With more than a dozen newcomers expected to join the Kentucky Wesleyan College men’s basketball team in 2025-26, the Panthers will rely on a revamped roster for what they hope is a successful season capped off by a return to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
In addition to five returners, KWC has already added 10 new players, with up to three others expected to join later this summer.
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Four incoming Panthers have experience as former scholarship players at NCAA Division I programs, along with a pair of junior college additions.
Caleb Mackrey, a 6-foot-3 guard from Division I Marist, played in 22 games last season as a reserve and shot 45.5% from 3-point distance on 22 attempts. Before that, he posted 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game at Hillsborough Community College in Florida.
“Combo guard that I think has a chance to provide scoring in different ways,” KWC head coach Drew Cooper said of Mackrey, who has one year of eligibility left. “He’s a good shooter and can also create things for himself and others. Like many of these young men, his experience really gives him a chance doing well here.”
Armandas Plintauskas, a 6-4 guard from Lithuania, joins KWC after playing at Division I schools Northern Illinois and Merrimack. He appeared in 28 games with one start as a freshman for NIU, followed by 21 appearances at Merrimack. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining.
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“Good length as a wing for us,” Cooper said of Plintauskas, “and, among other things, shoots the heck out of it.”
Jorge Sanchez-Ramos is a 6-2 guard from Spain who last played for Division I LaSalle. An injury and subsequent redshirt season has kept him out of action for the last two years, but he’ll have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
“He’s a primary ballhandler guard with great skill, IQ and size for his position,” Cooper said of Sanchez-Ramos, who produced 12.1 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 61% from the floor and 36.2% from distance in the Czech Republic’s 1Liga in 2021-22.
Anthony Davis Jr., a 6-5 guard, joins Wesleyan after notching 8.4 points and four rebounds per game last season at Walters State junior college. He originally signed with Division I Fairfield out of high school in Virginia and will have the chance to play two more years in Owensboro.
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“Elite defender and cutter,” Cooper said of Davis. “Great athlete. Moves well without the ball (getting behind defenders’ heads). His athleticism will really help us.”
Vonte Harris, a 6-7 forward from Louisville, last played at Division II UIndy, where he played in 28 games with eight starts last season. Harris produced 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16 minutes per game, but notched a season-best 21 points in February.
“The thing I liked about his season with UIndy last year is that he endured uncertainty in the rotation and was playing his best basketball at season’s end,” Cooper said of Harris, who recorded 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest for first-team all-conference distinction at Motlow State junior college in 2023-24. “At 6-7 and a remarkable shooting touch, he can play the 3, 4 and maybe even 5 in a pinch.”
The other transfers so far include 5-10 guard JJ Faulkner out of Knoxville, Tennessee, and 6-foot-5 small forward Andrew Reis from Florence. Faulkner joins KWC from Northwest Florida junior college but previously played with Harris at Motlow State, where he recorded 12.2 points and 7.3 assists per game. Reis, a redshirt freshman, played at Division III Loras College last year. As a senior in 2023-24, he led St. Henry with 14.1 points on 37.4% shooting from long range.
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Rounding out the group are the true freshmen, including Butler County High School product Briar Griffin, Atlanta-area wing Haiden Evans and Indianapolis native and forward Tavion Williams. Last year, Griffin produced 12.3 points per game, Evans scored 6.5 points, and Williams notched 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing.
