2026/27 Men's Basketball Season Preview
Expected to return for a fifth and final season, Daniel Cameron and Blazers MBB will look to reclaim top spot in Manitoba as they head towards CCAA inclusion
Despite being upset on home court in the MCAC Finals last February, Blazers Men's Basketball picked themselves up and followed their tough loss in Manitoba with the program's first and only NIAC Championship Title. With the announcement that the Red River Rebels will be making their return since suspending athletics participation during the pandemic, all three existing MCAC basketball programs pulled out of the american conference to focus on play within Manitoba with an eye to CCAA competition in 2027/28.
Blazers Athletics continues its 2026/27 team previews with the Blazers Men's Basketball team, noting new additions, key returnees, and losses to the lineup heading into the season:
Outgoing Players
Following the exit of the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), the MCAC ruled to extend a fifth year of eligibility to all student-athletes wanting to continue for 2026/27, making all four seniors honoured last season allowed to return to finish their eligibility. These fifth years include forward Daniel Cameron, guards Braeden Fernandez and Marco Guaring, as well as winger George Fedorchuk. Its believed at this point that all four will close out their studies at CMU while participating for a fifth and final season.
There are a handful of players either not intending or questionable to return, leaving a few spots open for coach Scott Martin's new signings to get into the mix as the team prepares to reclaim the MCAC throne. Shifty point guard Caden Tugade, as well as winger Micah Willms are tops among those not expected to return, while would-be fourth years Lance Catipon and Derian Castaneda are both questionable to continue in the program after playing significant parts in the team's success over the last three seasons.
Incoming Recruits
Unlike in previous years when head coach Scott Martin liked to keep his signees under wraps until late in the summer, the veteran head coach has gone out to re-stock his lineup with some top Manitoba talent as he looks to build his roster for 2026 and beyond. Martin's signees include forwards Carter Recksiedler, Kaiden Almonte, and Adam Archbutt, along with wingers/guards Daniyal Khan and Markus Kysilyuk.
Carter Recksiedler | 6'4" Forward | Linden Christian School | Empire Elite Club
The Blazers inked their first men's basketball recruit back in May, starting a series of signings with the local lengthy forward Recksiedler. With the ability to play both the wing and in the paint, expect Recksiedler to be able to contribute in a number of ways to the team's success.
Coach's Quote: "Carter will bring a championship mentality to the program, having won AAA Provincials at Linden Christian. He is a is a high-energy player with good upside, and has already received quality coaching at Linden under Colten Gryba and with his club team Empire Elite under Tyrece Viner-Cox."
Kaiden Almonte | 6'3" Small Forward | Miles Macdonell Collegiate | Attack Basketball Academy
Another big body who can fill a range of positions on the court, Almonte could be a replacement for Lance Catipon if the veteran small forward decides not to return.
Coach's Quote: "Kaiden comes to us with great basketball lineage, and received great coaching at Miles Mac under the tutelage of Jon Janzen. He is an inside-outside player with the ability to affect the game in many ways, and has a strong work ethic that will only serve to sharpen his skills at the college level."
Markus Ksilyuk | 6'2" Winger | St James Collegiate | DElite Club
Perhaps the 'diamond in the rough' of the 2026 recruiting class, Ksilyuk's athletic frame and game sense could make him the most college-ready of coach Martin's recruits. Coming out of nearby St James Collegiate, the Jimmie's participation in the AAA division meant some other bigger programs may have overlooked this impact player.
Coach's Quote: "Markus flew under the radar playing AAA basketball at St James for coach Chadwin Sauerborn, but that takes nothing away from his competitive drive, hard-working attitude, and tough defending. Since coming out to an ID camp last summer the more I've watched him play, the more I like him as a player."
Adam Archbutt | 6'6" Forward | Minnedosa Collegiate Institute
Like Rhea Koshel in the women's program, Adam Archbutt is a rural recruit that will have the chance to bring his game to the big city. With size to spare, he has the ability to make plays in training that coach Scott Martin hasn't seen from even his biggest veteran stars. With a little time to acclimatize to the college level, Archbutt could be a dominant centre in the league and take over from Daniel Cameron in the CCAA era.
Coach's Quote: "Adam is a lengthy and athletic forward who has demonstrated great game intelligence. Coming from a smaller rural program he will need to adjust to get his game to the college level, but I have no doubt that his raw potential and superb game sense will get him there."
Daniyal Khan | 6'3" Point Guard | Fort Richmond Collegiate | Jr Bisons
Perhaps the biggest name signing of the offseason for coach Martin, Daniyal Khan will likely take the roster spot left by Derian Castaneda should he not return, adding size to the Blazers' backcourt. With a laundry list of tournament and team MVP and All Star Awards, we could see Khan take a similar trajectory as Isaiah Araya in quietly building his game to be an elite contributor.
Coach's Quote: "Daniyal is an elite player out of this year's graduating high school class, having been featured in the Free Press Top 10 this spring, owing to his smart play and great court sense. He has the versatility to play all guard positions, and at 6'3" will add length to our back court. We are very excited to see him bring his game to the college level with the Blazers."
Returning to the Roster
The Blazers Men's Basketball program has built a deep and talented roster over its last few seasons, which now has plenty of championship pedigree. The addition of a fifth and final year of MCAC eligibility means that perennial All-Conference selections Daniel Cameron, and Braeden Fernandez are both able and expected to return. Filling the point and centre positions in the Blazers' lineup, the tandem could be considered the "Alpha and Omega" of the squad, with everyone else filling in between. Isaiah Araya has seen his game steadily rise throughout his tenure with the team, and the now fourth year winger looks to continue that rise and put himself in position to be the veteran presence that will take the team into the CCAA era. Big man Andrew Bruin lost a significant portion of the season to injury last year, and is on schedule to make a return to the roster this year, alleviating some of the pressure on Cameron, and bridging the gap to some of the rookie forwards joining the ranks.
The cast of returning players is substantial for the men's basketball program, with more than half the expected squad entering third or later years of eligibility, it really feels like a passing of the torch year for the team. With Braeden Fernandez and Marco Guaring finishing out their final season, expect Mekhi Lisan to be next up as the team's go-to point man. The 2025 MCAC Championships MVP certainly has the talent to be noted among the conference's biggest impact guards. 2026 second half roster addition Orion Remoquillo is also expected to hold down his spot from last year and could potentially take the minutes forfeited by outgoing Caden Tugade.
On the wing, aforementioned fifth year, George Fedorchuk, and fourth year Isaiah Araya will be the coach's go-to options on the outside, while third year Theo Nsiku will likely find himself battling with newcomers Markus Kysilyuk and Carter Recksiedler, and possibly even Kaiden Almonte for playing time.
Now in his third season on the roster, Milan Tomberli filled in admirably after the loss of Andrew Bruin part way through the 2025/26 season, so expect some strong internal competition in the four and five positions between Cameron, Bruin, and Tomberli throughout the year, as signees Adam Archbutt, Carter Recksiedler, and Kaiden Almonte all learn the ropes of the college big-man game.
The Blazers are on a championships run, having captured the 2024 & 2025 MCAC titles, and the 2026 NIAC banner. This looks to be a pivotal year for the program with so many veteran players likey to move on after the season, and others looking to continue building to a future in the CCAA.
The competitive focus for the program turns away from the Northern U.S. states and NIAC Conference to a Manitoba-centric schedule for 2026/27 as the return of the Red River Rebels brings the MCAC members up to four teams in the sport, with eligibility to join the CCAA and compete for a national championship beginning during the 2027/28 season. The 2026 MCAC champions St Boniface Rouges dealt the Blazers a big home court blow in the provincial finals last spring; a performance many in attendance thought couldn't be repeated. With the playoff format changing to a single-game semi-final followed by a best-of-three finals series, this coming season's top seed will own home court advantage for games one and three (if necessary) of the finals, with the lower-ranked team making the finals hosting the swing game. After a down year in 2025/26, expect the Pilots to challenge alongside the conference's best again, alongside Les Rouges, who's rise to prominence from early struggles certainly hasn't gone unnoticed. The Rebels will be the biggest wild card of the conference as a large student body could make for an instantly competitive program, but not much is known about their team at this point.
Blazers Men's Basketball start the season with a busy slate of CCAA and USports exhibitions, including weekend sets with the Medicine Hat Rattlers and Briercrest Clippers in September, followed by games with the Brandon Bobcats and Dakota College Bottineau Jacks in October before tipping off the season against the newly added Red River Rebels on the first weekend in November.
