FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT) – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team will have plenty of new faces taking the court this fall.
Coach Jon Coffman announced his final full spring recruiting class, featuring eight new Mastodons.
Three of the newest PFW athletes already have plenty of experience playing basketball in Fort Wayne.
Mikale Stevenson will return to the Summit City after stints with Grambling State, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Independence CC.
The South Side High School grad played in the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and helped win an NJCAA Division II National Title the year before.
The senior guard will now spend his final season of college eligibility with his hometown team.
A pair of local freshman guards also join the program this fall.
Danny Kelly (Bishop Luers) and Solomon Richard (Leo) will rep the Mastodons as preferred walk-ons.
From the 260 to the other side of the world, PFW will welcome Israeli basketball player Yuval Levin to the team.
Levin played for Kiryat Ata in Israel’s top professional league, where he was named the ‘Discovery of the Season this past year.
PFW announced four other athletes transferring from other college programs.
Darius Duffy comes to Fort Wayne from Horizon League rival Milwaukee, where he led the team in blocked shots.
DeAndre Craig Jr. aims to become a shooting threat for the ‘Dons, following two seasons playing for Denver in the Summit League.
Ebrahim Kaba transfers from St. Bonaventure, where he didn’t see the court, meaning he’ll have a full four seasons of eligibility with PFW.
Ja’Corey Lipkins joins PFW with three seasons of eligibility after being named Freshman of the Year in the Mountain East Conference for NCAA DII Charleston (WV).
The guard averaged nearly 15 points per game while shooting better than 40% from deep.
PFW’s men’s basketball team finished with a 19-13 record last season, and they’ll need to replace three of their top four scorers from that team.
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