By JJ Johnson

COSTA MESA -- After an inaugural NCAA DII campaign last year that presented a mix of highs and lows, Vanguard men's basketball has put in the work to piece together a different outcome for the season ahead.  The Lions were a perfect 5-0 heading into to the Pacific West Conference slate last season, but struggled against their conference counterparts, going 6-14 in the league to close out the year at 12-14 and suffer their lowest conference finish in program history at 12th.  Luckily, Head Coach Rhett Soliday believes the 2025-26 group has the right ingredients to turn the ship about.
 
As Coach Soliday enters his 16th season (234-198) at the helm of the Vanguard men's basketball team, he understands that his current group is not the favorite to win the conference this year after being selected to finish in ninth. But preseason predictions are irrelevant to the product he looks to put on the court this year, which he hopes leads to hardware.
 
"Success would be this team continuing to improve game-by-game, day-by-day, and they will see results of their improvement, which should show on the scoreboard," said the veteran skipper.
 
Despite losing seven seniors from a season ago, including four from the opening lineup, he still has plenty of experience to lean on. For starters, the lone returning starter from last year, Bryson Metz, (9.4 points per game, 2.7 assists per game, 37% three-point shooting) enjoyed career-highs in nearly every major statistical category.  He also set career-highs in a single game with four triples made against APU on February 8, corralling 13 rebounds against Hawaii Pacific on January 2, and dishing out six helpers at Chaminade two days later.  Now a senior, Coach Soliday is expecting the third-year starter to cement his legacy.
 
"Bryson is a tone setter… he understands the level of effort, intensity, focus, and preparation that leads to winning and success. We are counting on him to lead from the front in that way, and he has been doing a great job with that so far," relayed Coach Soliday.
 
Pape Cisse figures to have a significant role this year in his third full season in the VU system as a senior. The former Division I forward was often the first big off the bench in 2024-25, but now enters this campaign without having to deal with an injury or recover from one in the offseason. He so far has averaged 3.4 PPG at VU and 2.5 rebounds, but only saw 225 minutes on the floor last season compared to 435 in the 2023-24 slate.  Coach Soliday noted that Cisse's previous bumps in the road due to injury limited him, but Vanguard is prepared to now see the 6'9" forward put on a "full display of what he is capable of." 
 
Aibigho Ujadughele, or "Boogie", quickly became a fan favorite last year by being a defensive workhorse with remarkable tenacity the moment he checked-in. The transfer averaged 7.0 PPG and 2.2 steals per contest. "He just has a knack for making winning plays…it's hard to sum up Boogie in a few sentences other than just winner," shared Coach Soliday of the man who ranked second in the PacWest in steals.
 
Look no further than the hand he played in two of the comeback-wins for Vanguard. The 17-point differential at home versus Hawaii Pacific was erased thanks in large part due to his four thefts, countless deflections, and season-high 23 points. In addition to that monstrous night, he hit two clutch three-pointers late to help VU overcome a double-digit deficit at Azusa Pacific, the first of back-to-back games he made a season-high two triples.  Expect more of the same this year. 
 
Need a particular name to watch from the returners? How about Devin Carson.
 
"Devin Carson's going to have, in my opinion, a really big year. He has just come back a different player. His level of conditioning and preparation has just been really good."
 
This is a guy who knows how to score, as he netted 1,000 points in just two seasons at his previous stop in Los Medanos CC.  Carson started one game but played in all 26 the previous winter and averaged 4.1 points per game.  He shot 35% from the field, with over half of his attempts coming from downtown, where he shot 32.1%.  His 14 points in 24 minutes at Chaminade were both season-highs and he looks primed for a larger share of the rotation.
 
Rounding out the returners are Robert Aguirre Jr., Carson Frawley, Aiden Gentry, Arshawn Salkhi, Brenick Soliday, and Alex Stewart, who make a "gritty" group that will be looking to increase their roles as the upcoming docket rolls on. Aguirre Jr. again shot over 49% from distance last winter, doing his part to help Vanguard shoot the second-best clip as a team in the conference from deep (35.8%), despite the third-fewest attempts.  Aguirre Jr. has 28 triples in his career, a 49.1% conversion rating, and made five splashdowns in the win over Nobel last December.
 
Meanwhile, Frawley has been hard at work in the recent months, putting on significant muscle over the summer and now showing tremendous versatility on both ends of the floor. In a game that went wire-to-wire, Frawley had two treys and two boards in 12 minutes, playing stout defense in a contest that saw FPU earn more free throws than VU. Brenick Soliday is someone who is "more than capable of having big-time minutes" thanks to his talent and toughness, something Vanguard caught a glimpse of late in that frenzied Fresno Pacific game a season ago . Gentry saw the court twice in 2024-25 and made one triple.  Salkhi and Stewart never cracked the lineup but have been hard at work to state their case for minutes this year.
 
While the returning talent makes up most of the roster, Vanguard hit the portal this offseason and added six transfers who can fill a variety of roles over the next few months.
 
Vanguard grabbed a pair of graduate players in the Howlin brothers, with Erik Howlin coming over from Biola and Sammy Howlin coming from Utah Tech. As a transfer from a PacWest foe, Vanguard is very familiar with Erik after his performances against the Lions last year, when he deposited 19 points on the Blue and Gold at home and 22 points in what his now his new home. He also brings with him a career average of 10.5 PPG and just above two assists per matchup. Beyond that, though, Coach Soliday lauds him as a great all-around player with high intelligence and versatility.
 
Sammy, the older of the two, is a welcome addition who puts true height and weight down low that VU has not seen recently.  Coach Soliday pointed to a lack of consistency in "physical paint presence" last year as a possible factor for losing games late. At 6'11" and around 240 pounds, Sammy Howlin is the tallest player in the Coach Soliday-era, and most vertically gifted for VU since the Aussie Mitch Boyce suited up from 2008-10 (6'11").
 
Kailen Rains joins the fray as another player with veteran experience, having played for CSU Northridge (DI) out of high school before going to San Diego City and CSU San Bernardino.  Rains can score the ball, as evident by his double-digit scoring bursts with the Matadors. He got 17 minutes a night in 2021-22 at CSUN and had a 32.4% shooting rate from downtown.
 
Dylan Swillis and Tony Colley both have extremely high-ceilings, according to Coach Soliday. Both guards have been heralded for their "untapped potential", with remarkable athleticism that compliments each of their games so well. Specifically, Coach Soliday is excited about Swillis' ability to clean the glass, guard every position, and score from every spot on the court. Swillis averaged 18.5ppg and 9.5rpg at Pasadena City College.  Meanwhile, Colley's splendor is similar in terms of athleticism and scoring. He was coached by Vanguard alumni Todd Dixon at Santiago Canyon, with consistent scoring, including in "big moments" as the head coach described it. He averaged 13.1 PPG at Santiago, shot 48% from the floor, and concluded with 799 points in two seasons.
 
Adding that type of scoring-punch at the two-through-four positions is an exciting proposition for Coach Soliday. More importantly, it bolsters the squad's ability to rebound—something much needed after being the fourth worst in the PacWest last year in that category.
 
Vanguard also gains some youth with three freshmen joining the pack. Luke Jacobson still maintains his freshman status after redshirting at Marquette last season. The 6'7" stretch brings elite shooting from deep, along with the invaluable experience gained from a program that ranked as high third in the nation at the Division-I level.
 
True freshman Colton Wells joins the ballclub as another 6'7" man, possessing intelligence and turning heads this fall with his hard work and character. Along with him in this classification is fellow first-year man, Jayce Allen.  "Jayce has one of the brightest futures of any player in the program. All he does is win," stated Coach Soliday.  Look no further than his two state titles in Idaho with Owyhee. Part of his success thus far has been due to his "high IQ", great passing, and being "electric in transition", all of which are traits that the team hopes will translate. And so far, in practice, they have.
 
The lineup certainly needs the full collection of talent to unite in order to bring about an improved standing from last year's voyage into the depths of Division II. They have a tough task to start the season, however, opening with CSUSB before taking on CSU Dominguez Hills, the national runners-up seven months ago. Those are the opening act of six non-conference games before the PacWest opener on December 4 at home versus Menlo. While Coach Soliday is appreciative of the task at hand, he knows the season is a gauntlet.
 
"That will be a great test and we want to win them all, but we also do have to look at it. We want to be playing our best basketball in January, February and we want to be a team that is trending up, whereas last year our trend was the opposite: hot out the gates, and then we were still in [those later games], we just did not close," reflected the head coach.
 
This is certainly a sore topic for Lions fans who have been following the last few seasons. VU went 4-12 after the New Year, marking the third straight season with a sub-.500 record in that calendar frame (2023-24: 4-10, 2022-23: 5-8).
 
The brain trust behind Coach Soliday is looking to keep that from happening, which has new faces to pair with the return of Taylor "TK" Kelly.  Kelly got tabbed as the new Associate Head Coach, but he knows what it takes to be a Lion, having spent three seasons as a player and six years as an assistant for the Blue and Gold. He was last seen as the head coach at Corban University for five successful years, including leading the Warriors to their first NAIA National Tournament appearance in eight seasons.  Ariel Vanguardia brings his international experience to the fold, while Jadyn "JJ" Johnson quickly swaps the jersey for the suit-and-tie after a storied career as a member of the Blue and Gold known for his on-court IQ over the last five seasons.  VU also welcomes former APU lead assistant, Tim Anderson, who helped the Cougars win a PacWest Tournament crown and make an NCAA DII Sweet-16 appearance among his many accolades in just two years.
 
There are "genuinely no nights off" in the West Region, let alone in the PacWest, cautions Coach Soliday, and his team has a couple of tough trips in store. Some key stretches to keep this in mind include the travel for a pair of GNAC games in Washington during Thanksgiving, the Hawaii-trip in January, and the rough three-game NorCal trip to end the season.
 
No matter how difficult it may be, Coach Soliday believes all of the ingredients are there for a tremendous feast come the postseason in March.
 
"We believe we have as good a chance as anybody."
 
The first opportunity to test that chance will be on November 14 in the home opener against CSUSB (1:00pm), with a quick turnaround the next day against CSUDH at 4:00 p.m.