Xavier men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino and his staff wasted little time reloading its roster after going under .500 during the 2025-26 campaign.
As the NCAA’s transfer portal comes to a close on Tuesday, April 21, Xavier’s roster is completely different than the team that walked off the court at Madison Square Garden after a Big East Tournament quarterfinal loss a month ago.
After that defeat to UConn, Pitino outlined his roster-building strategy moving forward. It would consist of a few returning players, transfer portal additions and a small recruiting class of incoming freshmen.
That formula has been followed in building the 2026-27 Musketeers. Here’s a look at the current roster.
Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball roster to date
Xavier’s basketball roster currently consists of 12 scholarship players: five transfer portal additions, three returning players and a four-player incoming freshman class. Xavier also has walk-on Henry Thole, from Walton-Verona, returning.
Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball returning players
Jovan Milicevic, 6-10, forward
One of the top priorities for Xavier was to retain Milicevic, who should be even more productive when he’s moved back to the 4 position. He was an undersized center last season, but still averaged 12.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 42.9% from 3-point range.
Gabriel Pozzato, 6-7, forward
Pozzato has great length and size for a wing, but his talents have not been on display yet after missing all of last season. He remains with the Musketeers and looks to play a big role after averaging 14.9 points per game as a freshman at Evansville in 2025.
Kason Westphal, 7-0, center
Westphal redshirted last season, so he’ll start fresh in 2026 with four years of eligibility.
Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball transfer portal additions
Mike Nwoko, 6-10, center (LSU)
Big men are among the most sought-after and expensive players in the portal. Xavier got to work right away finding an experienced high-major transfer big who can produce. Nwoko is just that after playing 66 SEC games over the last two seasons. He averaged 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game at LSU while shooting 61% from the field.
Rubén Dominguez, 6-6, guard (Texas A&M)
Xavier set a single-season school record for made 3-pointers last season. More long-range shooting is on the way with Dominguez, who shot 40% from downtown last season with the Aggies. Of his 253 field goal attempts last season, 84.9% were from beyond the arc (215).
Tru Washington, 6-4, guard (Miami)
Richard Pitino and Washington will reunite after two seasons together at New Mexico. Washington fits the mold as an active guard who can score (11.9 points per game last season) but also brings constant disruption on the defensive end. Washington was fourth in the ACC in steals last season and had a top 60 steal percentage in the country.
Chance Westry, 6-6, guard (UAB)
Xavier found its point guard in Westry, who was a second-team all-conference selection last season at UAB. Westry was a great story last season after injuries limited him to just 14 games in three combined seasons at Auburn and Syracuse. Westry averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
Rolyns Aligbe, 6-9, forward (Southern Illinois)
Xavier added depth in its latest portal addition in Aligbe, who spent the last two seasons at Southern Illinois. Last year, he ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding (7.4 per game). He also averaged 9.5 points and shot 46.7% from the field.
Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball incoming freshmen
Asher Elson, 6-10, forward (Overtime Elite)
Elson committed to Xavier on the final day of the early signing period Nov. 19. Elson, a four-star power forward, picked the Musketeers in a Top 4 that included Syracuse, Auburn and Maryland.
The 247Sports composite rankings list Elson as the No. 18 power forward in the country and No. 5 player in Georgia for the Class of 2026.
Kalek House, 6-3, guard (Compass Prep)
Xavier signed House in November. A four-star guard, House is the son of Eddie House, who played for nine teams over 11 NBA seasons and won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008.
He is the younger brother of Jaelen House, who started 94 games for Pitino’s New Mexico Lobos from 2021-2024. House is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 player in Arizona for the Class of 2026.
Gedeon Basson, 6-1, guard (Victory Rock Prep)
Basson is an unranked guard from Victory Rock Prep in Florida. He averaged 18 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the 2025 U19 World Cup.
Harrison Aligbe, 6-8, forward (St. Andrews Prep)
Aligbe signed with Xavier the same day with his older brother, Rolyns. The younger Aligbe was a team captain last season at St. Andrews Prep in Rhode Island, where he averaged 17 points and nine rebounds per game last season.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball roster to date
Reporting by Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
