MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Following a disappointing campaign last season, the Milligan University men's basketball team looks to bounce back with an experienced group of returning players and a new crop of exciting newcomers for the 2026-27 season.
 
2025-26 Season Review: The Milligan Buffs posted a 9-19 overall record and 7-12 record in league play to finish tied for tenth in the AAC standings. A number of significant injuries directly affected the lack of wins last season.
 
The Buffs won three of their first 6 games to start the regular season, including wins against AAC foes Bluefield University and Union Commonwealth. Milligan struggled for the next month and a half suffering eight consecutive losses and losing 12 of 13. The Buffs played better to finish the season winning five of their last nine games including an impressive win against AAC Regular Season champion the University of Pikeville. The Buffaloes tied for 10^th in the league but lost the tiebreaker to Reinhardt University and did not qualify for the AAC Tournament.
 
2026-27 Preseason Poll: The 2026-27 AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll is listed below. Milligan was chosen to finish ninth of 13 programs this season.
 
2026-27 AAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
Team - Total Points (1st-Place Votes)
1. Pikeville (8) - 159
2. Johnson (3) - 154
3. Columbia International (1) - 136
4. Union Commonwealth (1) - 122
5. Tennessee Wesleyan - 118
6. Montreat - 109
7. Truett McConnell - 91
8. Bryan - 76
9. Milligan - 59
10. Reinhardt - 51
11. Columbia - 49
12. Spartanburg Methodist - 39
13. Bluefield - 20
 
Key Losses: The one key loss for the Buffs this past season was the departure of senior point guard Elijah Bredwood. Bredwood led the AAC in scoring with 22.6 points per game and grabbed nearly five rebounds a game, while dishing out 74 assists in 27 games for Milligan. He was honored as First Team All-AAC last spring. In his last game as a Buff, Bredwood broke the Milligan single-game scoring record scoring 54 points against AAC rival Tennessee Wesleyan University.
 
Key Returners: Milligan returns seven of its top eight scorers from the 2025-26 campaign.  All nine of the returners were part of the rotation last year with all playing at least nine minutes per game.
 
Senior forward Te'Jon McDaniel-McCormick (Salina, Kan.) led the Buffs in rebounding, assists and blocked shots last season and is Milligan's leading returning scorer at 14 points per game. McDaniel-McCormick grabbed a career high 19 rebounds versus Georgia Gwinnett College and scored a career high 37 points in a win at Bluefield. For his efforts, Te'Jon was named Second Team All-AAC and to the AAC All-Defensive team. 
 
Sophomore forward Liviu Anton (Causeni, Moldova) looks to add to an impressive freshman season where he averaged 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and tallied 16 steals in 27 games last season. Anton had career highs in points (24) and rebounds (11) in a February win against AAC foe Spartanburg Methodist.  
 
Sophomore Jake Benham (Concord, N.C.) also had a standout season as a freshman last year. Benham averaged nine points and four rebounds a game while making 59 three-pointers, good for second on the team. Jake scored in double-figures 13 times, including a career-high 25 points versus AAC rival Johnson University. Anton and Benham were both named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
Sophomore guard Ahmari Hicks (Charlotte, N.C.) earned a spot in the starting lineup to begin his freshman season before injuries cut his year short. Hicks was averaging 8.3 points and shooting over 35% from the three-point line when a hamstring injury ended his season. In his fourth career game, Ahmari scored a career high 21 points against NAIA powerhouse, Life University.
 
Redshirt freshman Bo Koebbe (Jacksonville, N.C.) improved immensely last season. Koebbe saw action in 27 games averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds while providing great energy off the bench. His best effort came against Columbia College when he scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds while shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the field.
 
Depth among the guard positions runs very deep for the Buffs. Senior shooters Grant Hensley (Erwin, Tenn.) and Sergej Cvetkovic (Pecinci, Serbia) will provide three-point shooting for Milligan. Hensley averaged 4.5 points and was fifth on the team with 17 steals last season. Cvetkovic exploded for 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting v. Bryan in January while averaging three points per contest for the season.
 
Sophomore point guards Zack Turner (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Stefan Janevski (Prilep, North Macedonia) will compete for minutes again this season for the Buffaloes. Turner averaged over four points per game and finished the season fourth on the team in assists with 54. Janevski saw action in 23 games and scored 55 points for the year. 
 
Newcomers: The Buffs add eight newcomers to the roster for the 2026-27 season.
 
The Buffs welcome two transfers to the roster with junior guard Stas Toderasco (Morton College, Mich.) and junior post Cairo Morales (Cleveland CC, N.C.) arriving in East Tennessee. Stas averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds last season in JUCO and has the ability to play multiple positions. As a freshman, Toderasco's Morton College team won the conference championship in 2024-25.
 
Morales brings size and toughness to the post for Milligan. He averaged a double-double in points and rebounds last year, including grabbing 20 rebounds in one game. For his efforts he was named Honorable Mention All-Conference.
 
Six freshman recruits round out the roster for the Buffs. Freshman guards, Elias Norman (Derby, England), Trent Clark (Alexander, N.C.) and Jackson Simmons (Johnson City, Tenn.) will all compete for time immediately for the Buffs. Forwards Judah Carlyle (Kill Devils Hills, N.C.) and Sterling Bohn (Stirling, Alberta, Canada) will provide depth at the forward positions while center William Robinson (Fairburn, Ga.) will provide an immediate impact in the post for the Buffs.
 
Norman is a true point guard with the ability to knock down shots from deep. He comes to Milligan after a stellar season in the 2^nd Tier Pro League in England where he shot 44% from the 3pt line and was named Coaches Player of the Year for Division 2 and Men's Player of the Year for Academy (U19s).  He averaged 17.3 points per game, five rebounds and four assists in the Men's Division 2 league.
 
Clark looks to add to his legacy after becoming the all-time leading scorer at North Buncombe High School, where he was named Conference Player of the Year and District Player of the Year after averaging 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.  His jersey, No. 1, was retired after the season.
 
Simmons also finished his career as his high school's all-time leading scorer with a total of 2,823 points. Jackson was a 2026 Mr. Basketball Finalist, 2x All-State, 4x All-District and 4x All-Region Tournament award winner.
 
Carlyle was named to the All-Conference team his senior season after averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Bohn led the North Carolina 4A schools in blocks averaging 2.8 blocks per game.    
 
Robinson was part of the NCISAA 4 State Championship team in 2025.  As a senior, he averaged 10 points and eight rebounds per game.
 
Bohn brings length and athleticism to the Buffs this season. He attended Lincoln Charter School in N.C., where he led 4A schools in blocks with 2.8 per game. Robinson attended Christ School outside of Asheville, N.C. The Atlanta native was part of the NCISSAA 4A State Championship team in 2025.  As a senior, Will averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game. 
 
Looking at the Schedule: The Buffs start the season with 11 of their first 12 games away from Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.  Those games will include two classics (hosted by Faulkner and Mount Vernon Nazarene) and two NCAA Division I exhibition games against UNC Greensboro (Nov. 3) and Lipscomb University (Nov. 22). Milligan collides with NCAA Division II squad Carson-Newman (Nov. 9) and will make trips to NAIA foes Carolina University and WV Tech.
 
After Christmas, Milligan will open with a home game against an NAIA national power, the University of the Cumberlands. That will be followed by a return game against Carolina University. Those two will be the last non-conference games of the year.
 
"I really like our schedule," head coach Bill Robinson said. "Nineteen Conference games is tough, and we must be ready to play from day one with so many games on the road to start the season. Three road contests against NCAA D1 and D2 opponents will help us adjust to the speed and athleticism we will see in the AAC. Playing Cumberlands at home will be a great test to see where we match up against one of the top NAIA schools in the country. Our guys always love to play NCAA Division I opponents, and UNCG is one of my favorite places to play. The pre-season has gone really well, and we are ready to get started!"
 
Last Word: "I'm super excited about this group," Robinson concluded. "We have a great mix of returners and new players. Our leadership on the court has been excellent this fall and the guys are ready to get started this week!"