2025–26 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball team

2025–26 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball
2025–26 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball
Conference	West Coast Conference
Record	8–4 (0–0 WCC)
Head coach	Stan Johnson (6th season);
Assistant coaches	Lorenzo Romar; Ricky Muench; Louis Wilson; Mark Phelps;
Home arena	Gersten Pavilion

2025–26 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 7 Gonzaga	0	–	0	–	11	–	1	.917
Saint Mary's	0	–	0	–	10	–	2	.833
Seattle	0	–	0	–	10	–	2	.833
Santa Clara	0	–	0	–	9	–	4	.692
Loyola Marymount	0	–	0	–	8	–	4	.667
Pacific	0	–	0	–	8	–	4	.667
Portland	0	–	0	–	7	–	5	.583
San Francisco	0	–	0	–	7	–	5	.583
Oregon State	0	–	0	–	6	–	6	.500
San Diego	0	–	0	–	5	–	6	.455
Pepperdine	0	–	0	–	5	–	8	.385
Washington State	0	–	0	–	5	–	8	.385

† 2026 WCC tournament winner As of December 20, 2025 Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball team represents Loyola Marymount University during the 2025-26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lions, led by sixth-year head coach Stan Johnson, play their home games at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, California as a member of the West Coast Conference.

Previous season

The Lions finished the 2024–25 season: 17–15, 8–10 in conference play; good for joint-7th place in the conference. They were the 7th seed in the WCC Tournament, would beat 11th seed San Diego in the Second Round, but would lose to 6th seed Washington State in the Third Round.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Will Johnston	4	G	6'3"	185	Senior	Sydney, Australia	Transferred to Richmond
Jovan Ristic	8	F	6'5"	205	Sophomore	Belgrade, Serbia	Transferred to Saint Anselm
Lamaj Lewis	10	G	6'6"	210	Senior	Paramount, CA	Graduated
Jevon Porter	14	F	6'11"	225	Junior	Columbia, MO	Transferred to Missouri
Matar Diop	21	F	6'10"	213	Sophomore	Dakar, Senegal	Transferred to Stetson
Alex Merkviladze	23	F	6'8"	225	Graduate Student	Kutaisi, Georgia	Graduated
Caleb Stone-Carrawell	25	F	6'7"	210	Graduate Student	Concord, NC	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Nakyel Shelton	0	G	6'3"	180	Graduate Student	Chicago, IL	Eastern Illinois
Jalen Shelley	1	F	6'8"	190	Sophomore	Little Elm, TX	USC
Rodney Brown Jr.	2	G	6'6"	180	Junior	Perris, CA	Virginia Tech
Tanner Thomas	13	F	6'6"	215	Senior	Stamford, CT	Sacred Heart
Rokas Jocius	35	F	6'10"	240	Senior	Kaunas, Lithuania	UCF

Recruiting classes

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
AJ Thomas PG	Gilbert, AZ	Eduprize High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Nov 13, 2024
AJ Thomas PG	Recruit ratings: 247Sports:
Josh Dalton PF	Napa, CA	Golden State Prep	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	N/A	May 5, 2025
Josh Dalton PF	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking: Scout: nr Rivals: nr ESPN: nr
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: "Loyola Marymount Lions 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. "2025 Loyola Marymount Lions Basketball Commits". Scout. "ESPN 2025 Loyola Marymount Lions Basketball recruits". ESPN. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.

2026 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2026)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
J.J. Harris SF	Los Angeles, CA	Windward High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	N/A	May 9, 2025
J.J. Harris SF	Recruit ratings: 247Sports:
Overall recruit ranking: Scout: nr Rivals: nr ESPN: nr
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: "Loyola Marymount Lions 2026 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. "2026 Loyola Marymount Lions Basketball Commits". Scout. "ESPN 2026 Loyola Marymount Lions Basketball recruits". ESPN. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. "2026 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Roster

2025–26 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Nakyel Shelton	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	GS	Carl Schurz HS Eastern Illinois	Chicago, IL
F	1	Jalen Shelley	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Link Academy USC	Little Elm, TX
G	2	Rodney Brown Jr.	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jr	Rancho Christian School Virginia Tech	Perris, CA
G	3	Marley Zeller	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	RS Fr	Central Catholic HS	Portland, OR
G	4	AJ Thomas	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Eduprize HS	Lancaster, CA
G	5	M. J. Amey Jr.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Sr	Scotland Prep (Pa.) San Jose State	Vacaville, CA
F	6	Josh Dalton	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Fr	Golden State Prep	Concord, NC
G	7	Jan Vide	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jr	SEK El Castillo UCLA	Domžale, Slovenia
F	13	Tanner Thomas	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Sr	Williston Northampton School Missouri	Stamford, CT
F	16	Aaron McBride	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Jr	Centennial HS	Corona, CA
C	22	Rick Issanza	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	GS	Bella Vista Prep Oklahoma	Kinshasa, Congo
G	24	Jael Martin	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Fr	Carlsbad HS	Carlsbad, CA
F	35	Rokas Jocius	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Sr	Vilniaus Perlas Energija UCF	Kaunas, Lithuania
G	40	Cooper Smith (W)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Greendale HS	Milwaukee, WC
G	41	Kevin Carney (W)	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Sr	Sacred Heart Prep	Menlo Park, CA
F	42	George Tupy (W)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jr	St. Francis HS	Sierra Madre, CA

Head coach

Stan Johnson (Bemidji State)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 18, 2025* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+	USC	L 51–60		16 – Brown Jr.	8 – Issanza	2 – Tied	Gersten Pavilion (2,431) Los Angeles, CA
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Lincoln (CA)	W 137–54	1–0	20 – McBride	11 – Dalton	6 – Shelley	Gersten Pavilion (761) Los Angeles, CA
November 5, 2025* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+	Eastern Washington	W 70–62	2–0	22 – Amey Jr.	12 – Shelley	7 – Vide	Gersten Pavilion (892) Los Angeles, CA
November 8, 2025* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	W 94–72	3–0	28 – Brown Jr.	7 – Issanza	11 – Vide	Gersten Pavilion (877) Los Angeles, CA
November 11, 2025* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	at UTEP	W 71–58	4–0	18 – Amey Jr.	9 – Shelley	7 – Shelley	Don Haskins Center (3,534) El Paso, TX
November 14, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Troy	W 74–63	5–0	24 – Vide	7 – McBride	5 – Vide	Gersten Pavilion (833) Los Angeles, CA
November 17, 2025* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	at UC Santa Barbara	W 78–74 ^OT	6–0	29 – Amey	14 – McBride	6 – Brown	The Thunderdome (2,402) Santa Barbara, CA
November 24, 2025* 5:30 p.m., CBSSN	vs. Florida Atlantic Sunshine Slam Beach Bracket semifinals	L 65–76	6–1	15 – Shelley	6 – Brown	3 – Brown	Ocean Center (1,236) Daytona Beach, FL
November 25, 2025* 2:00 p.m., CBSSN	vs. Ohio Sunshine Slam Beach Bracket championship/3rd place	W 70–58	7–1	15 – Thomas	13 – Shelley	3 – Amey Jr.	Ocean Center Daytona Beach, FL
November 28, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Stony Brook Sunshine Slam campus site game	L 68–71	7–2	22 – Jocius	8 – Jocius	2 – Tied	Gersten Pavilion (784) Los Angeles, CA
December 2, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Saint Louis	L 71–90	7–3	19 – Thomas	5 – Thomas	4 – Amey Jr.	Gersten Pavilion (908) Los Angeles, CA
December 16, 2025* 8:30 p.m., ESPN+	UC San Diego	L 57–67	7–4	19 – Brown	6 – Shelley	5 – Vide	Gersten Pavilion (747) Los Angeles, CA
December 19, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	North Alabama	W 91–57	8–4	28 – Amey	10 – Shelley	6 – Vide	Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
December 23, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Morgan State						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
WCC regular season
December 28, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN+	Saint Mary's						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
December 30, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Pacific						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
January 2, 2026 6:30 p.m., ESPN+	at Washington State						Beasley Coliseum Pullman, WA
January 4, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Gonzaga						McCarthey Athletic Center Spokane, WA
January 8, 2026 8:00 p.m., CBSSN	San Francisco						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
January 10, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Santa Clara						Leavey Center Santa Clara, CA
January 14, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Oregon State						Gill Coliseum Corvallis, OR
January 17, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	Portland						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
January 21, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Seattle						Redhawk Center Seattle, WA
January 28, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	Oregon State						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
January 31, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	Santa Clara						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
February 4, 2026 TBA, ESPN+	San Francisco						Sobrato Center San Francisco, CA
February 7, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	San Diego						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
February 11, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at Pacific						Alex G. Spanos Center Stockton, CA
February 21, 2026 TBA, ESPN+	at San Diego						Jenny Craig Pavilion San Diego, CA
February 25, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	Washington State						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
February 28, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN+	Seattle						Gersten Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
WCC tournament
March 5–10, 2026 TBA	vs.						Orleans Arena Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Source^[1]

References

^ "LMULIONS.com :: Loyola Marymount Official Athletic Site :: Men's Basketball". www.lmulions.com. Retrieved September 10, 2025.

[1] "LMULIONS.com :: Loyola Marymount Official Athletic Site :: Men's Basketball". www.lmulions.com. Retrieved September 10, 2025.

[1]

Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball
Venues	Alumni Memorial Gymnasium (1948–1981) Gersten Pavilion (1981–present)
Culture & lore	Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 No records 1914–1923 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26