Ave Maria Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings
NAIA · The Sun Conference · Ave Maria, FL
Ave Maria (NAIA, The Sun Conference) lists 15 players on the 2026–27 roster; 9 are new this season.
This is the roster's depth by position and its projected openings, built from the listed roster. It is not an official depth chart issued by the coaching staff.
Roster data through 2026–27
Roster15 players
New this season9
Transfer additions8
Clearest projected openingGuards and Forwards · 2028
Most common home stateFL (3)
Openings
our roster projection · your arrival year
Guards and Forwards: open from 2028 — 8 ahead.
20262027202820292030G
balanced8 ahead
crowded11 ahead
opening8 ahead
opening5 ahead
open1 ahead
F
balanced3 ahead
balanced4 ahead
opening2 ahead
open1 ahead
open0 ahead
2026
Gbalanced8 ahead
Fbalanced3 ahead
2027
Gcrowded11 ahead
Fbalanced4 ahead
2028
Gopening8 ahead
Fopening2 ahead
2029
Gopening5 ahead
Fopen1 ahead
2030
Gopen1 ahead
Fopen0 ahead
Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads. Hover a cell for its evidence.
For 2026 arrivals the roster projection reads: G balanced (8 ahead), F balanced (3 ahead).
Of the latest cycle's 9 arrivals, 1 came straight from high school and 8 from the transfer portal.
Most arrivals come from FL, TX, IN.
0 of 15 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 0 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.
Depth chart
2026–27 · 15 players
Guards 11 of 15
David Olivier6′6″So
Lance Rawls6′6″Sr · final yr
Bryce Meitin6′5″So
Bradley Michel6′5″So
Marlon Bennett6′4″Sr · final yr
Noah Lovan6′3″So
Rico Byrd6′2″Jr
Amaan Sanni6′2″Jr
Maurizio D'Alessandro6′1″Jr
Zane McCarty6′1″Grad · final yr
Marcus Williams5′9″Fr
Frontcourt 4 of 15 · forwards + centers
Alex Sherwood6′8″Sr · F · final yr
Asher Hercek6′7″Grad · F · final yr
George Sabatini6′7″Jr · F
Pablo Hernandez6′7″So · F
freshman final year — spot opens returning
Roster makeup
Arrivals
1from high school8via the portal
7 of 15 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.
Rankings
0 of 15
0 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.
Hometowns
FL 3 · TX 3 · IN 2 · OH 2 · PA 2 · VA 2
1 international: Portlaoise
High schools: St. Ignatius HS; Elko HS; Lutheran HS and 2 more
Transfer flow
named arrivals and departures
2025–26 → 2026–27 · in
→Maurizio D'Alessandro
→Noah Lovan
→Zane McCarty
→Asher Hercek
→Rico Byrd
→Amaan Sanni
→George Sabatini
→Bryce Meitin
2025–26 → 2026–27 · out
←Jai White
Roster comparison
The Sun Conference (9 programs, 2026–27 medians)
Measure
Ave Maria
Conference
Average guard height
6′3″
6′2″
+1″
Average frontcourt height
6′7″
6′8″
−1″
Roster size
15
14
+1
Freshman share
7%
14%
−7pp
Coaching staff
Paul MatthewsAssistant coach
Mike EspositoAssistant men's basketball coach
Frank O'BrienAssistant coach
Jamon CopelandHead men's basketball coach
Staff changesNo on-court staff changes across the last 0 offseasons.
How this page is made: Rosters: official Ave Maria rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.
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