The Murray State Racers are starting to find their footing in the Missouri Valley Conference. In the first year with Ryan Miller at the helm, the Racers finished 20-13 on the season and 12-8 in the conference. They earned a bid to the NIT, but fell to Nevada in the first round. Now, entering year two of the Ryan Miller Era, all eyes are on the Racers as a program that could be one of the top mid-major teams in the country this season.
The Racers are returning one of the best freshmen in the country in Roman Domon. The France native has long-term NBA potential, so don’t be shocked if you see him on some NBA Draft Boards this season. After recent news came out about their NIL budget, it’s no surprise that the Racers were able to not just retain key players, but build upon the roster to advance their potential for this season.
Now we sit just two weeks away from opening day, so let’s dive into how their roster has shaped up and why we believe this could be a special team for the 2026-2027 season.
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Roster Turnover
J.J. Traynor (Ineligible)
7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds
Mason Miller (Ineligible)
5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds
Fred King (Senior) ~ Creighton
13.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks
Javon Jackson (Ineligible)
16.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals
Dylan Anderson (Senior) ~ Northern Arizona
1.5 points, 1.7 rebounds
Tristian Ford (Sophomore) ~ Dayton
DNP
Layne Taylor (Junior) ~ Arkansas State
8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists
Brock Vice (Junior) ~ Kansas State
2 points, 1.8 rebounds
K.J. Tenner (Junior) ~ UT San Antonio
6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists
There is no doubt that the Murray State Racers have lost some talent. Javon Jackson was a huge piece of their lineup last season, along with Fred King and Layne Taylor. Taylor was their point guard, but after transferring in from Central Arkansas, he’s returning to the state at Arkansas State. King is heading back to Creighton after proving how effective of a big man he can be when giving a starting opportunity. Jackson ran out of eligibility despite seeking an additional year like many others.
While the turnover seems high on paper, they were able to retain key players, including their star forward while building onto their roster through the transfer portal and international recruiting trail.
Returning Players
Ben Shtolzberg (Senior)
DNP ~ Injury
Brayden Shorter (Senior)
5.7 points, 1.8 rebounds
Roman Domon (Sophomore)
14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals
Mathis Courbon (Sophomore)
4.6 points, 2 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Lachlan Crate (Redshirt Freshman)
DNP
Dillon Butler (Redshirt Freshman)
DNP ~ Walk-on
Roman Domon (6’9)
You are not going to find many players that put together as strong a freshman season as Roman Domon did last year for the Racers. The 6’9 freshman out of France finished with a line of 14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 47.6% overall from the floor and 36.8% from three-point. He had some stellar games, including 29 points against Northern Iowa, and 20 points with eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals against Evansville.
His metrics speak for themselves. He finished the season with a 119.6 offensive rating that jumped to 124.8 in the MVC, a 24.5% possession usage, 55% effective field goal percentage, 62.2% true shooting percentage (121st overall), 18.3% defensive rebounding percentage, 11.9 assist rate, and an 81.5 free throw rate (9th overall). In nearly every category, he improved as the season went on and he’s poised to follow that up again this season.
At 6’9, Domon has NBA potential. Murray State has been crushing it with fundraising money for the Men’s Basketball program, and there’s no doubt that is how they managed to retain Domon. He started to put himself on the map last season, but this year he’ll have the chance to see his name on Draft boards.
Ben Shtolzberg (6’4)
Ben Shtolzberg started his career out at Creighton during the 2022-2023 season. He then spent two seasons with UC Santa Barbara where he served as a back-up guard off the bench. Ultimately, he redshirted last season with Murray State.
In his final year at UC Santa Barbara, he shot 50% from the floor on 2.5 attempts per game and 20% from beyond the arc. He’s not a three-point threat as on his career he is shooting just 23.2% despite 35.6% of his shot attempts being three-pointers. Keep in mind, he averaged just 13.5 minutes per game.
He can handle the ball well as he featured a 1.5 to 0.6 assist-to-turnover ratio and he’s virtually automatic from the free throw line. He shot 95.2% from the line, missing just two in his last full season. On his career, he’s shooting 89.6%.
Shtolzberg isn’t going to play heavily in the rotation, but his efficiency in limited minutes will earn him to a role in the rotation. He provides veteran experience, and he’ll help distribute the ball when called upon.
Brayden Shorter (6’5)
Shorter made the jump to Division I from Washburn where he finished his last season averaging 15.5 points per game. He faced what many players that make the jump to the highest level do, some adversity after dominating at a lower level. He finished the season averaging 5.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 33.9% overall and 28.4% from three-point on 4.7 attempts per game. He appeared in 33 games, starting in one, and averaged 14.6 minutes per game. As a three-point specialist, nearly 90% of his shots on the court were from beyond the arc. There is no doubt his best game came against Valparaiso after he drained five three-pointers and finished with 17 points in a narrow six-point win.
Looking at his metrics, he posted strong numbers even with some room to grow in efficiency. He finished the season with a 107.9 offensive rating, 18.2% possession usage, 47.1% effective field goal percentage, 50.7% true shooting percentage, and a 10.5% defensive rebounding percentage. Although he only took 19 shots from inside the arc, he did finish 15 of those to shoot a strong 78.9%.
Last year, Shorter was focused on getting acclimated to playing at the highest level. In year two with the Racers, he is going to have his eyes set on making an even larger impact. They lost Javon Jackson and K.J. Tenner, who were two of their better three-point shooters. Now, he’ll have the opportunity to solidify a larger role through his three-point capabilities. In their 93-87 exhibition win over Wichita State, Shorter finished with 16 points while shooting 4-7 from three-point in just 17 minutes of action. In their additional exhibition game against FIU, he played in 23 minutes, so it’s evident he’ll have a slightly larger role this year, but that’ll be dependent on how well he shoots.
Mathis Courbon (6’6)
Alongside Domon, Mathis Courbon was another freshman from France who had a solid debut with Murray State. Across 32 games, he averaged 4.6 points, two rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 44.1% overall and 40.8% from three-point. He showed some strong glimpses of his potential, including putting up 16 points, seven rebounds, and one assist in their dominating win over Bradley last year.
He featured a 113.3 offensive rating, 53.9% effective field goal percentage, 59.3% true shooting percentage, 12.1% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 47.2% shooting percentage from inside the arc.
He hasn’t dominated in their three exhibition games, finishing with four points against FIU, six points against Wichita State, and zero points on 0-5 shooting against Incarnate Word. It’s not worth looking into exhibition performances too much, but it looks like he’ll play in a similar role to what he did last year. He averaged 15.8 minutes last year, and through these three games he’s averaging around 19. He’s an efficiency scorer and that’s what’s going to get him time on the court.
Lachlan Crate (6’8)
Crate had just one other Division I offer, from Green Bay, but he ultimately committed to the Racers. He ended up redshirting last season given the depth they had on the roster. While many players take a developmental year with a small role after redshirting, it looks like that might not be the case according to their exhibition games thus far.
Against Incarnate Word, he finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and one assist in 21 minutes. Against Wichita State he had six points with two rebounds in 23 minutes, and then he finished with two points and two rebounds against FIU in 17 minutes. I don’t love using exhibition games as a representation of what could be, but it’s evident that Coach Miller was seeing what he could get out of Crate this season, especially with some injuries on the roster.
The 6’8 forward fits into the rotation well as a four. They aren’t overloaded at this position either. They do have Brigham Rogers, Shon Tupuola, and obviously Roman Domon, but Tupuola appears to be behind him in the rotation according to the three exhibition games. He seems to rebound well, and if he can finish the season averaging 5-6 points with 4-5 rebounds, that’s a very successful first season in Division I college basketball.
Dillon Butler (6’3)
Butler is a walk-on, so you should expect him to play a minimal role for the Racers this season.
Roster Additions
Brigham Rogers (Senior) ~ Belmont
7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Shon Tupuola (Senior) ~ Valparaiso
6.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
Christian Jones (Junior) ~ George Washington
10 points, 3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals
Kaden Magwood (Sophomore) ~ Auburn
3.6 points, 1 rebound, 1.8 assists
Navon Shabazz (Freshman)
Mark Padjen (Freshman)
Talis Soulhac (Freshman)
Pavle Nikolic (Freshman)
Jonas Boulefaa (Freshman)
Guards
Christian Jones (6’4)
Jones spent his first two seasons in collegiate basketball with the George Washington Revolutionaries. He appeared in 68 games, starting in 21 throughout both years. Last year, he averaged ten points, three rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 45.4% overall from the floor and 36.4% from three-point. He clearly caught Coach Miller’s eyes with his 14-point performance in Murray State’s one-point win over George Washington. However, his most notable performance was against #21 Saint Louis when he poured in 15 points with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Rafael Castro was the go-to guy for George Washington, but Christian Jones was right there with him. He finished the season with a 106.7 offensive rating, 21.1% possession usage, 54.5% true shooting percentage, 21.3 assist rate, and a 2.4% steal percentage.
With Javon Jackson gone, he has a chance to nearly completely replace him in the lineup. Jackson was an offensive-minded guard who could also facilitate alongside Layne Taylor. Roman Domon will take over the offense, so he probably isn’t going to average 16 points a game like Jackson, but 9-10 points with 3+ assists per game is very realistic, while adding some strong on-ball defense. In the exhibitions, he finished with eight points, four assists, and three rebounds against Incarnate Word, 14 points with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals against Wichita State, and nine points with three rebounds and two assists against FIU.
Kaden Magwood (6’2)
I’m placing my bet that Kaden Magwood has a breakout season for the Racers this year. Coming out of high school, he was listed as a top-60, four-star recruit. Magwood spent his freshman season with Auburn where he appeared in 20 games, started in two, and averaged 3.6 points with one rebound, and 1.8 assists. He shot 38.6% overall and 27.8% from three-point. He appeared in all five games in their NIT Championship run, finished with 14 points against South Alabama in the opening round, but he was held to just eight points throughout the last four games.
I wouldn’t look too much into his metrics given the fact he didn’t have a ton of playing time and missed some games, but he featured some solid numbers. He finished with a 108.5 offensive rating, 20.5% possession usage, 48.1% true shooting percentage, and a very strong 29.1 assist rate.
Magwood has been coming off the bench in the three exhibition games thus far, but don’t be shocked if he ends up in the starting lineup. I’d like to see him distribute the ball more, but the Racers don’t prioritize assists in their offensive schemes. His offensive capabilities are going to earn him minutes though. He finished with nine points against Wichita State, ten points against FIU, and seven points against Incarnate Word. Turnovers have been high, but chalk that up to preseason games. Regardless, Magwood is going to be a huge asset for this team and I’d be stunned if he doesn’t end up starting.
Navon Shabazz (6’3)
Coming out of high school, Shabazz was listed as the 325th best recruit in his class and a three-star. He played at Iowa United Prep where he was named a McDonald’s All-American Nominee earlier this season. He also played with Arafan Diane who was listed as the 25th best player in their class, and Diane will be playing with the Houston Cougars this season.
Looking at his highlights, he has a natural knack to create offense for himself. At 6’3, he fits as a combo guard and his athleticism is going to allow him to be a threat on both ends of the court. This season will most likely be a developmental season for him, which is confirmed by the fact he played just once in their three exhibition games for three minutes against Incarnate Word. However, he has long-term potential that will allow him to take on an expanded role in the 2027-2028 season if he sticks around with the Racers.
Shabazz held offers from Iowa, Bryant, Wake Forest, Southern Mississippi, and Siena.
Mark Padjen (6’6)
Coach Miller and his staff has been hitting the international recruiting trail hard. Padjen is another European recruit heading to Murray, Kentucky, out of Slovenia. He played with a few teams last season, including for Slovenia in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket where he averaged 15.7 points with 5.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals across seven games. He shot 50.8% overall and 33.3% from three-point. He also played for Ilirija of the ABA League last year. He averaged 11.2 points with 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and nearly one steal throughout 20 games. He shot 40.5% overall and 30.6% from beyond the arc.
Padjen played just six seconds throughout the three exhibition games, but he’s battling a knee injury so he’s going to be out most likely for the start of the season. However, he’s someone that you should absolutely keep an eye on for the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team. While Domon is going to be the face of the team, Padjen could quickly get his name on the front of a lot of college basketball media. At 6’6, he functions as a combo guard more than a traditional wing. He can facilitate offense for himself and others, all while being crafty on offense when he forces his way inside. I recommend watching these highlights below from the FIBA U20 EuroBasket because he’s going to blow you away.
Talis Soulhac (6’2)
Soulhac is another France native joining the Racers’ roster this season. He appeared in 33 games last season for Blois in the France-ELITE 2 league. He finished the season averaging 12.2 points with 2.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and one steal per game in just 22.7 minutes per game. He shot 42% from the floor and 25.8% from three-point on 97 attempts. He also appeared for France in four games of the European Championships U20 where he averaged five points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
He’s appeared in the starting lineup for all three of the exhibition games for Murray State. He finished with seven points and two rebounds against FIU while fouling out, and 12 points with six rebounds against Wichita State. Despite operating as a point guard last year, he had just one assist in those three games. While watching his highlights, it’s hard to deny his offensive ability. There is no doubt he has some work to do with his three-point shooting, but inside the paint he looks like a well-polished veteran guard already. Some of the shots he hit in these highlights below are ridiculous.
Forwards
Brigham Rogers (6’9)
Transferring to another team in the same conference is always an interesting move, but when you transfer from an archrival school it makes for a great story. Brigham Rogers has spent his first three seasons with Belmont where he served as a slightly undersized big man at 6’9. Last year, he averaged 7.1 points with 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 72.5% from the floor.
When you look at his metrics, it’s important to remember that Belmont is a high volume three-point shooting team. They were 1st in the country in three-point shooting percentage and 52nd in three-point attempts vs field goal attempts. With Rogers playing a traditional center role, he didn’t have to score as many points as he probably would have on other teams. He featured a remarkable 127.8 offensive rating (81st overall), 72.2% effective field goal percentage, 9.2% offensive rebounding percentage (330th overall), 14.4% defensive rebounding percentage, 16.4 assist rate, 4.2% block percentage, and he was 15th overall in the country with his 72.2% shooting percentage from inside the arc.
Rogers should produce very similar, if not better numbers with the Racers this season. He’ll be in the starting lineup as their main center, but what’s important is his ability to not only to clean up the glass but also to help distribute the ball. As I highlighted earlier, assists aren’t a focal point for the Racers. However, when you have someone like Rogers that is as efficient as he is in the paint, he’ll draw pressure. He has the ability to move it for a big man, so that opens up an opportunity to send the ball back outside to someone like Christian Jones, Brayden Shorter, or Domon.
Pavle Nikolic (6’8)
It should be no shock here, but Nikolic is another international recruit that’s had some dominating experience already overseas. The 6’8 Serbian appeared in 29 games last year for Borac CA in the ABA League where he averaged 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals. The forward shot 54% overall from the floor and 35.4% from three-point on 82 attempts.
He didn’t appear in any of the exhibition games because the Racers are waiting on the NCAA to clear him, but Coach Miller told Logan Whaley of WPSD Local that he didn’t anticipate any long-term issues with his eligibility. This is another player on the team (one of three in my opinion) that has genuine NBA potential. He has incredible size already, but what stands out to me the most is his ability to move on the court. At 6’8, he has the ability to flex outside and knock down a three-point shot, but he can clean up the glass and his footwork is going to make him a problem for other teams in the paint.
Jonas Boulefaa (6’10)
Alongside Soulhac, Boulefaa is another player joining Murray State from France. He appeared in 40 games last season for Blois (same as Soulhac) where he averaged 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 19.5 minutes. He shot 42.6% overall from the floor and 28.4% from three-point on 102 attempts.
He’s played a smaller role thus far in the exhibition games, but he’s looked efficient. He finished with ten points and four rebounds against Incarnate Word in nine minutes, and four points with one rebound in seven minutes against FIU. He’s more of a raw talent than other freshmen on the roster, but he should still see the floor this year as he continues to develop. He’s a force in the paint and has the long-term potential to be a strong center for the Racers.
Centers
Shon Tupuola (6’10)
Tupuola spent his first two seasons in college basketball at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods where he put together some strong seasons at the NAIA level. That drew attention from Division I programs, leading him to transfer to Valparaiso last season. He ended up starting in all 33 games last season, while averaging 6.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. The 6’10 big man shot 58% overall from the floor. He put together some solid performances last year, especially at the beginning of the season. He finished with 14 points and eleven rebounds against Bryant, and 21 points with seven rebounds and three blocks against Cleveland State.
His efficiency last year was well represented by his metrics. He finished with a 118.4 offensive rating, 59.2% true shooting percentage (289th overall), 10.4% offensive rebounding percentage (218th overall), 16.7% defensive rebounding percentage, 6% block percentage (124th overall), and a 40.6 free throw rate.
With Rogers as the main big man on the roster, Tupuola will most likely take on a backup role. Through the exhibition games thus far, he’s actually played very little. This is a bit of a surprise to me because he has Missouri Valley experience, and he’s a strong defender inside the paint. He did play in 13 minutes against Incarnate Word, so perhaps this is just part of the preseason to let everyone see some playing time. Regardless, he’ll provide a consistent and efficient role off the bench to help defend the paint when Rogers is off the court.
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Expectations
Matt Norlander released a list of the top NIL spenders outside of the power conference ranks, and it was no shock that Murray State was one of the top spenders. Other programs included Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, and Dayton. The talent on this roster is represented by the work they’ve done to raise funds to build what they believe is a roster that can not just win the Missouri Valley Conference, but one that could make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. Let’s look at what their starting lineup could look like:
Talis Soulhac
Brayden Shorter / Christian Jones
Roman Domon / Mark Padjen
Roman Domon / Lachlan Crate / Pavle Nikolic
Brigham Rogers
In this starting lineup, I’m anticipating what it’ll look like on opening day and what it could look like long-term. With Mark Padjen most likely missing the opening week, though that’s not a given, Roman Domon will play alongside Lachlan Crate or Pavle Nikolic (pending he is cleared by the NCAA in time). When Padjen comes back, Crate will most likely swap to the bench as Padjen slides into the three-spot and Domon comes back at the four. Honestly, this team has so many players that could start, it makes projecting the lineup a bit difficult.
The guards are easier to anticipate. Talis Soulhac started in all three of the exhibition games, and he’s arguably the best point guard on the roster even in his first year of collegiate basketball. He has a tremendous ability to create offense for himself, and although we didn’t see much of his playmaking in those preseason games, he has the talent. Kaden Magwood will most likely be backing up Soulhac off the bench, although with his pedigree he could take over as the starting guard at some point this season depending on how they both start out the season.
The two spot is a toss-up between Brayden Shorter and Christian Jones in my opinion. Shorter has looked really good throughout the preseason and he’s a tremendous three-point shooter. However, Christian Jones has the experience starting on one of the better teams in the Atlantic 10. Either way, whichever one ends up securing the long-term starting role, the other will be a strong backup for the starter.
Roman Domon is a lock; that’s not even a question. At 6’9, he has the ability to fit as a four or a tall three. I spoke a lot on Domon earlier in this article, so I won’t just reiterate what’s already been written. However, I will say that he looked even better than last season in the preseason, so his presence in this lineup elevates their potential to the highest level.
Brigham Rogers is another lock at the center position. He has plenty of experience in the Missouri Valley, and he’s one of the most efficient big men not just in the conference, but in the country. He isn’t going to give you 12-14 points per game because he doesn’t have to. That’s why you have someone like Domon and Padjen once he enters the lineup.
The last spot in the starting lineup is where it gets interesting. Lachlan Crate has been starting in the preseason because Padjen is injured and Nikolic hasn’t been cleared. When both are able to enter the rotation, Padjen should most certainly lock in as a starter. However, Nikolic has tremendous potential as well. If Nikolic is cleared, but Padjen isn’t available yet, he could slide in over Crate. It’s worth noting though that Crate has looked excellent in the preseason, so which ever two players miss out on the starting lineup are going to have plenty of opportunities off the bench throughout the season.
If I had to nitpick one area, it’d be their lack of true point guard play. The Racers finished just 260th last season in assists per field goal, so I will caveat by saying that it’s simply not part of the coaching staff’s plan. Talis Soulhac has the potential to fill this void, and Mark Padjen has shown at 6’6 that he can be a playmaker. However, the question is, will that even be a part of their offense? The past metrics say no, and the preseason games confirm that. Therefore, my one nit pick becomes a bit of a moot point.
There is a lot of hype around this Murray State team from college basketball media, and we are right there with them. This is a tremendously deep team with a ton of talent, and in particular, talent that has professional level long-term potential. The expectation for Racers’ fans should be to win the Missouri Valley Conference. If you’ve made it thus far, you are obviously a fan of college basketball so you know that nothing is ever a given in the MVC, which is one of the most enjoyable conferences to follow in the sport. However, this team has the potential to make noise all year long and all of the eyes are going to be on them to follow through. Buy stock right now in the Murray State Racers because they are back.