“Fans are in for a great year watching CAA basketball,” according to Huskies’ head coach of 20 years, Bill Coen.
With the 2025-26 season soon underway, here’s what you need to know.
Aside from graduates, four Huskies departed Northeastern, including the team’s two highest scorers last season, guards Rashad King and Harold Woods. Shot blocker Collin Metcalf and Masai Troutman, who was impressive despite being injured for a large part of the season, also transferred, leaving a gap in the Huskies’ roster.
The Huskies have added eight new players to the ranks, hoping to boost the team past its .500 record from last season:
- Xander Alarie, redshirt freshman, forward
- Xavier Abreu, freshman, guard
- Mike Loughnane, junior, guard
- Ty Francis, freshman, forward
- Miles Newton, freshman, guard
- Liam Koelsch, freshman, center
- Petar Pinter, freshman, center
- Haris Elezovic, graduate student, forward
The team will look to bolster its impressive defensive record from last year, when it recorded 4.7 blocks per game compared to opponents’ 3.8 blocks per game, by adding two centers in 6-foot-9 Koelsch and 6-foot-11 Pintar. Koelsch is a McDonald’s All-American East nominee, and Pinter was part of the Montenegro team that finished fifth at the FIBA U18 championship in 2024.
Loughnane, whose father, Bill, played at Northeastern, aims to “bring stability to the backcourt,” and be someone the team can “trust with the ball in [his] hands.”
With major scorers departing the team, the Huskies will rely on the “guard core” to set the stage, Coen said in a CAA media day interview. This core consists of returners senior guard LA Pratt, junior guard JB Frankel, junior guard William Kermoury and newcomer Loughnane. Loughnane, a transfer from Davidson College, hopes to bring his experience and veteran voice to a young Northeastern team.
The team has added more offensive power, hoping to improve on last season’s slightly disappointing .337 three-point percentage. According to Coen, Loughnane is a “specialist” in shooting. Additionally, players like Elezovic, who averaged 12.2 points per game, or PPG, at Laval University and Abreu, who averaged 26.4 PPG at Phillips Academy Andover, will help boost the Huskies’ offense.
According to Loughnane, the team has been working on executing flow offenses with detail and defensive connectivity. He says the team’s goal is to build each game and ultimately win the CAA championship.
The locker room is tight-knit, and the players are focused on the season ahead, starting with the season opener Nov. 3.
The Huskies will open the season in Matthews Arena against local rivals the Boston University Terriers, a match-up Loughnane said he’s looking forward to since his father, Bill Loughnane, played the fixture in the 1970s. This is one of the last games the Huskies will play in Matthews Arena before it’s torn down. After the team’s final game in Matthews Nov. 15, the team will play in the Cabot Center. Loughnane thinks this move will inspire new energy in games.
Additionally, two Northeastern games will appear on CBS Sports — its game against Monmouth University Jan. 19 and against Campbell University Jan. 3.
Northeastern lost a close game to Monmouth 78-73 last season, with Pratt and Kansas State University’s (formerly Monmouth’s) junior guard Abdi Bashir Jr. trading points — they scored 26 and 30 points, respectively. Northeastern triumphed over Campbell University’s Fighting Camels after a 24-point game by King.
