Men
Purdue Fort Wayne
Out of eligibility: Mikale Stevenson, Maximus Nelson,
Darius Duffy, Deangelo Elisee (working on a waiver)
New portal additions
Edir Ortiz, Seton Hill (Division II)
PFW has done a good job of pulling productive players from the Division II
level in recent years, with the most notable such addition being Rasheed
Bello, who went on to earn first-team All-Horizon League honors.
Ortiz is a 6-9 forward and this past season averaged 14.9 points, 7.3
rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals in 21 games while shooting
51.8% from the field and a blistering 44.8% from 3-point range (39 of 87).
He's the type of do-it-all big man the Mastodons need to fill in the gaps of
a frontcourt that is set to lose substantial production.
Portal departures
Corey Hadnot II, G
The 6-3 Hadnot was one of the best mid-major guards in the country this past
season. He enjoyed one of the top offensive seasons in Mastodons history
this past campaign, averaging 20.4 points on 52% shooting, hitting 35.8%
from beyond the arc and adding 3.5 assists per contest. His 654 points were
third-most in Mastodon history and and second-most in the program's Division
I history, trailing only the 746 posted by Fort Wayne native Bryson Scott in
2017-18.
In addition to his offensive efforts, Hadnot averaged 4.0 rebounds and 1.8
steals, the latter total ranking third in the Horizon League. For his
performance, Hadnot was named first-team all-conference, the third PFW guard
to earn that distinction in the last two seasons.
The Atlanta native scored 30 points three times in 2025-26, but arguably the
best game of his career came in a contest that saw him fall just short of
that mark – he poured in 29 on 10-for-16 shooting to go with six rebounds,
three steals and two assists in a 72-69 win over Notre Dame in South Bend in
December. It was the Mastodons' first victory over a high-major opponent
since a win over DePaul of the Big East in November 2023.
Hadnot landed at Houston, which has been to the Sweet 16 in
seven tournaments in a row under coach Kelvin Sampson. The former 'Don fits
the Cougars' bulldog mentality perfectly and he could be a significant part
of their next deep run in March.
Ebrahim Kaba, F
The athletic, 6-9 Kaba was an important pickup from the transfer portal last
offseason, when he arrived with four seasons of eligibility left following a
redshirt year at St. Bonaventure.
The big wing showed flashes as a redshirt freshman this season, but never
fully cracked the rotation, averaging 4.0 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6
rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. He didn't play after Feb. 7.
Yuval Levin, F
Levin's
journey to the United States from Israel
last offseason was harrowing and it was notable he played at all this past
season. But like Kaba, he never quite cracked the rotation, averaging 3.2
points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.
The versatile 6-8 forward has excellent court vision for his size and good
instincts, but he wasn't quite physical enough to hold up in the paint in
the Horizon League.
Danny Kelly, G
The 6-6 Kelly, a Fort Wayne native and former Bishop Luers star redshirted
in 2025-26 and will have four seasons of eligibility left as he looks for
his new home.
“I want to sincerely thank my coaches at Purdue Fort Wayne, my teammates,
and everyone I’ve had the opportunity to meet during my time here,” Kelly
wrote in a statement on social media. “Your support, guidance, and belief in
me have meant more than I can put into words.”
Kelly averaged 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals as a senior at Luers,
earning all-SAC honors. He helped the Knights to a sectional title that
season.
Ja'Corey Lipkins
Lipkins made the jump from Division II, where he averaged 14.3 points as a
freshman, last offseason and then redshirted in 2025-26. With DeAndre Craig
Jr., EJ Mosley and Chris Morgan expected back next season, there was likely
not a path for him to play big minutes next season.
Women
Purdue Fort Wayne
Out of eligibility: Jordan Reid, Alana Nelson, Lauren Lee
New portal additions
New Mastodons coach Kate Peterson Abiad, who took over in mid-April after Maria Marchesano departed to become head
coach at Butler, her alma mater, will fill out the roster after the
Mastodons lost their top five scorers to the portal or eligibility
exhaustion.
Portal departures
Lili Krasovec, C
Easily the most impactful of PFW's transfer departures, Krasovec followed
Marchesano to Butler after her one standout
season in Fort Wayne.
The Hungarian junior, who transferred to PFW from Boston College, was
immediately a centerpiece on both ends of the floor for the Mastodons,
averaging 11.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks
in 23.3 minutes per contest. She was efficient, as well, shooting 57% from
the field, which would have ranked second in the conference if she had
enough attempts to qualify.
The 6-3 Krasovec started all 35 games for the Mastodons. She scored 24
points on 11-for-14 shooting in a win over a solid Robert Morris team in
January and posted one of her best games in her final appearance in a PFW
uniform: 22 points on 10-for-15 shooting with 10 rebounds in a WNIT loss to
Arkansas State, one of her two double-doubles on the season.
She also posted 15 points on 4-for-6 shooting in a 68-67 upset of Purdue at
the Gates Center in November.
Mobile with good hands and toughness, Krasovec could have been one of the
best players in the Horizon League next season, but she will get a chance to
anchor a high-major program in her final season of eligibility instead.
Destiny Macharia, G
The second of two former Mastodons to follow Marchesano to the Big East,
Macharia was part of an excellent PFW freshman class this past season. The
5-6 Maryland native averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per
contest in her first season of college basketball.
Her role grew down the stretch of the season and she broke out with 15
points on 7-for-14 shooting in a February loss to Youngstown State. She
followed that with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting and three assists in a
Horizon League tournament quarterfinal drubbing of IU Indy.
She will have three seasons of eligibility at Butler.
Rylee Bess, G
The best of PFW's four freshmen, the 5-6 guard was an instant-impact player
in Fort Wayne and grabbed a starting spot by the middle of the season,
replacing the more veteran Nika Lokica.
Bess averaged 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 assists while
shooting nearly 38% from beyond the arc. She earned Horizon League
All-Freshman honors and turned in a performance for the ages in an overtime
win over Northern Kentucky in January: 27 points on 8-for-14 shooting and a
4-for-9 mark from 3-point distance. She also worked her way to the line
seven times in the game and made all seven.
Arguably her most memorable moment came in the win over Purdue, when she hit
a leaning 3-pointer on a kickout from Krasovec to turn a two-point deficit
into a program-defining victory with 5.7 seconds left.
Bess was in the portal even before Marchesano departed and found a new home
at High Point, joining Feldman.
Hillary Offing, F
The 5-11 Offing joined the Mastodons from non-NCAA Penn State-Lehigh Valley
during the 2024 offseason and redshirted in 2024-25 before stepping into a
reserve role this past season.
The South Carolina native appeared in 27 games in her first Division I
season and averaged 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in just 8.6 minutes per game
while shooting 53.5% from the field.
Her role expanded substantially in February and she provided a glimpse of a
potential future standout with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting in 27 minutes
against Cleveland State in February.
Offing has two seasons of eligibility left.
Ella Riggs, G
The 5-9 Riggs started her career at Furman and joined the Mastodons as a
redshirt sophomore during the 2024 offseason. She played sparingly in
2024-25, but was a key reserve this past season, appearing in all 35 games
and playing 15.6 minutes per contest while shooting 35.8% from the field and
31.5% from long distance.
The Cincinnati native posted 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting in a
non-conference win over Southern Illinois and averaged 9.5 points and 3
rebounds in back-to-back Horizon League victories over Milwaukee and Wright
State in December.
Riggs has one season of eligibility left. She attended Peterson Abiad's
introductory press conference along with a handful of other players and
could return to the Mastodons.
