Men's Basketball | 10/14/2025 12:00:00 PM
The beginning of the men's basketball season is just over a week away, and the River States Conference is excited to preview the 2025-26 seasons for our member schools! Each RSC school talked with players and coaches from their teams, with those interviews linked below as part of Media Day!
Additionally, each school has spotlighted two players expected to be major contributors during the 2025-26 campaign, and are also listed below as our 2025-26 Players to Watch!
BRESCIA
Media Day
Players to Watch
Linkin Lockhart
Senior | Bowling Green, Kentucky | Guard
Lockhart is Brescia's leading returning scorer at 12 points per game. After an up and down first semester last season, he really came alive in conference play with multiple 20-point games. His ability to make tough shots combined with his leadership will be really valuable to the Bearcats this season.
Xavi Tirado
Sophomore | Barcelona, Spain | Forward/Center
Tirado became and invaluable piece down the stretch of the season. When he was healthy, the Bearcats really thrived with his tough inside presence and his soft touch around the basket.
IU COLUMBUS
Media Day
Players to Watch
Owen Law
Junior | Commiskey, Indiana | Guard
Owen Law is a smooth shooting wing player who is willing to do what it takes to help
his team be successful. He received third team all-RSC honors last season while holding down a 3.9 GPA. He was also named to the IU Columbus dean's list.
Damontae Thompson
Junior | Madison, Wisconsin | Guard
Damontae is a highly skilled guard who led the team in assists and steals. The soft-spoken guard demonstrates leadership on and off the court. He made the dean's list with a 3.8 GPA last season.
IU EAST
Media Day
Players to Watch
Tobey Billups
Senior | Connersville, Indiana | Guard
Billups returns for his fourth season at IU East. The point guard will run the floor and hopes to improve on his best season of his career where he averaged 10.5 points and 6.2 assists per game.
Cole Henry
Freshman | Versailles, Indiana | Guard
Cole comes to IU East after averaging 21.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his last season at South Ripley High School.
IU KOKOMO
Media Day
Players to Watch
Joseph Annan, Jr.
Junior | Indianapolis, Indiana | Forward
Annan, Jr. was one of IU Kokomo's top bench players during the 2024-25 season, averaging nearly ten points per game. The junior dominated near the hoop, shooting almost 56 percent from the field and pulling down almost five rebounds per contest.
Evan Kretz
Senior | Russiaville, Indiana | Guard
Kretz was a Second Team All-RSC selection last season. The senior scored 14.6 points per game during his junior campaign, a mark that increased to 16.6 in River States Conference play. He was a deadly three-point shooter, making 46.4 percent of his attempts in league play.
IU SOUTHEAST
Media Day
Players to Watch
Trent Hinkle
Sophomore | Louisville, Kentucky | Guard
Trent Hinkle comes into the season as the starting point guard for IU Southeast. Hinkle is the leading returning scorer, averaging 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last season.
Nathaniel Hoffman
Senior | Jeffersonville, Indiana | Forward
Nathaniel Hoffman enters his second season with the Grenadiers. The senior looks to step into the starting lineup this season after starting just 7 of his 24 games as a junior. Hoffman showed streaks of brilliance last season with eight games with 10+ points.
KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN
Media Day
Players to Watch
Markell Hood
Senior | Overland Park, Kansas | Guard
Hood was excellent in 13 games last season for the Knights, averaging more than 17 points per game. The senior shot 54.7 percent from the field and knocked down more than 40 percent of his three-point attempts, all while pulling down more than five rebounds per contest.
D'Angelo Stoxstill
Sophomore | Inkster, Michigan | Forward
Stoxstill was Kentucky Christian's leading scorer during the 2024-25 season, ending the season with more than 12 points per game. The forward made nearly 56 percent of his field goal attempts, and pulled down a team-high 167 rebounds.
MIDWAY
Media Day
Players to Watch
Decoreio Smith
Senior | Memphis, Tennessee | Guard
Smith was a Second Team All-RSC selection for the Eagles last season. In his first full season on campus, Smith averaged 15 points per game, and shot 41.5 percent from three-point territory. The guard dished out 56 assists and came up with 36 steals in his 25 starts for Midway.
Amari Wales
Senior | Owensboro, Kentucky | Guard
Wales was named Second Team All-RSC for Midway last season. The Owensboro native averaged more than 17 points per game for the Eagles, and finished the season shooting 51.4 percent from the field. He was active on the glass as well, finishing the year with 111 rebounds.
OAKLAND CITY
Media Day
Players to Watch
Johnathan Claxton
Senior | Portland, Oregon | Forward
Claxton is the top returning scorer from last season's Oakland City team. The forward scored 138 points and finished second on the roster with 125 rebounds. He earned a starting role once conference season rolled around, starting for the Mighty Oaks in 14 of 16 conference contests.
Dior Davis
Senior | Manhattan, New York | Guard
Davis is in his first season at Oakland City. Davis has played previously at the University of New Hampshire and Clark Atlanta, where he spent the 2024-25 season. He played 27 games in his Division I season at New Hampshire before playing 21 games last season at NCAA Division II Clark Atlanta.
RIO GRANDE
Media Day
Players to Watch
Jaelin Johnson
Junior | Fairmont, West Virginia | Guard/Forward
Johnson earned Third Team All-RSC honors last season. Johnson averaged 13.2 points per game, and was one of two players to start 29 games for the RedStorm. Johnson knocked down 42 three-pointers on the season, and shot better than 87 percent from the free throw line.
Trey Robertson
Senior | Waverly, Ohio | Guard
Robertson was a Second Team All-Conference selection for the RedStorm last season. The guard led Rio Grande with 14.6 points per game in 2024-25, shooting 45 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point territory. His totals in all three categories went up in conference play, with 14.9 points, a 46.4 field goal percentage, and a 43.8 three-point percentage
ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS
Media Day
Players to Watch
Taray Howell
Sophomore | Evansville, Indiana | Guard
Howell brings quickness and scoring punch to the SMWC backcourt. After an impressive freshman season, he’s ready to take on a larger role and provide leadership from the guard position.
Ellis Todd
Senior | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Guard/Forward
Todd enters his senior season as a versatile threat who can contribute both on the perimeter and in the paint. His size, strength, and experience make him a key piece for the Pomeroys on both ends of the floor.
SHAWNEE STATE
Media Day
Players to Watch
Jason Steele
Junior | Flushing, New York | Forward
Steele, who appeared at 35 games as a forward for NCAA Division I Long Island over the past two seasons, was a key contributor for LIU over each of the last two years, shooting 36 percent from three-point field and averaging 16.9 minutes per game between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with the Sharks.
Kiante Williams
Junior | Lubbock, Texas | Forward
A member of the Class of 2022 who was once ranked as high as 45th nationally in his class and was a member of the ESPN 60 at one point. After attending North Idaho College for the 2022-23 season and NCAA Division I Bethune Cookman in 2023-24, Williams landed at Reid State Community College (Ala.) for the 2024-25 campaign, where he averaged 10.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game on 49.7 percent shooting from the field.
WVU TECH
Media Day
Players to Watch
Ian Goings
Junior | Columbia, South Carolina | Forward
After averaging 15.0 points & 7.6 rebounds last year at Patrick & Henry Community College, Goings looks to build on those numbers for WVU Tech as an inside & outside threat on the offensive end.
Brandon Moore
Junior | Lima, Ohio | Guard
A transfer from Lakeland Community College, Moore has joined WVU Tech quickly showcasing his all-around playmaking ability on the offensive end & being a tenacious point of attack defender for the Golden Bears.