The East Carolina men’s basketball program has announced its roster for the 2026-27 season.
Check out Pirate Radio
Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
=====
Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information illustration)
East Carolina Men’s Basketball has released its official 15-man roster for the 2026-27 season according to an announcement from fifth-year head coach Michael Schwartz on Tuesday.
The Pirates return three players from last season’s team in Jayshayne Woodard, Eli DeLaurier and Daithi Quinn while welcoming in 12 new faces in Brycen Blaine, Kaden Cooper, Cian Medley, Kaseem Watson, Trevor Best, Jordyn Buchanan, Matthew Hinton, Dreylan Creasy, Maxim Klitschko, Ashton McCullough, Mason Pandov and Bryan Little.
“We are excited about the balance and depth of our roster,” Schwartz said. “This group fits our culture both on and off the court and will bring skill, athleticism and versatility to the way we want to play this season. Everyone is eager to begin working as we start the process of becoming a connected team.”
Brycen Blaine | Guard | Richmond, Va.
Blaine joins the Pirates after spending last season at Charleston Southern, where he averaged 17.2 points per game and led the team in rebounds with 7.2 in 25 games played. The three-time Big South Player of the Week scored 20 or more points on 10 different occasions, including a career-high 42 points to go with 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals against the Citadel on Nov. 10, earning Mid-Major Madness National Player of the Week honors.
Kaden Cooper | Wing | Ada, Okla.
Cooper comes to East Carolina after averaging 9.7 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds in 29 games played last year at Louisiana Tech. The Ada, Okla. native also led the Bulldogs in steals with 44 and tallied a team-high six double-doubles. He became the first Louisiana Tech player since 2009 to record at least 20 rebounds in a single game with his 10 points and 20 boards in LA Tech’s win over UL-Lafayette on Dec. 13.
Cian Medley | Guard | Sicklerville, N.J.
Medley arrives in Greenville after starting in 32 of 33 games played at Kent State in 2025-26, averaging 10.5 points and a team-high 6.4 assists in 33.1 minutes per game as part of Golden Flashes team that went 24-10 and earned a berth to the NIT. He broke the Golden Flashes’ single season assist record, setting the new amount at 212 and broke the program’s single game assist record on Nov. 29 against Penn St.-Shenango with 16 dimes which was also a career-high.
Kaseem Watson | Wing | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watson joins the Pirates after competing at UTEP last season, where he averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 boards in 31 games for the Miners. He made 58 of his 152 attempted threes (38.2 percent) and hit three of more shots from behind the arc in 10 games. Watson’s best scoring performance of the year was a 25-point showing at FIU where he went 7-of-15 from the floor, including 5-of-9 from deep.
Trevor Best | Guard | Wilson, N.C.
Best returns to his home state after playing at Arizona State the last two seasons, competing in 29 games and averaging 2.2 points over that two-year span. During his freshman year with the Sun Devils, Best averaged 3.6 points in 12.7 minutes per game, highlighted by an 18-point performance against BYU on Feb. 26 where he shot 5-of-8 from the floor. Over the last six games of his freshman campaign, he scored 40 total points and shot 41 percent from the floor and 40 percent from behind the arc.
Jordyn Buchanan | Wing | Pensacola, Fla.
Buchanan joins the Pirates after averaging 15.3 points per game on 39.2 percent shooting from behind the arc last year at California University of Pennsylvania, earning a spot on the All-PSAC West Second Team. In 2025-26, he hit multiple threes in 22 of his 32 games played for the Vulcans, including a season-high six in three games. His 85 made threes as a sophomore were the third-most in the PSAC and his 2.5 made threes per game were fourth-best in the league. Buchanan dropped a season-high 28 points against West Liberty on Nov. 15 with an efficient shooting mark of 9-of-15 from the floor, including going 6-for-11 from deep. He also added 4.7 rebounds per game and recorded 49 steals and 12 blocks in his sophomore season.
Matthew Hinton | Post | Atlanta, Ga.
Hinton dons the Purple and Gold after playing at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College last season, averaging 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over 27 games to help guide Gulf Coast to a 23-7 overall record last year. The Atlanta, Ga. native scored in double figures on 14 different occasions during the 2025-26 season, including recording a career-best 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting against Delgado Community College on Jan. 6. He also provided a paint presence defensively as well for the Bulldogs, recording multiple blocks in nine games including a career-high eight against Delgado.
Dreylan Creasy | Wing | Dyke, Va.
Creasy was named the Blue Ridge Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.6 points per game last season at Blue Ridge to help lead the Barons to a 27-5 overall record and an 8-0 mark in region play. The four-star prospect also added 4.3 rebounds per game and scored 30 or more points on five different occasions including a season-high 33 points twice and made 10 or more field goals in six contests.
Maxim Klitschko | Post | Kyiv, Ukraine
Klitschko comes to Greenville from Kyiv, Ukraine after averaging 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds across 31 games played for Espoirs Monaco and AS Monaco Basket in the LNB Espoirs League. In those 31 games, he shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 25 of those contests. His most notable performances include a 28-point, eight-rebound outing against Espoirs Nancy on Jan. 10 and a double-double of 25 points and 14 boards versus Espoirs Le Mans on Mar. 29.
Ashton McCullough | Guard | Hesperia, Calif.
McCullough comes off a senior season at Oak Hills (CA) where he averaged 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on 66 percent shooting from the floor. He then attended Golden State Prep, which has produced multiple NBA players and also attended the prestigious Pangos Summer All-American Camp during his time in high school. McCullough was named the 2025 Golden State Classic MVP after averaging 13 points and nine rebounds per game to lead his team to a 3-0 record in the tournament.
Mason Pandov | Guard | Philadelphia, Pa.
Pandov joins the Pirates after averaging 11.6 points in addition to 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game at Orlando Christian Prep last season. He shot 50 percent from the floor in 28 games played for the Warriors and scored in double figures in 21 of those contests.
Bryan Little | Post | Monroe, N.C.
Little comes to East Carolina by way of Piedmont High School, where he averaged 21.2 points and 9.9 rebounds last season. Little was also a double-double machine for the Panthers, recording 18 on the year including five consecutive double-doubles to start the season and a stretch of eight straight later in the season. His highest scoring output was a 36-point, 10-rebound performance against Porter Ridge on Dec. 19.