By Joe Budzelek
For the newly minted Bryant head Jamion Christian, his intrigue for the program and the school has been present for years.
“We played Bryant a lot when I was at Mount, and I was always so impressed by how much they won, not just in basketball but across all sports,” says Christian looking back at his time at Mount St. Mary’s, a program now in the MAAC, but were conference mates in the Northeast Conference prior to the conference’s major shift in 2022, “That culture of winning at Bryant is something I really want to be part of. You know, iron sharpens iron. I haven’t met a person who went to Bryant who didn’t love their time here, and that really matters on a human level. Ultimately, that sense of belonging contributes to winning, especially when you feel valued and are in a place where you can truly be at your best.”
Especially over the last five seasons, in which the program has had an overall 97-55 record across that span, Bryant has become one of the most consistent mid-major programs in the Northeast, winning their first America East regular season and tournament championship last season. Overall, it was their second time the Bulldogs danced in the NCAA Tournament since the 2021-22 season.
In an effort to sustain that winning tradition following Phil Martelli Jr.’s departure to VCU, Christian’s resume boasts championship seasons not only at the NCAA level – which included two Northeast Conference tournament championships at Mount St. Mary’s during the mid-2010s – but, most recently, at the international level.
After a year away from coaching, Christian accepted a job offer in Italy in July 2023 and became the head coach of Pallacanestro Trieste where he led the team to the Serie A2 championship in 2024, guiding the program to its best season in thirty years and earning a promotion to the country’s top league, Lega Basket Serie A.
Christian is undoubtedly grateful for his time in Italy – not only for the opportunity it allowed him to return to coaching, but also to expand his knowledge and perspective of X’s and O’s and roster construction.
“When you’re a younger coach, your enthusiasm matches the desire to play at such an incredible pace,” says Christian of his time at Mount St. Mary’s, “Now that I have thirteen years of experience, as you mature in the game you start to see other ways you can play and different ways you can approach certain things. I think our teams have always been super aggressive.”
Looking at Bryant’s official online roster, there is a peculiar labeling of their players – no centers, bigs or forwards, but plenty of “combo guards”, “wings” and “big wings”. Usually that would mean a team is built more like a rinky dink D3 squad than an America East team, but the Bulldogs are the biggest team in the America East with seven scholarship athletes measuring at 6-foot-8 or taller.
Speaking of this unique quirk, Christian nods to his time in Europe: “In Trieste, we basically built a team like this. We wanted versatile players—centers, power forwards, and combo forwards who can play inside and outside, with size that’s a little different. Whether they’re at the four or the five, there really isn’t much difference. We want as many of those guys as possible, along with big wings, because that’s where you can really take a big step defensively.”
Size is nothing new for Bryant as last season, the Bulldogs ranked as the sixth tallest team in the nation, per KenPom.com. The biggest difference between this year and last year, however, is how Christian will utilize this size in comparison to Martelli Jr, especially in contrast to Bryant’s two-way frenetic pace that was first introduced when Martelli Jr. was Jared Grasso’s assistant at Bryant.
“Our offense system is dramatically different from last year’s,” says Christian, “It’s really based on ball movement and changing sides, with players moving and passing the ball. There’s a lot less isolation. Last year was mostly isolation, which works if you have a team built for that, but we don’t.
“We’re going to play at the pace the defense allows, but for me it’s really about balance by having five or six guys capable of scoring in double figures every night. When you have that, it shows your offense is working, the ball is moving, and multiple players are threats. That makes it hard for defenses to focus on just one guy, and it makes the game more fun. Players enjoy practicing and competing that way because they get touches, they get chances to make decisions, and they get to showcase their abilities.
“The game is best when everyone is accountable. When the ball is in your hands, you’re making plays, and when it’s out of your hands, you’re moving it and creating for others. The pitch is simple: if you want to be part of a great team, play in an elite, pro-style offense like we ran in Italy, and give yourself the best chance to contribute every night, this is the place for you. We’ve helped a lot of players succeed at the college level and even have pros who had career years in this system. We’ve taken what we’ve learned from different stops, put it all together, and built something special here.”
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| Photo credit: Bryant Athletics |
Following the news last week of veteran point guard Jaylon Young not receiving a waiver for an extra year of eligibility, the lead point guard duties are expected to go to highly touted freshman Ty Tabales, a late-July 2026 reclassification commit who last played basketball at New Hampton School. Tabales received his first Division I offer from Bryant during Jared Grasso’s final offseason with the program and ultimately committed after receiving nearly a dozen offers throughout his recruitment.
Christian is very excited about the potential of the 6-foot-2 freshman: “He’s probably the highest-rated freshman coming into the league. I’ve got a really good track record with freshman point guards—Junior Robinson, Elijah Long, Donald Carey, Jalen Pickett. I’ve developed a history of taking young guards and helping them play really well, and I believe Ty is going to be the next one. Honestly, I think he’s as talented, if not more talented, than all of those guys. His ability to shoot the ball and play at pace stands out. Sure, there are things every freshman point guard has to learn, but his quickness and shooting ability are so unique that I think, in our offense, he’s going to have a chance to be really good for us.”
After redshirting last season, returning guard Khalil Williams will also have an opportunity to earn minutes at point guard, especially since his style of play fits the bigger scoring guard model Christian has used in his previous stops. JUCO addition and French import Jaheim Nyam, along with incoming freshmen Joe Green and Gio Sanford, round out the guard depth.
Defensively, Bryant’s cavalcade of bigger players will help drive their approach. “Our teams have always been strong defensively, in Trieste and throughout my time as a college head coach, so we’ll focus on being aggressive, physical, and playing to our strengths. I’m excited because, unlike my team at GW, we finally have enough bodies to play the way I like: physical and tough. This group has the ability to do that. Our goal is to be one of the top three-point shooting teams and top rebounding teams. But you can’t excel in those areas unless you do a great job defensively, especially keeping people out of the lane.”
Returning senior Jakai Robinson is the team’s most proven player and has the size, athleticism, and motor to be one of the top defensive playmakers in the America East.
“Jakai’s certainly had a really good summer,” says Christian of Robinson, who is listed on Bryant’s official roster as a point guard. “He’s such a good player, he’s a guy who makes others better and understands the game at a high level. He always finds his way into the lineup because he knows how to play and how to make his teammates feel confident on the court, which is really important. When you have a talented group of players, it matters who they want to play with, and I’m sure a lot of them enjoy playing with him because he can do so many things. He’s a good rebounder, a good passer, and he understands what he needs to do. The ball goes where it needs to go.”
Skill and shooting at the “big wing” position, players listed at 6-foot-8 and taller, was a major priority for Christian. His reunion with GW transfer Keegan Harvey will help unlock not only the team’s five-out potential but also the spacing for Christian’s Euro-inspired offensive system to thrive.
“Keegan is one of those guys who really fits how we want to play,” says Christian. “He plays inside and outside, and he’s a 40% three-point shooter at seven feet. Players like that are rare. He’s a combo forward with the ability to do all those things, and I think he’s going to have a good year. In our system, that position and that type of player can make a lot of impactful shots because he’s constantly looking for a mismatch.”
Other “big wings” include Ashley Sims, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound freshman; Timofei Rudovskii, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound freshman; and Lennart Weber, a 6-foot-8 graduate transfer who played last season in Canada. All three are noted for both their shooting and ball movement. Of the group, Rudovskii is the strongest three-point shooter, while Weber is more comfortable at the high post. A native of Germany, Weber averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists per game last season at the University of Toronto.
The most recent big wing to arrive on campus is Daniel Akoue, a native of Gabon who finished his high school career at Mt. Zion Preparatory School. He previously received offers from Virginia Tech and Arizona State. “We’re really excited about his talent,” says Christian. “He’s a guy who can shoot the ball and put it on the floor, and with some of those combination forwards, I think he fits perfectly. He’s another seven-footer who can do it all with the basketball—shoot, stretch the floor, finish around the rim—and he can defend one through five. Athletically, there aren’t many guys like him in the America East. He’s going to fit well into our system.
“Overall, we want players who can guard multiple positions, and while everyone talks about that, not many teams actually do it. We’ve built a team that can, and don’t be surprised if you see him starting a possession guarding a point guard and switching across positions. That kind of versatility is rare, and it makes him an exciting player. Now it’s about helping him learn how to play college basketball like the rest of our team.”
Bryant’s bigger wings will also boost the team’s overall size and defensive intimidation while providing plenty of offensive versatility in a variety of ways.
Former top-100 prospect Quincy Allen joins Bryant after one-season stops at Colorado, James Madison, and Chicago State, where he reached career highs in nearly every statistical category. In particular, Allen shined in his final nine games of the season, averaging 13.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and nearly a steal per game.
While Allen’s athleticism and downhill attack have always been his strengths, Christian is eager to develop a more complete offensive profile for him. This is no surprise considering that the 6-foot-8, 205-pound veteran is listed as a “combo guard” on the team’s official roster. “Quincy is a versatile player I recruited out of high school who has always been able to make plays and pass, but at the high-major level, especially at Colorado, he was often asked to focus on just one role,” says Christian. “By the end of last season, he showed impressive growth as a scorer, gaining valuable experience against different defenses and proving he can score in a variety of ways. With the added spacing our shooters provide, we’re empowering him to fully showcase his skills, and he’s more than capable of becoming an all-league player for us.”
Returning junior Aaron Davis has yet to play a consistent role under Phil Martelli Jr., but the 6-foot-7, 215-pound Long Island native is looking to build off his end-of-year success last season, when he scored in double figures in consecutive February games. “He’s still trying to learn how to better understand the deeper intricacies of playing basketball, but Aaron can get on hot streaks and the potential is definitely there,” says Christian. “With his explosiveness and scoring ability, if he figures it all out, he’s going to be really dangerous. He didn’t play much as a freshman, and as a sophomore he still doesn’t have enough experience for us to fully know what type of player he is. But he shows up every day and continues to improve, so I’m curious to see how he develops. Learning how to play within this new system is going to be really important for him.”
The wing with arguably the most long-term upside is Ethane Bourgade, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound French freshman most noted for his all-around production on Le Mans’ U21 team, a program he joined during the 2020–21 season when he was just 16 years old, often competing against much older players. At 19, Bourgade’s last season with Le Mans U21 came in 2023–24, when he averaged 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 34.4% from three and nearly 70% from the free-throw line. With guard-like skills combined with length and athleticism, Bourgade can make an immediate defensive impact with his ability to guard every position. Personally, I see it as a coin flip between Bourgade and Vermont’s Lucas Mari as the most impactful import freshmen in the America East. Despite Bryant’s talented and deep freshman class, Bourgade is the strongest candidate to start right away, possibly alongside Quincy Allen and Keegan Harvey in the frontcourt, with Lennart Weber and Daniel Akoue also in the mix.
What this year’s Bryant Bulldogs might lack in proven Division I experience, they make up for with size, defensive upside, and skill throughout the lineup. That combination makes this team one of the most difficult to scout and most dangerous in the America East, placing them just a tier below Vermont in preseason projections.
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