Men’s Basketball Preview
Photo courtesy of BU Athletic Communications Department
The BU men’s basketball team is looking forward to a fresh start in their 2026-2027 season. After some hard losses last season, the team and the coaches are excited to start anew. With returning players and a large group of promising new players, the team wants this to be their best season yet.
The team’s moto for this year is “Change the Narrative.” Their goal is to be better on the court and in the classroom, and they hope to hold a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.
“’Change the Narrative’ has nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with Bluefield as a community,” says Coach Joseph Cooper. “If we are able to create an environment around our program that welcomes people, then we have done our job.”
In addition to keeping grades up, the team hopes to increase their activity on campus and be friendly faces to everyone.
The team has three returning players: junior Tyler Suber, senior Pharoah Fields, and junior Isaiah Sanders. Cooper says all three of these players are “key pieces to our team on and off the floor.” Tyler Suber, point guard from Hampton, Virginia, attended Kecoughtan High School, where he was named to the Peninsula District Honorable Mention and 2nd Team All-District. Pharoah Fields, shooting guard from Bluefield, Virginia, attended Fairmont Senior High School. He was a State Champion, 3rd place GPOY, and Prep Nationals Champion. Isaiah Sanders is from Lexington, North Carolina, and attended High Point Christian Academy.
Along with favorable returning players, the Rams have some promising new additions to their team. Adrien Armstrong is from Laveen, Arizona, and has two years of college basketball experience. He is a “formidable presence” on the court and does not back down from the physicality of the game. William O’Shields is from Chicago, Illinois. According to his coaches, he “has an incredible jumpshot, tremendous footwork, and the ability to see things before they happen on the floor.”
“We have great chemistry on and off the court,” says O’Shields regarding his team. “I’m just excited to see that progress throughout the season. I think it’ll make us very positive throughout the season if we just stick together. So, I’m just excited to go to battle with my brothers.”
During the recruiting process, Coach Cooper and Assistant Coach Ethan Rainwater saw that both of these young men had a passion for Christ, which is just as important to the coaches as students’ skill on the court. In the process of looking for players, the coaches were also seeking strong spiritual leaders for the team. While a major goal of the coaches is to win as many games as possible, it is also crucial for them to see the young athletes grow in their faith.
“Things that excite us the most this season would be the chance to start over and rebuild a program,” Cooper. “Being able to build something new and call it your own, there is just nothing like it. We are excited to compete at a high level and display Christ in all of our actions both as coaches and as a team.”