Broncos mystery roster draining from deep
WMU will be a handful if Washington, Rob Ford, and the rest of the overhauled roster continues to take and make threes at high volume and proficiency. Could punch above their projected weight.
Western Michigan Broncos
2-1 overall, 0-0 MAC, margin +17.0
· Coach Kahil Fennell (since 2026 (first season; hired March 2026))
· Picked 8th in the MAC preseason poll
-2.1
net rating per 100 · #189 in D-I · model
106.3
adjusted offense · #166
108.4
adjusted defense · #249
68.1
pace, possessions / 40 · #344
-17.7
strength of schedule so far · #269
Rotation
| # | Player | Pos | Cl | Ht | GP/GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | eFG% | TS% | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Jaylen Washington Jr. transfer | G | JR | 5' 10" | 3/3 | 28.3 | 13.0 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 60.3 | 61.6 | -1.4 |
| 24 | Rob Lee Jr. transfer | G | SR | 6' 2" | 3/3 | 25.0 | 11.7 | 6.3 | 1.0 | 53.8 | 57.6 | -0.6 |
| 3 | Tanner Hayhurst transfer | G | SR | 6' 6" | 3/3 | 25.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 30.0 | 28.3 | -1.5 |
| 10 | Adam Harakow transfer | G | SR | 6' 7" | 3/3 | 23.3 | 7.7 | 5.7 | 0.3 | 59.4 | 64.8 | +2.3 |
| 11 | Augustinas Kiudulas transfer | F | SR | 6' 8" | 3/3 | 23.0 | 11.0 | 4.7 | 1.3 | 56.0 | 56.1 | -0.4 |
| 1 | Mason Bendinger transfer | G | SR | 6' 4" | 3/0 | 22.0 | 11.0 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 73.8 | 71.1 | -3.3 |
| 22 | Ramere Draper transfer | G | SR | 6' 4" | 1/0 | 15.0 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 71.4 | 71.4 | -0.3 |
| 13 | Julien Gomez transfer | G | SO | 6' 3" | 3/0 | 14.3 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 45.5 | 45.5 | +0.2 |
| 7 | Jordan Sigmon FR | G | FR | 5' 11" | 3/0 | 11.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 55.6 | 67.0 | -0.9 |
| 20 | Janis Jünemann FR | C | FR | 6' 11" | 3/0 | 10.3 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 2.0 | 107.1 | 107.9 | +4.6 |
| 2 | Joshua Eli transfer | F | JR | 6' 6" | 2/0 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 30.0 | 28.7 | +0.0 |
| 23 | DeAaron Watkins FR | F | FR | 6' 8" | 1/0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +0.1 |
| 4 | Ben Johnson FR | G | FR | 6' 0" | 1/0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 | -1.8 |
| 8 | Isaac Finlinson transfer | F | SR | 6' 8" | 0/0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Box scores from ESPN. eFG% weights threes; TS% includes free throws.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Watch | Result | Line | Rest | Miles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 11/2 | at Old Dominion Monarchs | ESPN+ | L 49-61 | -1.5 miss | – | 621 | |
| Thu 11/5 | vs Kalamazoo Hornets | ESPN+ | W 99-52 | – | 2 | 621 | |
| Sun 11/8 | vs Campbell Fighting Camels | ESPN+ | W 87-71 | -4.5 cover | 2 | – | |
| Thu 11/12 | at Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons | ESPN+ | 7 PM ET | –model +0.7 | 3 | 84 | |
| Sun 11/15 | at Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles | ESPN+ | 4:30 PM ET | –model -0.4 | 2 | 253 -1h | |
| Fri 11/20 | at Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers | ESPN+ | 7 PM ET | – | 4 | 782 | |
| Wed 11/25 | vs Grace Christian Tigers | ESPN+ | 2 PM ET | – | 4 | 466 | |
| Wed 12/2 | vs Buffalo Bulls MAC | ESPN+ | 7 PM ET | – | 6 | – | |
| Sat 12/5 | at Bowling Green Falcons MAC | ESPN+ | 2 PM ET | – | 2 | 118 | |
| Wed 12/9 | at Massachusetts Minutemen MAC | ESPN+ | 7 PM ET | – | 3 | 576 | |
| Sat 12/12 | vs Toledo Rockets MAC | ESPN+ | 2 PM ET | – | 2 | 667 | |
| Fri 12/18 | vs Great Lakes Christian Crusaders | ESPN+ | 7 PM ET | – | 5 | – | |
| Tue 12/22 | at USC Trojans | BTN | 10 PM ET | – | 3 | 1,850 -3h | |
| Sat 1/2 | at Akron Zips MAC | – | 2 PM ET | – | 10 | 2,076 | |
| Tue 1/5 | vs Eastern Michigan Eagles MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | 226 | |
| Sat 1/9 | vs Kent State Golden Flashes MAC | – | 2 PM ET | – | 3 | – | |
| Tue 1/12 | at Miami (OH) RedHawks MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | 197 | |
| Sat 1/16 | vs Ball State Cardinals MAC | – | 2:30 PM ET | – | 3 | 197 | |
| Tue 1/19 | at Ohio Bobcats MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | 274 | |
| Sat 1/23 | at Central Michigan Chippewas MAC | – | TBA ET | – | 3 | 373 | |
| Tue 1/26 | vs Bowling Green Falcons MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | 99 | |
| Sat 1/30 | at Eastern Michigan Eagles MAC | – | 2 PM ET | – | 3 | 101 | |
| Tue 2/2 | vs Akron Zips MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | 101 | |
| Tue 2/9 | vs Ohio Bobcats MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 6 | – | |
| Sat 2/13 | at Toledo Rockets MAC | – | 2 PM ET | – | 3 | 113 | |
| Tue 2/16 | at Kent State Golden Flashes MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | 119 | |
| Sat 2/20 | vs Massachusetts Minutemen MAC | – | 2:30 PM ET | – | 3 | 232 | |
| Tue 2/23 | at Ball State Cardinals MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | 145 | |
| Sat 2/27 | vs Central Michigan Chippewas MAC | – | 5 PM ET | – | 3 | 145 | |
| Tue 3/2 | vs Miami (OH) RedHawks MAC | – | 7 PM ET | – | 2 | – | |
| Fri 3/5 | at Buffalo Bulls MAC | – | 6:30 PM ET | – | 2 | 344 |
Line is this team's spread (DraftKings via ESPN for finished games, our snapshots for upcoming). "cover" / "miss" is against that number. Click a result for the box score. Rest is full days off; miles are estimated travel into the game, with any time-zone change. Season total: 11,124 miles. See the route on the travel map · TV schedule.
Storylines
Total rebuild under first-year coach Kahil Fennell All 14 roster players and eight staff members are new after Dwayne Stephens was fired following a 10-21 season and eight straight losing years. source
UTRGV pipeline Guards Jaylen Washington and Julien Gomez (Fennell's first signee) followed him from UTRGV. source
Picked 8th but analysts see upside 58 points in the coaches poll; Mid-Major Madness argues WMU is ranked too low and should be closer to sixth. source
Local flavor on the roster Portage Central's Ben Johnson, Grand Rapids/KVCC's Ramere Draper, Detroit's Jordan Sigmon and Flint's Rob Lee Jr. are Michigan natives. source
Fennell era opens with a loss at Old Dominion WMU lost 61-49 at ODU on Nov 2 in the MAC-SBC Challenge (ESPN headline); home opener vs Kalamazoo College Nov 5, then Campbell Nov 8. source
Transformative period for WMU athletics AD Dan Bartholomae called the coming period 'the most transformative event in the history of our athletics program' when introducing Fennell. source
Recent news
2026-11-02 Western Michigan drops season opener 61-49 at Old Dominion MAC-SBC Challenge opener and Fennell's WMU debut. Player stats not read (fetch budget exhausted). source
2026-11-05 WMU routs Kalamazoo College 99-52 for Fennell's first win WMU made 17 threes (one short of the program record) on a program-record 43 attempts, outrebounded Kalamazoo 63-30, and got 65 bench points with 12 of 13 players scoring. Mason Bendinger 22 (9-of-12), Jordan Sigmon 15, Augustinas Kiudulas 11, Rob Lee Jr. 11 (three 3s), Ramere Draper 10, Janis Jünemann 11 rebounds. Record 1-1. source
2026-11-07 Broncos host Campbell Sunday Nov 8, 2 p.m. Campbell (0-1, lost 83-64 at NC State) visits University Arena; ESPN+ video, Bronco Media Network radio. No injuries mentioned. source
Fieldhouse Notes
+ Add dispatchLatest headlines
All MAC news →- 1h Broncos mystery roster draining from deep Fieldhouse Notes
- 8h Broncos Defeat Campbell for Second Win of Season MAC (getsomemaction.com)
- 8h Washington's Career Day Helps Western Michigan Top Campbell, 87-71 wmubroncos.com
- 37h Men's Basketball Continues Homestand on Sunday Against Campbell wmubroncos.com
- 2d New WMU basketball coach Kahil Fennell gets first win — and it’s one worth toasting MLive.com
- 3d Three-Point Barrage Lifts Broncos to First Win of Fennell Era wmubroncos.com
- 3d Broncos Breeze to First Victory of Fennell Era MAC (getsomemaction.com)
- 4d Men's Basketball Set for Home Opener on Thursday Night wmubroncos.com
- 6d November 2, 2026: Men's Basketball: Western Michigan vs. Old Dominion: Recap Old Dominion Athletics
- 6d Western Michigan Drops Season Opener at Old Dominion wmubroncos.com
- 7d Men's Basketball Hosts Western Michigan In Season Opener Monday Night Old Dominion Athletics
- 8d New Era of Men's Basketball Begins Monday Night at Old Dominion wmubroncos.com
On Reddit: r/CollegeBasketball search. Reddit is closing its free feeds, so these are links, not part of the ticker.
Preseason previews
Mid-Major Madness / Yahoo Sports: 2026-27 MAC Men's Basketball Preview 2026-10-28 · Sam Federman · projected Listed 10th in the article's order; author says he would have WMU closer to 6th
Federman calls Fennell one of his favorite hires of the cycle after Fennell raised UTRGV to 117th in KenPom in two years. Fennell brought UTRGV guards Jaylen Washington and Julien Gomez with him and added Lamar transfer Rob Lee Jr. in the backcourt. Wings Tanner Hayhurst (6-6) and Isaac Finlinson (6-8) supply size and shooting, and 6-11 international Janis Jünemann can anchor the middle. The author thinks the team is ranked too low.
Wikipedia (compiling MAC preseason poll, Oct 20, 2026): 2026-27 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season 2026-10-20 · projected 8th of 12 in MAC preseason coaches poll (58 points)
Western Michigan was picked eighth with 58 points, behind Bowling Green (63) and ahead of Eastern Michigan (56), Buffalo, Ball State and Central Michigan. No WMU player made the preseason All-MAC teams. Fennell is one of four new MAC head coaches (with Akron's Dustin Ford, Ball State's Chris Capko and Eastern Michigan's Billy Donlon).
WWMT News Channel 3: Brand new WMU basketball roster feature two local players 2026-07-07 · News Channel 3 staff
Fennell replaced the entire roster with 14 new Broncos. The piece highlights two with local ties: Portage Central product Ben Johnson, who scored more than 1,000 career points for the Mustangs, and Grand Rapids native Ramere Draper, a former Kalamazoo Valley CC standout who averaged 19.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his final KVCC season.
WMU Athletics (official): Men's Basketball Begins New Era with First Summer Workout 2026-06-10
First workout under Fennell on June 9 with an all-new 14-man roster, many via the transfer portal, and eight new staff members. Fennell: 'Overall, today was really ugly... A little bit of it was paralysis by analysis,' adding 'They aren't used to the physicality, but we don't want to risk injuries.' Players featured: Augustinas Kiudulas (Lithuania), Janis Jünemann (Latvia), Isaac Finlinson (Hawaii transfer), Ben Johnson (Portage), Jordan Sigmon (Detroit), Ramere Draper (Grand Rapids), Rob Lee Jr. (Flint).
WMU Athletics (official): Men's Basketball Releases 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule 2026-08-31
Non-conference slate: Nov 2 at Old Dominion (MAC-SBC Challenge), Nov 5 vs Kalamazoo College (home opener), Nov 8 vs Campbell, Nov 12 at Purdue Fort Wayne, Nov 15 at Southern Indiana, Nov 20 at Mount St. Mary's, Nov 25 vs Grace Christian, Dec 18 vs Great Lakes Christian, Dec 22 at USC, Feb 6 MAC-SBC Challenge home game. MAC play opens with a four-game stretch in early December and resumes at Akron Jan 2. Fennell: 'This is a very challenging slate that takes us on the road to some big-time opponents.'
Players
Jaylen Washington Jr. #0 · G · Junior · 5' 10" · 166 lbs
Dallas, TX · from UTRGV · transfer in · ESPN · @iamjaylen11
13.0 pts3.0 reb4.3 ast28.3 min
14-29 FG7-13 3PT4-6 FT
61.6 TS%17.2 shots+TO/40
Broncos mystery roster draining from deep
WMU will be a handful if Washington, Rob Ford, and the rest of the overhauled roster continues to take and make threes at high volume and proficiency. Could punch above their projected weight.
5-10 point guard from Dallas; followed Fennell from UTRGV (signing announced April 10, 2026). source source source
Mid-Major Madness / Yahoo Sports: Followed Fennell from UTRGV. source
Rob Lee Jr. #24 · G · Senior · 6' 2" · 190 lbs
Flint, MI · from Lamar · transfer in · ESPN
11.7 pts6.3 reb1.0 ast25.0 min
11-26 FG6-16 3PT7-10 FT
57.6 TS%17.8 shots+TO/40
6-2 from Flint, Mich.; backcourt addition. 11 points with three made threes (team high) vs Kalamazoo College (Nov 5). source source source
Mid-Major Madness / Yahoo Sports: Lamar transfer joining the backcourt. source
WMU Athletics (official): From Flint. source
Tanner Hayhurst #3 · G · Senior · 6' 6" · 210 lbs
Eagle, ID · from Southern Utah · transfer in · ESPN
3.0 pts3.0 reb1.0 ast25.0 min
3-15 FG3-12 3PT0-2 FT
28.3 TS%9.0 shots+TO/40
6-6 wing from Eagle, Idaho; size and shooting. source source
Mid-Major Madness / Yahoo Sports: 6-6 wing providing size and shooting. source
Adam Harakow #10 · G · Senior · 6' 7" · 218 lbs
Edmonton, Canada · from Wyoming · transfer in · ESPN · @AdamHarakow
7.7 pts5.7 reb0.3 ast23.3 min
8-16 FG3-9 3PT4-4 FT
64.8 TS%12.4 shots+TO/40
6-7 from Edmonton, Alberta; signing announced April 25, 2026. source source
Augustinas Kiudulas #11 · F · Senior · 6' 8" · 215 lbs
Vilnius, Lithuania · from Colorado State · transfer in · ESPN · @akiudulas
11.0 pts4.7 reb1.3 ast23.0 min
12-25 FG4-8 3PT5-10 FT
56.1 TS%21.7 shots+TO/40
6-8 from Vilnius, Lithuania; signing announced April 16, 2026. 11 points vs Kalamazoo College (Nov 5). source source source
WMU Athletics (official): From Lithuania. source
Mason Bendinger #1 · G · Senior · 6' 4" · 210 lbs
Salt Lake City, UT · from USC Upstate · transfer in · ESPN · @dmbendinger
11.0 pts4.3 reb1.0 ast22.0 min
14-21 FG3-6 3PT2-5 FT
71.1 TS%15.3 shots+TO/40
6-4 from Salt Lake City. Team-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting vs Kalamazoo College (Nov 5). source source
Ramere Draper #22 · G · Senior · 6' 4" · 185 lbs
Grand Rapids, MI · from Claflin · transfer in · ESPN · @RamereDraper
10.0 pts5.0 reb1.0 ast15.0 min
4-7 FG2-3 3PT0-0 FT
71.4 TS%21.3 shots+TO/40
6-4 from Grand Rapids; former KVCC standout (19.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.5 apg). 10 points off the bench vs Kalamazoo College (Nov 5). source source source
WWMT News Channel 3: Grand Rapids native; ex-KVCC standout who averaged 19.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.5 apg in his final season there. source
WMU Athletics (official): From Grand Rapids. source
Julien Gomez #13 · G · Sophomore · 6' 3" · 185 lbs
Huntington Park, CA · from UTRGV · transfer in · ESPN · @JulienGomez_
3.3 pts2.0 reb1.0 ast14.3 min
4-11 FG2-6 3PT0-0 FT
45.5 TS%12.1 shots+TO/40
6-3 from Huntington Park, Calif.; Fennell's first signee at WMU (April 9-10, 2026). source source source
Mid-Major Madness / Yahoo Sports: Followed Fennell from UTRGV. source
Jordan Sigmon #7 · G · Freshman · 5' 11" · 160 lbs
Detroit, MI · from Iowa United Prep · freshman · ESPN · @Jordansigmonn3
5.0 pts2.0 reb1.3 ast11.0 min
4-9 FG2-5 3PT5-5 FT
67.0 TS%18.4 shots+TO/40
5-11 from Detroit. 15 points off the bench vs Kalamazoo College (Nov 5). source source source
WMU Athletics (official): From Detroit. source
Janis Jünemann #20 · C · Freshman · 6' 11" · 230 lbs
Riga, Latvia · from BG Göttingen (Germany) · freshman · ESPN
5.7 pts5.3 reb2.0 ast10.3 min
6-7 FG3-3 3PT2-2 FT
107.9 TS%14.0 shots+TO/40
6-11 from Riga, Latvia; projected to anchor the middle. 11 rebounds vs Kalamazoo College (Nov 5), team's first double-digit rebounding game of the season. source source source
Mid-Major Madness / Yahoo Sports: 6-11 international player who can anchor the middle. source
WMU Athletics (official): From Latvia. source
3.0 pts2.5 reb0.5 ast10.0 min
2-10 FG2-7 3PT0-1 FT
28.7 TS%24.9 shots+TO/40
6-6 from Woodbury, N.J. source
DeAaron Watkins #23 · F · Freshman · 6' 8" · 230 lbs
Owensboro, KY · from Daviess County (Owensboro, Ky.) · freshman · ESPN
2.0 pts2.0 reb0.0 ast9.0 min
1-1 FG0-0 3PT0-0 FT
100.0 TS%4.4 shots+TO/40
6-8. source
Ben Johnson #4 · G · Freshman · 6' 0" · 182 lbs
Portage, MI · from Portage Central · freshman · ESPN · @BenJohnson413
3.0 pts0.0 reb1.0 ast8.0 min
1-3 FG1-3 3PT0-0 FT
50.0 TS%15.0 shots+TO/40
6-0 from Portage, Mich.; 1,000-plus career high school points. source source
WWMT News Channel 3: Portage Central standout with 1,000-plus career points. source
WMU Athletics (official): From Portage, Mich. source
Isaac Finlinson #8 · F · Senior · 6' 8" · 185 lbs
St. George, UT · from Hawaii · transfer in · ESPN · @isaac_finlinson
Has not appeared yet.
6-8 from St. George, Utah; size and shooting on the wing. source source
Mid-Major Madness / Yahoo Sports: 6-8 wing providing size and shooting. source
WMU Athletics (official): From St. George, Utah; previously at Hawaii. source
Who covers Western Michigan
| Source | Type | Handle | Beat writers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Herald (WMU student paper) | campus paper | Published 'Western Michigan Hires Kahil Fennell as Men's Basketball Coach' (https://www.westernherald.com/sports/article_65140489-f9d5-4c53-b30a-f769a85eada5.html); no 2026-27 season preview found in search. Byline not read. | ||
| MLive / Kalamazoo Gazette | city paper | Could not be searched (site blocks search); no 2026-27 article verified. | ||
| WWMT News Channel 3 (CBS, Kalamazoo) | tv radio | Ran 'Brand new WMU basketball roster feature two local players' (July 7, 2026) and photo coverage of Fennell's introduction. | ||
| WOOD TV8 (NBC, Grand Rapids) | tv radio | '2026 College Tip-Off: Western Michigan University' video segment (not viewed); also covered Fennell's introduction. | ||
| WMUK 102.1 (NPR, Kalamazoo) | tv radio | Public radio report on the Fennell hire, March 21, 2026. | ||
| WMU Athletics official - men's basketball | official | @WMUMBB | Instagram wmumbb, Facebook WMUMBB. Releases: season-opener loss at Old Dominion (Nov 2), home-opener preview (Nov 4), Campbell preview (Nov 7). SID: Rob Low, associate director of strategic communications. | |
| Bronco Media Network (radio) / ESPN+ (video) | tv radio | Official game broadcasts: Bronco Media Network radio, ESPN+ video, StatBroadcast live stats. Announcers not named in the pages read. | ||
| WMU Men's Basketball on X | team social | @WMUMBB | Official team account per wmubroncos.com. | |
| Mid-Major Madness (SB Nation) | blog | Sam Federman | 2026-27 MAC preview, Oct 28, 2026. | |
| Hustle Belt (SB Nation MAC site) | blog | No 2026-27 WMU-specific preview surfaced. | ||
| SMACK Talk (Substack) | blog | '2026-27 Mid-American Men's Basketball Overview' (not read; fetch budget exhausted). Also covered WMU in 2025-26. | ||
| HoopDirt | blog | Coaching-carousel site that tracked Fennell's hire and staff additions. |
Coverage research as of 2026-11-08.