WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University men's basketball team is set to return to action on Tuesday night for its first game of the 2026-27 season against East Region power St. Thomas Aquinas in Hollinger Field House beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday's opener is the first of six straight in Hollinger for West Chester as the Golden Rams will remain home on the weekend for an Invitational with Wilmington, Goldey-Beacom, and Lincoln.
"I think we are very young, but there is a lot of promise there because we have a little bit of everything," started head coach
Damien Blair when asked about his team as preseason winds down. "We have guys that can handle the ball, we have guys with speed, we have guys that can shoot, and guys that can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, along with post players, who have shown the ability to hit perimeter shots, which will allow us to stretch the floor. With a young group like this, I think we understand the concept of winning, but we have to go apply it every day, and that's going to take a very disciplined and focused day-by-day effort to do so."
West Chester Men's Basketball Links you Need:
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Schedule
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News
2025 Stats
Single-Game Tickets
Fan Information
Single-game tickets are on sale via
wcupatix.com/athletics. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online for the fastest entry into Hollinger House. Fans are also reminded that WCUPATIX is the only authorized online ticket seller for regular season West Chester events. Tickets purchased via third-party vendors will not be accepted.
The Opening Tip
Following its third PSAC East Regular Season title in four seasons, the West Chester University men's basketball team enters the 2026-27 season as preseason favorites once again. West Chester finished the 2025-26 campaign at 21-8 overall and 15-6 in league play, going 11-4 at Hollinger Field House and 10-3 away. West Chester has been among the top teams in the region at home in recent years, with the Golden Rams posting an impressive 25-3 at home in the last two seasons after an unbeaten regular season in Hollinger in 2024-25.
Flock Talk
Ruben Rodriguez Jr. (Reading, Pa./Reading) headlines the returning group from a season ago for West Chester, when the junior guard earned First Team All-PSAC East honors after averaging 14.9 points per game on 43.6% shooting from the field. Rodriguez Jr. scored in double figures in 23 of 25 games for West Chester, including seven games with 20 or more.
Dylan Blair (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West), who has potentially spent more time in Hollinger than any member of the 2025-26 Golden Rams throughout his life, also begins his senior campaign after averaging 9.7 points and 3.9 assists per game last season. Rodriguez Jr. and Blair are part of a strong returning core for West Chester, which also includes
Myles Grey (Reading, Pa./Reading), Jaysean Williams (Bloomfield, Ct./The Patrick School), Davante Dennis (Baltimore, Md./Red Lion), Joe Sedora (York, Pa./Red Lion), Gavin Dalen (Medford, Ohio/Medford), Jake Warren (Downingtown, Pa./Calvary Christian), and Donovan Fromhartz (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West).
Williams saw the most time of anyone in the remaining returning group a year ago (outside of Blair and Rodriguez Jr., who were both members of the starting five throughout the season), as he averaged 8.9 points per game on 43.3 % shooting from the field and 40.4 % from beyond the arc, and averaged 19.6 minutes per game in his rookie campaign.
"Having quality, experienced guards is crucial to winning in this league, and we are fortunate that we have a lot of them. The guards are a group that understands what it's like to go on the road and compete in a tough environment like an East Stroudsburg or Millersville, and they can share this knowledge and experience with our new players as the season goes on. They've done a great job already of leading our new guys, which is so important to success in this new era of college basketball when you routinely have seven or eight new players every season," continued Blair.
The post group for West Chester will have the most work ahead of itself this winter as the Golden Rams must replace the departure of
Gabe Moss (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School), who earned First Team All-Conference honors as one of the top big men in the PSAC a season ago. The return of Dennis and Warren, who missed the 2025-26 season due to injuries, along with the continued development of Dalen, Sedora and Fromhartz is expected to help West Chester in the front court throughout the new season.
Asked about the post play, Blair said, "I'm really excited about the return of Davante (Dennis) and Jake (Warren). We didn't have either of them last season, and we were one game away from going back to the NCAA Tournament. Gavin (Dalen) has really been coming along well and reminds us a lot of Gabe in that he is strong, can trap, and can finish around the basket in a lot of ways."
The eventual return of Dennis, who was an All-Conference selection in 2024-25, will be huge for the Golden Rams as he looks to return to a form that saw him average 10.3 points per game on 51.2 % shooting from the field, while also averaging 4.0 rebounds per game along with 52 steals and 32 blocks as a menace on the defensive end.
Welcome to WCU
New faces dot the Golden Ram roster once again in 2026-27 as
Antwan Wilson (White Marsh, Md./Wicomico/Rider), Connor Gal (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley/Temple), Anthony Williams (Windsor, Ct./Windsor/Blinn CC), and Eric Baldassarre (Lancaster, Pa./IMG/West Georgia) join the Golden Rams as transfers, while
Zakariah Bah (Moorestown, N.J./The Phelps School), Ryan Mulroy (Fort Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin), and Braden Norris (Chantilly, Va./Virginia Episcopal) join the Golden Rams for their first seasons of college basketball in 2026-27.
"Bringing in transfers is always interesting," agreed Blair when asked about his latest group of four. "They are usually leaving because they weren't happy where they were and want to look at a different opportunity. They have to learn our culture, expectations, and our core values quickly before the season gets going. We have some really talented players in that bunch, but they are still just working to figure that out a little bit."
As the college basketball landscape changes with transfers becoming the new norm, the importance of a strong freshman class remains. Blair spoke highly of his new group, saying, "They came in working hard and are developing really well." Blair spoke particularly well of
Zakariah Bah, who comes to West Chester by way of the Phelps School, noting that, "He's clearly passionate about the game of basketball, which is always a good thing. He loves to work and get better, and he is super athletic, which is something that you really can't teach. He's shown the ability to knock down shots and make big plays, but he's still learning some of the nuances of the game that can make a big difference late in close games. His ability to refine these small skills, that might be as small as just an angle or a step, will be huge in his development, and I think, with his athleticism, the sky is the limit."
On The Bench
Blair returns much of his coaching staff from last season, including
Ben Kay, who was elevated to Associate Head Coach earlier this fall. Throughout his tenure at West Chester, Kay has worked closely with Blair in nearly every area of the program, with particular emphasis on recruiting, teaching, and player development.
"Not many people possess the ability to impact every aspect of a program. Ben does," Blair said. "He connects with our players, teaches the game, and understands what we're trying to build. His ability to help our players develop while also managing so many areas of our program made this promotion an easy decision."
Since returning to West Chester in 2021, Kay has helped Blair and the Golden Rams staff develop a long list of accomplished student-athletes, including a PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year and numerous All-PSAC selections. During that span, West Chester has also captured three PSAC East regular-season championships, earned an NCAA Tournament appearance and produced multiple 20-win seasons.
"I absolutely love this university, our administration, the West Chester community and our alumni," Kay said. "I'm incredibly thankful to Coach Blair for believing in me and helping me grow as a coach. West Chester has become a second home for my family and me, and I'm excited to continue helping our student-athletes grow on and off the court."
The Slate
West Chester will open its 2026 season with a six-game homestand through November, hosting St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday evening before a weekend Invitational in Hollinger with games against Wilmington and Goldey Beacom on Saturday and Sunday. The Golden Rams' non-league home stand will continue against the College of Staten Island on November 18 at 6 p.m. ahead of matchups against West Liberty and Jefferson on November 23 and 29 at 6 and 3 p.m., respectively.
"Starting out at home is going to be huge for us," agreed Blair. "Our league is one of the best leagues in the country year-in, year-out, and if you want to compete in our league, playing a hard non-league schedule is the best way to get ready. The chance to bring some great opponents into West Chester is awesome, and we are really excited about the challenge that lies ahead."
West Chester will open league play at Slippery Rock on December 4 at 5 p.m. in the first of three straight away games, then host IUP on December 19 at 3 p.m. for its first home crossover game of the season.
For all the latest news, notes, stats, and scores on West Chester men's basketball and all the Golden Rams varsity programs visit wcupagoldenrams.com and follow us on our socials all season long.
