The College of Southern Maryland men’s basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with back-to-back victories at the Prince George’s Community College tournament, defeating Middlesex College 79-76 on Nov. 1 and Community Christian College of Michigan 95-79 on Nov. 2 at Novak Field House.
Shamir Taylor scored 27 points in the opener against Middlesex, where the Hawks overcame 16 turnovers by capitalizing on 23 points off opponent miscues. Amir Dade added five assists, while James Hans and Brandon Estep each grabbed seven rebounds in a game that saw Southern Maryland shoot 47.7 percent from the field. Joel Cinues paced the Colts with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
Against Community Christian, Taylor tallied 25 points and Dade notched 14 rebounds as the Hawks built a 42-41 halftime edge into a 16-point final margin. Kacee Hewitt dished seven assists, and Southern Maryland forced 25 turnovers for 22 points while holding the Cougars to 42.9 percent shooting. Solomon Parks led Community Christian with 25 points.
These results give the Hawks a 2-0 start under head coach Alan Hoyt, who enters his 10th season directing the program. After a 3-26 overall record and 0-14 finish in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference last year, Southern Maryland seeks to reclaim its footing in NJCAA Division II play. The mid-2010s marked a high point with consecutive national tournament berths in 2014 and 2015, when the team advanced to the quarterfinals under then-coach Hoyt’s guidance.
The MD JUCO, comprising eight teams including Howard, Hagerstown and Harford, operates on a double-round-robin schedule from late January through February, culminating in a postseason tournament in early March. Southern Maryland, based at the La Plata campus, hosts home games at the James Knott Arena but played these openers at the Largo venue about 40 miles north to kick off against out-of-conference foes. The Hawks’ full slate includes 28 regular-season contests, with nonconference matchups against teams like Catonsville on Nov. 25 before conference action begins Jan. 7 at home against Chesapeake.
Six returners anchor the roster, blending experience from last season’s 29-game campaign. Guard James Hans, a Waldorf native, led returners with 14.8 points and 2.3 assists per game in 2024-25, starting 21 of 22 appearances while shooting 43.4 percent from the field. Fellow sophomore guard Brandon Estep, also from Waldorf, contributed 6.5 points and 2.1 assists across 28 games, providing steady backcourt depth.
Sophomore forward Malik Acker appeared in all 29 games last year, starting 23 and averaging 6.8 points with 4.9 rebounds, including 1.8 offensive boards that fueled second-chance opportunities. Guard Donnie Stafford, from Woodbridge, Virginia, averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 20 games, converting 84.6 percent of free throws. Wing Derron Yeager, out of Washington, D.C., added 3.8 points in limited minutes, while Xavier Smith saw action in 12 games as a reserve.
The departure of leading scorer Isiah Alexander leaves a void in the backcourt. The sophomore guard averaged 14.0 points, 1.8 three-pointers and 3.4 rebounds over 28 games, earning All-Region 20 and All-MD JUCO honorable mention honors before transferring to Framingham State University in Massachusetts. Other losses include forward Trystan Ofoh (5.2 points, 6.7 rebounds in 24 games), guard Trenton Hoyt (3.2 points, 1.5 assists) and freshman forward Caleb Ogburn (2.6 points, 3.9 rebounds), along with limited contributors Willie Hoover, Nathan Monkoup Mefire and Andre Sheppard.
To offset those exits, eight newcomers join the fold, emphasizing local talent from Southern Maryland high schools and nearby transfers. Guard Shamir Taylor, a Waldorf product, arrives from Shenandoah University after averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 free throws and 1.4 three-pointers per game in 21 appearances during the 2024-25 season at the Division III level. His scoring burst in the openers — 52 points across two games — signals immediate impact.
Sophomore guard Amir Dade, another Waldorf resident, transfers from Mount St. Mary’s University, where he logged one minute as a freshman in 2022-23. Freshman guard Kacee Hewitt, from Upper Marlboro’s Frederick Douglass High School, brings high school pedigree with 1.1 assists per game over 41 career outings. Forward Kyle Jackson, a Waldorf sophomore from Prince George’s Community College, averaged 2.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in six games last year.
Freshmen include forward Stephon Coleau from Broward County’s Calvary Christian High School, forward Davion Morris from Woodbridge High in Virginia, guard Justus Washington from Calverton School in Manassas, Virginia — where he posted 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in six games — and forward Eyad Elshamy from Quince Orchard High in Gaithersburg via prep school.
This influx reflects Hoyt’s recruiting focus on the tri-county area of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s, where youth leagues like the Southern Maryland Christian Academy circuits feed into community college pipelines. The program, established in 1958, has produced 15 NJCAA All-Americans and sent over 100 players to four-year schools since 2000, per athletic department records.
Southern Maryland’s schedule tests early momentum with a home opener Nov. 4 against Washington Adventist University’s junior varsity at 5 p.m. in La Plata, followed by a Nov. 7 tilt versus Fort Henderson. Conference play demands balance against powerhouses like two-time defending MD JUCO champion Howard, which posted a 25-6 record last season. The Hawks aim to improve defensive efficiency — they allowed 85.2 points per game in 2024-25 — while leveraging bench production, which averaged 15 points in the opener.
As the Hawks navigate a 28-game grind toward March’s Region 20 tournament, these initial triumphs offer a foundation for deeper runs in a conference that sent Howard to the national semifinals last spring.
