Men's Basketball | 11/4/2025 11:00:00 AM
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - With divisional play beginning this year for the first time in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) men's basketball, Washington & Jefferson College was picked first in the South Division and Westminster College was chosen as the favorite in the North Division when the conference announced its preseason coaches' poll and Players to Watch list Tuesday morning.
With Hiram College returning this season after playing in the North Coast Athletic Conference for the last 26 years, the PAC splits to two six-team divisions. Each team will play 16 games in the regular season against conference foes, with programs playing their divisional opponents twice and teams from the opposite division one time each.
The PAC Tournament will also expand this year, as eight teams, the top four from each division, qualify for the conference playoffs. The tournament gets underway on Tuesday, Feb. 24th with the top two seeds from each division hosting quarterfinal matches. Semifinal matches will be played Thursday, Feb. 26th and the PAC Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28th, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. All PAC Tournament match-ups will be played at campus sites. For a full breakdown of the new PAC Tournament format, check the PAC Championships page.
W&J, who reached the PAC title game last year, earned nine first-place votes and 63 points to top the South Division. Eleventh-year head coach Ethan Stewart-Smith and the Presidents return seven players who averaged nine or more points last year from a team that finished 21-7 and reached the PAC Championship game after defeating Franciscan University in the quarterfinals and Saint Vincent College in the semifinals.
Saint Vincent secured one first-place vote and 55 points to rank second in the polling, while defending champion Chatham University, who will be led by first-year head coach Brian Baudinet, had the last two first-place votes and totaled 46 points to place third. In 2024-25, the Cougars rolled to their second conference title in three years by going 18-2 in the PAC regular season to earn the No. 1 seed for the PAC Tournament. Chatham would defeat Grove City College in the semifinals and W&J in the title game before falling to Gettysburg College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to finish with a 23-5 record.
Placing fourth in the PAC South Division balloting was Franciscan University with 40 points, followed by Waynesburg University in fifth (26) and Bethany College (16).
Topping the North Division voting was Westminster College with six first-place votes and 60 points. The Titans begin a new era this year with David Richards returning to his alma mater as the head coach. A 2009 Westminster graduate, Richards spent the previous seven years compiling a 120-56 record as the head coach at Chatham, winning PAC Tournament crowns in 2019, 2023, and 2025 and earning PAC Coach of the Year twice (2023, 2025).
Westminster just edged out Grove City College in the North, as the Wolverines had 58 points with four first-place votes. Allegheny College came in third place with 43 points and the final two first-place votes and were followed by Geneva College in fourth (33), Thiel College in fifth (29) and Hiram College (23). The Terriers return to the PAC where they won five conference championships between 1971-89, with the last coming in 1983-84.
This year's Players to Watch list is highlighted by last season's Player of the Year among the four returning First Team All-PAC players, the Defensive Player of the Year among the other three returning all-conference players and the PAC Newcomer of the Year. Defending champion Chatham will have two First Team All-PAC players back on the floor in senior guards Diaun Pinkett and Lovenson Xavier. There were many firsts for Pinkett last year, as he was the first player in Chatham history to earn PAC Player of the Year and be named All-Region from both the NABC and D3hoops.com. The 6'1" guard averaged 17.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.9 assists per game in 28 contests.
Joining Pinkett on First Team All-PAC was Xavier after he ranked sixth in the league in scoring (16.4), seventh in rebounding (6.7), tied for seventh in blocked shots (25) and 10th in free throw percentage (73.9).
The 2025 PAC Defensive Player of the Year will be back in the lineup for W&J in junior Nathan Plotner, who was also a Second Team All-PAC selection last year. He became the first President to earn top defensive player honors after he led the conference and ranked 11th in the nation with 70 blocked shots. The 6'7" forward also finished seventh in the conference with 55 steals. He added to his defensive prowess by leading the team in scoring (14.4), ranking second in the PAC with 9.4 rebounds per game and led the league and ranked seventh in Division III in field goal percentage (62.6).
Another award winner back for the Presidents is sophomore Cameron Rowell. Last season's PAC Newcomer of the Year had an impact for W&J in his initial campaign, as the 6'4" guard/forward averaged 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while ranking sixth in the league with 60 steals. Rowell helped fuel the Presidents' run to the PAC title game, which included a 19-point outburst in the semifinal win at Saint Vincent, and he averaged 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the three tournament games.
The Players to Watch list also includes nine members of the Spring 2025 PAC Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes on varsity sports teams who earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition.
This year's championship tournament winner will receive the league's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. Team selections for the Division III Championship are scheduled to be announced Monday, March 2, with first- and second-round matchups scheduled for Friday-Saturday, March 6-7.
| 2025-26 PAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (North Division) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 record (conference) |
| 1. Westminster College (6) |
60 |
8-17 (5-15 PAC) |
| 2. Grove City College (4) |
58 |
16-11 (12-8 PAC) |
| 3. Allegheny College (2) |
43 |
9-16 (7-13 PAC) |
| 4. Geneva College |
33 |
14-12 (12-8 PAC) |
| 5. Thiel College |
29 |
9-15 (8-12 PAC) |
| 6. Hiram College |
23 |
6-19 (1-15 NCAC) |
| 2025-26 PAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (South Division) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 record (conference) |
| 1. Washington & Jefferson College (9) |
63 |
21-7 (15-5 PAC) |
| 2. Saint Vincent College (1) |
55 |
20-6 (16-4 PAC) |
| 3. Chatham University (2) |
46 |
23-5 (18-2 PAC) |
| 4. Franciscan University |
40 |
15-12 (10-10 PAC) |
| 5. Waynesburg University |
26 |
7-18 (5-15 PAC) |
| 6. Bethany College |
16 |
7-18 (2-18 PAC) |
2025-26 PAC Men's Basketball Players to Watch
| 1 = 2024-25 First Team All-PAC / 2 = Second Team / HM = Honorable Mention |
| Allegheny |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Ryan Lang |
Sr. |
G |
6-0 |
Sarver, Pa./Knoch |
| Jayson Perry |
Jr. |
G |
6-1 |
Tampa, Fla./Sickles |
| James Sitter |
Sr. |
F |
6-4 |
Erie, Pa./Fairview |
| Bethany |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Troy Hixson |
Grad. |
G |
6-1 |
Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready |
| Ryan Reasbeck |
Sr. |
G |
6-3 |
Washington, Pa./Wheeling Central Catholic |
| Co Rose |
Sr. |
G |
6-1 |
Odessa, Texas/Odessa |
| Chatham |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Donovan Callahan |
Jr. |
F |
6-4 |
New Kensington, Pa./The Kiski School |
| Easton Fulmer |
Sr. |
G |
6-1 |
Franklin, Pa./Franklin |
| Diaun Pinkett (1) |
Sr. |
G |
6-1 |
McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour |
| Jake TenBarge |
Sr. |
F |
6-6 |
Los Angeles, Calif./Phoenix Prep |
| Lovenson Xavier (1) |
Sr. |
G |
6-2 |
Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples |
| Franciscan |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Sawyer Butler (1) |
Jr. |
G |
6-2 |
Beaver, Pa./Beaver |
| Nathan Richards |
So. |
G |
6-0 |
Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin |
| Aiden Townsend |
Jr. |
F |
6-4 |
Beaver, Pa./Beaver |
| Karl Yonkeu |
Jr. |
F |
6-4 |
Manchester, N.H./Holy Family Academy |
| Travis Zimmerman |
Sr. |
F |
6-6 |
Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park |
| Geneva |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Jonathan Bertovich |
Sr. |
G |
5-9 |
East Palestine, Ohio/Heartland Christian |
| Trey Barker |
Sr. |
G/F |
6-4 |
Apex, N.C./Trinity Academy |
| Tommy Coletti |
So. |
G |
6-3 |
Dover, Ohio/Dover |
| Nick Million |
Sr. |
G/F |
6-3 |
Poland, Ohio/Columbiana |
| Grove City |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Mike Christenson (HM) |
Sr. |
G |
6-5 |
Oakton, Md./Trinity |
| Austin Johncour |
Jr. |
C |
6-8 |
Sewickley, Pa./Avonworth |
| Kyle Randle |
Sr. |
G |
6-0 |
Willowick, Ohio/Eastlake North |
| Hiram |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Brock Makrancy |
Sr. |
W |
6-6 |
Findlay, Ohio/Marietta |
| Collin Jones |
So. |
G |
6-6 |
Little Rock, Ark./North Ridgeville |
| Saint Vincent |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Maxwell Gordon |
Jr. |
G |
5-10 |
Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay |
| Jevontae Jones |
Sr. |
F |
6-5 |
Beaver Falls, Pa./Richmond Heights (Ohio) |
| Dev Ostrowski (1) |
Sr. |
G |
6-3 |
East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme |
| Thiel |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Kahmari Accusio-Harris |
Jr. |
F |
6-3 |
Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter |
| Mike Brown |
Sr. |
G |
5-10 |
Clinton, Md./Gwynn Park |
| John Morgan |
Sr. |
F |
6-6 |
Indianapolis, Ind./Lebanon |
| W&J |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Alex Acosta |
Sr. |
F |
6-6 |
Acworth, Ga./North Cobb |
| Matthew Carte |
Jr. |
G |
6-2 |
Ravenswood, W.Va./Ravenswood |
| Nathan Plotner (2) |
Jr. |
F |
6-7 |
Parkersburg, W.Va/Parkersburg South |
| Cameron Rowell |
So. |
G/F |
6-4 |
Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional |
| Matt Seidl (HM) |
Sr. |
G |
6-3 |
Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills |
| Waynesburg |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Scott Bilovus |
Sr. |
G |
6-2 |
Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny |
| Jalen Goins |
Sr. |
G |
6-3 |
Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown |
| Casey Keesee |
Sr. |
G |
5-10 |
Tipp City, Ohio/Bethel |
| Westminster |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Trey DePietro |
Sr. |
F |
6-7 |
Boardman, Ohio/Boardman |
| DJ Harrell |
Grad. |
G |
6-0 |
Cleveland, Ohio/East Tech |
| Drew Weir |
Sr. |
G |
6-6 |
Salem, Ohio/Salem |