Can the Evansville Purple Aces Keep Building in 2025-2026?
Entering the fourth year of the David Ragland era, the Evansville Purple Aces are looking to take another step forward in 2025-2026 after battling injuries last season.
It might be hard to believe, but the Evansville Purple Aces finished with a 25-9 record a decade ago while narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament off a Wes Washpun game winning shot for Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship. The year prior, they finished 24-12, and in fact it was the third time in four seasons the Aces finished with 20+ wins.
Things took a turn as they have finished .500 just once since that near trip to the big dance. They finished 17-15 in the 2017-2018 season, but they finished four seasons in a row with less then 10 wins between 2019 and 2023. David Ragland took over as head coach during the 2022-2023 season where the Aces finished just 5-17 and 1-19 in the MVC. However, he took the program forward as they rapidly advanced to a 17-18 record overall and 6-14 in the Missouri Valley in the following season. Last year, they finished 11-21 and 8-12 in the MVC, but battled injuries all season long with star freshman Gabriel Pozzato and Cam Haffner.
Heading into year four with Coach Ragland, Evansville has their eyes on taking another step forward this season. On paper, this roster doesn’t have eye popping metrics, however, it is arguably one of the most athletic rosters we’ve seen the Aces have in a while. With Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year Connor Turnbull returning, they have their foundational block. Ragland was able to add additional pieces and retain a couple of players to build a competitive roster in what will be maybe the most talented Missouri Valley Conference we’ve seen since the Loyola Chicago and Wichita State days. Let’s take a look at the Purple Aces roster.
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Roster Turnover
Evansville has lost the following players from the prior season:
Tanner Cuff (Senior) - Hawaii
8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals
Tayshawn Comer (Senior) - Nevada
16.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals
Cam Haffner (Senior) - Western Kentucky
12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Ramondo Battle II (Senior) - North Carolina Central
2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds
Michael Day (Junior) - Northwest Nazarene (DII)
2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds
Gui Tesch (Sophomore) - Barry (DII)
1.5 points, 2 rebounds
Gabriel Pozzato (Sophomore) - Xavier
14.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals
It was a rough offseason for the Purple Aces as they lost four of their top players from last season. Gabriel Pozzato was nothing short of incredible in his freshman season, and many including myself last year knew that he was probably going to be a one-and-done in Evansville. After a stunning year, he headed to Xavier where he’ll look to continue to elevate his NBA stock.
Tanner Cuff was a veteran on this Evansville squad, but he ultimately headed to Hawaii to finish out his career. Cuff was a do-it-all kind of player that stuffed the stat sheets and fought for every possession on the court. His energy and leadership will certainly be missed.
Tayshawn Comer shouldn’t have been too much of a shock either considering he busted out last year. After playing well at Eastern Kentucky previously, he took a huge leap. He came out of the gates a little cold, but he continued to get better as the season went on. Over his last eleven games, he averaged 20.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and one steal per game. He’s headed to Nevada where he’ll take on the role as one of the main point guards on the Wolf Pack.
Cam Haffner was the surprising loss. His father was an Evansville great, and after a disappointing first season with the Aces, he had a breakout second year. He went down with an injury against UIC on January 22nd that cost him the rest of the season. However, he had been tremendous up until that point. He averaged 12.7 points and 3.6 rebounds. He dropped 25 points against Belmont and 20 points with nine rebounds against SIU. With the family connections, I assumed he’d stay, but he decided to hit the portal and he was lured to Western Kentucky.
Among Gui Tesch, Ramondo Battle, and Michael Day, none were shocking departures and the three players are moving down to find more consistent playing time with expanded opportunities for their careers.
Returning Players
The Aces have the following players returning this season:
Trent Hundley (Senior)
1.1 points, 0.7 rebounds
Connor Turnbull (Senior)
9.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.9 blocks
Joshua Hughes (Junior)
7.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, one steal, 1.1 blocks
Kaia Berridge (Sophomore)
1.2 points, 0.9 rebounds
Weston Aigner (Junior)
2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds (4 games / 5.3 minutes)
Dakota Candler (Junior)
1.3 points, 0.7 rebounds (3 games / 2 minutes)
Guards
Trent Hundley (6’6)
Coming out of the University of Rio Grande, Hundley was known as a sharpshooter as he averaged 16.6 points per game while shooting 45.3% overall and 40.9% from beyond the arc. Last season, he appeared in 15 games and averaged 1.1 points while shooting 42.9% and 38.5% from three-point. With players like Cam Haffner, Tanner Cuff, Tayshawn Comer, and Gabe Pozzato in front of him, it was going to be difficult to crack the rotation. Look for him to see some expanded minutes off the bench this season around the ten minute range.
Kaia Berridge (6’4)
Berridge appeared in 29 games and averaged 11.8 minutes as a freshman last season. He averaged 1.2 points and 0.9 rebounds while shooting 33.3% overall and 34.8% from beyond the arc. Turnovers were an issue as he finished with a 37.7% turnover percentage, compared to just a 3.4% assist rate. We haven’t seen enough from Berridge yet, but I believe he should be poised to take on a larger role this season. Judging off videos from Evansville’s preseason showing, it appears that he has bulked up a bit, which should pose well for him to score more effectively this season.
Centers
Connor Turnbull (6’10)
Turnbull started his career out at Butler where was recruited by then assistant coach David Ragland. After Ragland took over at Evansville, he recruited Turnbull out of the transfer portal. Turnbull finished the season averaging 9.2points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.9 blocks, while shooting 53.6% overall from the floor and 25% from beyond the arc. It was an interesting first half of the season for him as he averaged just 5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks through the first 18 games of the season. Throughout the remainder of the year he averaged, 13.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game. He was prolific down the stretch and his outrageous 10.8% blocking percentage, which was 14th in the country, that improved to 11.6% in the Missouri Valley was good enough for him to win MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Looking at his offensive capabilities, while there were concerns throughout the first half of the season he found his footing with a 65.7% two-point percentage in conference play, which built the foundation coming into this year. Turnbull will be one of Evansville’s key players this season.
Joshua Hughes (6’11)
Josh Hughes is entering his third season with Evansville after coming out of Australia. As a freshman, he showed a lot of promise while averaging 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks. Last season, he took a step forward as he finished averaging 7.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and one steal while shooting 37.3% overall and 23.9% from beyond the arc. His offensive metrics took a nose dive as he shot 45.9% from the floor and 36% from three-point during his freshman season. If he is able to trend back towards those same percentages that he showed, he’ll make Evansville a powerhouse down low alongside Turnbull. His 4.8% blocking percentage was 209th in the country, and it jumped to 5.3% in the MVC which was 5th overall. His largest weakness is his three-point shooting, where he hit just 27 of his 116 attempts, in which he hit 27 the year prior on just 75 attempts. From inside the arc, he shot 50.5%, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can lean into his presence in the paint to create an absolute force down low with Turnbull.
Walk-ons
Weston Aigner and Dakota Candler are both walk-ons that are returning for another season, so you should imagine they’ll see a similar level of production.
Roster Additions
The Purple Aces have the following players coming in this season:
Alex Hemenway (Senior) - Vanderbilt
5.2 points, 1.4 assists in 2023-2024 (DNP ~ Injury in 2025)
Keishon Porter (Senior) - NC Central
10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals
A.J. Casey (Senior) - Saint Louis
1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds (3 games ~ Injury)
Leo Amari IV (Junior) - Northern Illinois
3 games/1.3 minutes in 2023-2024 (Walk-on)
Marlon Barnes, Jr. (Sophomore) - Pittsburgh
0.4 points, 0.3 rebounds
Bryce Quinet (Freshman)
Aaron Gutman (Freshman)
Leif Moller (Freshman)
James Dyson-Merwe (Freshman)
Guards
Alex Hemenway (6’4)
Hemenway is a native of Newburgh, Indiana, which is just a couple of minutes away from Evansville. Coming out of high school, he landed at Clemson where he appeared in 95 games and starting in 25 throughout five years. In his last season, he appeared in just five games before going down with a season-ending injury. Following the season, he transferred to Vanderbilt, where he once again battled injuries and missed the entire season. Through those 95 games, he averaged 5.3 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting 44.6% overall and 42.9% from three-point. His best season came in the 2022-2023 season where he averaged 6.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 50% overall and 47.1% from three-point. He finished with a 124.9 offensive rating, while attempting 70 three-point shots compared to just 22 from inside. He’s the definition of a three-point specialist, but transferring down outside of the power conference ranks should allow him to thrive in his final season of college basketball. The Aces struggled from beyond the arc last year as they finished 344th in three-point percentage, so Hemenway gives them some much needed help.
Keishon Porter (6’5)
Keishon spent his first two seasons with Radford, but transferred to North Carolina Central where he appeared in 64 games while starting 46. Last season, he averaged 10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 47.9% overall and 37.3% from beyond the arc. He finished with a 110.9 offensive rating, an 8.2% defensive rebounding percentage, a 5.8% offensive rebounding percentage, and a 2.5% stealing percentage. Notably, his three-point shooting jumped to 37.% inside the MEAC. He had some huge games, including 24 points against Norfolk State and 23 against UMES. While he isn’t going to be a ball-handler, he will provide some important offense and defensive skills that the Aces are going to need out of their guards. Side note, he is insanely athletic. He just won the dunk contest at Evansville’s preseason kickoff show for fans, and look at these dunks below from SIX years ago. The kid can fly.
Bryce Quinet (6’2)
It’s been a rarity this offseason in the roster reviews I’ve composed where I discuss a freshman that will play a large role, however, Evansville has two freshman that are going to be key to their success and Bryce Quinet is one of them. He was listed as a three-star recruit and 479th in the country per 247 Sports in this season’s incoming class. He has a natural knack to score as he has a smooth looking shot from beyond the arc and in the mid-range. He’s pretty athletic, which allows him to slash to the paint. Plus, he appears to be an excellent ball handler. I don’t think he’ll be the starting point guard for this team, but I firmly believe he’ll average 20+ minutes as a freshman for the Aces this season.
Quinet had offers from UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Northern Colorado, and others.
Leif Moller (6’7)
Ready for the next European basketball player that you’ve most likely never heard of that’s going to make a huge impact this season? Meet Leif Moller out of Germany. He previously played at the ProB level where he averaged 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for Rist Wedel while shooting 43.7% overall and 35.5% from three-point. This team is classified as the third-tier basketball league in the country. Some of his fellow teammates include Camron Reece who played for Akron previously, and Niki Krause who played for Incarnate Word. Reece, Krause, and Moeller were the top three scorer on the team last season.
He also played for the Veolia Towers Hamburg team which competes in what’s regarded as the highest level of professional basketball in Germany. In this year’s EuroCup, he averaged 2.5 and 1.3 rebounds throughout 16 games for Hamburg.
Okay, taking a step back from his experience which has brought him to the United States as a 22 year old freshman, Moller’s skills are stunning. At 6’7, he has the ball handling skills of a point guard. In fact, some have estimated that he will be the starting point guard for the Aces this season. While I’m not completely sold quite yet because we haven’t seen him play against collegiate teams yet, there’s no doubt that I think he could live up to that hype.
Moller is a lethal three-point shooter, he is quick to the basket, he can facilitate offense, and he plays solid on-ball defense. There is a reasonable chance that Moller is one of the highest impact freshmen in the Missouri Valley Conference this year.
Aaron Gutman (6’7)
Gutman was a late pickup for the Aces this offseason as he didn’t sign until June. He is the all-time leading scorer at his former high school, Walton-Verona and he finished his senior season averaging 23.3 points and 6.9 rebounds, while shooting 49.8% overall and knocking down 67 three-pointers. He was somewhat of a late bloomer because he busted out during the Kentucky-Ohio All-Star game, which started to bring in a few Division II offers. Evansville was the only Division I offer, but that doesn’t mean Gutman doesn’t have the skills. Here is a link to his Hudl Page where you can find quite a few highlights. He has a strong outside shot, and he bullied the majority of opponents in the paint with some nice dunks. Judging purely off the videos, I don’t think he was playing super high talented players, but it’s evident that the raw talent is there. Look for Gutman to redshirt this season, or play a small role similar to Kaia Berridge last season as he bulks up and develops under David Ragland’s system.
Forwards
Marlon Barnes Jr. (6’6)
Marlon Barnes appeared in eight games last season as a redshirt freshman at Pittsburgh where he scored three points with two rebounds, two assists, and one block. Barnes was a three-star recruit out of Cleveland, Ohio as he ranked 244th overall in the country. Barnes has an immense amount of athleticism, and he averaged 13.1 points and five rebounds per game during his senior season which earned him another offer from Miami. This is another example of a talented freshman that is unable to crack the rotation at a larger school so they hit the transfer portal. From what videos I could find, he seems to have a solid three-point shot. As a 6’6 wing, I anticipate that he’ll be able to flex outside and provide a bit of a 3-and-D style play. He’ll be looking to take advantage of the opportunity to play a key role for the Aces this season.
A.J. Casey (6’9)
This isn’t the first time that Evansville had recruiting A.J. Casey, but they finally nabbed him. His career stats aren’t going to blow your mind, but it’s about the potential that comes with his athletic capabilities. Last season, he appeared in three games for Saint Louis before going down with a season-ending injury as he finished averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. However, he spent the prior two seasons with Miami. In his sophomore season, he averaged 1.9 points and two rebounds per game while shooting 39.1% from the floor in 24 games for the Hurricanes. Coming out of high school, Casey was a four-star recruit and ranked 134th in the country. He just hasn’t found his footing, but we’ve seen plenty of players transfer to a school like Evansville where they can feel less pressure and see an expanded role. I’m pasting some highlights below from 2019, but it represents the ceiling that Casey has where he just hasn’t tapped into that potential yet. Look for him to play an important role this season for the Aces.
James Dyson-Merwe (6’11)
James Dyson-Merwe is an incoming international recruit out of Australia. He played at the Centre for Excellence where his team finished 14-2 overall. I’ve attached some highlights from his participation in the Under-18 Australian National Championships. He seems to play strong defense, and despite being 6’11 he can knock down some shots from outside. His form on shooting doesn’t look bad, perhaps a bit robotic, but nothing that can’t be adjusted. What really impresses me is his quickness with his size. He’s not afraid to drive to the basketball and use his lankiness to his advantage. With Turnbull and Hughes locking down the paint, look for James Dyson-Merwe to redshirt this season or play in a limited role similar to Gutman.
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Expectations
There are a lot of unknowns with this team, however, the potential is high. If these players can take advantage of their full potential and expanded opportunities this season, the Aces could surprise some people in the Missouri Valley. Let’s take a look at what a potential starting lineup could look like:
Leif Moller/Bryce Quinet
Alex Hemenway
Keishon Porter
Joshua Hughes
Connor Turnbull
In my opinion, you have four locks in the starting lineup with Alex Hemenway, Keishon Porter, Joshua Hughes, and Connor Turnbull. Hughes and Turnbull are veterans with Evansville and David Ragland, plus having two centers, including Hughes who can expand his range produce a lethal duo for the Aces. Hemenway is a lights out shooter, making him a perfect guard. Keishon Porter is uber-athletic and he can slash to the paint while also crashing the boards. Point guard produces the ultimate question. Leif Moller has professional experience overseas, while Bryce Quinet seems like he could come in on day one and produce. I mentioned in my breakdown early that I’m skeptical with Moller because he hasn’t played college basketball, but my guess is that he edges out Quinet. I don’t think that you can ignore his experience playing against some of the top talent in Germany, which gives him a unique advantage.
Looking at the bench, you would have Bryce Quinet coming in to facilitate offense in the secondary. Kaia Berridge appears to have taken a step forward this offseason, so I like him as another guard coming in. You then have Marlon Barnes and AJ Casey who can take on the wing and power forward positions. I’m not sold on Dyson-Merwe playing a ton, so if he doesn’t redshirt, he could take some of those center minutes if both Hughes and Turnbull are resting. You’ll also have Trent Hundley, but I feel as if he may be a bit of an odd-man out on this roster.
My largest concern is their lack of experience. Hughes and Turnbull have plenty of experience underneath David Ragland. Keishon Porter has played a lot at the Division I level. However, that’s it. They are going to have to rely on point guard play from two players that have never played a minute of college basketball. Hemenway and Casey have both battled injuries throughout their careers, which has hindered their time on the court. Marlon Barnes has appeared in just eight games, and Berridge averaged less than two points per game. They are going to have to rely on people like Hemenway to stay healthy, and those like Barnes and Casey to take advantage of their opportunities after transferring down from the power conference ranks (although Casey technically came from Saint Louis after Miami).
What I do like about the Aces is, Coach Ragland addressed the three-point shooting issues. The Aces were one of the worst teams in the country from beyond the arc last year, and now he brought in a couple of freshman that can shoot with Moller and Quinet, along with lights out three-point shooters like Hemenway. Paired with the inside presence of players like Turnbull and Hughes, you can now score all over the court, which creates problems for opponent’s defenders.
Looking at their non-conference schedule, the Aces are playing one of the toughest schedules in the Missouri Valley Conference. They have two tough road games against Purdue and Notre Dame. They take on some solid teams in the US Virgin Islands for Paradise Jam which includes Akron, Charleston, Yale, Oregon State, Iona, UMass, and Green Bay. The Aces will take on Oregon State first, then either Iona or Akron. The third game will be dependent on how the rest of the tournament shakes out. For the rest of the schedule, they have a lot of return games including Middle Tennessee State, UT Arlington, and Ball State from one-and-one deals. They’ll also travel to Western Kentucky. Overall, tough schedule for a squad that is looking to build some momentum in their program.
Overall, I think this might be the most talented roster Evansville has had in many years. It rivals last season’s, which had they stayed healthy I believe they would’ve finished better than 11-21, hence the 8-12 finish in the MVC. There are a lot of question marks around how will some of these players perform in their expanded roles, or how will someone like Leif Moller translate to the college ranks? However, purely looking at the raw talent and potential, there is a lot to like. The Missouri Valley Conference is going to be ultra-competitive this season, so with that I see Evansville finishing towards the middle of the pack, most likely anywhere between sixth or eighth. If the Aces can finish .500 on the season and in the Missouri Valley, then coach Ragland should be able to keep the momentum going as they look to build up this program.