The 2026 season for the Ursinus Men’s and Women’s basketball teams was one for the record books. Both teams made it to the Centennial Conference tournament and finished 3rd in the conference.
The women’s team finished with a winning record of 16-11 and a record of 9-6 in conference.
The men went 18-9 and 10-3 in conference.
The men’s Bears earned two ranked wins, an impressive achievement as a program. Ursinus faced then-19th nationally ranked York College early in the season and won with a 80-70 victory. They also had a strong fight, pulling out with the win, against 19th ranked Franklin and Marshall, with a final score of 72-69.
The women’s squad had strong performances from players like Ava Possenti ‘26 and Madison Smith ‘26. Possenti was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year and made All Centennial Second Team. Smith was named as an Honorable Mention.
Possenti broke the career steals record during the John’s Hopkins game. In the game alone Possenti had seven steals with 125 total steals this season. She finished her Ursinus Career with 297 steals breaking the 275 record set by Megan Larkin in 1998. Possenti is ranked 3rd in division three women’s basketball for steals.
Smith entered the 1,000 career points club this season earning her 1,000th point in the first round of the Centennial Conference tournament. She finished the season with 1,018 career points.
On the men’s side, many of Ursinus’s players took a big leap this season. Some key players to highlight are Mohamed Toure ‘26, Nick Nocito ‘26, and Jamie Murphy ‘28.
Toure was named the 2026 Centennial Conference Men’s basketball Player of the Year. He also was given All-Centennial First Team honors for his standout performance this season. This is the first time an Ursinus player was Player of the Year since Nick Shattuck in 2008.
Nocito was named All-Centennial Second Team honors and Murphy was an Honorable Mention.
Nocito led the conference in as sists per game with 5.6 and is 6th in the conference with 1.7 steals per game. He joined Toure in the 1,000 point club on January 31st.
Murphy led the team for rebounds per game with 6.6, ranking him 8th in the conference.
Both teams emphasized their ability to prepare well for games as essential to their success this season.
Possenti pointed to the team’s work in the film room as a big part of their great season.
“We prepared for the centennial conference tournament by really focusing on the details, “ Possenti said. “We broke down opponents and paid close attention to their tendencies and key players.”
It wasn’t just scouting other teams that helped the Lady Bears. Possenti emphasized that the team often self-scouted in order to improve upon their weaknesses.
“Our coaches showed clips from our previous games against teams so we could go over mistakes and weaknesses and find ways to take advantage of them the next time,” she said.
To Toure, the hard work done building relationships stood out as essential to their historic year.
“We prepared by trusting our coaches and each other,” he said. “We studied our scouts, went hard in practice, and just believed in each other”
The wing emphasized that this brought the team together.
“We ensured everyone was on the same page and knew what was at stake,” he said.
While the Bears were prepared for strong competitions, challenges were still present. Nocito pointed out the team’s new defensive scheme as an obstacle for the men’s team .
“It’s difficult as a senior to take on a completely new defensive scheme than the one we have played our entire careers and it took time,” he said. “But trusting our coaches’ vision for the defense, getting complete buy-in from the team, and just playing hard through trial and error was the key to getting over the hump, and changing the culture of our team to being a great defense.”
The Bears faced their challenges with confidence and resilience though, as Possenti pointed out.
“I focused on playing free, competing hard, and enjoying the moments, even the hard ones,” she said. “My mindset was to give my best effort, stay present, and truly enjoy the experience.”
Catch the Bears on the court next season and as they aim to have another successful season!
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