With plenty of returning firepower from last season, the Drew University men's basketball team will enter the 2026-27 with high hopes once again.

Under second-year Head Coach Ryan Van Zelst, the Rangers return 11 players from last year's squad that finished 19-7 overall and 13-5 in Landmark Conference play, good for a second-place finish in the conference standings. The Blue and Green made their mark as a dangerous offensive squad once again, finishing with the top-ranked scoring offense in the Landmark Conference (88.5 ppg) while also tying for the conference lead in 3-pointers made per game (11.1).

In the Landmark Conference Preseason Poll, the Rangers finished in first place for the first time in team history, placing in a tie with Catholic University while receiving five of 10 first-place votes.
 
The Rangers will face the challenge of replacing both of its All-Landmark Conference performers from last season in forward David Musial C'26, a first-teamer who was also a three-time Landmark Defensive Player of the Year, and senior guard Eli Yusavage, a second-team pick who will miss the year with an injury. However, the team brings back a pair of starters and three of its top-five scorers from last season's team.
 
Returning as Drew's second-leading scorer from last season will be senior guard Andre De Los Reyes, who pumped in 15.5 points per game to finish 11th among the Landmark Conference leaders. He led the squad in 3-pointers made, knocking down 64 shots from beyond the arc last season, and finished fourth in the Landmark Conference in 3-pointers per game (2.5).

Senior guard Charlie Thornton is also back after tying for third on the team in scoring last season, when he netted 10.9 points per night in his first year at Drew after arriving as a transfer. He also finished second among the Rangers in steals (32) and connected on 47 3-pointers to rank third on the team.
 
Junior forward Ben Manns also returns after finishing fifth on the team in scoring last season (10.8 ppg) while leading the Rangers in field-goal percentage (54.3%). A strong defender, he also finished second on the team in both rebounding (5.5 rpg) and blocked shots (11) last season.
 
Eight additional Rangers are back this year, including junior guard Marc Herasme. He averaged 5.7 points per game while appearing in all 26 games last season, averaging 13.4 minutes per game while shooting 41.3% (26-for-63) from 3-point range.
 
Sophomore guard Erik Porch also returns after averaging 3.1 points and 12.0 minutes per game while appearing in 17 contests in his rookie season. Senior guard Taylor Perlmutter brings additional experience and depth after playing in 24 games and making one start in his first season as a transfer last season. He posted 2.3 points per game while playing in 10.8 minutes per contest.
 
Junior guard Ben Kipnis returns as well after scoring 2.3 points per night over 8.1 minutes per game last season.
 
Also returning from last year's team are senior guard Connor Jepson and junior guards Reid Chauhan, Kevin Cotton, and Charlie Dunner.
 
The team will also be bolstered by eight newcomers this season, including junior center Noah Mathis, a transfer from Landmark Conference foe Lycoming College. Mathis has played in 50 games over the last two seasons and accumulated a total of 45 blocked shots, leading the Warriors both years.
 
Also looking to make their mark this season will be guards Craig Belfield, Chandler Bligen, Jameson Cassidy, Malakai Cuffy, Sam Jones, Dylan Napoleon, and Joris Neniskis.
 
The Rangers kick off their season with the New Jersey Small College Tip-Off Tournament, which will be hosted by Centenary University this year. Drew will take on FDU-Florham on Friday at 5 p.m. before facing either Centenary or The College of New Jersey on Saturday. Drew will play its home opener on Wednesday versus Stockton University at 7 p.m., and the team's Landmark Conference opener is set for Wednesday, Nov. 18 versus the University of Scranton.