2025–26 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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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.
- Andy Bronkema (1st season)
| 2025–26 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| Record | 10–21 (6–12 MAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Brooks Miller (1st season) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | McGuirk Arena |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
| 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
| 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
| 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: | ||||||
Sources:
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Preseason
Preseason rankings
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
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Preseason All-MAC
| Team | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
Roster
| 2025–26 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||