Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
UpNextWIU25-26

Men's Basketball

Radford Men’s Basketball Begins 2025-26 Campaign Monday Night Against Western Illinois

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball program begins their 2025-26 campaign this upcoming Monday, November 3rd, when they host Western Illinois for a 7 p.m. tip inside the Dedmon Center.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Western Illinois Leathernecks
Date/Time: Monday, November 3rd at 7:00 PM
Location: Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center – Radford, Va.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Get Tickets Here
Watch Live on ESPN+
Listen Live with Rick Watson on WRAD 101.7/103.5 FM
Follow Live Stats Here

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Individual game tickets are currently on sale for all home Radford Men's and Women's Basketball events. Radford has partnered with vivenu this season, a global leader in digital ticketing, to launch a state-of-the-art tickets platform. Through the new mobile-first, user-friendly platform, Radford fans can now secure tickets, manage their purchases and access their events with a few taps on their phone. A complete guide to the new ticketing platform can be found HERE.
 
Radford University students get free entry to all Radford Men's and Women's Basketball home events. To enter, all that's needed is your student ID/ONE card.

A LOOK BACK
The Highlanders and Leathernecks have met just once in their long running Division I tenures, with that meeting coming all the way back in the 2006-07 season. Meeting on a neutral court in Miami, Fla., Radford and Western Illinois went into overtime before the Leathernecks eventually pulled ahead 75-72. Monday night will mark Western Illinois' first-ever visit to the Dedmon Center.
 
A NEW ERA BEGINS
Radford's season opener features multiple firsts for the program, including the debut of first-year head coach Zach Chu. Spearheading the roster turnover this offseason that included 13 newcomers to the program and a renewed coaching staff, Chu will be looking for his first official win as a head coach. The Highlanders looked strong in their preseason exhibition against Bridgewater, using an electric shooting performance to defeat the Eagles 95-56.
 
OLD FOES FACE-OFF, ON NEW SQUADS
Despite Radford and Western Illinois not meeting since 2006, a handful of players on both squads do have experience against each team. Radford's preseason all-conference member Jaylon Johnson faced the Leathernecks once in the 2024-25 regular season in Ohio Valley Conference play and went off for a season-high 31 points on eight made threes.
 
On the Leathernecks' end, sophomore guard Tyran Cook transferred into the team this season from Indiana State but had previously also played at VMI. With the Keydets, Cook faced the Highlanders during the 2023-24 season in the Dedmon Center. In 39 minutes of action, the then-freshman scored a team-high 20 points despite an eventual 73-56 Radford victory.
 
SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois is led by third-year head coach Chad Boudreau who is looking to get the Leathernecks back to previous heights in his tenure. In his debut year of 2023-24, Western Illinois won 21 games which was the most by the team in over a decade. The roster features no returning players that logged minutes on the floor from last season's squad, but has brought in intriguing transfer names such as Cook, Jack Riley, Isaiah Griffin and Lucas Lorenzen.
 
Riley, a JuCo transfer from Oklahoma-Tonkawa, averaged a double-double in 28 games played last season. Griffin joined the program from Idaho State after starting all 55 games he played with the Bengals over the last two seasons averaging 8.8 ppg. Lorenzen joined the team from the NAIA ranks, spending last season at Dordt University where he was named to the NAIA All-American first-team averaging 22.7 ppg shooting 40.7% from beyond the arc.
 
STAY SOCIAL WITH RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
For all the latest on Radford men's basketball, be sure to follow the team on X (@RadfordHoops), Instagram (@radfordhoops), and "like" the team's official Facebook Page (Radford Men's Basketball).
 
#RiseAndDefend
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Jaylon Johnson

#3 Jaylon Johnson

G
6' 0"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jaylon Johnson

#3 Jaylon Johnson

6' 0"
Senior
G