2025–26 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team

2025–26 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record10–21 (6–12 MAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachBrooks Miller (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Jim Lake (1st season)
  • Raymoan McAfee (1st season)
Home arenaMcGuirk Arena
2025–26 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Miami (OH) 18 0   1.000 32 2   .941
Akron 17 1   .944 29 6   .829
Kent State 14 4   .778 24 10   .706
Toledo 11 7   .611 19 15   .559
Bowling Green 9 9   .500 18 14   .563
Ohio 9 9   .500 15 17   .469
Buffalo 7 11   .389 17 15   .531
UMass 7 11   .389 17 16   .515
Ball State 7 11   .389 12 19   .387
Central Michigan 6 12   .333 10 21   .323
Western Michigan 4 14   .222 10 21   .323
Northern Illinois 4 14   .222 9 21   .300
Eastern Michigan 4 14   .222 10 21   .323
2026 MAC tournament winner

The 2025–26 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team represented Central Michigan University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Chippewas, led by first-year head coach Andy Bronkema, played their home games at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Michigan as members of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the 2025–26 season 10–21, 6–12 in MAC play, to finish in 10th place.[1] They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament.

Previous season

The Chippewas finished the 2024–25 season 14–17, 7-11 in MAC play, to finish tied for ninth place out of the twelve teams competing.[2] They did not qualify for the MAC men's basketball tournament

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jakobi Heady 0 G/F 6'6" 200 Senior Sauk Village, Illinois Transferred to Bethune–Cookman
Shaedon Simpson 1 G 6'6" 185 RS Freshman Toronto, Ontario Transferred to Saint Peter's
Cayden Vasko 2 G 6'6" 190 Sophomore Lowell, Indiana Transferred to Wofford
Mohammad Habhab 3 F 6'9" 205 Freshman Dearborn, Michigan Transferred to Eastern Michigan
Kyler VanderJagt 4 G 6'4" 205 Junior Grand Rapids, Michigan Transferred to Toledo
Quentin Heady 5 F 6'6" 200 Sophomore Sauk Village, Illinois Transferred to Bethune–Cookman
Damarion Bonds 7 G 6'6" 180 Junior Pontiac, Michigan Transferred to Alabama State
Ryan Hatcher 9 G 6'2" 155 Freshman Detroit, Michigan
Trey Phillips 11 F 6'7" 205 Sophomore Scottsdale, Arizona Entered transfer portal
Hunter Harding 12 C 7'0" 245 Sophomore Toronto, Ontario Transferred to Indiana State
Bryan Ndjonga 13 F 6'9" 200 Sophomore Yaoundé, Cameroon Transferred to Canisius
Ugnius Jarusevicius 21 F 6'10" 220 Junior Alytus, Lithuania Transferred to Nebraska
Drew Barbee 22 G 6'3" 200 RS Freshman Mount Pleasant, Michigan Transferred to Incarnate Word
Gus Salem 23 G 6'2" 185 Freshman Los Angeles, California Entered transfer portal
Armani Mighty 26 C 6'10" 240 Junior Toronto, Ontario Transferred to Mercer
Anthony Pritchard 30 G 6'2" 185 Senior Tulsa, Oklahoma Graduated

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Jaxson Whitaker 3 G 6'4" 215 Sophomore Muskegon, Michigan Ferris State
Kareem Aburashed 4 C 6'10" 235 Senior West Bloomfield, Michigan Wayne State
Tamario Adley 5 G 6'1" 195 Senior Detroit, Michigan Wayne State
Phat Phat Brooks 10 G 6'2" 195 Sophomore Grand Rapids, Michigan Michigan
Kayden Nation 11 F 6'7" 225 Junior Peoria, Illinois Indian Hills CC
Keenan Garner 13 F 6'6" 220 Sophomore Fishers, Indiana IU Indy
Nick Mullen 21 F 6'10" 230 Senior Chesterton, Indiana IU South Bend
Will Ashford 22 G 6'5" 200 Sophomore Aurora, Illinois Purdue Northwest
Jorden Brooks 23 G 6'1" 185 Junior Grand Rapids, Michigan Ferris State
Rodney Johnson Jr. 24 F 6'5" 220 Senior Bryan, Texas Tennessee Tech
Nathan Claerbaut 32 C 7'0" 230 Senior Zeeland, Michigan Ferris State
Logan McIntire 33 G 6'5" 205 Senior Ramsey, Indiana Kentucky Wesleyan

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Uchenna Amene
G
Northville, Michigan Detroit Catholic Central High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    
Nsikan Usen
F
Milford, Michigan Lakeland High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    
Jalen Kampen
G
Parchment, Michigan Parchment High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Preseason

Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)

Preseason All-MAC

Preseason All-MAC teams
Team Player Position Year

Roster

2025–26 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Uchenna Amene 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Detroit Catholic Central High School Northville, Michigan
F 1 Nsikan Usen 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Lakeland High School Milford, Michigan
G 2 Jalen Kampen 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Parchment High School Parchment, Michigan
G 3 Jaxson Whitaker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Ferris State Muskegon, Michigan
C 4 Kareem Aburashed 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Wayne State West Bloomfield, Michigan
G 5 Tamario Adley 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Wayne State Detroit, Michigan
G 10 Phat Phat Brooks 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan
F 11 Kayden Nation 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Indian Hills Community College Peoria, Illinois
F 13 Keenan Garner 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So IU Indy Fishers, Indiana
F 21 Nick Mullen 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr IU South Bend Chesterton, Indiana
G 22 Will Ashford 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Purdue Northwest Aurora, Illinois
G 23 Jorden Brooks 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Ferris State Grand Rapids, Michigan
F 24 Rodney Johnson Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Tennessee Tech Bryan, Texas
C 32 Nathan Claerbaut 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Ferris State Zeeland, Michigan
G 33 Logan McIntire 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Kentucky Wesleyan Ramsey, Indiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 6, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2025*
7:00 p.m.
Saginaw Valley State W 77–56 
 16  Whitaker   8  Garner   3  Ashford  McGuirk Arena (1,121)
Mount Pleasant, MI
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Appalachian State
MAC-SBC Challenge
W 82–66  1–0
 22  Adley   7  Tied   3  Tied  McGuirk Arena (1,587)
Mount Pleasant, MI
November 8, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Bradley L 54–85  1–1
 12  Garner   8  Garner   2  Adley  Carver Arena (5,814)
Peoria, IL
November 13, 2025*
11:00 a.m., YouTube
vs. South Alabama
Showdown in St. Pete
L 64–66  1–2
 21  McIntire   14  Claerbaut   6  Brooks  McArthur Center (148)
St. Petersburg, FL
November 14, 2025*
11:00 a.m., YouTube
vs. Coppin State
Showdown in St. Pete
W 82–59  2–2
 20  Claerbaut   11  Claerbaut   4  Brooks  McArthur Center (142)
St. Petersburg, FL
November 20, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Kentucky L 66–90  2–3
 12  Mullen   6  Claerbaut   5  Tied  McGuirk Arena (1,402)
Mount Pleasant, MI
November 22, 2025*
2:00 p.m., TruTV
at Marquette L 71–85  2–4
 14  Claerbaut   8  Adley   4  Brooks  Fiserv Forum (14,034)
Milwaukee, WI
November 25, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Adrian W 112–67  3–4
 18  Johnson Jr.   8  Adley   7  Adley  McGuirk Arena (1,086)
Mount Pleasant, MI
December 2, 2025*
8:00 p.m., Marquee/ESPN+
at Loyola Chicago L 72–83  3–5
 21  Johnson Jr.   6  Tied   6  Brooks  Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,726)
Chicago, IL
December 7, 2025*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Saint Louis L 65–107  3–6
 19  Adley   7  Claerbaut   4  Adley  Chaifetz Arena (4,446)
Saint Louis, MO
December 13, 2025*
12:00 p.m., SNY/FloCollege
at Stony Brook L 55–78  3–7
 14  Mullen   4  Whitaker   3  Tied  Stony Brook Arena (1,314)
Stony Brook, NY
December 17, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Olivet W 85–65  4–7
 31  Claerbaut   12  Claerbaut   7  Adley  McGuirk Arena (1,012)
Mount Pleasant, MI
December 20, 2025
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Northern Illinois L 73–74  4–8
(0–1)
 18  Tied   7  Tied   7  Brooks  Convocation Center (1,311)
DeKalb, IL
December 22, 2025*
8:00 p.m., BTN
at Wisconsin L 61–88  4–9
 13  Adley   5  Mullen   6  Adley  Kohl Center (14,106)
Madison, WI
December 30, 2025
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
Ohio L 64–80  4–10
(0–2)
 19  Adley   7  Tied   4  Claerbaut  McGuirk Arena (1,358)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 3, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
Toledo L 75–78  4–11
(0–3)
 17  Brooks   6  Mullen   4  Adley  McGuirk Arena (1,342)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 6, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Akron L 69–82  4–12
(0–4)
 20  Adley   6  Adley   3  Brooks  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,623)
Akron, OH
January 10, 2025
3:00 p.m., ESPN+
Kent State W 87–85  5–12
(1–4)
 20  Brooks   8  Tied   4  Brooks  McGuirk Arena (2,022)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 13, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Miami (OH) L 61–100  5–13
(1–5)
 16  Claerbaut   8  Garner   4  Brooks  Millett Hall (2,021)
Oxford, OH
January 20, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Ball State L 67–68  5–14
(1–6)
 21  McIntire   8  Tied   6  Adley  McGuirk Arena (2,202)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 24, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Western Michigan L 65–77  5–15
(1–7)
 17  Claerbaut   12  Garner   5  Adley  University Arena (4,776)
Kalamazoo, MI
January 27, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Eastern Michigan W 100–65  6–15
(2–7)
 19  McIntire   9  Garner   6  Adley  McGuirk Arena (1,886)
Mount Pleasant, MI
January 31, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Bowling Green W 62–59  7–15
(3–7)
 18  Garner   14  Garner   6  Brooks  McGuirk Arena (5,352)
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UMass L 89–95  7–16
(3–8)
 40  McIntire   6  Brooks   11  Brooks  Mullins Center (2,243)
Amherst, MA
February 7, 2026*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Louisiana
MAC-SBC Challenge
L 80–85  7–17
 21  Adley   5  Brooks   3  Adley  Cajundome (3,148)
Lafayette, LA
February 14, 2026
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
Northern Illinois W 88–46  8–17
(4–8)
 19  Whitaker   11  Garner   6  Adley  McGuirk Arena (1,662)
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 17, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN+
at Eastern Michigan L 54–66  8–18
(4–9)
 17  Adley   7  Claerbaut   2  Tied  George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,517)
Ypsilanti, MI
February 21, 2026
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
Western Michigan W 83–70  9–18
(5–9)
 25  Adley   6  Adley   5  Brooks  McGuirk Arena (2,888)
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 24, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Kent State L 81–83  9–19
(5–10)
 20  Brooks   6  Adley   7  Brooks  MAC Center (2,124)
Kent, OH
February 28, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Buffalo W 75–70  10–19
(6–10)
 21  Adley   10  Garner   8  Brooks  Alumni Arena (2,499)
Amherst, NY
March 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Akron L 64–77  10–20
(6–11)
 15  McIntire   9  Adley   5  Adley  McGuirk Arena (1,901)
Mount Pleasant, MI
March 6, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Ball State L 69–85  10–21
(6–12)
 17  Brooks   8  Garner   6  Adley  Worthen Arena (2,815)
Muncie, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[3][4]

References