FAIRFIELD, Conn.—The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team is set to open the 2025-26 season on Tuesday, November 4, at 7 pm against the Merchant Marine Academy at home in the Pitt Center.

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OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart opens the season at home for the first time since the 2023–24 campaign, when the Pioneers hosted Sarah Lawrence at the Pitt Center.
• Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting between Sacred Heart and Merchant Marine.
• The Pioneers were picked third in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and led the league with three preseason All-MAAC selections: Anquan Hill (First Team), Mekhi Conner (Second Team), and Nyle Ralph-Beyer (Third Team).
• SHU returns nine players from last year's roster and welcomes two transfers, Dashon Gittens and Yann Farell, along with four first-years.
• Sacred Heart enters its second season in the MAAC after a strong debut year that included a seventh-seeded finish and a win over Fairfield in its first conference tournament game to advance to the quarterfinals.
• Last season, Hill earned All-MAAC Third Team honors, and Conner was named to the All-Rookie Team.
• Conner ranked sixth in the nation in assists with 217 (6.6 per game).
• The Pioneers feature three student-athletes from Africa: Fallou Gueye, Yann Farell, and Abdou Yadd.
• Sacred Heart is celebrating its 60th season of men's basketball.
• Head coach Anthony Latina enters his 13th season leading the program.

 
SCOUTING MERCHANT MARINE

• Merchant Marine returns one of its top three scorers from last season, senior Clark Castleberry, who averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while starting 25 of 26 games.
• Sophomore Mason Lavergne is the next top returning contributor after averaging 7.9 points and 2.9 rebounds as a freshman.
• Merchant Marine finished 10-16 overall last season and 6-10 in Skyline Conference play, falling to top-seeded Farmingdale State in the Skyline Quarterfinals.

 
SCHEDULE GLANCE
The Pioneers will play 11 non-conference games, including three at home inside the William H. Pitt Center. SHU's non-conference slate features opponents from the Big East, Big Ten, Ivy League, ASUN, Patriot League, A-10, America East, CAA, and NEC. Sacred Heart opens the season at home on Tuesday, Nov. 4 against the Merchant Marine Academy. The Pioneers will then head to the Villanova MTE, beginning Nov. 7 at Duquesne, followed by a trip to Villanova on Nov. 11, and wrapping up at Queens University of Charlotte on Nov. 15. SHU returns home to face Holy Cross on Nov. 21 before a four-game road stretch at Central Connecticut State, Penn State, NJIT, and UMass Lowell. The Pioneers close their non-conference home slate on Dec. 19 vs. Dartmouth and finish non-conference play on the road at Towson on Dec. 22.
 
MAAC PLAY
Entering its second season in the league, Sacred Heart will play 20 MAAC contests, 10 at home and 10 on the road, between Dec. 3 and Feb. 27. SHU opens conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at defending MAAC Champion Mount St. Mary's. The Pioneers host their first MAAC game on Sunday, Dec. 7, against Iona, the lone meeting between the teams this season.
After four non-conference matchups, SHU resumes MAAC play on Monday, Dec. 29, welcoming Merrimack in a rematch of last season's MAAC Quarterfinal. The Pioneers close conference play on Friday, Feb. 27, at home against Mount St. Mary's.
The 2026 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship will take place March 5–10 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Under the MAAC format, each team plays 20 league games but does not face four opponents twice. This year, Sacred Heart will not play Siena, Iona, Saint Peter's, or Manhattan in home-and-home series.
 
INSIDE THE RANKINGS
Sacred Heart finished last season as one of the top-two scoring offenses in the MAAC and returns six of its top nine scorers. Anquan Hill ranked fourth in the MAAC in field-goal percentage (.554) and second in three-point percentage (.451). Mekhi Conner finished sixth in the nation and first in the MAAC in assists with 217 (6.6 per game) and ranked seventh in the conference in steals (1.8).
 
SOPHOMORE SUCCESS
Sacred Heart retained its entire first-year class from last season, a key step in building continuity. Mekhi Conner and Nyle Ralph-Beyer were instrumental in SHU's success during its MAAC debut and both earned preseason All-MAAC honors, with Conner named to the Second Team and Ralph-Beyer to the Third.
Ralph-Beyer shot .430 from three-point range, fourth in the MAAC, and posted a .450 field-goal percentage, ranking top-20 in the conference. He appeared in all 32 games and moved into the starting lineup for the final eight contests.
Fallou Gueye appeared in 29 games with four starts, scoring in double figures three times and matching a career-high 12 points twice. He averaged 1.3 assists per game. Taj Bryant saw action in 12 games and provided strong minutes late in the season, averaging 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds.