Offseason is a time of change and that’s no different for Quinnipiac men’s basketball. Here, we’ll keep you up to date on all the offseason movements affecting the Bobcats.
WHO’S BACK:
The Bobcats are retaining two of their biggest names from last season: MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe and MAAC All-Rookie Team selection Jaden Zimmerman.
Monroe entered the portal on March 26 and received a litany of high-major offers. He narrowed his options down to six schools, including college basketball blue bloods Kansas and UConn, and, according to CT Insider’s Dave Borges, was seriously considering committing to Rutgers. Other schools, Monroe said, treated him “like another fish in the pond”. But he ultimately turned down all the offers (and significant NIL money), announcing on April 5 that he would return to Quinnipiac for his senior year.
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“I just can’t leave this place. They believed in me.” Monroe told Steve Lenox on the Quinnipiac Athletics podcast, “They trusted me to grow as a player and this is where I want to finish my career. I want to build something here.”
Along with Monroe and Zimmerman, other returners will include forwards Grant Randall, Braylan Ritvo and Akintola Akinniyi, center Spence Wewe, and guards Samson Reilly and Ronell Giles. Randall and Wewe both showed flashes last season, primarily off the bench, while Giles, Reilly and Ritvo should all be key contributors after redshirting last season. Quinnipiac is tied with Marist for the most returning players in the MAAC.
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WHO’S JOINING:
Quinnipiac has landed commitments from six incoming players (so far).
This year marks Quinnipiac’s highest-ranked incoming first-year class since the recruit ranking system began in 2003. The Bobcats are bringing a talented trio of three-stars in 6-foot-9 forward Jayden Reid, 6-foot-7 wing Keith McKnight and 5-foot-11 point guard Tai Turnage. The team also added Christopher Skenderi, a 6-foot-6 wing. He announced his verbal commitment on May 2.
Reid is a talented, do-it-all big man from Cheshire, Conn. His head coach, David Pringle at the Westminster School in Simsbury, CT, calls him “a Swiss-army knife”. He’s a fantastic defender, shoots the ball well from three, and is a good playmaker for his position. He recorded an 11-rebound, 10-block triple-double as a junior and hit the 1000-point mark in just three years. He projects best as a stretch-forward or center and associate head coach Shaun Morris says that his potential is sky-high.
“It’s how much upside there’s going to be, when you look at him and see some of the highlight plays that he can make as a guy that’s 6-foot-9 and moves the way he does,” said Morris. “He’s going to be regimented with the strength and conditioning aspect of it.”
McKnight is an explosive, physical wing who dominates on the interior. He’s a standout defender and rebounder too and projects best as a big guard or small forward for the Bobcats. He does not shoot the three, but his efficiency inside makes up for the lack of floor spacing.
The Teaneck, N.J. native averaged 17.9 PTS for Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.) in his senior year. Some standout games included a 21-point, 17-rebound day vs. Montclair Immaculate and a 24-point, 14-rebound performance vs. St. Peter’s Prep.
6’7 Keith McKnight(‘25) got to the rim all game🔥🏀 @keithmcknight_
McKnight, a senior swingman for @hchawkshoops and @QU_MBB signee had himself field day at the @madehoops JHC. His versatile game was on full display on both ends of the the floor. He did most of his damage… pic.twitter.com/KzMozGzOWj
— ripandgo (@ripandgo) December 31, 2024
“We came in right away in September, and for three to four weeks, he became our top recruit,” said Morris, “You feel extremely lucky when you sign a guy like that early and a kid who really wants to be here because there’s a lot of schools that wish they would have recruited him a lot harder.”
Turnage gives Quinnipiac much-needed depth at point guard. The St. Raymond’s (Bronx, N.Y.) alum finished his high school career as the school’s No. 2 all-time scorer with over 1400 career points. He averaged 16.7 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game during his senior season and was an AAU standout for the Riverside Hawks on the Under Armour circuit.
Twitchy and tough, Turnage is a proven floor general and playmaker, shoots the ball well from both mid-range and three and despite his size, he’s an effective defender. Head coach Tom Pecora was very involved in his recruitment process.
“People always want to be around him because he’s such a good-hearted person,” said Jorge Lopez, Turnage’s head coach at St. Raymond’s, “Now, on the floor, he’s the complete opposite. He’s a killer! He was an absolute joy to coach and for four years, I had the pleasure of starting him as my primary point guard.”
Quinnipiac Bound Tai Turnage turning up for Rundown NYC at is8nikebasketball Spring League ‘25 pic.twitter.com/o4nwRy79OX
— RealScoutBasketball- Nate Blue (@RealScoutBBall) April 28, 2025
Skenderi, the newest first-year commit, played his senior year at Avon Old Farms in Avon, Conn. The Little Neck, N.Y. native also played AAU ball with Riverside Select. He’s a versatile stretch forward, an instinctive defender and a skilled three-point shooter, especially off of catches and picks.
He’ll likely contribute off the bench, primarily at small forward. He’s already got some Quinnipiac connections, too; his sister Cynthia is a rising junior on the volleyball team.
Quinnipiac may choose to redshirt one (or more) of Turnage, Reid, McKnight or Skenderi, like they did with Ritvo and Reilly last season. Morris said that strength and conditioning is a big focus for most players during their first year.
Moving to the team’s transfer adds, rising senior guard Asim Jones from FIU and rising sophomore guard Nate Guerengomba from UMass will join the team next season.
We’ve officially added guards Nate Guerengomba & Asim Jones to our squad! 😼
READ → https://t.co/s4aq2ZsGbi#BobcatNation x @MAACHoops pic.twitter.com/b4BS60d6jS
— Quinnipiac Men’s Basketball (@QU_MBB) April 22, 2025
Jones was a key player for FIU last season. After playing two years in junior college at the College of Southern Idaho, he jumped to the Div. I level and averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting over 43% from the field.
Standing at 6-foot-2, his best attribute on offense is his scoring. Jones can score from nearly anywhere on the floor and does a great job getting himself open looks. He should be one of the Bobcats’ lead guards in 2025-26 and could start the year as the primary point guard.
TOUGH HOOP + HARM from SIM 💪🏻
Florida City Gas Play of the Game 🎥 pic.twitter.com/MEdqf53RjZ
— FIU Men’s Basketball (@FIUHoops) March 12, 2025Guerengomba already has some Quinnipiac connections – he was teammates with Monroe in his freshman year of high school at South Kent. The Washington, D.C. native averaged 2.6 points over 17 games with the Minutemen, including a career-high 10 points against Florida State in November.
At 6-foot-4, he’s a big-time slasher, finishes well around the rim and can shoot well from three. He plays with a good motor on defense and rebounds the ball well for his position. He projects to be a potential starting option at shooting guard or a sixth man sparkplug next year.
BREAKING: 2024 G
Nate Guerengomba (@n8tegg) has committed to UMass 🚩 6’4″, 200lbs.💪 Physically mature & aggressive wing with high-level slashing tools
🔒 Incessant energy on both ends. Hard-nosed, physical glue-guy@SouthKentHoops // @PSACardinals pic.twitter.com/Gz13u3Ix3z— Michael Bergman (@MLBergman_) August 6, 2023
Quinnipiac has two more open roster spots to play with. Their biggest needs right now are center and guard depth and they could fill those needs through either the portal or another late high school signing. Adding a walk-on player is not out of the realm of possibility either.
WHO’S OUT:
Eight players will be moving on from the program this year; four to the portal and four because of eligibility. The Bobcats also lost the commitment of top JUCO prospect Lateef Patrick (Trinidad State) in April.
All-MAAC point guard Savion Lewis announced before the MAAC Tournament that 2024-25 – his seventh season in college – would be his last. Lewis ended his Quinnipiac career as the program’s Div. I career assists leader. He is currently looking for professional opportunities overseas and has said that he wants to become a coach someday.
“I believe I left a legacy here that the young guys are going to carry on,” Lewis told Q30 Sports in March.
🏀🔉”It feels terrible… just knowing that this was my last time playing for Quinnipiac and I was not able to finish the job.”@savionlewis_ reflected on his seven-year college career and how it has set him up for the future.
(@BeckettCalkins) #maAChoops25 pic.twitter.com/dTpoMns9k8
— Q30 Sports (@Q30Sports) March 16, 2025
Forward Alexis Reyes is also beginning his post-Quinnipiac journey after being drafted by Reales De La Vega with the seventh overall pick in the LNB Draft (the top professional league in the Dominican Republic) in April. Big man Richie Springs and walk-on guard Quinn Guth are also out of NCAA eligibility and are set to graduate in May.
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Paul Otieno (Saint Louis), Khaden Bennett (Wyoming), Ryan Mabrey (Maine) and Doug Young (Prairie View A&M) all committed to new schools for next season via the transfer portal. Otieno was an All-MAAC first teamer last season, averaging 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
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𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑬𝑫🖊️@doughoops1 is Officially a Panther
➡️ All-Region selection in ’22-23 at Midland College
➡️ D1 Career high of 24pts for Quinnipiac in ’23-24
➡️ Averaged 20PPG at Midland CollegeWelcome to The Hill, Doug!#PantherPride | #PVAMUMBB pic.twitter.com/EleaTAUr13
— PVAMU Panther Men’s Basketball (@PVAMU_MBB) April 25, 2025
Thank you to all the coaches who have reached out and recognized me as a player and person. With that being said, I have decided to commit to the University of Maine! Thank you Coach Markwood for the opportunity! Go black bears! @MaineMBB pic.twitter.com/3kkgbVmB7d
— Ryan Mabrey (@RyanMabrey2) April 19, 2025
