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Miami reloads after a historic 31-win season, blending key returners, promising transfers and young talent for another MAC and NCAA run.
Written By
Written By
The 2025-2026 season saw unprecedented success for the Miami RedHawks men’s basketball program. The RedHawks rattled off 31 straight wins, a regular season Mid-American Conference Championship (the program’s first since 2005), and a win in the NCAA Tournament in the First Four over SMU.
What do the RedHawks do for an encore?
The team had an impressive showing at their open practice on Sept. 26.
Head coach Travis Steele leads the team. His programs always have an attention to detail unlike most college basketball programs. This practice was within the first week of the 2026 season. The pinpoint precision of the execution on offense and the communication level on defense made it seem like the team was in midseason form.
Redshirt freshman Leshawn Stowers is a young player to watch. He was a standout performer at Peoria High School and unfortunately missed last season for the RedHawks. Leshawn has always been known for his ability to create, for himself and his teammates, and for his leadership.
That was on full display in the scrimmage Stowers’ ability to break down the defense, find his open teammates, while still creating for himself, when called upon, was a sight to see. He should see a healthy share of playing time this season.
The RedHawks also return Luke Skaljac, Almar Atlason, Justin Kirby, Tyler Robbins, Kyle Waltz, Evan Ipsaro, and Antwone Woolfolk, among others. However, they will have a new look without the likes of Peter Suder, Brant Byers, Trey Perry and Eian Elmer. Replacing players such as Suder, Elmer, and Byers just doesn’t happen overnight, but the pieces are well in place to continue the RedHawks recent success.
Woolfolk has a major presence inside and is an absolute load to deal with. He, Kyle Waltz, Jackson Kotecki, and Tyler Robbins, among others, can really do damage inside for the RedHawks. Almar Atlason can also mix it up inside but is a fantastic pick-and-pop threat. He is a major weapon for this program when playing at his full potential.
Outside, Luke Skaljac, Evan Ipsaro, and Justin Kirby lead the charge. Skaljac and Ipsaro are fantastic shooters, while Kirby is just scratching the surface of his potential.
6-foot-9 Ball State transfer Preston Copeland, 6-foot-3 Milwaukee transfer Stevie Elam, 6-foot-7 Youngstown State transfer Rich Rolf, along with freshmen 6-foot-9 Alan Horton, 6-foot-4 Anthony Fresh, and 6-foot-5 Danny Kelly are all transfers to watch.
Copeland started 24 games as a freshman at Ball State and is a very good rebounder, who can also score. Elam started 12 games as a freshman for Milwaukee, where he was on the Horizon League’s All-Freshman Team, and one of the Top 20 rebounders and 3-point shooters in the conference.
Rolf brings a ton of experience to the RedHawks as a redshirt senior. He started 30 games this past season for Youngstown State and averaged nearly 10 points and 5 rebounds. Each of the true freshmen come from established high school programs and should be able to produce if called upon.
The RedHawks tip-off the season on Nov. 2 at James Madison. This should be an entertaining matchup between two very solid mid-major programs. The RedHawks matchup against High Point in Greensboro, NC is a major non-conference game to watch. Both teams won games in the NCAA Tournament last season, are well coached, and return plenty to make a run again.
