SAN ANTONIO -- While the modern landscape of college basketball has most teams dealing with major roster overhaul each season, few programs have more new faces entering this year than the University of the Incarnate Word.

Of the 15 players on the 2026-27 Cardinal roster, 14 are new to the program. Of that group, four are freshman while the other 10 are transfers.

And though there is definite uncertainty around a team with so many new pieces, there are reasons for optimism too, as many of those new to the program have had great success at their previous stops.

The newcomers include former All-Conference players, All-Americans and even a few who've played professionally overseas.

The new-look Cardinals will open the regular season on the road against Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. Monday, then will host Chicago State at the McDermott Center at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Below is a breakdown of everyone on the 26-27 UIW roster.

Returners

Drew Barbee (Junior, Guard, 6-5): Barbee is the lone player to return from last year's team. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in five games in 2025-26 after spending the previous two seasons at Central Michigan.

Power Conference Transfers

Max Garcia-Plata (Redshirt freshman, Guard, 6-4): A 6-foot-4 guard with professional experience in his home country of Spain, Garcia-Plata redshirted in his first college season at Florida State last season. The Madrid native previously played in both the FIBA U16 European Championships and the and U16 World Championships in 2023.

Godswill Erheriene (Junior, Forward, 6-9): Erheriene was born in Nigeria, but had a decorated prep career at Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.), which helped him become a four-star recruit who landed at Seton Hall. He played 32 games with 23 starts for the Pirates as a freshman in 2024-25 before injuries limited him to 10 games a season ago.

Mid-Major Transfers

D'arrae Goodwin (Sophomore, Forward, 6-7): Goodwin began his college career at San Diego, where he averaged 4.3 points last season. He scored a season-best 15 against Gonzaga, who UIW will face on the road on Dec. 9.

Mekhi Connor (Junor, Guard, 6-1): A point guard at New Haven (Conn.) during the last two seasons, Connor has been one of the top distributors in the country in that time. He was sixth in the country with 217 assists two seasons ago and 28th with 194 last season. He also averaged 7.9 points and was selected to the All-MAAC Rookie Team in 2024-25.

Ismail Habib (Senior, Guard, 6-0): The Chicago native has made stops at Portland State and the University of Southern Indiana, averaging 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 62 games. Habib led USI with 14.7 points and 2.8 assists per-game a season ago, scoring 26 on two separate occasions.

Kaleb Spencer (Sophomore, Forward, 6-9): Spencer appeared in six games at William and Mary (Va.) last season, where he averaged 3.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Brandon McCreesh (Senior, guard, 6-3): McCreesh played 70 games with 10 starts at Bucknell (Pa.). He started the first eight games for the Bison last year, averaging 7.4 points and scoring a career-high 20 against Buffalo before he sustained a season-ending injury. He scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting with four 3-pointers in a preseason exhibition against Michigan State.

Other Transfers

Jayden Thomas (Junior, Guard, 6-5): Thomas was an offensive machine in two seasons at Division-III DeSales (Pa.), where he topped 1,000 points. During his sophomore season, he averaged 25.6 points and 5.5 assists, which helped him earn First-Team All-American and Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.

DJ Cason (Junior, Guard, 6-1): Cason averaged 11.5 points in 62 games at Colby Community College (Kan.), including a 15.8 points per-game performance last season. He shot 45.6 percent from 3-point range in his two seasons while also leading the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in free throw shooting at 92.6 percent in 25-26.

David Emetu (Junior, Forward, 6-8): Emetu played two seasons at Monroe, a junior college in New York City. He averaged 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15 games in 2025-26.

Freshmen

Krisnan-Cole Ioane (Forward, 6-6): A Wellington native, Ioane played professionally for the Aukland Tuatara of the New Zealand NBL League. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.4 assists in 2025-26.

Marc Harvey (Guard, 6-3): A Chicago native, Harvey was the leading scorer at Oak Lawn High School last season.

Tristan Collins (Forward, 6-6): A local product, Collins played at nearby Harlan High School, where he was a two-year letter winner.

Christophe Pare (Center, 7-0): A seven-foot monster in the middle, Pare spent the last two seasons at Dawson College, a transitional program in Quebec. He was named the team's most improved player after the 2025-26 season. 

WATCH ALONG

To watch the Oklahoma State game, click here. To watch the Chicago State game, click here.