*All quotes are from a WRBB Sports interview with Bill Coen in late October.
College basketball is getting to feel like the movie Inception.
Nothing is set in stone. You can’t even trust the ground you stand on. Between transfers, holdouts, NIL controversy, agents, gambling scandals, coaching moves, and the inclusion of former professionals in collegiate sports, nothing — and I mean nothing — is sacred.
Nobody knows that quite like Bill Coen and Northeastern, who enter the 2025-26 season without the nucleus of a talented-but-disappointing 2024-25 squad that ended in a one-and-done tournament whimper. To boot, this team doesn’t even have literal ground to stand on, with the scheduled destruction of Matthews Arena in mid-December leaving the Huskies with just two games remaining in the fabled old barn.
As such, the phrase “transitional year” is a bit of a double entendre. This year’s team will have to navigate both the departure of a transformational Class of ‘26 as well as the novelty of competing in a whole different building, the Cabot Center.
“I’m actually excited, and I think our players are too, to get to the environment in Cabot,” Coen told WRBB Sports. “Back in the day, that was an incredible home court environment… it could be a distinct home court advantage, and our guys are embracing that.”
While the building shift isn’t monstrous — Cabot is a five-minute walk from Matthews on a bad day, and the basketball team has called it home on a number of occasions even since moving to Matthews in 1981 — it’s noteworthy, and just contributes further to a season in limbo.
With that being said, there is a universe in which this team is very good. A few key players stuck around, and the departures have created gaps for talented, if somewhat unproven, guys to step into some bigger roles. A six-man freshman class enters with some real upside, and the transfers Northeastern did manage to snag seem to fit in nicely with the team’s ethos.
What’s below is a roster rundown, starting with the coach before going over the departures, returners, and newcomers and finishing with some predictions. Important disclaimer: I usually don’t know what I’m talking about. If you’re curious about how accurate I tend to be (hint: not very), you can check out last year’s preview here. If you’re wondering about the CAA as a whole, you can find my preview here.
Without further ado:
Coach
I could’ve written this preview every year since I turned 2, and that heading would stay the same.
That’s how long Coach Bill Coen has led Northeastern, and as he gets set for his 20th year at the helm, his record sits at an even 299-299. He surpassed former George Mason (and more recently, Miami) headman Jim Larranaga with his 184th CAA win in January 2024, and showed no sign of slowing down a season ago as he guided his Huskies to their best record since 2019.
“You mentioned 20 years, but it feels like we’re just starting,” Coen said. “So, that’s a good thing.”
On the court, Coen’s style shifts from year-to-year, but tends to focus on quality guard play. He got it in spades a season ago, with star point guard Rashad King getting the school’s first All-CAA First Team nod since Tyson Walker in 2021. Other guards such as Masai Troutman and Harold Woods stood out as well, allowing Coen to run his traditional guard-heavy approach.
“You have to have good guards in order to win. College basketball has generally been a guards game.”
He’s got his work cut out for him in that department this year, but Coen’s experience and wisdom on the sideline should help make up for some of the inexperience and naivety on the court. Coen touched on shooting more threes during CAA media day, and a Three-and-D strategy figures to factor prominently for a new-look roster which lost a lot from a season ago.
“We certainly have to put our guards in the best possible position to be successful. I think all of those guys are shooting it really well in the preseason, and are historically good shooters. We’re going to have to lean on that a little bit.”
That wasn’t the case last year, but that was mostly due to who’s no longer here:
Departures
Northeastern’s Class of 2026 recruits were supposed to be transformational.
Instead, they all disappeared, one by one, until all that remained of their time in Boston was one winning season — a 17-15 clip in 2024-25 — and a whole bunch of what-ifs. While Chase Cormier and Jared Turner exited after their freshman and sophomore campaigns, respectively, the four who donned the red-and-white a season ago departed after their junior seasons, bringing an era (if you can call it that) to an end. Even if it was a disappointing goodbye, though, it wasn’t a bitter one.
“First and foremost, we just want the very best for our guys,” said Coen. “The hope is for all our guys to get what they want. For some guys, that’s a really meaningful degree from Northeastern and a great college experience, and for other guys, it’s a payday and high major experience.”
Northeastern has always had some of both, but for the latter category, Rashad King (LSU) is no doubt the headliner. King broke out in 2024-25 to put up one of the best guard seasons in school history, averaging 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 32 starts while earning All-CAA First Team honors and serving as the team’s barometer throughout. The 6-foot-6 point man frequently kept Northeastern in games they had no business being in, and hit the most memorable shot of the season when he sunk a game-winner to cap a dramatic comeback at William & Mary. After the home finale, Coen waxed poetic about King, who he said had “grown so much as a player, as a man, [and] as a leader.” It was a succinct way to summarize a truly fabulous campaign.
Replacing King’s production will be difficult, particularly without the services of backcourt mate Masai Troutman (George Mason). Troutman was one of the highest-ranked recruits in years when he arrived in 2022, and although injuries hampered his time in Boston, he frequently showed his talent when he was on the court. The 6-foot-6 guard was pegged as Northeastern’s best player entering the 2024-25 season, and for good reason; when he played (13 games), Troutman averaged 13.5 points on hyper-efficient 44/40/80 splits. His numbers would’ve been even better without health-related minutes restrictions, as he notched at least 12 points in nine of ten games between late November and mid-January. His infrequent availability softens the blow of his departure, but talent like his doesn’t find itself in Northeastern colors all too often.
As far as talent goes, Collin Metcalf (Maryland) had plenty of it, hovering around the tops of the NCAA leaderboards in blocks in a breakout season that earned him a CAA All-Defensive spot. Despite being listed at 6-foot-9, he played much bigger, and was one of the team’s better rebounders alongside their most notable defender. Metcalf’s offensive production was next-to-none, though, and his departure shouldn’t have too much of an impact stylistically.
Offensive production was boom or bust for Harold Woods (Incarnate Word) who averaged 11.8 points but was prone to both disappearing acts and turnover problems. Even at 6-foot-5, Woods did the vast majority of his damage in the paint, and made his time around the basket count on multiple fronts as arguably Northeastern’s best rebounder with 7.2 per game. His undersized, head-down style led to matchup disadvantages and turnover problems, though, and Woods wasn’t particularly efficient. They’ll miss his pure numbers, undoubtedly, but his profile wasn’t a perfect fit for the roster the Huskies have compiled this year anyways.
Had they been able to stick around, Alexander Nwagha and Sam Thomson would’ve fit this roster like a glove. Both players graduated after five seasons, with Nwagha spending all five at Northeastern and Thomson coming over for a grad year after four NCAA Tournament runs at Colgate. Nwagha was never a huge piece, but played excellent defense as a valuable backup big throughout his time, while his fellow frontcourt mate Thomson played sparingly in his one year as a Husky. Both players were team favorites, though, and their personalities will be sorely missed amidst an inexperienced locker room.
Nate Francois graduated as well, but only played eight minutes in 2024-25 after walking on from the club team as a senior. His story and energy were a fun part of last season, but he didn’t offer much beyond that.
Returners
Just because some talent hit the door doesn’t mean nothing stuck around.
Four of Northeastern’s top seven in minutes per game from 2024-25 (if you exclude Troutman, who didn’t play enough games to qualify) are back. They retained a player who can serve as a star, a number of key complementary pieces, and a few players primed for a breakout in a bigger role in 2025-26.
LA Pratt will almost certainly take over lead guard duties as a senior, and deservedly so. After coming over from Elon at the conclusion of his sophomore year, Pratt instantly earned Coen’s trust (who described him as “an elite competitor, and a little like fire and ice”), logging 31.1 minutes per game across 29 starts. While he wasn’t always the picture of consistency, Pratt averaged 11.2 points and 2.5 assists per game, often taking secondary ballhandling duties behind King. There’s room to grow, too; Pratt shot just 29% from beyond the arc, but that was mostly due to a brutal 8-of-58 stretch between November 10 and January 4. If he can maintain last season’s staggering 69% eFG at the rim while shooting the three closer to how he did outside that horrific stretch (34-of-87), Pratt should be Northeastern’s go-to-guy and one of the conference’s better players.
Shooting inconsistency wasn’t an issue for JB Frankel, who rode a 39% three-point clip to a breakout year. In a cluttered backcourt, Frankel’s lights-out shooting earned him a massive bump in minutes as a sophomore, and he maintained a very respectable 1.7/1 AST/TO ratio even with the heavier load. The 6-foot-4 Frankel hasn’t quite shown the athletic chops to be a slashing guard, but his steady play and reliability figure to earn him a number of starts — and plenty of minutes — throughout the year even if he isn’t a nailed-on, 32-game starter. If he can maintain, or improve upon, his three-point mark, Frankel will be among the most valuable players on the roster.
You can’t talk about shooting without mentioning William Kermoury, who similarly broke out as a sophomore even as his campaign was routinely interrupted by injury. Despite playing in just 17 games, Kermoury got markedly better across the board, going from looking downright lost in year one to being one of Northeastern’s most important offensive players in year 2. NU’s offense was nearly 10 points per 100 possessions better when Kermoury was out there, as the Swede used his 39% three-point rate and heady, connective offensive play to smoothen out a unit which occasionally needed it. Kermoury developed some inside-the-arc game as the season wore on, and he’ll get to — and need to — showcase it in 2025-26 as one of the team’s tertiary ballhandlers.
Youri Fritz probably hasn’t been characterized as a ballhandler since primary school, and that’s okay. Like Pratt, Fritz came over after his sophomore season, joining the Huskies from Canisius, and enjoyed a ton of success in year one with Northeastern. While his counting stats don’t jump off the page — 4.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists — Fritz impacted the game as much as anybody not named Rashad King, as evidenced by his lineups pacing the team in both offensive and defensive rating. Yes, it was a small sample size, but Fritz is genuinely good; he’s tall and agile enough to guard 1-through-5, he rebounds well, and while his jump-shooting (from the free throw line in particular) leaves something to be desired, he was above-average from around the rim. If Fritz can clean up a truly unsightly 38% free-throw clip, he’s in line to take the reins in a disassembled Huskies frontcourt.
Bill Coen loves to say that the biggest offseason for a college basketball player is between their freshman and sophomore campaigns, and after showing flashes as rookies, Ryan Williams and Luca Soroa Schaller will have the chance to prove him right. The 6-foot-4 Williams’ season got off to a hot start when he scored 32 over the first three games, but he couldn’t find it again, scoring just 23 points across the remaining 29. Williams faces another uphill battle for playing time this season, with a handful of very talented guards still in front of him, but if he can shoot, he’ll play.
Soroa Schaller spent most of last year glued to the bench, but his 6-foot-7 frame combined with an advanced ballhandling and distributing acumen makes him an intriguing prospect in year two. To boot, the Swiss wing put together an impressive offseason, averaging over 17 points for his country in FIBA’s U20 summer tournament. With the frontcourt cleared out, the path is there for Soroa Schaller to find real minutes and break out in his second season stateside. If his summer shooting is legitimate — 36% from three in the aforementioned tournament — he’ll give Northeastern oodles of versatility and the kind of rangy, complete wing they’ve been looking for since Jared Turner skipped town two summers ago.
“Luckily for us, our second year players, both [Ryan] and [Luca] have committed to that [freshman-sophomore] improvement,” said Coen. If he’s right, that’d make life much easier for the next group on the list:
Newcomers
You have to cast a wide net to catch a lot of fish.
Bill Coen and his staff certainly did just that, securing eight recruits spanning Canada to Minnesota to Montenegro as they looked to replenish a roster that saw seven players hit the exits over the offseason. Five of the eight arrivals are true freshmen, one is a redshirt freshman transfer, and two are traditional transfers. It’s an exciting, versatile class that features some truly exciting talent, some talent-laden unknowns, and at least one newcomer set to be a steady, instant contributor.
Six freshmen stacks up as the biggest class since 2022-23. That team was miserable, finishing 10-20 in one of the poorer seasons in recent school history. When asked if this year’s six-man class felt reminiscent of that year, Coen had this to say:
“Yeah, I think so. Each class is different, but [this year’s] young guys, the advantage there is they have an older group of veterans. [The 2022 class] had to jump into the fire; there were games where we had five freshmen out there, and they were getting baptized… [the 2025 class] can be sprinkled in with some veterans. I think that helps you find your way faster, if everyone else is in the right spot.”
Mike Loughnane will have to be one of those veterans, and he’s well-positioned to do just that. The 6-foot-4 guard started 32 games for Davidson last season, and while his counting stats don’t jump off the page, a 37% three-point clip is promising. Additionally, Loughnane handles and distributes the ball well, and with a steady, polished all-around game, his skillset should translate very nicely to the CAA. Oh, and he’s got roots at Northeastern — his father, Bill Loughnane, played four years under Jim Calhoun for the Huskies in between 1977-1980. Look for his son to be one of the five or six most important players on this team.
Nobody knows quite what to make of Haris Elezovic, who arrives in Boston after a fabulous collegiate career in Canada and a year mostly spent on the bench at West Virginia. He was dominant during his time up north, leading Laval to a national championship while averaging a double-double, but as we saw a season ago, it’s difficult to project just how that translates to the NCAA level. Now in a mid-major conference, the 6-foot-8 graduate student will need to recapture some of that Canadian form (and rebounding!). Place Elezovic firmly in your wild card category.
Haris wasn’t the only major-conference transfer to find his way to Northeastern: ex-Miami Hurricane Xander Alarie ended up in red-and-black just the same after a redshirt season in Coral Gables. Because Alarie didn’t see the court at Miami, he’ll begin the season with four years of eligibility remaining, and is — for all intents and purposes — a freshman. The 6-foot-8 DC-area native will have a real shot at minutes in a wide-open frontcourt, though, and with a year of collegiate practices under his belt, has the inside track to win a backup job.
Ty Francis will be Alarie’s main competition on that track. At 6-foot-7, he’s a bit undersized, but his jaw-dropping athleticism made his name in high school, and should continue to do so in college. As a freshman, he’ll need to either defend or shoot at a high level to earn consistent opportunities, though, and the shooting in particular is a major question mark. If the New York product is in fact a raw talent, which he appears to be, Francis might not be out there often, but when he is? Hold onto your seats.
If another freshman’s going to give Francis a run for his money in the highlights department, it might be Miles Newton. Newton dominated Minnesota high school circuits, with the 6-foot-3 guard flashing three-level scoring ability along with some sneaky leaping ability and an advanced feel for the game. Of the first-years, he appears (at first glance) to be the most polished, and would be the most likely to earn instant minutes if not for the traffic jam ahead of him at his position. If he’s as good as I think he is, though, he’ll find his way onto the floor no matter what.
Xavier Abreu checks in as the only Massachusetts-based freshman, having played his high school ball at Phillips Academy in nearby Andover. Abreu is probably the best pure shooter in the class, impressing both off the dribble and from set shots, but like Newton, the 6-foot-3 guard faces an uphill battle for minutes in year one. Again, though, if he can play, he can play, and if his jumper translates right away, he’ll be out there.
If Abreu was the shortest recruiting trip of the year, Petar Pinter was the furthest. Hailing from Montenegro, the 6-foot-11 center immediately becomes Northeastern’s tallest player, but that alone doesn’t guarantee him minutes: the freshman looks like a project, with raw mechanics, a developing body, and off-kilter footwork making it difficult to see an easy translation to the NCAA in year one. There isn’t much depth in front of him, though, so who knows…
There is depth alongside him, though, in the form of Liam Koelsch. Koelsch played his high school ball for the legendary Joe Wootten at Bishop O’Connell in Arlington, Virginia*, and even if he wasn’t the star, the 6-foot-9 Koelsch did enough to warrant collegiate attention. His defense is his calling card, with a knack for timing up blocks, but Koelsch will either need to get quicker or revamp his offensive game to maintain some effectiveness at the next level.
*I grew up in Arlington and went to Wootten basketball camps every summer. I know nobody cares, but it was great. Maybe I’ll try out for the team.
Roundup, predictions, and a merciful end
Well, that’s the roster. I’ve been rambling for well over 3,000 words now. Thanks for sticking it out.
In paragraph form?
This season’s going to be fun. It (almost) always is. Ben Franklin once said that the existence of wine is proof that God loves us. I feel similarly about college basketball. Win, lose, or draw.
Northeastern is going to be exciting. Yes, a lot of talent is gone. So be it. What’s left is a team with a clear hierarchy, which hasn’t been the case in years. They have a lot of players primed for breakouts, a legitimate handful of really good shooters, a bunch of smart basketball players, and a coach who knows what he’s doing. The pieces are here to be genuinely competitive. (I think. I’ve really talked myself into this team over the past few weeks. I could be deluding myself.)
Of course, things could go wrong. There’s always that chance, especially with a radically changed roster and relative inexperience up and down the depth chart. You can’t rule it out.
But… I’m cautiously optimistic. If they can rebound, I truly believe they can compete on any given night. Go grab the ball off the rim Taurean Prince style, fellas.
As you were:
Record: 15-14 (10-8 CAA)
CAA Regular Season Finish: 6th
CAA Tournament Finish: Semifinalists
Team MVP: LA Pratt
Team Defensive Player of the Year: Youri Fritz
Transfer of the Year: Mike Loughnane
Breakout of the Year: Luca Soroa Schaller
“They feel like they have something to prove,” Coen said. “When you have a group of guys in the locker room that are committed to that and connected, you’re going to give yourself a chance each and every night.”
Welcome back, college basketball.
Northeastern gets its season underway on Monday, as BU comes to Matthews. Jordan Walsh, Max Schwartzberg, and Daniel Ku will have your call LIVE on WRBB 104.9 FM, with tip set for 7:30 pm.
Jacob Phillips is the Sports Director for WRBB Sports. He’s been covering Northeastern athletics for over two years, focusing primarily on men’s basketball. Follow him on Twitter here and Instagram here. He also writes for Mid-Major Madness, and you can find his work here.