2026-27 Men’s Basketball Season Preview

Hope tips off the season with a three-game homestand

A trusting Hope College men's basketball team is keen on starting the 2026-27 season stronger together.

Head coach Greg Mitchell says his Flying Dutch — who surged late last season to become MIAA Tournament champions for the fourth time in five years and finished with an 18-10 record — are determined to be ready to compete at a high level from the opening tip.

"The biggest thing for us offensively is the collective buy-in to ball movement and trusting each other. They're truly connected to each other and finding the right guy in our possessions," Mitchell said. "It's a group that rallies on each other as much as any team I've had. We are a team that has a good basketball IQ on the offensive end. Hopefully, the metrics favor us."

Hope opens the season with two home games against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents this weekend at DeVos Fieldhouse. The Flying Dutch host Anderson University on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Franklin College on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 5:30 p.m.

"The challenge for us is to be way more urgent within the possession and within the time of the year," Mitchell said. "We don't want to wait for 11 non-conference games to play with the energy and competitiveness we need. We lost three really good defenders from last year's team. We've got to be tougher, a little nastier early in the season to establish the identity we need."

SCHEDULE

The Flying Dutch begin the season with a three-game homestand. After this weekend, Hope will host Elmhurst University on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. before playing the next six games on the road, including a two-game trip west to Washington to play Whitman College and Whitworth University in December.

The Orange and Blue will host the Glenn Van Wieren Tournament on Tuesday-Wednesday, Dec. 29-30, that features games against North Park University and the University of St. Thomas (Texas).

Hope's first two MIAA games will be against teams who placed ahead of the Flying Dutch in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll: runner-up Trine University on Wednesday, Jan. 6, on the road and defending MIAA regular-season champion The University of Olivet on Saturday, Jan. 9, at home. The Orange and Blue tied for third with Calvin University in the preseason poll.

ROSTER

The Flying Dutch's roster of 17 features nine juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen.

Guard Brendan Cargill (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Central) is Hope's top returner. The 5-10 guard earned All-MIAA Second Team honors last season after averaging 12.8 points per game and hitting 54 of 121 made baskets from 3-point range. He scored 30-plus points in both exhibition games against the University of Chicago and NCAA Division II Saginaw Valley State University.

Forward Orion Yant (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) nearly scored in double digits last season, finishing at 9.8 points per game. The 6-6 junior totaled a team-leading 22 points and seven rebounds during an NCAA Tournament first-round loss to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on the road. Yant is Hope's leading returning rebounder after grabbing 5.0 per game last season.

Forward Kyle Blauch, a 6-7 junior Boulder, Colorado (Boulder), forward Charles Howell, a 6-6 junior from Cadillac, Michigan (Cadillac), and guard Avery Sanchez, a 6-1 sophomore from Turlock, California (John H. Pitman), all return with starting experience.

"Brendan really trusts his teammates, and our guys trust him," Mitchell said. "He works so hard, he should be confident, and he is. When you work as hard as he does, you'll have that confidence."

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach: Greg Mitchell, 12th season
Assistant coaches: Ryan Wade, Ryan Klingler, Harris Hawkins, Tom Davelaar

Wade, who played basketball at Western Michigan University after a high school career with Mitchell at Laingsburg, and Hawkins, a three-year letterwinner at Hope under Mitchell, joined the coaching staff this offseason.

"Having some younger coaches on our staff is really important," Mitchell said. "Both have a super high IQ and relate to our younger guys. Hawk is cerebral, even-tempered and very intelligent. Ryan [Wade] has a lot of good Xs and Os experience and is very competitive. He helps bring out a lot of toughness in our guys. Both love Hope and have been great from Day 1. With Ryan [Klingler]'s defensive prowess and Coach Davelaar, we feel we're in a really good spot to optimize our personnel."

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Players Mentioned

#44 Kyle Blauch: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

#5 Charles Howell: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#33 Orion Yant: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore; Physical and Health Education

#1 Avery Sanchez: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#31 Brendan Cargill: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#44 Kyle Blauch
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F

#5 Charles Howell
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#33 Orion Yant
: 6' 6"; Sophomore; Physical and Health Education
: F

#1 Avery Sanchez
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#31 Brendan Cargill
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G