SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team opens its 2025-26 season at Frostburg State's Bobcat Classic on Saturday and Sunday with matchups against the host Bobcats and Bluefield State.
 
The Raiders return all five starters from the end of last season, and this weekend's games will raise the curtain on a potential breakthrough campaign as SU looks to return to contention in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division.
 
Schedule
 
The Raiders first battle Bobcat Classic hosts Frostburg State Saturday at 6 p.m., followed by Bluefield State Sunday at noon.
 
Shippensburg welcomes Chestnut Hill for its home opener Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. It is the first of three straight non-conference games at Heiges Field House, with the Raiders hosting Wilmington (Del.) Nov. 22 and Cheyney Nov. 24.
 
SU's PSAC schedule begins with a crossover date at California (Pa.) Dec. 16. The Raiders return home the weekend prior to Christmas, hosting PSAC crossover tilts against Slippery Rock and Edinboro Dec. 20-21.
 
East Division play gets underway shortly after the New Year with a road contest against Bloomsburg on Jan. 7.
 
Roster
 
Shippensburg returns 12 total players from last season's roster and welcomes a group of four newcomers. All four of the newcomers are first-year student-athletes.
 
Three players are operating as seniors in 2025-26 and are in their final season of eligibility: guard Timmy Conner, forward Denzel Figueroa and guard Trey Martin.
 
From an athletic eligibility perspective, the team has three seniors, two juniors, five sophomores, and six freshmen.
 
Coaching Staff
 
Chris Fite returns for his 13th year (12th season) as the head coach of Shippensburg University men's basketball in 2025-26.
 
Fite has led the Raiders to 19 or more victories in seven of his last nine seasons in charge of the program. Included in that stretch are eight straight PSAC Tournament appearances (2014-15 through 2022-23) and three NCAA Tournament berths. He was recently named as a member of the inaugural class of the UAA (University Athletic Association) as a player for the University of Rochester, where he is the program's all-time leading scorer.
 
Fite is joined on the SU coaching staff by longtime assistants Jaren Gembe and Dave Miller.
 
Gembe is in his 12th season under Fite. A former SU guard, Gembe scored 463 points as a Raider prior to joining the coaching staff. Miller, in his 13th season at Shippensburg, boasts more than 50 years of coaching experience and 700 career victories, including 347 wins as the head coach of Frederick (Md.) Community College.
 
Notes
 
Among the team's returning starters is All-PSAC First Team guard Markus Frank. Frank paced the conference in regular season points scored (565) and finished fourth in the PSAC in points per game (19.6) a season ago.
 
The redshirt-junior scored 30-or-more points four times last season and became the 38th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points, doing so in just his 53rd career game.
 
The senior backcourt duo of Conner and Martin will provide steady leadership for the Raiders. Conner and Martin were the only two Raiders to start in all 29 games in 2024-25 and combined for 18.7 points per contest.
 
Sophomore guard Jaydon Smith returns after a stellar freshman season. Smith was the Raiders' third-leading scorer (11.2 points per game), top three-point marksman (40%) and led the team in assists (73) while posting a positive assist/turnover ratio (1.7).
 
Guard Michael Dickson is now healthy and back playing after a medical redshirt season in 2024-25. The redshirt-junior was slated to be the Raiders' starting point guard last season but suffered an injury early on in the campaign.
 
Position Breakdown (This listing is tentative entering the season and subject to change.)
 
Guards (10): Timmy Conner, Michael Dickson, Sebastian Edwards, Markus Frank, Braelin Hardy, Emonte Hill Jr., Trey Martin, Drew Sleva, Jaydon Smith, Parker Smith
 
Forwards (6): Jackson Boone, David Dorsey, Denzel Figueroa, Kenyon Johnson, Ben Rill, Gabriel Romero-Sanz
 
Home Breakdown
 
Pennsylvania (10)
Jackson Boone (Enola, Pa./Cumberland Valley)
Michael Dickson (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown (Mansfield))
Sebastian Edwards (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic)
Markus Frank (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley)
Braelin Hardy (Philadelphia, Pa./The Shipley School)
Trey Martin (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs)
Ben Rill (York, Pa./Central York)
Drew Sleva (McKees Rocks, Pa./Chartiers Valley)
Jaydon Smith (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle)
Parker Smith (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle)
 
Maryland (4)
Timmy Conner (Frederick, Md./Linganore)
David Dorsey (Frederick, Md./Frederick)
Emonte Hill Jr. (Frederick, Md./Frederick)
Kenyon Johnson (Frederick, Md./Walkersville)
 
New York (1)
Denzel Figueroa (New York City, N.Y./Carver Engineering & Science (Pa.)
 
England (1)
Gabriel Romero-Sanz (Berkshire, England/Bracknell and Wokingham College (IUP))

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