Men's Basketball 10/29/2026 9:58:00 AM

Blinn opens new season with young, revamped roster

Sophomore Kendarius Johnson is the lone returner from 2025-26’s 19-win team

Men's Basketball 10/29/2026 9:58:00 AM

Blinn opens new season with young, revamped roster

Sophomore Kendarius Johnson is the lone returner from 2025-26’s 19-win team

The Blinn College men's basketball team will feature plenty of new faces when it opens the 2026-27 season at 6 p.m. Friday against Dallas College Eastfield at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

Entering his 15th season as head coach, Scott Schumacher will guide a largely rebuilt roster featuring 13 freshmen and just three sophomores as the Buccaneers look to establish themselves in a competitive Region 14.

Blinn finished 19-12 overall and 13-9 in Region 14 last season, placing fourth in the conference standings before falling to Panola College in the opening round of the region tournament. The Buccaneers have established themselves as one of the region's most consistent programs, joining Trinity Valley Community College as the only teams to finish in the top four of the Region 14 standings in each of the past four seasons. Of the players who helped Blinn reach that mark last season, only sophomore guard Kendarius Johnson returns.

"We brought in a lot of new faces," Schumacher said. "We're excited. Kendarius Johnson is a big part of this team because he's been through it before. He understands what this is all about, and he's a very good player who will help our younger guys along."

Johnson averaged 6.4 points per game last season and will be joined in the sophomore class by guards Tyson Tucker and Jeremiah Lucas, both transfers from Coffeyville Community College.

Tucker appeared in 18 games last season, averaging 9.3 points in 27 minutes per game, while Lucas played in 23 games and averaged 3.6 points in 14 minutes per outing.

Their junior college experience should provide an important foundation for a team that will need time to develop chemistry and learn Schumacher's expectations. Two other Bucs spent last season at prep schools, while Blinn's international players bring experience competing overseas.

"With a younger team, there's more teaching and explaining," Schumacher said. "You have to explain why we do things the way we do. Kendarius understands because he's lived it. Most of these other guys haven't experienced it yet."

What Blinn lacks in returning experience, Schumacher hopes it can offset with size, length, and athleticism.

The Bucs have just one player listed under 6 feet tall, while five stand at least 6-foot-8. The roster also features a collection of guards and wings measuring between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-6, giving Blinn the type of length Schumacher has long valued on the defensive end and on the boards.

"I think anybody will tell you that length helps your defense and your rebounding," Schumacher said. "I've always liked recruiting guys who are longer and bigger. That's just the way I am. I like physicality, and we have a lot of size for our opponents to deal with."

The Bucs also hope to capitalize on their speed and guard depth while developing a more effective inside scoring presence.

Johnson believes the team's versatility could become a strength as the players grow more comfortable with one another.

"I feel like we bring a little bit of everything," Johnson said. "Our inside scoring is going to be way better than it was last year, and we have guards who can put the ball on the ground and put it in the hole. I think we can shoot it from all over the court, but I also feel like scoring inside is more of our go-to."

Schumacher said the team has shown encouraging signs in its effort and relationships, but execution remains a priority as the Bucs prepare for the season.

"I think our guys play hard, and the biggest thing is that they get along tremendously," Schumacher said. "They're very good friends off the court, and that's not always the case. Up to this point, we haven't put our personal agendas ahead of the team's agenda."

Blinn's roster includes players from Texas, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Georgia, along with international players from Serbia and Australia. Schumacher recruited heavily in Louisiana, adding four freshmen and one sophomore from the state.

"The whole thing comes down to intensity and playing together," Schumacher said. "In high school, you might be better than everybody else on your team, so you can go 70% and still be better than the other guys. Here, you have to compete at an extremely high level every second of the day, in every drill and every practice. You don't get to take even a moment off."

Blinn was picked seventh out of 11 teams in the Region 14 preseason coaches' poll. Coastal Bend College's departure from the region following the discontinuation of its men's and women's basketball programs leaves 11 teams in the conference. Each team in the league faces off twice during the regular season.

"Our league is very, very good," Schumacher said. "Seventh for us is probably correct, but that also means we have a chance to go out and prove ourselves a bit and surprise some people."

The conference will again feature several nationally ranked opponents. Trinity Valley enters the season ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball preseason poll, followed by Angelina College at No. 14 and Kilgore College at No. 25.

"Everybody is very well-coached," Schumacher said. "We're going to have to execute. I try to explain to our guys that when you get to the last 10 minutes of a game, you're going to have to execute in the half-court offense, whether you're facing a zone or man-to-man defense. We're not just going to run up and down the floor firing shots."

The Bucs will play a 10-game non-region schedule, including nine consecutive non-region matchups before opening Region 14 play at home against Trinity Valley at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, at the Kruse Center.

The preseason schedule includes the Blue Bell Classic, home games against Weatherford College and Western Texas College, and a trip to New Mexico to face New Mexico Junior College and New Mexico Military Institute in a tournament. Blinn will also face opponents from outside Region 14, including teams from Region 5's West Division and the North Texas League, before beginning conference play.

"We may struggle for a while, but we struggled last year, too, and then reeled off 10 straight wins and finished in the top four in the league," Schumacher said. "We'll figure it out, and we'll be a good basketball team when it counts."

Johnson hopes the team's work will eventually translate into a run at the top of the conference standings and beyond.

"Obviously, we want to finish first in the conference and get the hardware," Johnson said. "Then the goal is to win it all, so that's what I want to do."

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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