UH Men’s Basketball: Who’s Back and Who’s New?
After an unforgettable 2025-26 season where the Hawaiʻi Men’s Basketball team won the Big West Tournament for the second time, made it to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time, and finished 24-9 overall, the part every college basketball fan hates is here: the off-season!
UH will have to dig deep in the transfer portal to revamp its roster after six players exhausted their eligibility, and four players entered the transfer portal. This comes after the school agreed to a contract extension for head coach Eran Ganot for a 12th season on April 7.
There’s also a change in the coaching staff, as associate head coach Brad Davidson will be leaving for the USC Trojans next season.
So, who’s back, who’s leaving, and who’s new?
Returning:
As of Monday, April 13, UH has only two returning players from last season’s roster, with a third possible.
Isaac Johnson (possible): On Apr. 14, it was originally thought that Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson would enter the transfer portal. He is actually petitioning the NCAA for a waiver for a fifth year of eligibility. Considering UH is moving conferences, a return season from Johnson will be vital to have any chance of competing in or winning the Mountain West! Johnson became a fan favorite with his signature “chomp clap” in his introductions, and anytime he made a 3-pointer!
Tanner Cuff: Cuff only got two exhibition games under his belt in October ‘25 when a knee injury before the season opener at Oregon sidelined him for all of the ‘25-’26 season. Using his medical redshirt option, Cuff will wear the UH uniform in 2026-27, but he did say much earlier that he still planned to wear the uniform. Fans will finally get a chance to see if Tanner Cuff being out there this past season would have meant a win for UH over Arkansas last March in the NCAA Tournament first round; last season, fans did not get a chance to see Roy Igwe, as he missed the 2024-25 season due to a knee injury of his own, then left to pursue a pro career in Japan, his home country.
Isaiah Kerr: Kerr did not start any games in 2025-26, but he proved to be vital to UH’s rotation immediately! He came up big with 17 points off the bench in UH’s critical overtime win over UC Santa Barbara! Expect Kerr to have an outside shot at a team captain role in 2026-27.
Transfers:
Aaron Hunkin-Claytor: The Wahiawa native announced on Mar. 26 that he planned to enter the transfer portal after two seasons at UH. Hunkin-Claytor poured in a career-high 18 points in the Arizona State loss on Nov. 20. His ball control greatly improved, but his season got cut short in mid-January due to a foot injury. Hunkin-Claytor has not announced a new home yet, but he has not ruled out a return to the UH roster.
Isaac Finlinson: On Mar. 27, the would-be senior had announced he intended to enter the transfer portal for his fourth new home in five years. Finlinson appeared in all 33 games and started the final 16 after Hunkin-Claytor went down. Finlinson has not announced his new home, nor has he ruled out a return to the roster either.
Hunter Carter, A.J. Economou: Both reserve guards announced they will enter the transfer portal after one season at UH for Carter and two seasons for Economou. While both players appeared mostly in garbage minutes, neither could reach a consistent amount of playing time on the court. Economou was inserted in the rotation after Harry Rouhliadeff and Isaiah Kerr missed some games due to injury and scored a career-high seven points against UH-Hilo.
On April 13, Economou announced on social media that he had landed at Little Rock. As of Monday, Carter is still testing the transfer waters.
Losing a player to the portal is never fun, especially reserves. It was rumored that Carter’s point guard experience was comparable to former Rainbow Warrior Roderick Bobbitt, but unless Carter has a change of heart, we’ll never know now.
Commitments:
Bol Dengdit: The former UC San Diego forward/center entered the portal and had received interest from UH and six other programs. He announced his commitment to UH on Apr. 23. Dengdit will have one season of eligibility remaining.
Kellen Hampton: After playing one game for the Pacific Tigers before redshirting in 2025-26, Kellen Hampton chose Hawaiʻi as his new home. He is closely connected with current UH assistant coach Clay Wilson. Hampton will have four seasons of eligibility.
Houran Dan: The Seattle University center had received interest from the UH program after he entered the portal on April 10. The 6’10 sophomore averaged just under six points and is rumored to be a beast in the paint! With UH moving to the Mountain West, size will matter, and Dan may very well prove to be a critical addition! On Apr. 17, Dan announced he has committed to UH!
Zack Davidson: On Apr. 7, the forward entered the portal after a season at Northern Arizona. He averaged 14 points and under five rebounds in 14 games before his season was cut short due to injury. On Apr. 16, Davidson officially chose UH as his new home.
Scotty Belnap: UH had recruited the Mater Dei alum back in 2024, but Belnap had to complete a two-year church mission in Argentina first. Belnap is a 6-foot-6 wing and said that playing at Hawaiʻi was “a dream” for him.
Marcus Adams Jr.: The former Arizona State forward became UH’s first official commitment from the portal on Apr. 11! Adams will have two seasons of eligibility left after spending his redshirt freshman year at Northridge and his true freshman year at Brigham Young University.
Jaden Matingou: On Apr. 12, UH made it back-to-back days with a commitment via the former Point Loma guard. Matingou has one eligible season left. He chose UH over UC Irvine, Colorado State, and others.
Tiger Cuff: On April 14, Tiger Cuff, the younger brother of Tanner Cuff, announced his commitment to UH! This comes after he completed a two-year church mission of his own in Brazil. He originally committed to Weber State, but he changed his mind and chose the islands. This is likely the first time the UH roster will have two brothers featured.
These are the only confirmations as of late.
Rumors:
Joshua Hughes: The former Evansville forward entered the portal and is on the open market for size purposes. Hughes averaged over nine points and four rebounds. Hughes, an Australian big, has one season of eligibility remaining. He was teammates with Tanner Cuff in 2024-25 for the Purple Eagles and averaged over seven points and five rebounds during his time there. Tanner having his brother and another former teammate on the UH roster would be massive!
Devin Williams: A forward from Florida Atlantic who entered the transfer portal. He has received interest from UH and a dozen other programs. We’ll need all the help we can get, and I see him inserted in the rotation when Houran Dan needs a breather.
Bol Dengdit: The former UC San Diego center/forward entered the transfer portal and has received interest from UH and six other programs for his last eligible season. He would be a big help to UH’s front court with his muscly build, and the signing of Zack Davidson on Apr. 16. Hmm, if we stayed in the Big West one more year, might this have been the season where UH would finally be the recipient of an in-conference transfer?
***UPDATE: Bol Dengdit committed to Hawaiʻi on Apr. 23!***
Marqui Worthy: On Apr. 15, the former UC Riverside guard entered the portal and has heard from a dozen schools, UH included. I see him with a good role off the bench when Tanner Cuff or Isaiah Kerr need some rest time. Hmm, if we just waited one more season in the Big West, maybe UH would join the flurry of in-conference transfers.
***UPDATE: Marqui Worthy transferred to San Diego on Apr. 21.***
Nathan Medina: The former Chaminade Silversword guard may not be finished with his time in the islands just yet. Medina went for 17 against UH in an exhibition match on October 26. Medina has also heard from nine other Division I programs aside from UH.
Houran Dan: The Seattle University center has received interest from the UH program after he entered the portal on April 10. The 6’10 sophomore averaged just under six points and is rumored to be a beast in the paint! With UH moving to the Mountain West, size will matter, and Dan may very well prove to be a critical addition!
**UPDATE: Houran Dan has committed to UH on 4/17!**
Antonio Pusateri: A forward from Division II Lubbock Christian, Antonio Pusateri averaged over 16 points, 11 rebounds, and a block in his lone season. He has offers from multiple Division I schools, including UH, but landing someone who notched a whopping 22 double-doubles would be massive!
**UPDATE: On Apr. 17, Antonio Pusateri committed to Portland State.**
Luke Howard: The Simon Fraser forward announced on Mar. 27 he would enter the transfer portal and has received interest from almost a dozen programs, UH included. Howard previously played two seasons at Lipscomb, then transferred to Biola for one season, and again transferred to Northwest for two seasons before landing at Simon Fraser. Howard, who averaged under 17 points and over six rebounds in 2024-25, will have one eligible season remaining.
Zion Sensley: On Mar. 27, after two seasons at UC Santa Barbara, Zion Sensley announced he would enter the transfer portal with two seasons remaining, and UH is one of Sensley’s final selections. If Sensley DOES commit to UH, he may find himself with a vital role with UH’s front court already graduated. He would also become the first second-generation Rainbow Warrior in over 20 years! Zion is the son of former Rainbow Warrior and Kailua native Julian Sensley, who played for UH from 2003-06. The last time UH had a second-generation player on the roster was Bobby Nash, who played from 2003-07. Bobby is the son of former Fabulous Five player and former UH head coach Bob Nash.
**UPDATE: On Friday, Apr. 17, Zion Sensley committed to Loyola Marymount.**
Jalen Lyn: On Mar. 28, Lyn de-committed from Middle Tennessee, and UH is interested in his services. Lyn is a 6’4 guard who averaged 16.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 35 starts for the College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles. If UH can pick him up, Lyn should do a lot of good both defensively and offensively.
**UPDATE: Jalen Lyn chose Little Rock on Apr. 15.**
Chance Trujillo: On Apr. 1 (no kidding around here), the former Utah Tech Trailblazer entered the transfer portal. Trujillo has a legitimate 3-point shooting arm at over 35% and gave UH some major scares in the Rainbow Classic last November, scoring nine critical points. Trujillo and Isaac Finlinson were teammates at Snow College, and if UH can snag Trujillo, that may convince Finlinson to have a change of heart, and the two can be teammates again for one final season!
**UPDATE: Chance Trujillo committed to Hawaiʻi on Apr. 18!**
Ethan Duncan: On Apr. 7, the redshirt junior went back to the transfer portal after one season at Lipscomb University. He made a whopping 177 triples while playing for Division II Lubbock Christian and averaged over 15 points and under two assists. With the graduation of Dre Bullock and other quality shooters, UH can very well use Duncan’s services.
***UPDATE: Ethan Duncan chose Cal Baptist on Apr. 19.***
Yoda Oke: On Apr. 7, the former Air Force guard/forward entered the portal, and UH may be on his radar. Oke has been given offers from many other programs. He was a vital piece to the Fullerton College roster and helped the Hornets achieve a 32-1 record. Oke averaged under 16 points and eight rebounds in his 31 games there.
**UPDATE: Yoda Oke announced his commitment to Sam Houston on Apr. 17.**
Tanner Davis: On Apr. 7, the former Utah Tech Trailblazer entered the portal and averaged over seven points and three rebounds. Davis was a teammate of Trujillo when Utah Tech faced off against UH in the Rainbow Classic last November, and Utah Tech fell by six. Utah is known to be a hot prospect for basketball players — ask Isaac Johnson and Isaac Finlinson. I can also remember former Rainbow Warrior Jace Tavita, who played at UH for one season in the early 2010s.
**UPDATE: Tanner Davis announced his commitment to Utah Valley on Apr. 17.**
Tyler Mrus: A transfer from BYU, this forward will have one season of eligibility remaining after spending his first two seasons at Idaho. Mrus has also received interest from five other programs, including future Mountain West opponent, Wyoming.
Xander Alarie: On Apr. 13, the former Northeastern forward entered the portal. UH has shown interest in his services. Alarie is a redshirt freshman who averaged over 10 points, seven rebounds, and a block in 11 games played before a shoulder injury ended his season.
***UPDATE: Xander Alarie chose Bradley on April 20 for the 2026-27 season.***
These are all your confirmations via social media. Expect this list to be updated.
