PLNU MEN'S BASKETBALL WILLING TO ENDURE IN 2026-27

(SAN DIEGO) PLNU Men’s Basketball has had to overcome several obstacles over the past few seasons, whether it be devastating injuries or heartbreaking losses.

Going into its 2026-27 campaign, the team is asking itself, “What are you willing to endure?” to achieve its goals.

“We want to endure and we want to endure with enthusiasm,” Head Coach Justin Downer said. “When it gets harder, when the water gets deeper, when you have to tread water, ‘What are you willing to endure?’ We have a lot of guys who have had to endure a lot.

“I think a lot of times teams can really focus and rely on each other's talents and gifts, but we challenged our guys to rely on what each other has endured and rely on the hardships that they've gone through. You don't have to go through that because that guy's been through that and they're bringing their hardships to the table. Then doing it all with this enthusiasm that's kind of unknown to mankind, where when things get harder, we get more excited.”

Point Loma has reached the regional championship game in three of the past four seasons, as the Sea Lions seek to win the West Region for the first time since finishing as national runner-up in 2018-19.

“We've been to the final game three times in four years, so we know how hard it is to get there,” Downer said. “At the same time, we know what it's going to take once we do. The guys are fired up on that, and they've done a great job of enduring a tough fall to get us ready to go.”

In those three regional championship defeats, Point Loma led in the final minute, rimmed out on a game-tying buzzer beater and led at halftime in eventual losses.

“We all have to acknowledge how hard it is to get there, so assuming that we'll be back in that game would be our first mistake,” Downer said. “We've had to beat some really good teams and play some really good games just to get back to that game, so the only topic of conversation is that you can't assume that that's a birthright now just because you keep getting back. You don't get to start where you left off, so you have to do the whole journey all over again.

“I think this group, probably better than any group that we've had, has done a great job of just being focused on and raising the bar today, understanding that one day hopefully that game shows up again. We've learned what we need to learn to try and finish that job, but ultimately we'll deal with those circumstances when they come.”

If the team’s offseason Gladiator Challenge is any indication, Point Loma is prepared as ever to take the next step.

“We added a couple team concepts to it this year to show us, ‘Will you let go of the rope when it gets hard and when it affects your teammates’ score as well?’” Downer said. “Just saying, ‘Hey I have to do better than I normally would because it affects my teammates’ gladiator scores, so that was really cool to see.

“We have this award called the Iron Man and that's for guys who didn't miss a single class, didn't miss a single practice and passed every single conditioning test. We had a program record nine guys win that, which is over 50% of our program for six weeks straight. I think that's a true testament of guys who are willing to not miss a day and that means something to them.”

CORE FOUR

Point Loma brings back four guys who are entering their fourth or fifth year with the program in Jake Lifgren, Andrew Hommes, Tyce Paulsen and Luke Smith.

Entering their fifth years with the program, Lifgren and Hommes are the second-winningest players in program history, having been a part of 106 wins, four conference championships and three conference tournament titles. Now in year four at PLNU, Paulsen and Smith have been a part of 77 wins, three conference crowns and two conference tournament titles.

“When you get a chance to be led by four guys who have been here four to five years, you know this place means something to them and you really have a foundation of guys who are here for a bigger reason than themselves,” Downer said. “For the most part our program's been that way for a long time, but nothing speaks to that more than their loyalty, especially in this era.

“From what I've looked up nationally, I can't find another roster in Division I, II or III that has four guys who have started games and have returned four to five years.”

Lifgren was named to the All-PacWest Tournament Team last year after missing all of 2024-25 and half of 2023-24 with successive season-ending injuries. He was the team’s leading point-per-game scorer in 2023-24 (18.1) after nearly recording a triple-double in the 2022-23 regional championship game as a freshman.

“I'm really excited for Jake,” Downer said. “He played in the fifth game of the year last year and had not played a basketball game, not even a pickup game, in over 700 days. The fact that he was able to come in and come off the bench for us last year was one of the toughest things I've ever seen, and to be effective too.

“He maybe didn't score as loudly as he did prior to the injury, but his efficiency was up. He shot the ball well and didn't turn it over. Getting him back more into that usage role that he had a couple seasons ago, he hasn't skipped a beat on it and he's been unbelievable.

“He was going to be the landslide PacWest Player of the Year three years ago and was probably on pace to be the West Region Player of the Year. Watching him kind of be our mascot for this endure theme has been incredible.”

Hommes, who was limited early in his career with injury, elevated his game last season and earned Third Team All-PacWest honors. In 2025-26, he started every game and averaged 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, while leading the team in blocks (49).

“Getting Billy Hommes back has been awesome,” Downer said. “He’s a Third Team All-Conference guy. We need him to step up and be one of the best players in the league and make that step forward. He's ready to do that.

“He obviously has a ton of pride in this place. His family has been littered in the record books here for years and our challenge to him is to do it his way, not the way that his siblings did it. We're excited about him.”

Paulsen, the 2023-24 PacWest Freshman of the Year, has been selected to the All-PacWest Third Team in each of the past two seasons. He has averaged double-digit points per game (10.1) for his career and ranks 10th all-time in program history in 3-pointers made (176).

“Tyce is 10th all-time right now in 3-pointers made and he's got a chance to wear that number one crown, which is not easy to do at this school,” Downer said. “There's a lot of really good shooters who have played here. Not to mention he’s a guy that's been an All-Conference player all three years he's been here. We’re challenging him to take a step forward and be one of the better players in the league this year as well.”

Smith started 29 games as a freshman in 2023-24 and was limited by injury as a sophomore before missing all of last season due to injury.

“Luke Smith looks great,” Downer said. “He's bigger, faster and stronger than he's ever been. He's hungry not having played in almost two years and we forget that he averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds as a freshman, so we're excited to get him back.”

REST OF THE ROSTER

Point Loma returns nine players in total from last season’s PacWest championship squad, including bigs Demari Davis and Jack Wistrcill, and guard Judson Loe.

“Demari Davis has made a ton of strides for us this year,” Downer said. “He got cleared two weeks before the season started and didn't play a single scrimmage or exhibition for us last year. He’s healthy and he’s an Iron Man coming off of what he's dealt with, so we expect him to have a big impact.

“Jack Wistrcill’s healthy and a fifth-year senior for us. He's been a tremendous leader for us this offseason. He’s a big, physical and unselfish player.

“Judson Loe's been awesome as well. He made a huge impact as a freshman, which is hard to do on an old team like that. He's done nothing but elevate his game and really develop as a shooter and as a playmaker. He's tough as nails.”

Point Loma welcomes four transfers to the fold this season, including former Boston University forward Otto Landrum and former Concordia duo Kaden Minter and Marcellus Edwards.

Landrum played 77 games across three seasons at NCAA Division I Boston U, averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 boards before missing last season with injury.

“Otto Landrum should be as high of an impact transfer in the country as there is,” Downer said. “He was a really good player at Boston and he's from San Diego. He and I have had a relationship for almost 10 years dating back to me being at a previous school and him being a younger player. He’s a guy who's been in our gym every summer playing, so it's cool to not only get a grad transfer with one year but a guy who's spent a lot of time around our guys before.

“He had opportunities to go to a lot of places and to come do it at home in front of his family, being a local product at Torrey Pines, we're super excited for him to represent that. He’s big, physical, rebounds the ball, controls the paint and plays his tail off. I think the thing that's been most impressive is with him is just how unselfish and how team first he is.”

Minter earned All-PacWest Second Team honors last season after averaging 14.7 points and 4.6 rebounds, while ranking second among returning players in the West Region the past two seasons with 128 made 3-pointers. Edwards has 13 career 20-point games and averaged 11.7 points for CUI last year.

“Our mindset in the transfer portal is you have to have a reason to be in there, you can't just be in there searching for something – you have to know why you're going in. I have a lot of respect for old Concordia coach Ken Ammann. He was there a long time, won multiple national titles, giving us everything we can handle while we've been here. When a legend like that retires and those two guys pop up in the transfer portal, that's a pretty good reason to be in (the portal).

“They’re guys who not only are we familiar with, but they're familiar with us. They’re coming here wanting to be a part of that. They’ve both been awesome. Minter has been one of the best shooters in the league. He and Tyce oddly enough are number one and two in the West region in 3s made in the last two years.

“Then you add Marcellus who's just a complete gamechanger in terms of his style of play. He’s been a little bit different than a lot of the guys we've recruited in the past, but with the shooting we have around him he should be able to really get to the rim, touch the paint and create for others.”

Jaden Karuletwa transfers to The Point after a couple seasons at Arkansas, helping the Razorbacks to a pair of Sweet 16 appearances.

“To add Jaden late with his experience in the SEC and as he’s getting his feet underneath him, we feel really fortunate to have him,” Downer said.

Aiden Rollins is a 6-foot-3 freshman point guard addition who set the Franklin High School career points scoring record.

“We're really excited about Aiden Rollins,” Downer said. “We expect him to be one of the more talented freshmen really in the country. He was a decorated scorer at Franklin High School and has come in and really made an impact from day one, which is not easy to do when you have a team as old as we are. He’s going to find his way on the court.”

SCHEDULE

Point Loma, ranked No. 11 in the NABC Division II Preseason Coaches Poll, opens its 2026-27 season with a home exhibition game on Saturday against Azusa Pacific at 1 p.m.

PLNU will then tip off its regular season Nov. 7-8 at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Florida against No. 2 Washburn and No. 3 Gannon, the defending national champions.

“We went out and got about as good a schedule as you can get,” Downer said. “We’re going to open in Florida with the team that analytically was the number one team in the country last year and we're following it up the next day by playing the defending national champs. We’ll know right away where we stack up nationally.”

Point Loma then returns to California to play in the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge in Carson and face off with Cal State San Bernardino (Nov. 13) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (No. 14), two teams receiving votes in the preseason national rankings.

“We’re going to come back and play two teams who defeated us in the regional final in the last four years in Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills,” Downer said. “We expect those two programs to be on par with what they've been, so it's really hard to look much past the first two weekends.

“Our mentality is in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. You can’t go over it, can’t go around it, you have to go through it.”

PLNU will host Stanton in its regular season home opener on Nov. 18 before traveling up I-15 to play at Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 21. The Sea Lions will then take on Central Washington (Nov. 27) and Seattle Pacific (Nov. 28) over Thanksgiving weekend in Costa Mesa before beginning PacWest play at Jessup (Dec. 3).

“We scheduled as hard as we could schedule,” Downer said. “Cal State San Marcos is going to be much improved; Brady Bergeson is in his second year and he's a tremendous coach. The Thanksgiving Classic that we've been in with Seattle Pacific and Central Washington, we haven't found a way to sweep that one yet. That's given us all we can handle over the years.”

Point Loma, the five-time defending PacWest champions and preseason favorite in the PacWest Conference, will look to continue its record streak with a tough 18-game conference schedule.

“Having 18 games just puts the magnitude on all of them that much more,” Downer said. “There was a lot of parity in the league last year and we’re excited for a really strong PacWest. We don’t take anything for granted and we understand that nothing's given in this league. We have to start all over.”

“A year ago with 10 games to go, we were a game and a half back. We ended up winning the conference, but our guys understand that you don't just show up and win. This conference is very capable. Everyone can get each other on any given night, and there's a lot of good coaches in the league, a lot of good players. Our league has incredible retention this year across the board.”

The top six teams in the PacWest standings will advance to the PacWest Championships, which Point Loma has won in each of the last two seasons, set to take place March 4-6 in La Mirada.

The NCAA West Regional is slated for March 12-15, with the NCAA Elite Eight set to begin on March 23 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

For Point Loma’s entire 2026-27 schedule, click HERE.