Shippensburg University Athletics

PREVIEW: 2026-27 Men's Basketball

11/6/2026 12:00:00 PM

By: SU Sports Information

2026-27 SCHEDULE

2026-27 ROSTER

The Shippensburg University men's basketball team begins its 2026-27 season at 7 p.m. Monday evening when it hosts Wilson at Heiges Field House.

Following their opener, the Raiders will play their next four games away from home before returning the day before Thanksgiving when they host Bowie State on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m.

SU's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division slate tips off when it hosts West Chester on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 3 p.m.

Last year our chemistry was great, but with everyone coming back and even adding new players to build off of what we had last year -- it's even better. We have been doing pretty well during preseason and I feel like our defense has improved a lot. We have the pieces to be way better defensively.

Markus Frank • (R-Sr., Sewickley, Pa.)

The thing that we talk about the most are the little things. Rebounding, defending and communication -- that is the main thing with this group. If we do the little things I feel like we have a great chance to win a lot of games this year with the talent that we have returning and the newcomers.

Jaydon Smith (Jr. • Carlisle, Pa.)

The class breakdown of the 2026-27 roster is listed below. It is using the “traditional” eligibility model.

None of this year's seniors will have the opportunity to return next year as “fifth-years.”

Michael Dickson (R-Sr.)
Markus Frank (R-Sr.)
Nicolas Acosta
Jackson Boone (R-Jr.)
Gabriel Romero-Sanz (R-Jr.)
Drew Sleva (R-Jr.)
Jaydon Smith
Sebastian Edwards
Braelin Hardy (R-So.)
Emonte Hill Jr.
Kenyon Johnson (R-So.)
Ben Rill
Collin Bowles
Jonathan Jennings

We can all have our individual goals, but if we do it together we can achieve them. In practice everyday Markus and [Jaydon] -- two All-PSAC guys -- are going at it helping each other. Everybody is pushing each other every single day. We can't take things for granted. Every day we have to do things 100 percent to get what we want.

Michael Dickson (R-Sr. • Dallastown, Pa.)

Shippensburg is under the direction of head coach Chris Fite, who enters his 13th season (14th year) at Shippensburg in 2026-27. He has posted a .586 overall winning percentage during his tenure, achieving his 200th career victory and 10th PSAC Tournament appearance as head coach in 2025-26.

Jaren Gembe is in his 13th season overall as a member of the SU basketball coaching staff and sixth as Associate Head Coach.

We have depth at every position and guys complement each other very well. We have some skill players, some athletic guys and some bangers. Some guys are better on the defensive end, some are better on offense. We balance each other out well and it gives me a lot of different combinations that I can play as a coach. I look at the whole roster and there is not one guy that I would hesitate to put in the game and know that they wouldn't hold their own.

head coach Chris Fite

NOTES FOR 2026-27:

• The Raiders compiled a 14-15 record last season, good for fifth place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. The four teams ahead of SU in the Eastern Division standings (Millersville, West Chester, Shepherd and East Stroudsburg) all finished with 20-or-more wins.

• Shippensburg returns its top three scorers from 2025-26, led by All-PSAC First Team honoree Markus Frank (18.9 PPG). Frank, All-PSAC Second Team selection Jaydon Smith (15.0 PPG) and Michael Dickson (12.6 PPG) combined for 46.2 points per game last season.

• Frank ranked as one of the conference's best and most efficient scorers in 2025-26, finishing fourth in the PSAC in points per game and fifth in the league with a .520 field goal percentage. He has scored 500-or-more points in each of the last two seasons and enters 2026-27 with 1,563 career points (8th in program history).

• Every PSAC Eastern Division team (including Shippensburg) is scheduled for a home and away contest against PSAC provisional member Lackawanna. The contests do not count in the Conference standings and do not count toward a team's NCAA record.

• This is the first season in which NCAA Regional rankings will be computed by the NCAA Power Index (NPI). In previous seasons, each region had a committee that weighed the criteria and selected the rankings, which were then approved by the national committee.

WHAT IS THE NCAA POWER INDEX (NPI)?

2026-27 Schedule