2025–26 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team

The 2025–26 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team represents Le Moyne College during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Dolphins, led by sixth-season head coach Nate Champion, play their home games on Ted Grant Court in the Le Moyne Events Center in DeWitt, New York as third-year members of the NEC and NCAA Division I. This is the 77th season of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball.

This is the third season of Le Moyne's transition to Division I. Consequently, the team is ineligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play.

The Dolphins finished the 2024–25 season 9–23, 4–12 in NEC play, tied for eighth place. As the no. 8 seed in the NEC tournament, they lost to Central Connecticut in the quarterfinals.^[2][3]

On December 18, 2024, a United States District Court issued a preliminary injunction in favor of Diego Pavia after preliminarily finding that NCAA Division I by-laws 12.02.06^[4] and 14.3.3^[5] and the rules in the NCAA Division I 2024–25 Manual^[6] constitute a commercial agreement, can be replaced by a less restrictive alternative and cause irreparable harm to Pavia. The injunction prevents the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules against Pavia and Vanderbilt University.^[7] The injunction is not a final determination of the judicial system as to the NCAA's eligibility rules and specifically applies only to Pavia. Nevertheless, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved a temporary blanket waiver for student-athletes who competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years and would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024–25 academic year under existing rules. Such student-athletes are granted an additional year of eligibility for the 2025–26 academic year.^[8] The NCAA appealed the injunction. However, since it had already granted the relief Pavia sought through the blanket waiver, the court dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction, since the matter had become moot.^[9][10]

Following the 2024–25 season, Will Amica^[11] and Freds Pauls Bagatskis^[12] left the team. Zek Tekin left school^[13] and signed with Galatasaray S.K. of the Turkish Basketball Super League.^[14] Robby Carmody graduated. Darrick Jones Jr. entered the transfer portal on March 25.^[15] AJ Dancler transferred to Coastal Carolina on March 31.^[16] Ocypher Owens transferred to Tarleton State on April 16.^[17] Dwayne Koroma transferred to UConn on May 30.^[18] Dancler was second-team all-NEC^[19] and led the Dolphins in scoring, assists, three-point shooting and minutes played. Koroma led the team in rebounding and steals and led the NEC in field-goal percentage. Owens led Le Moyne in shot blocking. Amica was the Dolphins' best free-throw shooter.^[20]

Eli Greenberg, a 6'4" point guard from Centerville High School in Ohio, committed to Le Moyne on September 2, 2024. He signed on November 13.^[21] Josiah Lee, a 6'2" point guard from Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, Washington, signed with Le Moyne on November 19, 2024.^[22][23]

Shilo Jackson, a 6'9" forward from Indianapolis, transferred to Le Moyne from Texas A&M–Corpus Christi as a redshirt senior on April 17.^[24] In 26 appearances during his redshirt junior season, Jackson shot 60% from the floor and averaged 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11 minutes per game.^[25]

Jakai Sanders, a 6'3" point guard from Brooklyn, transferred to Le Moyne from Saint Peter's as a sophomore on May 2.^[26] Sanders averaged 2.4 points, one assist and 11 minutes in 13 games as a freshman.^[27]

Tennessee Rainwater, a 6'6" swingman from Davenport, Washington, transferred to Le Moyne from Utah Tech as a junior on May 15.^[28] Rainwater averaged 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 16 minutes in 30 games, six of them starts, as a sophomore.^[29]

Ametri Moss committed to enroll as a graduate student at Le Moyne on May 19.^[30] Moss, a 6'0" point guard from Clarksville, Tennessee, played two seasons at North Florida following two seasons as a junior college player at State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota^[31] and has a year of eligibility remaining under the NCAA blanket waiver. Moss came off the bench to play in 31 of North Florida's 32 games during the 2024–25 season, and averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 assists in 14 minutes per game.^[32]

Samuel Hincapie, a 6'5" shooting guard from Medellín, Colombia, transferred to Le Moyne from Lake Land, where he was a junior college player the previous two seasons, on May 20.^[33] As a sophomore, Hincapie averaged 17.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and shot 67% from the field.^[34]

Trevor Roe, who took a medical redshirt the previous season, returned to action for this campaign. However, Roe's cousin, Nate Fouts, was injured during the offseason and was a medical redshirt this season.

Assistant coach Elijah Burns left Le Moyne and became an assistant at Albany in June.^[35] Assistant coach Ben Swank left Le Moyne and became an assistant at Tampa on August 11.^[36]

After a year at Villanova,^[37] Jamie Young returned to Le Moyne for his second season as an assistant coach.^[38] The Dolphins announced the hiring of Serge Clement as an assistant coach on August 1. Clement served as assistant coach and defensive coordinator of 2024–25 Atlantic 10 regular-season co-champion George Mason, which ranked third nationally in field goal percentage defense and finished in the top 25 in overall team defense among Division I programs. The Atlantic 10 title was the first for George Mason, which set a new program record with 27 wins. Clement previously served as an assistant at Hofstra, Marist and Saint Peter's. He earned his bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Potsdam and his master's degree from State University of New York at Cortland.^[39]

The NEC released its preseason coaches poll on October 27, 2025. The Dolphins were picked to finish ninth in the conference.^[43]

() first-place votes

Le Moyne was ranked 339th of 365 Division I teams in the preseason Pomeroy ratings.^[44]

No Dolphins were selected as members of the NEC preseason all-conference team.^[45]

The Dolphins opened their season with a 94–50 home victory over Division III SUNY Cobleskill. Le Moyne's 12–0 run in the middle of the first half gave the Dolphins a 14-point lead that they extended to 20 by halftime. Le Moyne's lead was never smaller than 20 points in the second half. Deng Garang scored 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field to lead four Dolphins in double figures and added five rebounds, three assists and a block. Trevor Roe made his Le Moyne debut, after sitting out the previous season with an injury, and tallied nine points while grabbings six rebounds. Graduate student transfer Ametri Moss started at point guard for the Dolphins and registered five points, four assists, four steals, three rebounds and no turnovers in 19 minutes. Freshmen Eli Greenberg and Josiah Lee each scored 12 points in their collegiate debuts. This was the first time Le Moyne opened their season at home since the 2010–11 season.^[46][47]

The Dolphins met fellow Jesuit school Xavier for the first time to open their road schedule. Despite the Musketeers being heavy favorites, Le Moyne never trailed by more than 10 points and was down by three after Ametri Moss hit a jump shot with 2:37 to play. From there, Xavier hit five of their six free throws, while the Dolphins were 0 for 2 at the line and 1 for 3 from three-point range and committed a turnover, falling, 74–69. Trent Mosquera scored a game-high 20 points for Le Moyne. Moss finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Shilo Jackson added six points, six rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals for the Dolphins.^[48][49][50]

Trent Mosquera was named an NEC Prime Performer for the season's first week after registering a pair of 20-point performances in the season's first three games.^[51]

Jakai Sanders was named an NEC Prime Performer for the season's second week after scoring a career-high 17 points, shooting 5 for 10 from the floor, 2 for 2 from three-point range and 5 for 5 from the free-throw line, in the Dolphins' 94–80 loss at UMass on November 13.^[52][53]

Shilo Jackson recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Dolphins to their first win of the season over a Division I opponent, a 74–68 home triumph over Niagara on November 17. Le Moyne led, 51–50, with 9:29 to play and broke the game open with a 12–1 run over the next 5:14. Seven of the Dolphins' 12 points during the spurt were scored at the free-throw line. Niagara made a late charge and got within a point with 1:39 remaining. Jackson answered with a jumper, a rebound of Niagara's missed layup and a pass to Jakai Sanders, who converted a three-point play after making a layup for a six-point Dolphin lead with 22 seconds left. Deng Garang matched Jackson's game-high 17 points for Le Moyne, and Sanders added 14 points and six assists. This was Le Moyne's first win over the Purple Eagles in the ninth meeting between the programs. The Dolphins improved to 2–3 on the season.^[54][55]

Shilo Jackson was named an NEC Prime Performer for the season's third week after averaging 17.5 points, 10 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 67% from the floor and 92% from the free-throw line in two games.^[56]

As of November 22, 2025

Source:^[59]

Every Dolphins game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Radio affiliates WOLF at 1490 AM and 92.5 FM in Syracuse and WOSW at 1300 AM and 92.5 FM in Oswego County. Le Moyne alumni Chris Granozio and Don Familo will call their 33rd season of Dolphins basketball with Granozio handling the play-by-play and Familo providing the analysis and color. The Dolphins' radio network will also carry an hour-long weekly show called Dinner with the Dolphins on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. during the season. Dolphins head coach Nate Champion and the Le Moyne women's basketball head coach, Nick DiPillo, will be interviewed during each episode. The show will be broadcast live from Tully's Good Times on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse, and those in attendance can submit questions for the coaches.^[60]

Dolphins road games versus conference opponents and all their home games will be streamed live and available for free on NEC Front Row,^[61] the Northeast Conference's streaming platform. The radio feed with Granozio and Familo on the call will be heard on Dolphins home games that stream on NEC Front Row. Television or streaming coverage of non-conference road and neutral-site games will be available on the media outlets with which the host team has made arrangements.