WICHITA, Kan. – Coming off consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances for the first time since the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, the Friends University Men's Basketball Falcons are beginning a new era both on the court and on the bench for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
With former head coach Phil McClintock now serving as the Athletic Director at KCAC member Ottawa University, Friends University VP of Athletics & Strategic Expansion Dr. Rob Ramseyer plucked top assistant coach Nick Jones from a highly successful NCAA D-II program Washburn University to lead the program going forward. Jones returns home to his native Wichita for his first head coaching job after helping the WU Ichabods become one of the best teams in D-II, finishing with a record of 31-2 that included MIAA regular season and tournament championships along with a berth in the NCAA Central Regional quarterfinal round.
"There's not a better place to begin my head coaching journey than in Wichita," said Jones. "Wichita has such a rich basketball history. Great community support. And it is home. Most of my family lives here so it was a no brainer."
Jones will have to replace five regular starters and four All-KCAC performers from last season's squad that advanced to the NAIA second round for the second straight year. At the forefront of the returners for the Falcons will be sophomore guard Eli Benning, who appeared in 32 of 33 games last year and started 12 times. Benning averaged 8.7 points per game and was a defensive stalwart, often guarding the opposition's best player and ranking second in the league in steals per game (2.1 spg) to earn All-KCAC Freshman team honors. The Wichita product's offensive game also seemed to blossom down the stretch, culminating with a career-high 31 points along with seven assists in the Falcons' thrilling 118-112 quadruple overtime victory over Indiana Wesleyan University in an NAIA Opening Round matchup.
"One of the things I love about Eli is he is a winner!" said Jones "He will do whatever the team needs to win. Some nights he will be playing with the ball in his hands. Other nights he will be playing more off the ball. Eli is always putting the needs of the team before his own. On defense he accepts the challenge and wants to guard the other team's best player. He never backs down from a challenge and our team feeds off his energy."
Additional veterans that return include Owen Evans (33 games, six starts), Jackson Swartz (33 games), Will Mays (17 games) and Deshaun Lewis (five games). Evans should again give the Falcons a valuable floor spacer after nailing 39.6 percent (61-of-154) of his three-point attempts last season.
"Owen is a 3-point sniper," noted Jones. "He is one of the best shooters I have ever coached. He can really get it going and doesn't need much space. He has really shown that he is one of our better off ball defenders and is such a heady guard who is always in the right spots on the defensive end. Jackson has made some big strides in the past couple weeks. He is a very versatile forward who rebounds the ball at a high level. He can space the floor and consistently knock down threes while also being a very active defender who can guard multiple positions. Will is our vocal leader. He is one of our hardest workers, each day he is the first one in the gym and one of the last to leave. He has really improved his shooting ability and has consistently been one of our best shooters in practice. DeShaun has been our glue guy. He is one of the hardest workers and does whatever the team needs to win. He makes winning plays. He wins every sprint in practice and is always the first one on the floor for a loose ball. DeShaun leads by example and sets the tone each day."
With the task of replacing multiple starters and contributors from last season, Jones will need to rely heavily on a plethora of promising newcomers to shoulder a large share of the workload for the Falcons to get where they ultimately want to go in the 2026-27 campaign. He has a few in mind that can make a strong impact on the team this season.
"Jordan Edwards is going to play a huge role for us this year," said Jones. "He provides athleticism and a high motor. Fans will love to watch him. He can score around the rim as well as on the perimeter and is a very versatile player. Isaac Jones is a tough, hard nose combo guard. He's jet quick with the ball in his hands trying to attack the rim and has really shot the ball well in practice. Isaiah McLemore is an NCAA-DII transfer who not only brings some size to our team, but also the ability to shoot the ball. He's a lengthy wing who can guard multiple positions. Rocco Keller is a hometown kid who can score the ball in a variety of ways. He's really good with his back to the basket as well as facing up and getting to the rim. He comes from a winning pedigree from Kapaun Mt. Caramel where he won three state championships. Brody Kreutzer is another hometown kid from Bishop Carroll High School. He is another 3-point sniper. He can really get it going and knock down shots and is a long wing who can guard multiple positions."
The Falcons will officially open the new era next Tuesday (Oct. 27) at home vs. Baker University before also hosting the Jack Kater Classic on Oct. 30-31 against Haskell Indian Nations University and John Brown University. The non-conference slate also includes a date at No. 20-ranked Northwestern College (Nov. 7) and an intriguing exhibition at NCAA D-I Wichita State University (Nov. 11) ahead of the KCAC opener at home in the Garvey Center vs. Sterling College on Nov. 14.
"We have a schedule that will really challenge us from the jump, but it can put us in a great position as the season progresses," said Jones. "We begin with a very solid Baker team and then host the Jack Kater classic going up against Haskell and John Brown. Next we travel to Orange City, Iowa to battle Dordt and Northwestern. Northwestern made it to Kansas City last year. Next we have an exhibition at Wichita State which will be a great experience for our guys. Then we start the gauntlet that is the KCAC. Every night it is going to be a street fight. I told our guys you better bring your hard hat and work boots every night. We are looking forward to getting started on the 27th!"
