had the unfortunate first round pairing against Tulsa. They fell 89-84 in a thrilling overtime game, so while the season ended in disappointment don’t let that overshadow their improvement. Here’s how their offensive and defensive metrics grew:

• AdjOE jumped from 94.8 to 112.8 (353rd to 90th)

• AdjDE jumped from 101.8 to 100.4 (67th to 28th)

When you expand to look at their scheduling metrics, the picture gets more clearer. Their offensive adjusted scheduling decreased from +0.7 to -0.1, but their defensive adjusted scheduling dramatically jumped from +2.7 to +3.8. the 0.8 drop on the offensive side wasn’t enough to make up the massive jump in offensive metrics overall, but it definitely helped. On the defensive end though, it’s remarkable that it jumped nearly an entire point just they still increased to a top-30 overall defense.

It doesn’t look like they are going to be slowing down any time soon either. They’ve retained some players and added several intriguing players out of the portal, setting them up to see success next season as well.

Pacific (284th → 112th)

Remember when Pacific finished just 6-26 and got blown out by Pepperdine 102-43 in the WCC Conference Tournament? Crazy that it was only two seasons ago, but they are really starting to get things rolling. After that disastrous finish, Dave Smart took over as head coach and the Tigers finished 9=24 and 28th in KenPom during the 2024-2025 season. They made a massive jump in year two underneath Smart, finishing 18-15th overall and 112th in KenPom. Here’s how their offensive and defensive metrics shaped up:

• AdjOE jumped from 99.5 to 107.9 (314th to 186th)

• AdjDE jumped from 113.0 to 105.7 (331st to 101st)

The key thing here is, both their offensive and defensive adjusted schedule increased. Their offensive jumped from +2.0 to +2.8 while their defensive jumped from -1.1 to -0.3, in which both really emphasize the size of growth they had in just one season.

They are going to be restarting with a nearly entire new roster, but Dave Smart should have Tigers’ fans feeling confident about his ability to lead this team into what will be a much more feasible WCC without Gonzaga at the top of the conference.

Offseason Reviews

It’s about that time! Starting in June, we’ll be sending out weekly (sometimes twice a week) offseason reviews all the way up till the start of the season. With that in mind, if you have a specific team that you’d like to see covered, send us a message below. We’ll do our best to cover all teams submitted once their roster has been finalized!

In the meantime, there are plenty of teams that are assembling rosters that are looking like they can make a splash in their conferences next season. We’ve been seeing a ton of positive news around scheduling agreements among mid-major programs, so this season is truly making out to be a special one…even if the tournament is expanded.

Today, we’re going to be looking at who the Kennesaw State Owls have added via the transfer portal. They have a strong set of freshman coming in as well that we’ll save for a full offseason review, but the five players that are coming in via the portal are all showing signs of being able to make positive impacts in their first season with the Owls.

After coming off a no doubt odd season given the gambling probe that impacted the team, the Owls still finished the season 21-14 and even went on a run in the Conference USA Tournament to head to the NCAA Tournament fir the first time since 2023. Antoine Pettway is continuing to build up this program that was restored by the late Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Let’s take a look at who the Owls have added thus far!

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C.J. Beaumont

C.J. Beaumont is a 6’8 junior that is going to be looking to bust out in a big way this coming season. He’s spent the last few seasons with Sam Houston, initially joining the team in 2023 where he appeared in 15 games as a freshman. He ultimately redshirt his sophomore season, but as this past year winded down, he started to show us what he could be made of.

His playing time was sporadic and sparse up until the final few weeks of the season, and he took advantage. On the season, he averaged 3.3 points with 2.4 rebounds, however, over his last six games he averaged 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and nearly one steal per game in a shade over 20 minutes per game of action. His best game of his career so far came in the NIT against New Mexico when he finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and one block while shooting 8-14 from the floor overall and 4-6 from beyond the arc.

Looking at his underlying metrics, they show signs of what could be in an expanded role. He finished with a 110.5 offensive rating, 13.8% possession usage, 55% effective field goal percentage, 18.1% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 44.4% shooting percentage from three-point against Division I opponents.

While there are still unknowns with what he’ll fully be able to do, if he can take a step forward and grow on what he did over the final weeks of this past season then I believe the Owls might have found themselves a hidden gem.

Anthony Enoh

Enoh is a 6’7 forward from Nigeria that spent his first two seasons in college basketball at Jessup University which was previously NAIA until it transitioned to Division II last season. In his sophomore season for the Warriors, he averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 46.6% overall and 38.3% from beyond the arc on 60 attempts.

As he started to garner Division I interest, he landed at Georgia State last season. He finished the year appearing in 30 games, starting 17, and averaging five points and five rebounds per game while shooting 33.8% overall. While there was definitely an adjustment in level of competition that he was playing against this year, he showed some strong glimpses of what could be.

Against Jacksonville State, he finished with 7 points and 12 rebounds. Against App State, he finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds. There’s no doubt that he’s a prolific rebounded and a strong force down low, but there’s plenty of room to grow on the offensive end. He finished the season with a 43.6% true shooting percentage and 37.5% effective field goal percentage.

They Owls will value his defensive capabilities as he featured a 17.1% defensive rebounding percentage which was 437th overall in the nation and a 7.9% offensive rebounding percentage which was 462nd. He also had a 3.1% block percentage which was 403rd in the country, which jumped to 4% in the Sun Belt or 14th best among his peers.

Similar to the others on this list, Enoh is a bit of a raw talent still, however, his defensive abilities are going to continue to get him in the lineup with opportunities. If he can grow on the offensive end, he could turn himself into a consistent double-double player.

Kris Parker

Coming out of high school, Parker was listed as a 3-star recruit, the 41st overall Small Forward and the 20th best overall out of Florida. He’s had a bit of a journey already as he initially committed and enrolled at Alabama his freshman season where he ultimately redshirt. He chose the Tide over DePaul, NC State, Villanova, Georgia, St. Johns, and many other strong power conference programs. Following his freshman season, he transferred to Villanova where he appeared in 27 games, averaged 10 minutes per game along with 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds.

Following his season at Villanova, Parker hit the transfer portal again and landed closer to home with the UCF Knights. His playing time was slashed in half as he appeared in 22 games at 5.8 minutes per game while averaging 1.7 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. His best two games of the season came back-to-back against Texas A&M with 9 points and Oakland with eight points, two rebounds, and one assist which were crucial in the tight 87-83 finish.

With the minimal playing time, it’s difficult to look deep at his metrics, but he did finish with a 59.2% true shooting percentage, 9% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 64.7% shooting percentage from inside the arc. This is consistent with his season at Villanova where he featured a 12.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 63.3% shooting percentage from inside.

Parker is a raw talent still, but at 6’9 he has a strong body that’s going to be able to provide Kennesaw State with a force down low. This is the type of player that’s looking for an opportunity to see the court and he has a golden chance to take advantage and break out this season.

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Avery Thomas II

There’s something about inter-conference transfers that just really fuel the fire for rivalries. Avery Thomas II spent his first season in Division I with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs last season where he put up solid numbers for a team that won 20 games. He averaged 9.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.3% overall and 30% from beyond the arc as a 6’8 sophomore.

He’s a monster on the glass. He had two 15-rebound games, eight 10+ rebound games, and five double-doubles. When he gets hot from beyond the arc, he can become a problem as well. Over the final month of the season, he shot 48% from three-point on 33 attempts in ten games.

In the year prior to Louisiana Tech, he spent the season with a JUCO at Jones College where he dominated. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 50% overall and 45% from beyond the arc, all of which clearly translated to the next level as he got more comfortable.

Looking at his metrics, he finished the season with a 108.6 offensive rating, 47.9% true shooting percentage, 11.6% offensive rebounding percentage which was 150th overall, a 19.4% defensive rebounding percentage which was 233rd best in the country, a 2.7% block percentage, and a 2.7% steal percentage in which both were ranked nationally as well.

This is a player who is still young and is going to continue to develop into a strong Division I basketball player. He’ll immediately slot into the Owl’s starting lineup this season and I’m excited to see how he grows.

Jacoby Hill

We have another inter-conference transfer! Jacoby Hill spent his freshman season with Jacksonville State who he chose over UAB, North Alabama, Alabama, and Mississippi State. It’s no coincidence either that he was receiving interest from the SEC. The Alabama native finished his freshman season with the Gamecocks averaging ten points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 51.4% overall and 35.5% from beyond the arc.

As the season went on, he kept getting better and better. Over his last five games, he finished averaging 15.8 points, six rebounds, 2.6 assists, all while shooting 66.7% from the floor. His metrics speak highly of his skills as well. He finished with a 113.9 offensive rating which grew to 116.2 in conference play and his shooting metrics were strong with a 54.2% effective field goal percentage and 58% true shooting percentage which both stepped up to 56.5% and 60% each respectively in the Conference USA.

At 6’4, he’s not our traditional shooting guard or combo guard, rather he is a highly impactful strong IQ guard that can slash to the paint and finish strong inside. His 59.1% shooting percentage from inside the arc during conference play was 11th best in the conference. While he isn’t a three point volume threat, he still shot 32.5% on 40 attempts inside the CUSA which is respectable.

Hill is going to blossom into a strong player and he already has one solid season under his belt in the same conference that he’ll be playing in with Kennesaw State. Similar to Thomas II, I believe that Hill will slot immediately into the starting lineup and provide a huge spark for the Owls at the two-spot.

P.S. If you haven’t, check out some of his dunks online…he has some incredible athleticism.

Offseason Reviews

It’s about that time! Starting in June, we’ll be sending out weekly (sometimes twice a week) offseason reviews all the way up till the start of the season. With that in mind, if you have a specific team that you’d like to see covered, send us a message below. We’ll do our best to cover all teams submitted once their roster has been finalized!

While picking up strong talent from the lower ranks, they’ve also tapped into the power conference ranks to find strong players that are looking for an expanded opportunity to prove their capabilities.

Let’s dive in and see who George Washington has added to their roster this season and why they could be a force in the Atlantic-10 next season.

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Terrance Arceneaux (NC State)

The 6’6 incoming senior has spent four seasons at the power conference level, three with the Houston Cougars and last year with the NC State Wolfpack. At Houston, he appeared in 40 games the year prior while starting six and averaging 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. For NC State, he averaged 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 41% overall and 32.6% from beyond the arc.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 110 offensive rating, 14.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 51.6% true shooting percentage. During that strong season for Houston in 2025, he finished with a 2.9% steal percentage which was 305th in the country, a 114.3 offensive rating, and a 53.1% true shooting percentage.

He’ll be looking to make a huge splash in an expanded role to close out his collegiate career, and he has the potential to be special for the Revolutionaries.

Andrew Phillips

Phillips has spent the last three years with Lafayette and he’s developed into a strong versatile player. The 6’4 incoming junior averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game last season while shooting 39.8% overall and 31.1% from beyond the arc. The year prior, he shot 46.6% on 7.5 attempts and 43.1% on 3.3 attempts from three-point, so his percentages dipped a bit as he nearly doubled his attempts per game in both categories last season.

Coming out of high school, he had just one other off from a non-division I program in Jefferson. Now, he’s made the jump to the Atlantic-10 in just a couple of seasons. Last year, he finished with a 103.4 offensive rating, 50% true shooting percentage, 10.9% defensive rebounding percentage, and just an 8.6 turnover percentage which was 77th best in the country. He also rarely fouls as he averaged just 1.8 fouls per game which was 102nd best in the nation.

Dylan James

Dylan James is another incoming transfer for George Washington that has plenty of experience at the highest level. He’s spent the last three years with the Georgia Bulldogs where he’s appeared in 87 games and started in 18. Last year, he averaged 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 46.4% overall. At 6’9, he’s not a three point threat, but in his first two seasons he shot 22-56 at a 39% clip before completing just one of his 17 attempts last year.

He finished the season with a 105.5 offensive rating, 50.9% true shooting percentage, 10.9% offensive rebounding percentage, 16% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 4% block percentage. A lot of his damage came in the non-conference, but he had a couple strong games against strong SEC opponents.

gainst Florida, he finished with 16 points and six rebounds on 6-10 shooting in 20 minutes. Against Texas A&M, he finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks in 25 minutes. He’s a strong player that is going to thrive with an increase opportunity at a slightly lower level of competition.

Felix Kossaras

Felix Kossaras has spent his first two seasons in college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes where he is starting to show signs of a budding star. Last year, he stepped up while starting in 17 of the 28 games he appeared in. He averaged 4.6 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 50% overall and 38% from beyond the arc.

Kossaras finished the year with a 119 offensive rating, 63.2% true shooting percentage, and a 31.8 free throw rate while converting 21 of his 28 attempts from the line. While he haven’t seen what he can look like in an expanded role, his metrics and growth in year two represent what could be a massive step forward this coming season at George Washington.

In the non-conference, he finished with 17 points against UC Davis, 11 against Washington, and consistent 6-8 points per game. His playing time diminished in conference play, so he’ll be looking to take full advantage of his new opportunities.

Malachi Arrington

Arrington is an intriguing pickup, in which at 6’11 he’ll provide some important depth with height. He played at NJIT the least two seasons where he appeared in 51 games and started 18 while averaging 11.9 minutes per game. Last year, he averaged 3.9 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 59.7% overall. He had a couple of huge games including an 11 points and 11 rebound double-double against Eastern Michigan in the non-conference slate of their schedule.

He finished with a 106.8 offensive rating, 60.3% effective field goal percentage, 9% offensive rebounding percentage, 19.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 4.7 block percentage. He is going to be the type of player that when you need some help on defense, you can send him out their to clean up the boards and be a force down low.

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Andrija Vukovic

The 6’11 forward/center from Serbia took a step forward last year in his second season at Oklahoma State. He appeared in 27 games, starting in three, while averaging 15.3 minutes per game. Vukovic averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 62.2% overall and knocking down one of his three attempts from outside.

His metrics show some exceptionally strong upside is his averages correlate to an expanded role with more minutes. He finished the year with a 124.7 offensive rating, 64.6% true shooting percentage, 11.2 offensive rebounding percentage, 12.8% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 63.2% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

He played very well to close out the season. Over his last five games, he averaged eight points and 5.8 rebounds, while shooting 57% overall. This is one of my favorite additions for the Revolutionaries because he is poised to go off this season.

Omari Witherspoon

George Washington fans should be thrilled to have picked up Witherspoon and he’ll quickly become an enemy for fans of other Atlantic-10 teams. The 6’4 freshman had a fantastic debut to his career, averaging 7.5 points, three rebounds, and 2.5 assist per game while shooting 38% overall. He shot just 28.7% from beyond the arc, but he showed signs that this is an area he’ll be able to grow in.

Looking at his metrics, his offensive rating was 87.6 which will grow with a different team surrounding him, a 16.9 assist rate, 11% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 2.7% block percentage. He’s a strong defender in the making and couple that with his athleticism and he’ll be a problem for opposing guards.

Witherspoon has a ton of upside that he’ll be looking to unlock in the coming season.

Ryder Frost

The 6’7 forward appeared in 26 games as a freshman last season and averaged 6.2 minutes per game. He finished the year averaging 2.7 points and 0.8 rebounds while shooting 40.4% overall and 38.5% from three-point on 52 attempts. In case you are wondering, yes, 91.2% of his shots last season were from beyond the arc. He’s a three-point specialist.

Coming out of high school, he was a three-star recruit with offers from a lot of power conference programs including Michigan, Villanova, BYU, Miami, Wisconsin, and many more. While the majority of his statistics game in the non-conference, he had a couple of strong games against North Carolina & Pittsburgh where he drained 7-9 three pointers combined in those games.

While he didn’t have a ton of playing time, he finished the season with a 120.2 offensive rating, 58.4% true shooting percentage, 10.9 defensive rebounding percentage, 8.9 assist rate, and of course his strong three-point shooting percentage. I’m excited to see him get more opportunities to showcase his raw shooting potential.

Just last season, we saw players like Collin Parker transfer to Austin Peay and dominate with 17.6 points per game along with 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Ben Humrichous went from Huntington University in Indiana to the Final Four with Illinois, while there are other stories like Riley Minix who has been playing in the G-League and even signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the portal was made the world of college basketball more chaotic, it’s also opened up the opportunity for players who normally would be overlooked at the Division I level the chance to prove themselves and set up even potential long-term careers.

This season is looking to be no different with this trend, so let’s take a look at five players that are transferring in from the NAIA level to Division I that has a great chance of making a huge splash in year one.

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Jesse Van Kalsbeek (South Dakota State)

How Jesse Van Kalsbeek wasn’t already playing at the Division I level is mind-blowing, but as just a sophomore (incoming junior) we’ll get to see at least two more seasons if not three with the NCAA potentially moving to a five-year eligibility rule.

Van Kalsbeek was named the NAIA Player of the Year after what was about as dominating of a campaign that a single player could put together at Northwestern. He led the Raiders with 27.8 points, 4.7 assists, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 61.2% overall and 41.2% from deep on just 34 attempts.

He had three 40+ point games, which ironically all came within the first six games of the season. In one of those games, he finished with 47 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists with just two turnovers against William Penn. He poses a unique skill set that allows him to not just be a monster scorer, but a prolific rebounder as well. At 6’7, he is not afraid of slashing to the paint and he does so with ease. He’s lightning quick on his feet, allowing him to function almost at the same speed as a guard.

He does have some work to do on cutting down on his turnovers. He averaged nearly three per game, and it became a bit more of an issue as the season went on. However, it’s very important to remember that on a team like South Dakota State, he’s not going to have to function as a “do-it-all” kind of player. He’ll be able to slot in to his natural positioning as a slashing forward with the ability to play outside of his position and lock down the paint.

Zach Lee (Cal State Bakersfield)

Zach Lee is a 6’4 guard that has spent his entire career so far at Loyola New Orleans. He redshirt his freshman season after appearing in five games, but he started to take off in his official freshman season. He earned a spot on his conference’s All-Freshman team while averaging nine points with 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He battled injuries in his sophomore season, but he bounced back last year with his strongest year to date. He averaged 14.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 51.5% overall and 38.3% from beyond the arc on 60 attempts.

Cal State Bakersfield is in full rebuild mode at the moment, and this is going to give someone like Zach Lee an opportunity to shine. The Roadrunners named Todd Lee their head coach after spending the last couple of seasons at USC as an assistant. He has plenty of coaching experience, with a record of 154-81 at Kentucky Wesleyan & 66-52 at South Dakota.

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Devin Davenport (Eastern Illinois)

Devin Davenport spent last season at Missouri Valley College where he emerged as a dominant offensive weapon. The 6’2 guard averaged 20.3 points, four rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.1% overall and 36% from three-point. He’s not going to be a floor general, but he can be one of your go-to players for scoring on the floor.

The Panthers have a couple of point guards coming in, Jaden Miller & Jalen Calloway” while Markus Blackwell is returning following a solid debut last year. Davenport will immediately slide in as one of their top offensive weapons as Marty Simmons looks to continue building Eastern Illinois up following an extension after the season.

For Davenport, he’ll be a two-way scorer as he can knock it down from deep, but he’s also a strong finisher from inside. He took 31.4% of his attempts last season from outside, and he shot 47.8% from inside the arc on his remaining attempts. He becomes lethal at the free throw line as well, shooing 89.7% on 175 attempts last year.

Look for Davenport to make a huge impact in his first season at the Division I level.

Jackson Cooper (Indiana State)

Indiana State has already saw some success in bringing over players from the NAIA level. Last season, Ian Scott transferred in from the NAIA and averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists for the Sycamores last year while shooting 63.2% overall.

Jackson Cooper had a tremendous season last year for Oregon Tech. The 6’7 forward averaged 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 56.6% from the floor. He’s not a three point threat as he’s attempted just two shots from beyond the arc over his last three seasons. His performance last year was good enough to name him as a second-team All-American in the NAIA as well as his conference’s Player of the Year.

Cooper had some ridiculous stat lines last year, including a 28 points, 15 rebound, and 10 assist tripe-double against a strong College of Idaho team. He in general fits the mold of head coach Matthew Graves’ coaching style very well. The Sycamores struggled mightily offensively in nearly every category, but they dominated from inside the arc where they were 25th in the country and took 50.6% of their shots. Cooper, someone who is prolific from inside the arc, is going to fit in perfectly for the Sycamores in year one.

Izaiah Day (Morehead State)

Coming from Taylor University, Izaiah Day put together a massive stat line this past season. In 30 games, the 6’3 guard averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 48.7% overall and 42.2% from beyond the arc.

Last year, Morehead State put together a strong season in year two underneath Jonathan Mattox at the helm. The Eagles finished 20-13 overall and 15-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Overall, they lacked consistent offense as they ranked just 285th in effective field goal percentage, 281st in three-point shooting percentage, and 267th in two-point shooting percentage.

Day is going to immediately slot in as one of the key offensive players for the Eagles next season and they are going to be able to rely on his efficient shooting capabilities. His 42.2% three-point shooting was based on a shade over seven attempts per game and his overall 48.7% shooting percentage was based off 11.7 attempts per game. While he lines up as a three-point specialist, he can get it done inside as well and he can finish well at the free throw line were he shot 74%.

While Will Wade left, Bill Armstrong is doing just as good of a job as they finished 28-6 overall and 19-3 last season while the Southland as a whole continues to up their standards. In 2023, the Southland was ranked 30th overall per KenPom ahead of just the SWAC, NEC, and the two independent teams that year (Chicago State and Hartford). In 2026, the conference finished 18th overall and with the growth from Stephen F. Austin and others like Lamar who I think will be solid next year, the conference is going to continue to improve.

As a result, Coach Armstrong had to make some splashes in the transfer portal and he has done just that. While retaining Larry Johnson who came off a stellar freshman campaign, Armstrong has added six transfers from power conference programs that are looking for an opportunity to break out. Let’s dive into these additions!

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Dellquan Warren

Coming out of Keystone Athletic Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania, the 6’2 guard was listed as a three-star recruit. He chose Mississippi State other many other power conference schools like Penn State, Florida State, St. John’s, Alabama, and many more.

Over his last two seasons with the Bulldogs, he didn’t see the floor a ton. He appeared in 45 games, averaging 6.7 minutes per game and a shade under one point per game. His best game of his career so far came against LSU his freshman season when he played 15 minutes, scored five points with four assists, one rebound, one steal, and just one turnover.

He’s a raw point guard that is going to have an opportunity to find his footing alongside standout Larry Johnson who will enter his sophomore season.

Elijah Moore

Moore spend last season at Utah where he appeared in just one game, but he had a strong freshman showing at Syracuse the year prior. The former four-star recruit averaged 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and one assist per game while shooting 39.1% overall and 31.5% from beyond the arc.

Looking at his metrics, he feature a 9.1% defensive rebounding percentage, 11.5 assist rate, and a 98.2 offensive rating. He shot well from inside the arc at 48.3% on 60 attempts. He did nearly wash-out his assist rate with 0.8 turnovers per game, but that can definitely be adjusted when given a higher role with opportunity.

McNeese is become a home for power conference players looking for their big break and I have no doubt that Moore will become another example of this for the Cowboys next season.

Christian Nitu

Nitu spent last season with the Washington Huskies, but he didn’t appear on the court. The original three-star recruit played his freshman season at Florida State where he averaged 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting 40.9% from the floor.

The 6’11 big man had is best game of the season in their final game against Virginia that season when he played 18 minutes, finishing 4-4 with 8 points, three rebounds, and one steal. His metrics are raw because of minimal playing time, but regardless he finished with an 8.5 offensive rebounding percentage and a 12.6% defensive rebounding percentage with a 3.9% block percentage.

One area that the Cowboys lacked a bit last season was height in the paint and Nitu is one of three incoming big men to address that gap.

Alier Maluk

We have another big man coming into McNeese with Florida State ties. Maluk has spent his first two seasons with the Seminoles where he appeared in 53 games, starting five, while averaging 2.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. His playing time decreased a bit last season as he went from eleven minutes per game to just 6.2, but similar to others here, he has raw potential.

Coming out of Long Island Lutheran, he was listed as a three-star recruit and committed to Florida State over Maryland, Vanderbilt, Oregon, and many other power conference programs.

Despite the decrease in playing time, his metrics rose in his sophomore season and several positive areas. He finished with a 13% offensive rebounding percentage and a 15.8% defensive rebounding percentage. On defense, he featured a 6.8% blocking percentage and a 2% steal percentage.

Like the rest of the players on this list, Maluk has experience at the highest level and is looking for a change to earn playing time for a highly respected McNeese squad this coming season.

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Corey Chest

Chest is a 6’8 forward that was listed as a top-100 recruit and four-star recruit entering his freshman season out of the Link Academy. He started off at LSU where he averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game while starting in 19 of the 26 games he appeared in. He was efficient on the court as well offensively, shooting 60.7% overall.

He transferred to Ole Miss last season and saw he minutes drop from 20 per game to just 13 per game. He appeared in 34 games, starting in four, while averaging 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Looking at his metrics, his freshman season was outstanding. He was 40th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage at 14%, 133rd in defensive rebounding percentage at 21.8%, and 110th in blocking percentage at 6.2%. His 60.7% shooting percentage from inside the arc was 207th in the nation as well that season. At Ole Miss, even with the minute drops, his metrics still shined in the same categories.

Chest is looking for his true breakout moment and showing signs of that his freshman year at LSU. I firmly believe that he’ll be one of the most important cogs for the Cowboys’ success next season and you need to have him on your radar for a potential star.

Jaylon Dean-Vines

Dean-Vines spent his freshman year with Vanderbilt this past season where he saw sparse playing time. Coming out of high school, he was a three-star recruit from Dallas who chose Vandy over Oklahoma, Washington, Tulsa, and UT Arlington.

He appeared in ten games this season, averaging 0.9 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists while shooting 4-5 overall and 1-2 from three-point. I actually caught his best game against Lipscomb in the four minutes he was on the court. He shot 2-2 to finish with four points, two rebounds, and one steal. He has some true potential, but he’s going to need development and opportunities, which McNeese is going to be able to give him.

At 6’4, he should have the chance to earn solid minutes as a potential combo guard for the Cowboys next year.