CEDAR CITY, UTAH -- The SUU Men's Basketball team participated in its first official practice today, marking the start of the 2025-26 season.

Third-year Head Coach Rob Jeter and his staff have brought in a number of new faces this season, featuring a mix of veteran leadership and young talent; the T-Birds are poised to compete in their final season of Western Athletic Conference play.

Head Coach Rob Jeter said

"This is the first year where it feels like the talent and the personality of our team are aligned. We added a lot of quality pieces and the team is bonding quickly."

The Thunderbirds return only three players from the roster a season ago, which accounts for just over 10% of the total minutes played: senior point guard Lorenzo Abellar, senior center Kai Burdick, and senior guard Langston Binns, who did not see action a year ago.

SUU fans will notice plenty of storylines this year. Jaiden Feroah and Dylan Jones, both Utah natives, are back home for their final college season. Feroah joins the Thunderbirds from Holy Cross, and Jones transferred in from Fairleigh Dickinson

Former four-star recruit Isaiah Cottrell steps into a senior year that feels like his time to shine. After battling injuries most of his career at West Virginia and UNLV, Cottrell has something to prove, and he is eager to get to work.

True freshmen Elijah Duval, another ESPN four-star recruit, and Cale Barclay, a Herriman, Utah native, are set to make an immediate impact.

Junior guard Zach Bell brings high-flying athleticism and a strong voice of leadership.

The Thunderbirds' non-conference schedule is one of the toughest in the country for a mid-major. The T-Birds will face five high-major programs and will only have five preseason games inside the AFEC.

Once conference play begins, it will be uncharted territory for all the WAC teams. Each team will play each other three times, with the conference dictating which teams will have the home-court series advantage.

It's the Thunderbirds' final season in the Western Athletic Conference, and the team is ready to go out on top.

TICKETS

Tickets are on sale now at tbirdtickets.com! Go get yours today!

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Stay up to date during the 2025-26 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.

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