Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
9. DeSean Goode, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, Robert Morris → Miami
Miami has been a major winner this offseason, assembling a transfer
class that should have the program contending for an ACC crown. Jai
Lucas landed a stellar floor general in Villanova’s Acaden Lewis, the
No. 3-ranked center in the portal (per Hoops HQ’s rankings) in Georgia’s Somto Cyril, and a versatile forward in Robert Morris’ DeSean Goode.
As a sophomore, Goode was named Horizon League Player of the Year
with averages of 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds. He was among the most
efficient players in college basketball, shooting a staggering 62.9
percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three. Given his size,
strength and all-around skill set, it’s easy to imagine Goode thriving
at the high-major level, especially alongside either Cyril or five-star
freshman forward Caleb Gaskins in the frontcourt.
Wright State players react after the team’s tournament seed and
opponent was announced during an NCAA tournament selection watch
party the athletic department held at the university’s Student Union
on Sunday, March 15, in Fairborn. Wright State is in the Horizon
League conference. BRYANT BILLING / STAFF
Bryant Billing
A regular season that mattersLike Miami, Wright State plays in a
conference where the only path — except in rare instances, like with Miami
this past season — to the NCAA tournament is through the conference
tournament.
The Horizon League last produced two NCAA tournament teams (Butler and
Cleveland State) in 2009. Miami was the first MAC team to receive an
at-large berth since 1999, when Wally Szczerbiak led the RedHawks to a
historic season.
Sargent, who earned his first tournament berth as a head coach this past
season, understands the viewpoint of the fans who think expanding the
tournament lessens the importance of the regular season.
Many fans and national media members pointed to the examples of some of the
first four teams left out of the 2026 tournament — Auburn (17-16) and
Indiana (18-14) — as teams they don’t want to see in the NCAA tournament.
“I think you want it to be as difficult as it possibly can be to make it
in,” Sargent said. “I’m just a big believer in the regular season mattering
as much as it possibly can to drive competitiveness. It gets to the point
where it gets too big, and now people are apathetic towards the regular
season and regular-season championships.”
The regular season will still matter as much as ever in most of the 31
Division I conferences.
“You always want to be able to schedule in a way that can improve your seed
line and put yourself in the best possible position to create a great
resume,” Sargent said, “but, ultimately, we have to be great in our league
to position ourselves to make the tournament. That’s still my focus.”
Purdue Fort Wayne announced a
fifth transfer addition of the offseason in Gary native Ashton
Williamson, who played the last two seasons at Florida International.
Williamson
played in 59 games and started 41 for the Panthers, giving him at least
two seasons of eligibility left. Over his two statistically similar
campaigns at FIU, he averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and
1.4 steals while shooting 38.9% from the field and 32.2% from 3-point
range. He raised his free-throw percentage from 67.6% as a freshman to 81.8% as a sophomore this past season.
In
a game against Horizon League foe IU Indy in 2024-25, he helped FIU to a
75-69 win with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting (2 for 2 from beyond
the arc), four assists, two steals and a block in 23 minutes.
In
high school, he led Gary 21st Century to back-to-back regional
championships and had 29 points and nine assists in an 88-82 semistate
loss to Blackhawk Christian in the final game of his career.
Williamson
entered the transfer portal after his freshman season at FIU and
originally committed to Iowa, but then returned to the Panthers.
The Mastodons officially announced the signings of their five transfers Thursday.
“I’m
ecstatic about our 2026 spring recruiting class,” PFW coach Jon Coffman
said in a statement. “Our program has been built on gym rats that love
to play and are obsessed with their player development coupled with
versatile skill sets. Our best players over my tenure have been
‘everyday guys’ that obsess with their daily resumes and raising the
level of their teammates, and this class fits this mold!
“All five
are versatile players that are a great fit for how we operate and how
we play the game with pace and space. I am excited about our addition of
size and skill, players that fill up a stat sheet and rebounding
talent.”
