ATHERTON, CA – Tipping off their second year as NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference members, Menlo Men's Basketball enters the 2025-26 season with plenty of fresh talent to surround a strong core of returners. The Oaks will be guided by Head Coach Jamison Montgomery, a familiar face on the Menlo sidelines after he served as the program's associate coach for four seasons, as the squad emphasizes uniting concepts like "We>Me" and "Gratitude" heading into the Oaks' 39th season to date.

Returning Oaks – Back In Action
Though the Menlo roster will largely have a different feel with 11 student-athletes departing from last season, there are multiple Oaks ready to pick up where they left off in 2024-25. Returning starter experience comes in the form of senior forward Nick High and sophomore guard Jonathan Moxie who combined to open 32 games one year ago.

High, who started all but one contest as a sophomore, begins his senior year as a highly consistent presence inside, shooting nearly 49 percent from the field in his career while ranking fourth in Oaks history in career blocks (55) after ranking among the PacWest's top 25 in blocks per game in 2024-25. A starter 17 times last year (most among returners), Moxie complements High's post defense with his own ability to lock in on that end coming off a campaign in which he averaged 1.1 steals per game with at least one theft in all but two contests overall.

Newcomers – Plenty Of Promise
A full complement of new faces don the Menlo blue and white in 2025-25 as 11 transfers and two freshmen join the roster. Among those additions are plenty of athletic standouts including WSC-North Conference First Team and Defensive Player of the Year senior forward JaMaal Unuakhalu who, prior to playing for NCAA Division I UC Davis last season, averaged 14.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game (led the WSC-North Conference in rebounding) as a sophomore with Moorpark College.

Impressive skills as a floor general come from junior guard Devon Woods who also brings conference accolades from his previous stop. Named GRAC All-Conference Team, Woods delivered 11.3 points, 6.7 assists (top three at D1 Junior College), and 1.9 steals per game last year with Lake Land College.

Guards Jalen Keago and Marvin Brumfield, two more junior transfers, look to provide important size and strength for Menlo. Before competing for NCAA DI Alabama State, the matchup problem that is Keago could be found averaging 11.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game over two seasons for Pensacola State en route to an All-Panhandle Conference First Team honor. Brumfield, a versatile transfer from Coker, had the honor of playing for his home country on the Denmark U15-U20 National Team.

One of the younger transfers this season, sophomore guard Kai Brown still made his presence known as the Northwest Conference Rookie of the Year with Willamette last year. He was strong on both ends of the court, posting 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game as a freshman.

Schedule Highlights – Journeying Together
Following an exhibition at NCAA DI UC Davis on Nov. 3, Menlo will officially begin its 2025-26 campaign against Central Washington (Nov. 14) and Western Oregon (Nov. 15) in the PacWest/GNAC Conference Challenge Crossover hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay. The Oaks' home opener versus Stanislaus State is next on Nov. 19 then they will remain local, heading to Cal State East Bay for a Nov. 22 matchup. Non-conference play finishes with the Oaks hosting CSUMB (Nov. 28) and SF State (Nov 29) as part of the PacWest/CCAA Crossover Challenge, setting up a trip to Southern California for PacWest-opening matchups with Azusa Pacific (Dec. 2), Vanguard (Dec. 4), and Westmont (Dec. 6).

Over the ensuing six-game homestand that bridges the 2025 and 2026 calendar years, the Oaks will host Jessup (Dec. 16), Dominican (Dec. 21), Point Loma (Jan. 3), Concordia (Jan. 5), Hawaii Pacific (Jan. 8), and UH Hilo (Jan. 10). A trip to Hawaii then brings a pairing with Chaminade (Jan. 15) followed by a rematch with HPU (Jan. 17) before the month is closed primarily on the road at Jessup (Jan. 22), home against Fresno Pacific (Jan. 24), and at Dominican (Jan. 26).

The final month of the regular season starts in SoCal once again at CUI (Feb. 3), PLNU (Feb. 5), and Biola (Feb. 7) before four of the last five contests will be back inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion. A quick turnaround against BU (Feb. 14) comes ahead of a rematch with Westmont (Feb. 16) then the last road game at FPU (Feb. 21) gives way to home games versus Chaminade (Feb. 24) and Vanguard (Feb. 28). The PacWest Championship Tournament, hosted by PLNU in San Diego, will close out the year on Mar. 5-7.