Men’s basketball preview: National champion NSU Sharks seek encore

Heather Macy said she feels like she’s at “basketball school” every day.

Macy, Nova Southeastern University’s women’s basketball coach, said she loves to watch her NSU men’s hoops counterpart, Jim Crutchfield, run practice.

“I sit there and take notes,” Macy said.

Join the club.

Lots of coaches want to know the magical methods of Crutchfield, who has led the Sharks to three straight NCAA Division II national finals, winning titles in 2023 and 2025.

However, the Sharks graduated more than 50 percent of their scoring from last season in the persons of: starters MJ Iraldi; Ryker Cisarik; and Tyler Eberhart; and reserves Alex Mangold; and Tommy Sala.

“As a group, those five shot 56 percent from the floor,” Crutchfield said. “We can replace the points, but it will be tough to replace the efficiency.”

Fortunately, the Sharks return two starters: 5-8 point guard Dallas Graziani and 6-4 shooting guard Ross Reeves. Both of them are in their sixth and final seasons of college basketball.

Graziani holds NSU records for single-game assists (17); single-game steals (nine); and single-season assists (340). He is also second in career assists and third in career steals. Last season, he averaged 12.9 points.

A relentless ball of energy, Graziani is coming off surgery on his right (non-shooting) shoulder, but he has been back on the court for about a month.

Reeves averaged 12.8 points and shot 38.1 percent on 3-pointers last season.

“Ross has improved in all facets of his game,” Crutchfield said. “I’m hoping he can accept a bigger role this season.”

The Sharks also return other players such as 6-4 wings Eli Allen and Ryan Davis, who specialize in defense; and 6-0 guard Ryan Walsh, who missed last season due to knee surgery.

Said Crutchfield: “We have big shoes to fill.”

MORE NCAA DIVISION II

• Barry University, which went 12-17 in the final season under coach Butch Estes, will be led in 2025-2026 by Justin Furr, who brought in seven Division I transfers.

The Bucs’ top scorer this season could be a newcomer. His name is Deon Perry, a 5-8 senior guard who averaged 8.4 points last season as a key reserve at a Division I school, Fairfield.

Two more Division I transfers to watch are Gui Tesch, a 6-9 shooter from Evansville; and Novak Perovic, a 6-7 post from Maine.

Returning starters are 6-5 wing Adren Roberts, who averaged 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds; 6-3 guard Michael Bradley III, who ranked fourth on the team in scoring (8.3); and 6-8 forward Sami Elkamel (6.3 points, 4.4 rebounds).

Other players to watch are: Ryan Van Eyck, a 6-6 point guard from the Netherlands; 6-2 shooting guard Tarrance Warren, a junior-college transfer; and Marko Sarenac, a 6-10 transfer from Weber State.

JUNIOR COLLEGE

• Miami Dade College went 19-13 last season, including 12-3 at home. The Sharks, who made it to the state semifinals, graduated eight players.

However, coach Jorge Fernandez said this upcoming season he has his deepest team yet, led by 6-0 guard Ernesto Rodriguez, an El Salvador native who is MDC’s best shooter. He had 26 points in a recent scrimmage.

Fernandez said Anthony Breland, a 6-2 guard from North Carolina, is a Division I prospect. He averaged 14.5 points at the junior-college level last season.

Randy Smith, a 6-2 guard from Columbus High, missed six weeks last season due to an ankle injury. But he has since dropped 15 pounds, and he’s in great shape.

Anthony Gilkes, a 6-6 shooting guard, is also back after missing last season due to a hamstring injury.

Other players to watch include David Verstraeten, a 6-6 forward from Belgium who can shoot; Juvon Gameory, a 5-10 pass-first point guard from Atlanta; and Amari Davis, a tough 6-9 center from Nevada.

NAIA

• Florida Memorial has gone 47-15 over the past two years, making the NAIA playoffs in 2024 and 2025. Joshua Mendoza, who was the associate head coach the past two years, is now running the program. Mendoza replaces Delano Thomas, who is now the special assistant to the head coach at High Point University. As for the players, the top nine scorers from last season are gone.

• St. Thomas University, coming off a 10-16 season, will be led by guard Esteban Lluberes, who averaged 14.3 points for the Bobcats last season. STU has also added 6-8 forward Kaleb Myers, a junior-college transfer who averaged 10.2 points last season and ranked in the top 10 nationally with a 67.7 field-goal percentage. Myers also played for his native Nicaragua in the 2025 AmeriCup in Managua this past August.

This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 8:00 AM.