Men's Basketball 11/5/2026 3:35:00 PM Athletics Communications

Men's Basketball Opens 2026-27 Season Against Centenary on Friday

JACKSON, Miss. - After a season that saw Belhaven Men's Basketball win its first Collegiate Conference of the South Championship and make its NCAA Division III Tournament debut, the Blazers are back for year two under Head Coach Boomer Roberts. Belhaven opens the 2026-27 season this Friday against Centenary inside Rugg Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:00 PM.

The Blazers enter the season with high expectations after being picked to finish first in the CCS Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time in program history. Belhaven received 25 points and all five first place votes after winning the conference tournament last March.

Roberts' first season in Jackson ended with a 16-13 record, but the Blazers saved their best basketball for the postseason. After finishing 7-5 in conference play and earning the No. 3 seed in the CCS Tournament, Belhaven won three games in five days to claim the program's first conference tournament championship since joining the NCAA Division III ranks.

The Blazers opened the tournament with a 113-77 win over Covenant before knocking off second-seeded Huntingdon 85-73 in the semifinals. Belhaven then defeated LaGrange 92-73 in the championship game to earn the program's first NCAA Tournament bid.

Belhaven's season ended in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, where the Blazers pushed nationally-ranked St. Thomas (TX) to overtime before falling 69-63.

Although Belhaven lost several key contributors from last year's championship team, Roberts returns an experienced backcourt led by seniors CJ Minton and Dan Robinson. Both were All-CCS First Team selections last season, with Minton also earning CCS Tournament MVP honors and Robinson being named to the All-Tournament Team.

The duo combined for 718 points and 184 assists last season despite Minton appearing in just 19 games. Robinson led the team in total scoring, assists and steals, while Minton averaged a team-high 16.2 points and shot 41.5% from three-point range.

Belhaven has eight returning players from last season, including seven who combined for 50.2% of the team's scoring and 54.1% of its assists. Along with Minton and Robinson, seniors DJ Jones, Kam Beverly and Christian McGahan are expected to take on larger roles this season.

The Blazers will also welcome back redshirt junior Jaylen Sanford, who missed the entire 2025-26 campaign after suffering a season-ending injury during last year's preseason.

Despite the roster changes, Belhaven plans to stick with the style of play that helped the Blazers break several school records last season. Belhaven averaged a program-best 88.2 points per game, forced 18.9 turnovers per contest and ranked among the nation's most productive teams in steals, assists and blocked shots.

The Blazers will look to play with the same pace and defensive pressure this season, with an experienced backcourt and several newcomers capable of contributing immediately.

After Friday's opener, the Blazers will play three of their next four games at home before embarking on a non-conference schedule that includes trips to Howard Payne and Centenary, along with the Hampden-Sydney Holiday Classic in December.

TOP OF THE CONFERENCE
For the first time in program history, Belhaven was picked to win the CCS in the league's preseason coaches poll. The Blazers received five first-place votes and 25 points, seven ahead of second-place LaGrange. Asbury was third with 17 points and the remaining first-place vote, followed by Covenant (13), Huntingdon (11) and Piedmont (6).

THE BLAZERS ARE BACK
Belhaven returns eight players from last season's championship roster. Seven of those returners scored 1,283 of the Blazers' 2,557 points, accounting for 50.2% of the team's scoring. The returning group also recorded 277 of the team's 512 assists, good for 54.1% of last season's total. Minton and Robinson accounted for 718 of those returning points.

MINTON'S MOMENTS
Senior guard CJ Minton returns for his second season at Belhaven after averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game. The Indianola, Miss. native appeared in 19 contests last season and shot 41.5% from beyond the arc, connecting on a team-high 61 three-pointers. Minton also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field. He was named to the All-CCS First Team and earned CCS Tournament MVP honors after averaging 21.3 points per game across the Blazers' three postseason victories.

DAN THE MAN
Senior guard Dan Robinson was one of Belhaven's most productive players last season, leading the Blazers with 410 points, 119 assists and 59 steals. The Milwaukee, Wisc. native averaged 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game across 28 appearances. Robinson was an All-CCS First Team selection and also earned All-Tournament honors. In the CCS Championship win over LaGrange, Robinson nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

A BACKCOURT TO BUILD AROUND
Minton and Robinson give the Blazers two returning All-CCS First Team guards. The duo combined to average 30.8 points and 7.7 assists per game last season. The two also combined for 184 assists and 87 steals, representing 35.9% of Belhaven's total assists and 27.6% of its steals.

JONES LOOKING FOR MORE
Senior guard DJ Jones appeared in all 29 games for Belhaven last season, making 15 starts. The veteran guard averaged 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds while connecting on 39 three-pointers. Jones scored 270 points and shot 81.0% from the free-throw line. He enters the season with an opportunity to take on a larger offensive role following the departure of several contributors from last year's roster.

MORE FROM THE FRONTCOURT
Kam Beverly and Christian McGahan are two returning players expected to see expanded roles this season. Beverly appeared in all 29 games last year, averaging 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 54.9% from the field. He finished with 22 blocks, the most among returning players. McGahan appeared in 28 games and made eight starts, recording 104 points and 57 rebounds while shooting 46.4% from the field.

SANFORD'S SECOND CHANCE
Redshirt junior guard Jaylen Sanford is back after missing the entire 2025-26 season with an injury suffered during the preseason. Sanford did not appear in a game during Belhaven's championship campaign and enters the new season as another option in the Blazers' rotation.

LENGTH ON THE WING
Junior Drew Mancell is one of the tallest players on the Belhaven roster at 6-foot-8. The Kosciusko, Miss. native comes to Jackson after spending last season at Holmes Community College, where he averaged 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 28 appearances. Mancell scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting against Meridian Community College on Dec. 11. He began his collegiate career at Mississippi Delta Community College.

SEEING DOUBLE
Belhaven will have a pair of twins on its roster this season with the addition of sophomore guards Zaiden and Zion Greene. The Atlanta, Ga. natives played together at Shawnee Community College last season after attending McDonough High School. Zion averaged 10.1 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 48.9% from the field across 28 games. Zaiden played in 29 games, averaging 8.2 points and 3.6 assists. He posted a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio and shot 85.4% from the free-throw line. Before beginning their collegiate careers, Zion was named the 2025 Region 2-4A Player of the Year, while Zaiden earned Second Team All-Region honors.

DO YOU WANT FRYES WITH THAT
Junior wing Chanon Frye spent the previous two seasons at the junior college level, playing at Murray State College and Reid State Community College. The 6-foot-6 Frye averaged 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game at Reid State last season. He shot 45.2% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. Across his two junior college seasons, Frye totaled 460 points and 299 rebounds in 58 games.

HOLLIS JOINS THE BLAZERS
Senior guard Demarcus Hollis comes to Belhaven after playing at Tougaloo College, where he helped the Bulldogs capture the 2026 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championship. A Morton, Miss. native, Hollis previously played at Hinds Community College. He scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting against Wilberforce in February.

POINTS, POINTS AND MORE POINTS
Belhaven's offense rewrote several entries in the program record book last season. The Blazers scored 2,557 points in 29 games, averaging a school-record 88.2 points per contest. Belhaven reached the 100 point mark multiple times, including a 122-point outing against Piedmont on Feb. 8. That performance ranked as the third-highest scoring game in program history. The Blazers also connected on 258 three-pointers, the third-most in a single season in school history.

SHARING IS CARING
Belhaven recorded 512 assists last season, the second-most in a single season in program history. The Blazers averaged 17.7 assists per game. In their CCS Tournament quarterfinal win over Covenant, the Blazers recorded 36 assists, tying a single-game school record originally set in 2003. Robinson led the way with 119 assists, followed by Minton with 65.

PRESSURE MAKES POINTS
The Blazers' defensive pressure was a major part of their success last season. Belhaven forced 548 turnovers and recorded 315 steals across 29 games, averaging 18.9 forced turnovers and 10.9 steals per contest. Belhaven's 315 steals ranked second in program history. The Blazers also averaged 22.0 points off turnovers per game and finished with 159 blocked shots, tying the program's single-season record.

NEW FACES ON THE BENCH
Belhaven will have two new assistant coaches this season, with Reid Roberts and Sean Lynch joining Boomer Roberts on the sideline. Reid Roberts spent the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach at Louisiana Monroe after previously working as a graduate assistant at Arkansas under Eric Musselman during the 2023-24 campaign. Lynch previously served as an assistant coach at Herkimer College in New York. During his two seasons with the Generals, Herkimer went a combined 55-8 and reached the NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in consecutive seasons.

SCOUTING THE GENTS

Centenary enters the 2026-27 season under second-year Head Coach J.A. Anglin. The Gents went 11-16 overall and 8-8 in SCAC play last season.
Centenary advanced to the SCAC Tournament semifinals after defeating Colorado College 65-53 in the quarterfinals. The Gents' season ended with a loss to nationally ranked St. Thomas (TX).
The Gents return several experienced players, including Jaden Braden, Kane Broussard, Bryce Evans, Nicholas Addison and Dontarius Coleman.
Centenary also added junior college transfers Donnie Haney and Jordan Williams during the offseason.
The two programs will meet twice this season, with Belhaven traveling to Shreveport, La. for the return game on Dec. 5.

SERIES HISTORY
Belhaven and Centenary have met four times since 2015, with the all-time series tied at 2-2. The Blazers have won the last two meetings, including a 77-49 victory in Jackson on Nov. 22, 2024. Belhaven also defeated Centenary 66-63 on Nov. 27, 2023. Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between the programs since Roberts took over as Belhaven's head coach.

LOOKING AHEAD
After opening the season against Centenary, Belhaven travels to Laurel, Miss. to face Southeastern Baptist on Nov. 11 before returning to Rugg Arena for home games against Millsaps on Nov. 17 and LeTourneau on Nov. 21. The Blazers begin CCS play on Jan. 5 against LaGrange in a rematch of last season's conference championship game. Belhaven will also host Covenant on Jan. 9 before continuing conference play through Feb. 20.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Kam Beverly: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#5 DJ Jones: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#23 Christian McGahan: F; 6' 6"; Senior

#0 CJ Minton: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#4 Jaylen Sanford: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

#15 Chanon Frye: W; 6' 6"; Junior

#12 Zion Greene: G; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#11 Demarcus Hollis: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#33 Drew Mancell: W; 6' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#1 Kam Beverly
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#5 DJ Jones
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#23 Christian McGahan
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

#0 CJ Minton
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#4 Jaylen Sanford
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#15 Chanon Frye
: 6' 6"; Junior
: W

#12 Zion Greene
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: G

#11 Demarcus Hollis
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#33 Drew Mancell
: 6' 8"; Junior
: W