Men's Basketball | 9/2/2025 2:29:00 PM

Saint Francis men's basketball head coach Luke McConnell has announced the additions of transfers Ahmad Harrison, Ralph Martino, Jr., Zion Russell, Cam Tweedy, and Skylar Wicks, along with the additions of freshmen Kofi Asare, Paris Papadatos, Brandon Russell, and Kam Wylie to the team in 2025-26. 

"I am so excited to announce our incoming recruiting class," said McConnell. "We targeted specific guys for a particular mission, and our Saint Francis community is going to love watching them compete. It is a group that is highly versatile, highly competitive, and, most importantly, they possess high character. I believe this is a special group that will represent our program and Saint Francis University to the highest degree."

Harrison, who received offers from Virginia Tech, Charlotte, and East Carolina after high school, played one season at Fordham in 2021-22. He appeared in 23 games with two starts with the Rams, recording 27 points and 20 rebounds. Harrison spent the 2024-25 season at Notre Dame University of Maryland, where he averaged 13.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He scored double figures in his last 12 games with the Gators, including four-straight 20-point performances and a career-high 29 points against Penn College on February 15. 

"Ahmad is an experienced guard that we are excited to have in our program," said the coach. "He is a tenacious on-ball defender who will be disruptive to opposing teams. His leadership and experience will be invaluable to our squad. Flash Fam will love watching Ahmad pick up opposing teams' PGs on the full court."

Martino played at UMES last season, appearing in 26 games with five starts, and scored 41 points while grabbing 52 rebounds. He registered a career-high eight points against Penn State Schuylkill on November 9.

"Ralph is a versatile and explosive guard that can play multiple positions," said McConnell. "He impacts winning at a high level by connecting with teammates, guarding multiple positions, and rebounding! Ralph can make some highlight reel plays that will have DeGol Arena jumping."

Zion Russell comes to Saint Francis after one season at Niagara, where he appeared in 30 games with 22 starts, 205 points (6.8 ppg.) and 67 rebounds. He registered double figures 10 times with the Purple Eagles, with a season high of 14 points at Mount St. Mary's on January 5, 2025. He posted eight points against the Red Flash in the December 14 meeting in upstate New York. He began his career at Northern Illinois, where he spent three seasons, accumulating 192 points and 108 rebounds in 64 games and 14 starts. He scored a career-high 14 points at Buffalo on March 8, 2024.

"Zion is an experienced guard who can create for himself and for others," said McConnell. "He has elite speed and change of direction that will be a nightmare for opposing teams on both sides of the ball. He has a passion for the game that our fans will love to watch."

Tweedy comes to Loretto after spending the last three seasons at Northeast Conference (NEC) rival FDU. Tweedy was a key contributor to the Knights' NCAA Tournament success in 2022-23, posting 10 points and six rebounds in a 63-58 upset win against top-ranked Purdue in the NCAA Tournament first-round game on March 17, 2023. He averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the six postseason games between the NEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. Tweedy, who missed the 2023-24 season due to injury, registered 216 points and 165 rebounds per game in 60 games and three starts at FDU. Tweedy began his collegiate career at State Fair, where he earned NJCAA All-Region first-team recognition after scoring 392 points.

"We had the unique perspective of coaching against Cam the past couple of years in NEC play and were able to see the impact he had on the court," said the first-year head coach. "He has a championship pedigree and is a natural leader. Cam is a relentless, hard-nosed and skilled player that our fans will fall in love with quickly."

Wicks has played 46 games, with 29 starts, at the NCAA Division I level, averaging 9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game at Missouri State (2020-21), Incarnate Word (2023-24), and UTSA (2024-25). His best season came at Incarnate Word when Wicks averaged 13.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He posted eight 20-point games in 2023-24, with four games with at least 26 points. Wicks also spent one season at State College at Florida in 2021-22, averaging 16.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and was named a top-50 Junior College player by JUCOrecruiting.com in 2023. He scored 43 points that season and was named an All-Suncoast Conference first-team performer. 

"Skylar brings a wealth of experience and skill to our program," said McConnell. "He is a three-level scorer with the versatility to play and defend multiple positions. His ability to shoot and handle will help us improve immediately in those areas."

Asare averaged 13.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in high school in England and is coming off playing for the Veritas Academy in the Elite Nike Youth League (ENYL) in the United States, where he averaged 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in 11 contests.

"Kofi is a strong and skilled forward who has excellent experience competing internationally and nationally against top high school programs across the United States," said McConnell. "He plays hard and is a willing defender who is disruptive at the rim. We are excited to have Kofi in our program."

Papadoatos becomes the third Greek-born player to don the Red Flash uniform, joining Soltris Angelou (1997-98) and Georgios Angelou (2013-17). During his junior year as a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas boys basketball team in New Jersey, Papadotos posted four 20-point performances, including a season-high 27 points against St. Joseph Metuchen. His father, Alexis, played professionally in Greece for several seasons. 

"Paris is a skilled guard who has experience at a high level overseas," said McConnell. "He is a knockdown shooter with great size. His ability to play on and off the ball makes him a versatile player for us. We are thrilled to keep the Greece pipeline going here at Saint Francis! Our fans will love his passion for the game."

Brandon Russell was the leading scorer in his senior year with Archbishop Ryan, averaging 15.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He averaged 3.5 points per game as a junior playing behind Thomas Sorber, who the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted in June, and Darren Williams, who played at Florida Gulf Coast last season.

"Brandon is an explosive guard with the ability to score in bunches," said the coach. "He is a tireless worker who has a passion to get better every day. We recruited B-Russ for a long time, and we are thrilled to have him in our program." 

Wylie was a three-year letterwinner at Mt. Zion in Baltimore, Md., and served as team captain for two years. Brandon Rabish (Gallitzin, Pa./Penn Cambria) and Melvin Weaver III (Unionville, Conn./Avon Old Farms) join the Red Flash as walk-ons.

"Kam is a tough, hard-nosed and versatile forward," said McConnell. "He can take you off the bounce, post you up and impacts the game in so many different ways. He is the ultimate teammate and a great connecter. We are so excited to have Kam in our program."

Rabish was a three-year letterwinner at Penn Cambria, where he averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game in his senior year. Weaver was a three-year letterwinner at Avon Old Farms High School and served as team captain for one year. Weaver attended Hampton in the 2024-25 academic year, but did not play for the Pirates. 

"As a coach, it is always special when you can welcome someone to the program who you have seen personally develop over the years. Brandon is a former Red Flash camper, had a great career at Penn Cambria, and we are excited to have him in our program," said McConnell. "Melvin is an experienced guard and relentless worker. We are excited to be able to add Melvin to our basketball family."

In addition, seniors Gestin Liberis, Chris Moncrief, and sophomore Victor Payne return from last year's NCAA Tournament team. Moncrief was a key contributor to the Red Flash's championship run last season, including securing the decisive steal in the waning seconds of the game to help seal the victory against CCSU in the NEC Championship Game. 

Ryen Gresko (Penn Run, Pa./Penns Manor), Carson Rhodes (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area), KJ Swain, Jr. (Hamilton, Ohio Cincinnati Christian), and Trey Weiand (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) will also return for this season.