25-26 Roster

[Old Titan]

1 hour ago, Bogus Smith said:

When 13 of the 15 guys on your roster are new, I should think you might be considered the No. 1 recruiting class, based simply on the law of averages.

But just watch:  some pimple-faced freshman from South Dakota State will get the nod for preseason Newcomer of the Year! 

[Dr. Cornelius]

3 hours ago, Old Titan said:

When 13 of the 15 guys on your roster are new, I should think you might be considered the No. 1 recruiting class, based simply on the law of averages.

But just watch:  some pimple-faced freshman from South Dakota State will get the nod for preseason Newcomer of the Year! 

And that kid will probably light us up for 35.

[Dave Connor]

The ORU Athletics website roster shows only 11 players. The following 4 are not yet included:

1. Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams 6'10"
2. Baron Smith 6'9"
3. Ofri Naveh 6'7"
4. Alex Cuoto 6'0"

That's a lot of height. Can someone please explain why they are not yet included on the ORU Athletics website roster?

 

[Old Titan]

2 hours ago, Dave Connor said:

The ORU Athletics website roster shows only 11 players. The following 4 are not yet included:

1. Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams 6'10"
2. Baron Smith 6'9"
3. Ofri Naveh 6'7"
4. Alex Cuoto 6'0"

That's a lot of height. Can someone please explain why they are not yet included on the ORU Athletics website roster?

 

Not sure; on June 3rd they posted this on Twitter, including those four players...

 

[Bogus Smith]

40 minutes ago, Old Titan said:

Not sure; on June 3rd they posted this on Twitter, including those four players...

 

Could it be possible that they don't have their signed Grant-in-Aid documents in yet??

[Keenan Henderson]

The ORU website has the roster updated with pictures, new numbers, height, etc. for all 15 guys.  Y2 Williams is the only one without a picture.

[Dave Connor]

41 minutes ago, Keenan Henderson said:

The ORU website has the roster updated with pictures, new numbers, height, etc. for all 15 guys.  Y2 Williams is the only one without a picture.

That's a relief. I hope the bio and stats for each new player will be added soon.

[Old Titan]

2 hours ago, Keenan Henderson said:

The ORU website has the roster updated with pictures, new numbers, height, etc. for all 15 guys.  Y2 Williams is the only one without a picture.

That's a pretty impressive feat by Media Relations; it's often late in the summer before the ORU website is fully updated with individual photos.

It also hints strongly that unpictured Yuto is not yet on campus.  Hopefully that's not the result of any eligibility issues (is being academically eligible even a "thing" anymore? I'm guessing any player informed that they must sit-out even one game because of academic ineligibility would transfer to another school ASAP, then repair his transcript over the summer or next semester...)

[Old Titan]

On 6/19/2025 at 2:06 PM, Old Titan said:

...It also hints strongly that unpictured Yuto is not yet on campus.  Hopefully that's not the result of any eligibility issues...

I've now heard that Yuto has been competing overseas for an international team (presumably Japanese) and simply hasn't made it to Tulsa yet.

Here's hoping he stays healthy and gets here soon! 

 

[Keenan Henderson]

It is interesting to look at this roster and realize that 4 of these guys were redshirted last year at various schools.  That must be some kind of record for an ORU roster.  Did they get better and work on whatever they needed to (shooting, defense, adding muscle, etc).  It will be interesting to see if the red shirt year paid off for all these guys.

With 15 players on the roster, I am guessing that coach will red shirt at least 2-3 guys.  Let's face it, 15 guys are not going to see the court next year, maybe 9 play on a regular basis.  Who might be up for red shirt this season?

[Keenan Henderson]

It is a long summer and as we wait for schedules to be released, here are my top 10 players who will see the court this season (not in any specific order).  Laymen McGrady is the X factor and he would slide into the top 10 if anyone is hurt or has off court issues with transferring (Ashton Smith faced that 2 years ago).

Ty Harper - Produced in the past at D1 level and is a good athlete.  Can he step into the role of leader/point guard?

Ofri Naveh - Good size and should be able to play either forward position.  He was up and down as a freshman at West Virginia but needs to be more solid for the Eagles this year.

Y2 Williams - Can he finally fill the hole at center that has been lacking since 7'5 Connor V. left for Missouri.  He has shown the ability to rebound at a high level in the past.

Luke Grey - He should be able to play the 4 spot this season with Williams coming in.  I am hoping his defense and rebounding are improved, since Luke won't have to face 6'10 centers on a nightly basis. 

Chase Martin - He could be an all glue guy type of player, such as Carlos Jurgens was on the 30-5 team.  

Lane Sparks - Big time scorer who could fit the 6th man role rather nicely off the bench.

Connor Dow - I like his size and 3 point shooting ability.  Hoping he can improve in defense/rebounding as the year goes on.

Landon Jordan - He looks like a good backup to Williams.  Jordan needs to improve on his free throw shooting.

Aaron Jacob - Much like Connor, he has good size and can shoot the 3.  What else has Aaron been working on this summer?

Cal Funish -  Cal is probaly the closest thing ORU has to a point guard.  I just wish he was taller (5'10) and had a little more experience.  He can give Ty a break at times throughout the season.  

[Old Titan]

A couple of guys on this list may not ever see the floor this season in meaningful situations, and at least two players are missing who could see significant time, with one of them a legitimate candidate to be in the starting five at some time this season. 

The point being:  it seems a bit early for playing time predictions with the first game of the season still over 3 months away.

We know as little about these guys as we do the new staff that will be deciding their roles…it’s just gotta play out, starting in November.

[ORUTerry]

With 15 guys on the roster, it seems to me that 2-3 guys are strong candidates for a red-shirt year. The obvious players are the freshmen who might need a year to mature and spend time in the weight room. 

[2014Grad]

21 hours ago, Keenan Henderson said:

It is a long summer and as we wait for schedules to be released, here are my top 10 players who will see the court this season (not in any specific order).  Laymen McGrady is the X factor and he would slide into the top 10 if anyone is hurt or has off court issues with transferring (Ashton Smith faced that 2 years ago).

Ty Harper - Produced in the past at D1 level and is a good athlete.  Can he step into the role of leader/point guard?

Ofri Naveh - Good size and should be able to play either forward position.  He was up and down as a freshman at West Virginia but needs to be more solid for the Eagles this year.

Y2 Williams - Can he finally fill the hole at center that has been lacking since 7'5 Connor V. left for Missouri.  He has shown the ability to rebound at a high level in the past.

Luke Grey - He should be able to play the 4 spot this season with Williams coming in.  I am hoping his defense and rebounding are improved, since Luke won't have to face 6'10 centers on a nightly basis. 

Chase Martin - He could be an all glue guy type of player, such as Carlos Jurgens was on the 30-5 team.  

Lane Sparks - Big time scorer who could fit the 6th man role rather nicely off the bench.

Connor Dow - I like his size and 3 point shooting ability.  Hoping he can improve in defense/rebounding as the year goes on.

Landon Jordan - He looks like a good backup to Williams.  Jordan needs to improve on his free throw shooting.

Aaron Jacob - Much like Connor, he has good size and can shoot the 3.  What else has Aaron been working on this summer?

Cal Funish -  Cal is probaly the closest thing ORU has to a point guard.  I just wish he was taller (5'10) and had a little more experience.  He can give Ty a break at times throughout the season.  

I'm with you Keenan, bored in July and I also like to speculate! . I would think Baron Smiths 6A Texas + year of D1 practice has to throw him in the mix at minimum with Landon/Aaron? I also heard some chatter from a friend (just student talk, no practice observations) that Jack Turner may be a little more ready than some expect!

 

[Bogus Smith]

2 hours ago, 2014Grad said:

....Jack Turner may be a little more ready than some expect!

Jack Turner did play in 11 games for Loyola-Chicago last year, albeit not much (24 minutes).  At least he has faced D-1 competition and has a higher expectation for the speed of the game.

[Keenan Henderson]

ORU has some depth, which is always good because things happen that you least expect.  I would be surprised if Coach plays the same lineup over 30 games next season.  There should be plenty of opportunity for various guys on this roster.  I hope we have quite a few pleasant surprises that emerge.

[Keenan Henderson]

Looking at the roster tonight, it is a slow sports night except for some US open tennis, and a few other ideas come to mind:

ORU has a lot of guards/wings (11 players), which means they should have plenty of shooters, drivers, and ball handlers.  

The Eagles really have basically 4 frontcourt players: Gray, Jordan, Smith and Williams.  We need to hope and pray that none of those guys are banged up this year.   

Are any of big guys rim protectors because that always helps a lot on defense.  Jordan did have 37 blocks at the NAIA level and maybe that will translate to D1.

[Old Titan]

On 8/25/2025 at 10:25 PM, Keenan Henderson said:

The Eagles really have basically 4 five frontcourt players: Gray, Jordan, Smith and Williams and Jacob.  

Fixed ^^^

Aaron Jacob, a 6'8" super senior from D2 Cameron in Lawton, OK, looks completely comfortable defending the post, rebounding underneath, and playing with his back to the basket on offense. 

He may be the least athletic of the five big men this year, but his experience at the college level should prove beneficial in at least a reserve role when needed, and on the practice floor.