NEWBERG, Ore. -- There's going to be a lot different about George Fox men's basketball in 2025-26.

The 2024-25 season was one that featured several highs. The Bruins, bolstered by a strong senior class, had victories over a nationally-ranked Whitworth team and a three-game conference win streak towards the end of conference play. Despite the highs, Fox ultimately placed fifth in the NWC and finished with an 8-8 conference mark and a 12-13 record overall.

Though his team narrowly missed out on the conference tournament, Momo Stokes became the second George Fox player ever to be named NWC Player of the Year, also picking up an All-Region nod for his second straight season. Fellow senior Samuel Stewart IV and sophomore Aiden Price were each named NWC Student-Athlete of the Week once, while Stewart IV was All-NWC Honorable Mention.

But now, Stokes has graduated, moving on to a professional career for Beselidhja Lezhe in Albania. Stewart IV also earned his degree before moving on to Portland State for a grad year, while other key seniors were Nick Greenwood and Chris Nickelberry. Price has moved on from the university as well, as has freshman Jake Bishop, who medically retired in the offseason. 

All in all, the Bruins will lose 1,660 points from last season — 78.6% of the Bruins' scoring production. While those numbers might scare some coaches, Bruin head coach Maco Hamilton is ready for new faces to step up. And the players have brought a new energy to the locker room.

" 21 practices in, this is probably the best group I've had since I've been here in terms of just how they show up every day," Hamilton said, "I'm not saying they're the most talented — that's to be determined — but just in their approach, effort, and commitment, they've been awesome."

But it's not just a new energy — there's also plenty of newcomers who are looking to make an instant impact. Fox brings in three new transfers for the 2025-26 season in Dre Lawrence, Nico Cervantes, and Donovan Cooks.

Lawrence comes to the team from Multnomah University, while Cervantes hails from Cuyamaca College, where he started 33 games and averaged 9.9 points and 1.7 assists per game in two seasons. Cooks, meanwhile, played two seasons of Division II basketball for San Francisco State. In two seasons with the Gators, the junior appeared in 57 games, starting 11, and averaged 5.3 points and 2.2 assists per game. All three players have meshed well with the group in their first few weeks with the team and have brought a much-needed presence from outside.

"All of our transfers are perimeter guys," Hamilton said, "It was very intentional [to do so] because all the guys that we lost were perimeter players. So far, they've all been really good."

Along with the three transfers are three freshmen who want to start their collegiate careers strong. Whether it's 6-2 guard Sydney Natche, who has impressed in the opening weeks, two-time SCAC Second Team All League Rylan Nelson, or Lakewood, Calif.'s Anthony Williams, Hamilton believes that all three have adapted quickly.

"They're fitting into our culture," Hamilton said, "and understanding the importance of our connectivity. That was something that we really challenged those guys with, and they've been very present and intentional with that."

But while those six players have brought in plenty "new", that's not to say that Fox's returners haven't shown massive improvement early on. The Bruins' one senior, Cory Schram, is the lone returner who started more than 15 games for Fox in 2025-26; the 6-9 senior started 22 of the 23 games he played in, scoring 4.8 points per game, pulling down 6.1 rebounds per game, and swatting 1.2 blocks per game.

" Cory's been great," Hamilton said of his lone senior, "He provides a great defensive presence with his length and athleticism. He executes at a very high level and does a lot of things that don't show up in the box score. He's just been a solid, Steady-Eddie for us."

Noah Marte heads the four returning juniors for the Bruins. Marte played in all 25 games for the Bruins — one of the two players to do so — and showed off his sharpshooting skills with 40 three-pointers made on the year. Marte himself impressed in the Bruins' offseason international trip to the Dominican Republic, scoring 50 points in an exhibition game against a DR-based team and becoming something of a local legend in the town of Imbert.

While Marte has the most playing experience of the juniors and will have plenty of opportunities to show off his shooting skills, the other three players have shown bright flashes. Vanndon Heard was the other player to play in all 25 games, starting two, and had a standout five-block performance against a Redlands team that made the NCAA Tournament. Trey McDonald III, who missed much of his sophomore season due to injury, is already a school record-holder with a 10-10 shooting performance his freshman year. One of the most improved players through camp is junior forward Jamar Mitchell, who has been a revelation early on.

"We're very unknown in terms of who we needed them all to step up in the junior class," Hamilton said, "Jamar has been maybe the biggest surprise in that crop. He's really putting everything together."

Rounding out the team is a sophomore class that will build off of a successful freshman campaign. Jake Centner started the back half of the season, averaging 3.6 points per game and shooting 34% from deep, while Luke Tobin played in 20 games on the season and Matthew Sitler appeared in 18.

The group of 14 players — a smaller number than some of Hamilton's past teams — has a challenging nonconference slate ahead of them. Fox will open up the season against two SCIAC opponents in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and La Verne, and will play the defending national runners-up in NYU at Cal Lutheran. Along with a midseason exhibition game against Stewart IV's new team, Portland State, the Bruins have yet another solid nonconference slate to prepare themselves for NWC play.

" I think for us, the biggest thing is just using these games as a way to add to our experience.  And so every time we step on the court, whether it's for practices or these [nonconference] games, it's just an opportunity for growth."

Despite all of the "new", Fox is projected to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason coaches poll. And though the faces are different, one thing remains the same for Hamilton and his squad.

Their drive to win.