FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 22, 2025) – The Northern Arizona men's basketball program took their biggest strides forward in 2024-25, winning 18 games and making a postseason appearance. The 18 victories were the program's most since the Lumberjacks won a school record 23 games in 2014-15, coincidentally also the last time NAU reached the postseason.
However, as is customary in today's college basketball landscape, the Lumberjacks will start from scratch, from a roster standpoint, in 2025-26. Although only three players return from last season's College Basketball Invitational roster, NAU is poised to take another step forward with a reloaded roster.
"We had eight guys on our roster last year who were part of our program for at least three years," said head coach
Shane Burcar, who enters his seventh season at the helm of the program. "That's unheard of and it will never happen again. It doesn't matter what league you talk about, it just won't. Last year's team did a lot of good things and it really opened the door to what can NAU Basketball be – and not just a good story every once in a while."
NAU is striving for sustained success and to do so, will need to replace the production of two of the country's best players. Among those who have departed are
Carson Towt, the nation's leading rebounder last season and NAU's all-time leader in the category, and
Trent McLaughlin, the second-leading scorer in the country a year ago.
Jayden Jackson, the team's third-leading scorer behind McLaughlin and Towt, is also gone.
Even with 80% of the team's scoring gone, the Lumberjacks remain optimistic and motivated – especially after being voted 10th in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches and Media Polls – towards snapping the program's 26-year Big Sky championship drought.
Burcar believes the program won't skip a beat and the biggest reason is his three returners.
"Our success is going to start and end with these guys," Burcar said of
Diego Campisano,
Oakland Fort and
Ryan Abelman. "For these guys to stay here, their loyalty has helped shape our culture. They know what NAU looks like, and they know the building of this program through tough times. These guys know what the next step looks like, which is without a question to win the Big Sky."
Campisano, the team's leading returning scorer at 7.1 points per game, has carved a critical role, whether he has started or come off the bench. Over the last two seasons, the fifth-year redshirt senior and longest tenured Lumberjack has drilled 72 3-pointers at a 39.3% clip.
His 81 games played as a Lumberjack is second to Fort's 97 career games as the true senior point guard from Phoenix enters his final collegiate season. After starting 32 games as a sophomore in 2023-24 and averaging 10.0 points per game, Fort was poised for an even bigger junior season before injuring his ankle in NAU's sixth game of the season last year and battling through to average 4.3 points in under 15 minutes per game across 29 appearances and 13 starts.
The two seniors are flanked by Abelman, a fourth-year redshirt junior, who led the team in 3-point percentage last season at 39.3% with 33 makes. Abelman, last year's NAU Athletics top male scholar-athlete, sported career-highs across the board with 4.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3:1.
Together, the trio will help implement the effort, toughness and attitude that the program has exemplified during Burcar's tenure.
"We are not interested in guys who don't want to help us bring the balloons to the party," Burcar said. "We want guys who want to be at NAU and who are proud to live in Flagstaff. Guys know how to put up numbers, how to practice and how to talk, but are they willing to make the winning plays or make the selfless effort to be successful? Those are the guys that we have had the most success with and that's what we're about."
As NAU looks to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, Burcar infused the 2025-26 roster with transfers who have danced in March. Among the Lumberjacks' six Division I transfers are
Traivar Jackson and
Zack Davidson, who made their way to Flagstaff via Grand Canyon and Montana respectively, where they each were part of conference championship teams last season.
Isaiah Shaw, a third addition by way of Valparaiso, was part of two WAC Championship teams at Grand Canyon in 2023 and 2024.
All three bring at least three years of collegiate basketball experience with them to provide a veteran presence to the roster.
Replacing Towt – who transferred to Notre Dame with 1,199 points and 1,078 rebounds to his name in 123 career games as a Lumberjack – in the front court will be no easy task. To do so, Burcar will call on four newcomers to fill the void in Jackson, Davidson,
Walker Timme and
Karl Poom.
Jackson is the most experienced in the group, having played at Tarleton State and Grand Canyon the last two seasons after opening his career as a two-time NJCAA All-American at Pima Community College. Davidson appeared in 16 games off the bench as a redshirt freshman last season for Montana, the defending Big Sky champion, and Poom played sparingly across 10 games as a true freshman at San Francisco. Meanwhile, Timme was a double-digit scorer for two seasons at College of Southern Idaho.
"We are really counting on those four guys in the front court," Burcar said. "I can see different guys starting depending on the matchup. They play very well together and what I'm going to do is play those guys less minutes.
Carson Towt was playing 36-40 minutes, but these guys are going play less minutes and be more productive in those minutes."
Campisano and Abelman give the Lumberjacks returning depth on the wing, and they'll be joined by two talented transfers in Shaw and
Arne Osojnik. Shaw has appeared in 65 games over the last two seasons – one each at Valparaiso and Grand Canyon – while Osojnik started 44 games at Eastern Michigan. Osojnik led all MAC freshmen with 8.8 points per game two seasons ago and recorded 20 double-digit scoring games in two years.
"They both come here with an opportunity to start," Burcar said. "Whether they do or not, we have depth and those guys are going to be productive for us. They both can play the wing and if we go small, they can play the 4."
Having a four-year point guard in Fort is a luxury, and the Lumberjacks brought in
Kavon Bradford, a true sophomore transfer from Buffalo, to bolster the position. Bradford finished his freshman campaign strong in an increased role over his last seven games at Buffalo, and with Fort, gives NAU a pair of talented floor generals.
"What we've really been emphasizing this preseason is for these guys to be quarterbacks," Burcar said. "We're not looking for a running quarterback. We're looking for our point guard to spread the ball out, get some assists and cut down the turnovers."
Beyond the seven transfers, Burcar also signed four true freshmen, three of whom –
Chris Komin,
Brennan Peterson and
JT Amundsen – are point guards.
Erez Poran adds depth at the wing.
Roster turnover is normal today, but roster turnover doesn't mean a culture shift. For Burcar and the Lumberjacks, the culture is in place to sustain their positive momentum.
The Lumberjacks open the 2025-26 season in Sioux Falls, S.D. against Drake in The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon on Monday, Nov. 3. Their home opener is set for Friday, Nov. 7, in Rolle Activity Center versus Justice College.
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