James Madison Resets Their Roster: A 2026-27 Offseason Review
The James Madison Dukes are returning just two players from last season, while adding key transfers from both the power and lower conferences.
Just a couple of years ago, James Madison went 32-4 overall and reached 18th in the AP Poll before then head coach Mark Byington headed to Vanderbilt during the offseason. Preston Spradlin took over after a lot of success at Morehead State and he’ll be looking to take a leap forward in his third season at the helm.
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!
Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% off your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!
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.
Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!
Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!
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?