Troy University Athletics
Johnson's Journal - New Era of Troy Men’s Basketball Takes Shape
10/5/2026 3:11:00 PM | Basketball (M)
By: Jon Johnson
As new Troy men's basketball head coach Adam Howard and his assistants began assembling a roster, it was a fine balancing act of finding not only talented players, but ones who represent the program in the right way.
"To have this many new guys and to have as few problems as we've had on and off the floor, I think speaks to the character of the guys we have in here on our staff and to the guys they were able to recruit and bring in that we want to be around," Howard said.
"As a player and now head coach, you care about your locker room so much, I think you want to put together a team you'd enjoy playing for and with.
"They've hit the ground running and answered every challenge that we've thrown at them. I've been very proud of the character and work capacity that this group has.
"We've had very few bad days. We've got a good group of guys that I believe night-in and night-out will punch the clock and compete."
It started with retaining one of the members off last season's team in junior Kerrington Kiel, who as a role player a year ago was one of the most vocal leaders in helping the Trojans to a second straight Sun Belt Conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
A few days after Howard was named to lead the Trojans in late March following the departure of former Troy coach Scott Cross to Georgia Tech, the two had a conversation about Kiel.
"I talked to Scott a night or two after accepting the job and we were both traveling on the highway and had a few minutes to talk," Howard said. "The first thing he said about his group was, 'Do what you need to do to keep Kerrington.' And he's been right."
Kiel, a 6-5 forward, appeared in all 34 games last season and made five starts. He averaged 16.2 minutes per game and scored an average of 3.9 points.
His role will likely be elevated this season.
"As soon as I got off the phone with Scott, I called Kerrington, and I called his mom, and I heard what I needed to hear," Howard said. "Obviously, if Coach Cross felt he had that big of an impact on his team, he's a guy I wanted around me.
"He's a really good player and he's going to make a big jump this year, and have a big impact for us. He'll be leading for the rest of his life and he'll be very successful because of the intangibles that he has."
Former Geneva High School standout Evan Griffin, a 6-9 sophomore forward, and sophomore guard Hikaru Awata, are the only other returners from last season's team.
Griffin appeared in 13 games, including the final seven as his role expanded down the stretch. Awata saw action in five games.
Howard believes Griffin is ready to take the next step.
"He's a guy that I think got thrown into the fire when they had some injuries late last year and proved he could play a certain role for a championship level team last year, and he'll get that opportunity this year," Howard said.
Searching the transfer portal
In having to basically build a roster from scratch, Howard searched the transfer portal for the right fits.
His first signee may have been the biggest catch in Robert Davis, Jr., a 6-6 guard who transferred from Sun Belt foe Old Dominion. Davis was the preseason SBC Player of the Year before last season after averaging 15.6 points and leading the country in 3-point attempts with 348. He finished eighth in the nation in made threes with 116.
While his production fell off a bit last year in averaging 9.6 points, Howard believes the sharp-shooter has a chance to be a real weapon in the Trojans' offense.
"He proved the year before he could really shoot the basketball," Howard said. "Shooting is a big piece of what we're trying to do, so for a guy who made 116 threes in a season, that's pretty dynamic.
"It's our job to make him more efficient. I think he's been a career 33 percent (shooting) guy. There's no reason why he shouldn't be a 40 percent guy with the way he's able to shoot the basketball. It's our responsibility to get him there and make sure he's taking quality shots."
A system in place
Howard, who spent 16 years as an assistant coach in the college ranks, joined Troy after spending last season as an assistant at North Carolina State overseeing the offense. The Wolfpack ranked ninth nationally in 3-point percentage (38.8), 28th in 3-pointers (10.2) and 29th in scoring (83.2 per game).
While the Trojans won't have a lot of size on the inside, the roster is built with players who can get up and down the court quickly in what should be a fast-paced offense and aggressive defense.
"We don't have great size, but we have guys that play a little bit bigger than their position," Howard said. "We've kind of built our defense this year to be more of a paint protecting type team, rather than a rim protection type team.
"I think in our league, defensive rebounding is a big component to winning. It's such a physical league."
Howard was an assistant at Nebraska for three seasons under Fred Hoiberg, who is known for running the five-out system - a motion offense that has players spread the floor beyond the 3-point line.
"We don't have a ton of just true size, but I think we have the skill we want to play with in the five-out system that I've come accustomed to through working with Fred Hoiberg during my time at Nebraska," Howard said.
'"Just having guys who can dribble, pass and shoot and be skilled at all five positions rather than just guys who clog the paint and don't have a ton of skill."
Finding versatile players
Transfer Sam Walters is one of those players who should fit Howard's system well. A 6-9 forward, Waters has had stints at Alabama, Michigan and SMU over the past three years and has shown the ability to play inside the paint along with being a shooting threat from the perimeter.
"He can stretch the floor for us and give us a different look at a small-ball five … in a more of a five-guard offense, if you will, with him," Howard said.
Howard has been pleased with the overall versatility he's seen from his team in practice sessions.
"Afonso Pacheco (played professionally in Brazil last year) is a 6-8 physical kid, below the rim athlete that takes up a lot of space," Howard said. "We've been really pleased with his physicality and size and rebounding.
"Mobi Ikegwuruka is a kid we brought from Kansas State. He's about 6-7 but plays a lot bigger. He's got about a 7-foot wingspan. He'll be one of the best athletes in our league at any position."
Another transfer who Howard is well familiar with is 6-4 guard Jayme Kontuniemi, who was a redshirt freshman at N.C. State last year.
"I was around him every day at NC State this past year and he still has some things that he needs to get better at to compete and contribute at our level now," Howard said. "But his character, work ethic and approach to every day appreciation for the opportunity … he competed every day like it was games.
"So I know how much he loves basketball and he's fighting every day to get an opportunity to crack the rotation and be a part of what we're doing. He's got good size and can really shoot the basketball. He's a tough kid who loves the game."
Building a staff
When Howard began compiling his assistants, the first person he reached out to was Kyle Roane, who has more than 30 years coaching experience and spent the last four seasons as associate head coach at Southeastern Louisiana.
The two have known each other for many years as assistants at other schools, but have never coached together.
"He could be sitting in my chair right now and be just as effective and good anywhere in the country," Howard said. "I don't think people really realize how good he is at everything he does. He takes so much off my plate and does so much for our players."
Another member of the staff is Anthony Winchester, who was a basketball teammate of Howard's at Western Kentucky.
"Anthony Winchester is someone I've known since I was 18 years old," Howard said. "He's the first person I met when I stepped foot on campus at Western Kentucky.
"I love him like a brother and I know what he's about. He was player of the year in this league, so I know how tough he is and how much he loves the game."
Other members of the staff are Franklin Miskelly, who was an assistant at ULM last year, Bryen Spriggs, an assistant the past five years at UTEP, and Larry Cordaro, who is the lone assistant retained on staff from Troy's team last year.
"Franklin is someone I've gotten to know through Coach Roane and Coach Winchester," Howard said. "Just a young guy who has great energy and a great relationship with the players. He's one of those guys who is always positive and works his tail off in recruiting. Frank has a chance to be really special in this profession.
"Bryen Spriggs is a guy who has unbelievable connections in recruiting. Everybody likes him. You won't find anybody say a bad word about Bryen. He's been a head coach at community college in Pennsylvania, where he was also the athletic director for a period of time, so just a ton of experience.
"Larry has been here for several years and is the ultimate grinder. Everybody in the community loves Larry. Just a ton of respect for the path he's carved out for himself and how he's worked his way up."
Preparing for battle
Troy will open up the season at Trojan Arena on Nov. 2 by hosting UMass.
Something Howard believes will be beneficial is when the team plays in the Pensacola Invitational on consecutive days later in the month, taking on Valparaiso on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Nicholls the following day at the Pensacola Bay Center.
It will be a unique opportunity to play in the same arena that will host the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in early March.
"It's something Coach Cross and his staff put together and we inherited, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to play down there - have two games there and practice - so when we get back down there guys do feel comfortable with it," Howard said. "I think it will put us in a good frame of mind when we get there later in March."
Howard is settling into his new role as a head coach, but it hasn't come without some anxiety.
"A little bit overwhelming at times when you're trying to put together a new roster and build a program," Howard said. "It's like being a parent. You're never really fully ready until you do it."
That time has arrived.
