In college athletics, roster turnover is inevitable. Athletes are given a four- to five-year window in college, and many decide to leave for professional endeavours even earlier. This, combined with the ever-expanding transfer portal, creates greater turnover than ever before.
High school recruiting is one of the main ways that men’s basketball coaches are able to resupply their talent. Higher-level programs such as Duke University and the University of Kentucky have done this through the “one and done” approach. Top-tier talents will play one season at a college before declaring for the NBA draft.
Programs like Miami University, however, cannot attract the highest level of high school talent. Instead, the RedHawks’ coaching staff must adopt a different strategy: development.
“If you look at our model or how we’ve built our roster since we’ve arrived,” associate head coach Jonathan Holmes said, “we’re still using high school as our main source of recruitment.”
Players like junior wing Eian Elmer and junior guard Evan Ipsaro were recruited and developed for the past two seasons under the current coaching staff. This development allowed Elmer to go from averaging seven points in his first year to 11 points as a starter last season.
Although Miami has the ability to recruit nationally, the RedHawks don’t rely on the transfer portal to fill spots from the previous year. Holmes said it’s more difficult to find current college players that fit Miami’s play style.
“I think fit is always No. 1 for us,” Holmes said. “In the portal, there has to be some sort of connection point or relationship; this guy averaged 17 points per game at ‘XYZ’ university, so [if we] try to bring them to Miami, you just don’t know if the fit’s gonna be there.”
With the departures of Kam Craft, Mekhi Cooper and Reece Potter to the transfer portal, as well as Dan Luers to graduation, Miami brought in five first-year players that the coaching staff will rely on for the next few seasons.
First-year guard Trey Perry dunks the ball at a summer practice.
One of those players, 6-foot-10 power forward Tyler Robbins, said he fit well with his teammates both on and off the court. The Pittsburgh native chose Miami instead of local schools like Duquesne University and Robert Morris University.
“They definitely felt like a family,” Robbins said. “They have a great group of people right now with the team and all the coaches. On my visit, I really felt at home.”
At Upper St. Clair High School, Robbins helped the team win a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League conference championship in 2024 and 2025. He averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds during his junior year, and he graduated after setting the record for most blocks in school history.
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Fellow first-year LeShawn Stowers also committed to Miami after experiencing the culture found in Millett Hall.
“I feel like the coaches made me feel welcome,” Stowers said. “They came to my school, [and] I talked to them almost every day.”
Stowers, a 6-foot-5 guard from Peoria, Illinois, chose Miami over hometown Bradley University and other nearby schools. He attributes this, in part, to the playing style that head coach Travis Steele deploys.
“They play in motion, and everybody is moving,” Stowers said. “Everybody can shoot. Everybody can drive.”
Stowers joins forward Kyle Waltz as another incoming first year from Illinois. Waltz graduated from York High School in 2024 and attended Spire Academy, which bills itself as “a sports performance training and education boarding school.”
During his senior year at York, Waltz averaged 13 points and six rebounds per game, up from 10 points and three rebounds as a junior.
Justin Kirby, a 6-foot-4 guard from Indiana, helped the Fishers High School boys basketball team win a 4A state championship in 2024. During his senior year in 2024-25, Kirby averaged 13.1 points.
The last incoming first year, Trey Perry, arrived at Miami after attending Lakota East High School, 45 minutes away in Liberty Township. Perry averaged 22.1 points last season, leading the Greater Miami Conference, and he totaled more than 1,600 career points, the second-most in school history.
The RedHawks will return four of their leading six scorers from a historic 2024-2025 campaign, which saw Miami reach its best record since 1998-99. The first-year players are focusing on competing this summer and developing in the RedHawks’ system.
“I’m expecting a lot of hard work,” Robbins said. “I’m just trying to prepare myself for that and balance being a student and a basketball player.”
The season officially starts on Nov. 3 against Old Dominion University as part of the annual MAC-SBC challenge.
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