Bearcats return more continuity in 2026
Northwest coach Matt Keeley coaches last season.
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Returning about half your roster is no small task in college sports today. The Northwest Missouri State men’s team returns seven players from last year’s team, giving a much-improved team last season, an opportunity to show more growth this year.
“I think that is one of those foundational things and just an understanding of our guys a little bit better,” Northwest coach Matt Keeley said. “Some guys have been with us for multiple years. Our roster has great size and a lot of versatility, both on offense and defense.”
Northwest started the 2025-2026 season with wins in six of its first eight games. The Bearcats finished the season 15-16 behind an offense that struggled down the stretch, finishing 12th in the MIAA in points per game.
While there’s excitement about the experience returning, the Bearcats will have to replace the production of leading-scorer Royce Williams. Williams led the team with 14 points per game, but the loss of production doesn’t stop there as they’ll look to replace their second and third-leading scorers.
Sophomore Robby Garcia and Larenz Walters are among the key returners after finishing fourth and fifth in scoring last year. Garcia averaged nine points and three rebounds per game, while Walters added nine points and three rebounds.
“Our team chemistry is definitely a lot better than it was to start last year and I feel like we’ve got a lot of great guys that play well and like you said, we’ve got a lot of versatility,” Sophomore Booker Scheierman said. “We play well together and we don’t really care about stats—all we care about is getting the W.”
Keeley will also get some help from the transfer portal. Coming from Southwest Baptist is junior guard Barron Silsby who averaged over 12 points per game last season.
Senior Jadon Cool comes to Maryville from Chadron State where he started 25 games. Cool led the team in scoring with 14 points per game and shot over 30 percent from three.
“It always takes a freshman just a little bit to get going, but those guys have sped up real quick and then three or four transfers,” Keeley said. “The two that have played the most at this point are Silsby and Cool — a couple of guards that have averaged double-figure minutes at the Division II level and have average double-figure points at the Division II level.”
Maryville native Derek Quinlin returns home after spending two seasons at Morningside. Junior Cody Dandridge comes to Northwest from Denver where he averaged seven minutes per game.
Others returning include Trey Moala after averaging six points and a team-best four rebounds among the returning players. Presley Ibeh averaged six points and two rebounds, giving Northwest another experienced option in the frontcourt.
“11 of those 15 guys have only been Bearcats and even though that’s not necessarily the norm, that is something that I think we’re going to try and continue to do and be the foundation of what we do,” Keeley said. “Then plug in some transfers when they fit right, both in play style and personality.”
The Bearcats open the season at home against William Jewell on Nov. 9. The Cardinals won 22 games last year, including a 74-65 win in Liberty last year.
William Jewell was picked to finish second in their conference and received six of the 15 first place votes.
“You see some of those teams open up at the Division I level, and you’ve got all kinds of different games,” Keeley said. “You’ve got some top-ranked teams playing and some not as high-ranked teams and you’ve got top 10 matchups. For us, this is a big one because these guys played in the national tournament last year and got picked second in their league.”
Keeley joked that the Cardinals ruined his holidays.
“Even though they’re in a different league, they’re just down the road so you know we crossover a little bit on some recruiting battles,” Keeley said. “And of course they beat us last year right before Christmas and ruined Christmas for me and my family.”
The Bearcats will then face Bemidji State at Missouri Western on Nov. 13 and St. Cloud State on Nov. 14. Northwest will return home for the University of Mary on Nov. 20 and Southwest Minnesota State on Nov. 21.
