ST. PAUL, Minn. - A new era for University of Northwestern Men's Basketball is here as Lance Westberg assumes control of the program in 2026-27, replacing his former coach, Tim Grosz, after 26 seasons at the helm. Grosz's 26 seasons resulted in a 475-257 record (64.9%), 16 conference championships, 13 conference tournament championships, nine NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances, and two NCCAA DI National Championships. The shoes are impossibly big to fill, but Westberg is up for the challenge. In his first season in charge, UNW has been picked sixth in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll.

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The Eagles, who will need to replace a bulk of their scoring from last season with the graduation of Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) and Will Foster (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), will be led by senior guard AJ Greene (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy), a 2025 UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention and NCCAA All-Region selection. The Roseville native averaged 10.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in his junior campaign, and brings the most collegiate experience and leadership to the Northwestern roster. Fellow notable returners from last year's rotation include Jonah Burnett (Orr, Minn./North Woods), who averaged 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on the wing, and Ben Tschida (Andover, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy), whose first year at UNW produced 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game down low.

In addition to fellow rotation returners Isaac Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy), Blake Dalluge (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) and Mateo Cortes Weiss (Monterrey, N.L., Mexico/Minnehaha Academy), Westberg and his staff are excited to incorporate some freshman into the mix. Sam Rupnow (Hugo, Minn./Liberty Classical Academy), a Liberty Classical Academy alum, scored over 2,000 points in his high school career and was a Minnesota State High School Tournament qualifier with the Lions. Another MSHSL State Tournament qualifier is freshman guard Braeden Justin (Albany, Minn./Albany Area), an Albany High School graduate, and Andrew Kimm (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) will bring some much-needed size at 6'8" from Manhattan, Montana, where he was a participant in the Montana State Tournament with Manhattan Christian High School.

The Eagles will tip off their season at Hamline on Saturday, November 7th. UNW's first home game will be Friday, November 13th at 7:00 PM against Lakeland.

2026-27 UMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Place	School	Points
1	Bethany Lutheran (4)	33
2	Minnesota Morris (2)	31
3	Crown	25
4	North Central (1)	21
5	Martin Luther	20
6	Northwestern	9
7	UW-Superior	8