CSUN Basketball, Summer Report
Includes Latest Podcast Episode, with Andy Newman
June 29th marked the start of organized team activities (OTAs) for CSUN Basketball. The first session was held in the Student Rec Center, since Premier America Credit Union Arena was undergoing cosmetic upgrades. The Matadors were back at Premier America for their workout on July 13th.
HAPPY RETURNS?
If Josiah Davis is not granted a waiver by the NCAA, the Matadors would return just four points and twenty-eight minutes from last year’s squad. Below is a comparative breakdown of how that matches up, over the course of Andy Newman’s time in Northridge. Either way, it’s the fewest points and minutes that the Matadors would return, since Newman assumed the helm in 2023. There are eleven players new to CSUN on the current roster, and a twelfth, Lamine Niang, who returns to CSUN, via the portal, after a two year hitch at UT Martin. Niang started his career in Northridge during the 2022-23 season.
All in all, twelve Matadors participated in about an hour of drills, including individual shooting/skill by position, and some five-on-five over last twenty minutes of session.
BJ Omot and Greg Gazarian were absent, while Jalen Barbee did not participate. Omot, the transfer from Minnesota, was sorting out final travel details, while Gazarian is currently with Armenian National Team for FIBA ‘27 World Cup Qualifiers. Former Matador Joshua O’Garro is playing for Great Britain in same tournament.
Recovering from last year’s season-ending injury, Barbee should cleared to start doing basketball activities this week. CSUN Sports Medicine will then monitor his progress, and determine when he can return to full team workouts. Jalen was in good spirits, and happy to be back at school. He’d been rehabbing since the beginning of 2026, and was able to take a break, going home to Tacoma, after the end of the academic year.
Keziah Ekissi, who played last season at Oregon State, after starting at Howard College in Texas, awaits final approval of his transfer waiver. The French National averaged about five points over twenty-seven games for the Beavers last season. He’s a shooter/lead guard, with international experience, having competed against several players currently in the NBA. He mentioned that while he knew of Victor Wembanyama in France, he never actually competed against the Spurs’ All-Star.
STANDOUTS AT JULY 2 WORKOUT
Emmanuel Stephen – Legit seven-footer, started at Arizona, and spent last year at UNLV. Talent is there, but how will it translate? Matadors ran into some size last year against Irvine and Hawaii (who, coincidentally enough, played for the Big West title), so Andy Newman and his staff went out and grabbed some size of their own. Stephen will primarily be a rim protector, but also impressed with how he ran the floor. His size is an element CSUN hasn’t really had in recent years. Even when Lamine Diane was winning back-to-back Player of the Year Awards, his skills were more of a wing, even though he played in the post. Stephen is a throwback to an era where big men ruled the college landscape. When team ran five-on-five, it was mostly to work on transition, so wasn’t really able to assess his low-post game. He should be fun for Matadors’ students and fans, as he possesses a very out-going personality.
Naceiar Kirskey – JC Transfer averaged 17 points a game last year at Monroe Community College (which is currently transitioning to a four-year unversity). Smooth offensive game, more of a scorer, as opposed to a shooter (although he can shoot). Not tall, but sturdy build, think Vinnie Johnson from the Bad Boy Pistons. Kirksey is a Class of ‘22 HS Grad, who went to Our Saviour Lutheran Prep (Bronx, NY) and then had a RS Year, so he’s a little older, and more experienced. The question is how will he adapt to the D1 level, and how much will he play? Can he be one of those guys that’s an efficient scorer within the system, even in limited minutes? The tools are there, and in early drills, seemed really comfortable with the sets that were bring installed. More of an off-guard, potentially in the mold of a Josh Greene or Atin Wright.
Quinton Webb – Webb could be a real X-Factor for CSUN in 2026-27. He’s a bit of a tweener, who missed last season with an injury. Webb, who prefers to be called “Q,” could slide right into Mahmoud Fofana’s slot. A graduate of Etiwanda HS in the Inland Empire, who spent three seasons at New Mexico (including a RS) logging 222 minutes in 32 games. His specialties are rebounding and defense, which will make him a fit for Andy Newman’s system, but he’s also been hitting shots, both inside and outside. In the first session I attended, Webb worked exclusively with the perimeter players, while in the second session, he split time, performing half the drills with the guards, the other half with the post players.
Couple of the players I chatted with Coach Newman about were JC Transfer Dan Culberson, a PG out of Arkansas, by way of Howard College in TX. Culberson is a blur, and seemed to look pretty comfortable running the up-tempo style that the Matadors’ have adopted. Newman is also high on Rider transfer Caleb Smith, who averaged seven rebounds last year, at 6’5. Smith ran with the ones for most of the five-on-five drills, but that may have just been to even things out for the guys playing defense.
JULY 13 WORKOUT
First opportunity to catch BJ Omot in-person. Omot is a 6’8 transfer from the University of Minnesota, and went to HS in Mankato, MN. He missed the season for the Gophers in ‘26, after transferring from Cal, where he played four games in ‘25. Omot started his college career at North Dakota, where he scored 799 points in 54 games, over his two seasons, averaging 16.7ppg and 4.2rpg in 35.2mpg as a Sophomore in 2024. Matadors hope to see him repeat the performance of another former Fighting Hawk, De’Sean Allen-Eikens, who averaged nearly nineteen (18.8), in his lone season under Newman in 2024.
First team running five-on-five was Josiah Davis, Brooklyn Hicks, Caleb Smith, BJ Omot, and Emmanuel Stephen. Again, not reading too much into this, two weeks into summer, as Newman and Staff could have just wanted sides even, for full-court part of the workout. Jael Martin, the LMU transfer, rotated in with the ones, as well.
While running half court drills, Coach Newman, had the perimeter guys run all three wing spots in the offense, with the point guards and the five-man, remaining exclusive to their spots, respectively. Matadors’ brain trust looks to be cultivating some versatility on both the offensive and defensive side.
MONEY HOOPS
Here’s a quick look at how offensive production has been aided by Andy Newman’s system. Since Newman arrived at CSUN, the Matadors have been 2nd (’26) 8th (’25) and 13th (’24) in adjusted tempo (AdjT), according to KenPom. Pace-of-play, has played a huge role in enhancing offensive production for a number of CSUN players.
Dionte Bostick parlayed his ‘24 season into a payday at New Mexico State. Both Keonte Jones (Dayton) and Scotty Washington (High Point) were also able to leapfrog from their CSUN production to lucrative NIL deals at their respective next stops. Most recently, Larry Hughes II jumped from last year’s resurgent performance with CSUN, to an impressive pay day with Sacramento State.
In the tradition of “Money Ball,” I’ve called this progression, “Money Hoops,” where Coach Newman and his staff identify a player, and upgrade their production, which leads to a future pay day. Marcus Adams, Jr. should also be included, as his performance with the Matadors in 2025, secured a nice bag in Tempe for Arizona State last season, after which he took his talents to Honolulu, where he’ll play for The Bows, as they move to the Mountain West, in 2026-27.
PODCAST
Head Coach Andy Newman joined me on the podcast recently, to chat about the transfer portal, his recruiting process, NCAA Waivers, and his hopes for the Matadors in 2026-27, along with some other topics of note.
AUDIO VERSIONS
Apple Podcasts iHeart Podcasts Spotify
LOOSE ENDS
Last year’s Director of Basketball Operations (DOBO) Mykel Morse, was named Head Coach at West Valley College in San Jose, earlier this spring, leaving Coach Newman’s staff after two seasons, in 2025 and 2026. Morse will be replaced by Alex Fodor, who served as a student manager at CSUN for both Trent Johnson and Andy Newman, before joining Chris Tifft’s staff at Cal State San Bernardino in 2025-26. He returns to his alma mater, assuming the DOBO role for Coach Newman, in 2026-27.
