JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University men's basketball team has announced its roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

The roster features three returners and 11 newcomers, five of which are freshmen. Jacksonville and its revamped and retooled roster begins its conquest for the program's first ASUN championship title on Nov. 2 against Paine College inside historic Swisher Gymnasium.

The Dolphins kept several key pieces from last season to lead their push in the 2027 ASUN title race. Three players returned for head coach Jordan Mincy in guards Hayden Wood, Evan Sterck and Roman Loux. 

Although all three were freshmen last season, they produced in big ways. The three returners accounted for 26% of the Dolphins' total minutes and 25% of their scoring. Wood and Sterck finished among Jacksonville's top three in minutes played, providing the program with experienced building blocks as it rebuilds for 2026-27. 

Wood established himself as one of the ASUN's top freshmen a season ago, averaging 13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and shooting 37% from three-point range during conference play. He also made an impact on both ends of the floor, with 13 blocks and 11 steals. The final stretch of ASUN play solidified his role as a roster cornerstone and an ASUN All-Freshman Team member. Over Jacksonville's last five games, Wood averaged 21 points while playing nearly 35 minutes per contest. 

Alongside Wood, Jacksonville also retained its primary point guard from conference play in Sterck. 

Sterck started 23 games as a freshman, averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 assists while recording 36 steals. He ended his first college season with at least one assist in nine consecutive games.  His best scoring performance came in the first edition of the River City Rumble, when he scored a career-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. 

With Wood providing an established scoring threat and Sterck returning at point guard, Jacksonville had two young guards to build around as it turned to construct the rest of the roster.

The two guards will be joined by Lafayette transfer Caleb Williams, a Jacksonville native. Williams was named to the All-Patriot League Third Team last season at point guard, leading Lafayette in made 3-pointers and free throws. He led the Leopards in points per game with 15.6 as a sophomore. Williams is returning to the 904 area code where he played at Jean Ribault and broke numerous high school records. He totaled over 1,500 points and dished out 600 assists.

He demonstrated his ability to stretch the floor during 2025 non-conference play, hitting on 40.6% of his threes (43-for-106). His strong season last year followed an All-Rookie Team selection the previous season. 

Williams adds another scoring threat alongside Sterck, giving Jacksonville two different options at point guard. The pairing also lets the Dolphins keep using the two-point-guard lineups they frequently featured in 2025-26. 

Next, Jacksonville landed one of the ASUN's top players from the past two seasons in Stetson transfer Jamie Phillips Jr. 

Phillips played two seasons at Stetson, starting 41 games and averaging 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He earned ASUN All-Freshman Team honors in 2025 and was named to the 2026 Preseason All-ASUN team. He brings size at 6'5", playmaking and scoring ability typically associated with both guard positions. 

Despite a foot injury last season, Phillips flashed his potential before the setback, erupting for 30 points, five threes, six rebounds and six assists against Lipscomb. Before his injury in January, he had posted consecutive scoring performances of 22, 22, and 30 points. 

Jacksonville then bolstered its roster further by adding former ASUN standout Nehemiah Turner. 

The Minnesota returns to the ASUN after a starting his career with a strong freshman campaign at Central Arkansas in 2024-25, where he started nine games and averaged 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. In ASUN play, he elevated his game, averaging 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, including a 37-point explosion against Stetson in the 2025 ASUN Tournament. 

Turner's 6'10" size and scoring ability gives Jacksonville another proven ASUN weapon who can create from multiple spots on the floor. As a versatile forward, he also gives the Dolphins a strong presence in the paint on both ends. He is Jacksonville's first transfer from the Big Ten since Omar Payne in 2022. 

The next group of additions included forwards James Morrow from South Carolina State, Rex Stirling from Wofford and Jaden Newell from Georgia. 

Morrow played in 81 games with 18 starts at South Carolina State, averaging 7.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while adding 20 steals and 14 blocks. The move brings him back home to Jacksonville, where he starred at Andrew Jackson High School. 

Stirling comes to Jacksonville from Wofford after appearing in 30 games last season. He started the final five contests, averaging 7.6 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 23 minutes per game while shooting 67% from the field. The Melbourne, Australia, native also led Wofford in offensive rebounds. 

Newell spent four seasons at Georgia and appeared in 19 games for the Bulldogs. He opened his collegiate career in a win over North Florida. 

At 6-foot-8, Newell adds more size and rebounding ability to Jacksonville's frontcourt. He is also the older brother of Asa Newell, a former Georgia standout and first-round NBA Draft pick. 

Along with its experienced transfer additions, Jacksonville welcomed a five-player freshman class featuring guards Maddox Palmer, Lyndell Buckingham Jr., Evan Roberts and LJ Katz, along with center Samuel Mbingazo.  

Palmer is another local player from Ponte Vedra Beach, who brings length at 6-foot-6 on the wing. He led the Jacksonville high school basketball scene as a scorer, averaging almost 20 points per game for the Sharks while also competing on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. Mbingazo add size inside as the team's only listed center. He won a California Interscholastic Federation State Championship in 2024.

The three guards all bring high level scoring from beyond the arc and helped Jacksonville in depth during the team's three preseason scrimmages. Katz played in the state of Florida at IMG Academy where he was a lethal 3-point shooter. Buckingham hails from McKinney, Texas where he also played exceeding well on the EYBL circuit. He prides himself on his ability as a defender as well as a play-making, do-it-all guard. Roberts is from in-state, coming to JU from Palmetto, Fla. he chose Jacksonville over schools like California and Eastern Carolina.

Season tickets are still available to catch the Dolphins in action this year and can be purchased HERE. For more information regarding the Jacksonville Dolphins, visit the team's website at: judolphins.com/sports/mens-basketball or follow the Dolphins on social media on Instagram, @jax_mbb and X, @jax_mbb.