USAO Men's Basketball: Year in Review 2025-26

The 2025–26 season was a high-scoring campaign for the Drovers, whose efficient offense averaged 85 points per game. The Drovers concluded with an 11–18 overall record and a 7–15 mark in the conference play. Despite injuries and several narrow losses, the team showed resilience throughout the season. The Drovers, who led the conference in rebounding, finished eighth in the SAC standings and closed the year with a hard-fought SAC Tournament matchup that came down to the final seconds against nationally ranked No. 5 Nelson University.

When asked about the outlook of the 25-26 season, Coach Landon Hughey said," Our season was full of growth, grit, and unforgettable moments. This group continued to improve throughout the year and hit its stride during the most important stretch of the season."

MOHAND AMMAD – 3rd TEAM ALL-SAC

The team was led by Mohand Ammad, who led the Drovers with 19.3 points per game, in addition to 6.3 rebounds per contest. The Parisian concludes his career at USAO just 11 points shy of joining the USAO 1,000-Point Club, an astonishing feat considering he was only a Drover for two seasons.

Earlier this season, Ammad recorded 45 points against Ecclesia, which is the second most points in a game in program history. Furthermore, he was selected as the SAC Player of the Week on two occasions this year.

In total at USAO, Ammad appeared in 57 fames and tallied 989 points, 336 rebounds, 82 assists, and 38 steals. Last season, Ammad was selected with an All-SAC Honorable Mention selection.

BRYCE COWNS – SAC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Bryce Cowns made an instant impact as a Drover, earning a spot on the SAC All-Freshman team after averaging 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals er game. Cowns recorded a season-high of 22 points on the road at Langston University on Feb. 7.

Chris Yapo made national headlines with his backboard shattering dunk in USAO's win at home against JBU. Clips of the dunk were viewed millions of times on social media and linear television, including appearances on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10, as well as numerous news outlets (ABC, NBC, CBS…) throughout the country. 

The men's basketball team earned a SAC Scholar Team recognition with a team grade point average of 3.10.

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