Analysis | ODU Unfiltered
The roster assessment in this piece reflects where the program stands today. One scholarship remains open, and additional moves are possible as the offseason continues.
The 2026 recruiting cycle is nearly complete, and the picture of what ODU basketball will look like next season is coming into focus. Eight new faces have been added to the roster, the coaching staff has been shuffled, and the roster that is taking shape looks different than anything we have seen under Mike Jones, thus far. The change direction seems clear. Whether it translates to wins is the question. Let's get into it.
What Came In
ODU added eight new faces to the roster — six transfers and two freshmen — and the profile of those additions tells you a lot about the direction the staff is heading for 26-27.
The frontcourt additions are the first piece that gives us an indication of what to expect. Kylan Howze arrives at 6-foot-10, 235 pounds from Louisiana Tech, bringing a shot-blocking pedigree that stands out. His JUCO track record was exceptional — 86 blocks as a freshman at Jones College, ranked ninth nationally, followed by 77 blocks and a program-record 30-win season. His one year at Louisiana Tech was more modest: 25 games, 10.6 minutes per night, 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds. The production was limited. Howze did not impose himself at the D1 level the way his JUCO résumé suggested he might. What ODU is betting on is that the right system and a larger role gives him the opportunity to become the rim-protecting anchor this program desperately needs. He will need to take a step forward in Norfolk for that bet to pay off.
Zamoku "Zam" Weluche-Ume provides the second frontcourt piece at 6-foot-8, 220 pounds. His junior season at NC A&T was productive — 11.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, five double-doubles in a seven-game stretch, a career-high 15 rebounds in a win over Towson. He showed he could produce in a featured role at the CAA level, score in multiple ways, and rebound against solid competition. He projects as ODU's most versatile frontcourt piece — a power forward who can defend, rebound, and contribute offensively around the rim, off the dribble and with a jumper.
On the perimeter, the additions reflect increased emphasis on defensive capability. Jotham Nweke at 6-foot-7 comes from Wayne State at the D2 level, so this will be a step up in competition. His profile is defensive — he earned GLIAC All-Defensive Team honors, averaged 1.4 steals per game, and brings length and instincts that can translate regardless of level. How much he produces offensively in the Sun Belt remains to be seen. Khoi Thurmon at 6-foot-1 follows a similar profile — his JUCO All-American credentials and 53 steals in his final JUCO season point to a player built around defensive pressure, and his limited production at Oakland last year was as much about role as ability. He fits as a defensive-first guard who can give the program energy in short stretches.
Bubu Benjamin is the most complex evaluation in this class. At 6-foot-7, he is a proven scorer when healthy and in the right situation. His season at Tarleton State, where he led the team at 13.9 points per game and shot 38 percent from three, showed what he is capable of when featured and healthy. His year at George Washington was undermined by a knee injury and a diminished role, and the result was a player who averaged 5.8 points in 20 minutes without the ball in his hands enough to be effective. The question at ODU is which version shows up. We believe his ceiling is higher than what he showed last year. The staff clearly believes the Tarleton State version Benjamin is still there. That faith is reasonable, if not guaranteed.
Adante' Holiman rounds out the portal additions with the most straightforward profile of the group. The 5-foot-11 point guard has been around — UTRGV, UTSA, Georgia Southern, Arizona State — but his season at Georgia Southern showed what he can do in the right offensive system. He shot 38.6 percent from three, broke down defenses off the dribble, and demonstrated shot creation this offense has lacked. His smaller frame means he can be targeted defensively, and the physicality of Sun Belt backcourts will test him. But as a primary offensive initiator alongside Zacch Wiggins, he gives Jones a point guard weapon that provides more versatility than his previous two seasons.
The two incoming freshmen — CJ Harper and CJ Lyons — add upside and depth in the backcourt. Harper at 6-foot-3 brings length and versatility, Lyons at 6-foot-2 brings creation and scoring ability. Neither should be expected to carry a starting role to start the season. Their value this season is going to be in providing depth and building toward stronger contributors in the second half of the season.
What Came Back
Four scholarship players return from last year's roster. Zacch Wiggins is the most important of them, and it is not close. The 6-foot-4 sophomore from Greensboro has the potential to be the best player on this team — a wing who can score at all three levels, rebound for his position, and develop into the two-way contributor this offense needs at its center. If Wiggins takes the developmental step that his freshman season suggested was coming, he becomes the piece that this team is built around.
Scottie Hubbard returns as a rotation wing — a catch-and-shoot threat with good size who can be useful in specific situations but has not shown the defensive consistency or shot creation to be a featured piece. He is a rotation player, and his value this season depends on whether he has addressed the defensive limitations, primarily on the perimeter, that have persisted throughout his ODU career to this point.
Jared Turner's role is expected to be clearer and more narrow next season, and that is good news. With legitimate frontcourt pieces ahead of him, Turner can settle into what he actually is — a spot-minutes wing who can come off the bench, knock down a three, and provide versatility across the three and four spots in short stretches. Asking him to be more than that has not worked. Narrowing his focus might.
Ben Nacey is a depth piece. His touch around the rim is real and his effort has never been the issue, but the athleticism gap at the Sun Belt level has been too large for him to be a consistent rotation contributor. In the right matchup, on the right night, he can provide useful minutes. Building a rotation around him is not the plan and should not be.
The One Remaining Scholarship
ODU has one scholarship remaining, and our expectation is that the staff will use it on a frontcourt player. In our opinion, that addition is not optional — it is necessary. Howze and Weluche-Ume give the program two legitimate bigs for the first time under Jones, but two is not enough to get you through a game, let alone a season. Big men foul. They get in foul trouble. They sit. And when one or both are in foul trouble, or worse injured, you are back to watching wings defend post players, which is exactly the problem this offseason needs to solve. A third big — even a depth piece who can eat minutes and provide a physical presence — changes the calculus entirely.
What This Roster Tells Us
The clearest signal in this roster construction is that the program has acknowledged its shortcomings when it comes to physicality and defensive pressure. The move toward size and defensive minded players appears real. This is a physically different team than the one that went 12-21. It is longer, stronger in the frontcourt, and constructed around a defensive identity that the previous roster did not have the personnel to support.
The caveat is that this is still a roster built heavily on potential and projection. Several of these players — Howze, Nweke, Thurmon, Benjamin — bring profiles that are more promising than proven at ODU’s level of competition. A class built around transfers who showed flashes but did not consistently produce at their previous stops can become a very good team when the system fits and the chemistry develops. It can also become a collection of individual parts that never quite gels. That question does not get answered in May. It gets answered in January, in February, in the Sun Belt Tournament.
The coaching staff changes reinforce that commitment. The recruiting class reflects it. Holiman and Wiggins give the offense a legitimate backcourt, while Howze and Weluche-Ume give the frontcourt a physical presence. The pieces are interesting.
Whether they are good enough, and whether they come together quickly enough to compete at the top of the conference is the question that will remain until a Mike Jones coached ODU team gets it done on the court.
2026-2027 Projected Roster
| Player | Pos | Ht | Status | Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adante' Holiman | G | 5-11 | Incoming Transfer | Arizona State |
| Khoi Thurmon | G | 6-1 | Incoming Transfer | Oakland |
| CJ Lyons | G | 6-2 | Incoming Freshman | Clinton Grace Christian |
| * CJ Parker | G | 6-6 | Returning | ODU |
| * Rieco Hellams | G | 5-10 | Returning | ODU |
| CJ Harper | W/G | 6-3 | Incoming Freshman | The Paideia School |
| Bubu Benjamin | W | 6-7 | Incoming Transfer | George Washington |
| Jotham Nweke | W | 6-7 | Incoming Transfer | Wayne State |
| Zacch Wiggins | W | 6-4 | Returning | ODU |
| Scottie Hubbard | W | 6-6 | Returning | ODU |
| Jared Turner | W/F | 6-8 | Returning | ODU (Northeastern) |
| Kylan Howze | F | 6-10 | Incoming Transfer | Louisiana Tech |
| Zamoku Weluche-Ume | F | 6-8 | Incoming Transfer | NC A&T |
| Ben Nacey | F | 6-8 | Returning | ODU |
* Indicates Walk On
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