DAVIS, Calif. — When UC Davis men's basketball opens its first Mountain West Conference season this fall, it will do so behind a returning group of seven Aggies who helped deliver a 19-14 campaign, a 12-4 mark at University Credit Union Center.
Seniors
Brayden Fagbemi and
Connor Sevilla headline the group, which also features forwards
Isaiah Chappell and
Omer Suljanovic, guards
Jalen Stokes and
Chase Rawlins and redshirt sophomore
Ylan Esso-Essis. The six returners who saw action combined for 1,244 points, nearly half of the team's scoring output.
"This returning group is our foundation — leadership, experience, and toughness. They know what it means to wear the UC Davis jersey, and they chose to keep building something special here," said Les. "As we step into the Mountain West, I'm most excited about the growth we expect from this core. They've earned the chance to lead this team during this exciting transition."
Sevilla returns as the team's leading scorer after averaging 13.3 points in a team-high 31.2 minutes per game and earning All-Big West honorable mention as a junior. The guard led the Big West and ranked 12th nationally at 90.3 percent from the free-throw line, knocked down a team-high 67 three-pointers at a 39.9 percent clip and twice went a perfect 11 for 11 at the line in a single game. He poured in a season and career-high 26 points against North Dakota State on 8-for-10 shooting with six three-pointers, and his eight consecutive free throws in the final minute sealed the Aggies' 79-73 win over UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Championship first round. Sevilla paired the production with a second straight CSC Academic All-District selection and a spot on the NABC Honors Court.
The Aggies also bring back a proven two-way guard in Fagbemi. The point guard led the Big West at 2.0 steals per game, a mark that ranked 36th nationally, while his 133 assists and 4.3 assists per game both ranked second in the league. Despite starting just three games, Fagbemi led the team in both assists and steals, added 3.5 rebounds per game from the backcourt and closed the regular season with a season-high 16 points and five steals at UC Irvine. Off the floor, he earned CSC Academic All-District honors and a spot on the NABC Honors Court.
Chappell was one of only two Aggies to appear in all 33 games and returns as one of the roster's most proven pieces. The 6-9 forward made 18 starts as a sophomore, averaged 8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds and led the team with 135 defensive rebounds while his 58 three-pointers ranked second on the roster. The wing scored a season-high 20 points against Seattle U in December and made four three-pointers in a game on five separate occasions, and his fingerprints were on the season's signature road win, as he scored nine points, grabbed a team-high six rebounds and buried a three-pointer during the closing 9-0 run that put away Nevada in Reno.
Suljanovic logged 32 appearances with nine starts in the frontcourt, averaging 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds while improving his efficiency as the year went on, hitting 37.0 percent from three-point range in Big West play. The 6-8 forward posted a season-high 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting against Sacramento State in November, hauled in a season-best 13 rebounds in late December and carved out one of his best performances down the stretch, scoring 10 points against Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Championship in the season's final game.
Stokes carved out a rotation role across 27 games with seven starts, averaging 4.7 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor. The 6-5 guard made a habit of cashing in trips to the line, converting 87.8 percent of his free throws to trail only Sevilla among Aggie regulars, including an 88.9 percent clip in conference play. He scored a season-high 17 points against Pacific Union and added 16 at UC Riverside on a perfect 10-for-10 night at the stripe, where he also pulled down a season-best seven rebounds.
Rawlins provided steady depth in the backcourt across 19 appearances, shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. He posted a season-high nine points against Pacific Union on a 4-for-4 trip to the line and dished a season-best four assists in the opener against Menlo.
Esso-Essis rounds out the group and joins the rotation for the first time after a redshirt season. The 6-8 guard from Le Mans, France, arrived in Davis as the 2025 Big 8 Conference Player of the Year and an NABC junior college All-American at Modesto Junior College and will make his UC Davis debut in 2026-27.
The returning group's resume includes some of the season's biggest moments. UC Davis went into Reno on Nov. 18 and beat Nevada 75-71 at Lawlor Events Center, forcing 17 turnovers in a preview of a future Mountain West matchup. The Aggies erased an 18-point deficit to win 93-86 at UC Santa Barbara in January, took down eventual No. 1 seed UC Irvine 75-72 in Davis and closed the regular season with an overtime win at Long Beach State before adding a tournament victory over the Gauchos in Henderson, Nev.
As a team, UC Davis averaged 77.6 points per game, forced 14.9 turnovers per game to rank 12th nationally and finished among the Big West's top three in free-throw percentage, steals and turnover margin. The program was also honored with the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for the second consecutive year.
