TRAFFORD, Pa. - On Tuesday, the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) announced its Preseason Poll and Players to Watch list for the upcoming 2025-26 Men's Basketball season.
Chatham was picked to finish third in the PAC South Division with 46 points in the poll. Washington & Jefferson (63 points) and Saint Vincent (55 points) were both slated to finish ahead of the Cougars in the first year of divisional play. Franciscan, Waynesburg, and Bethany were voted fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.
Chatham had five players named as Players to Watch this season: senior guard
Lovenson Xavier, senior guard
Diaun Pinkett, senior guard
Easton Fulmer, senior forward
Jake TenBerge and junior forward
Donovan Callahan.
Xavier was a key piece of the Cougars' PAC Championship-winning team last season, leading the team in field goals made (162) and blocks (25) while averaging 16.4 points per game. The Marietta College transfer was named First Team All-PAC at the conclusion of the campaign.
Pinkett was Chatham's other All-PAC First Team selection in 2024-25, taking home the PAC Player of the Year award following a season in which he paced the conference in steals (88) while also leading the team in scoring (17.2 PPG) and field goal percentage (.519).
Fulmer returns to the Cougar lineup as one of the team's biggest scoring threats from range. The Franklin, Pa. native's .367 three-point percentage was the second highest on last year's squad, and his 40 three-pointers made were third-most on the team.
TenBerge arrives at Chatham following a season at Division I Stonehill College. Hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., TenBerge led Compton College in both points per game (15.9) and rebounds per game (7.0) in 2023-24.
Callahan will step into a larger role this season after playing in 10 games as a Cougar in 2024-25. The Kiski School product made half of his field goal attempts in his limited time on the floor.
Chatham Men's Basketball kicks off its campaign at Carnegie Mellon on Sunday, Nov. 9, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.
