30-4! OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN EAGLES DOMINATE SEASON, MAKE ANOTHER DEEP NAIA RUN
Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Nike Bene (7) reacts during a playoff game at Mueller Sports Center in Bartlesville earlier this month. The Eagles advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men’s National Basketball Tournament, falling to Langston University, a fellow Oklahoma school that eventually won the championship.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Yashi McKenzie (0) drives to the basket during a playoff game earlier this month. The Eagles (30-4) advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men’s National Basketball Tournament.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
March 30, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Let’s be honest.
No one familiar with the landscape of NAIA men’s basketball and Oklahoma Wesleyan University expected the 2025-26 Eagles’ team to still be playing in mid-March.
After all, they bid goodbye to two bona fide All-Americans (D.J. Talton, Jr., and Jayden Lietzke) and another super-charged senior (Dylan Phillip) off the national runner-up 2024-25 team.
Without suggesting disrespect, the squad Bostwick had coming in for 2025-26 were basically no-names by comparison. They were supposed to be good.
But, not that great.
“The cupboard was not bare at all,” said veteran OKWU head coach Donnie Bostwick.
On the other hand, they weren’t supposed to win 30 games, sweep through the conference wars like fire through dry timber and advance all the way to the NAIA Sweet 16 and come up just a bucket shy of returning to the Elite Eight.
Just another impressive note — each of the Eagles’ four losses were decided on the final possession.
“It honestly was miraculous,” said Bostwick. “If you would have told me before the season that was going to happen … I’d probably given you a kiss.”
Helping keep the team focused and powering forward were the senior trio of Blake Hamblin, Daniel Oluwasuyi and Amari Woods.
Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Blake Hamblin (32) drives to the basket during a playoff game earlier this month. The Eagles (30-4) advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men’s National Basketball Tournament.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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Hamblin started 21 games (32 appearances) and averaged 16.4 minutes. He finished just shy of 50 percent shooting from the field (55-of-112) and dialed up 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He pulled down an eye-raising 52 offensive boards. He also swatted 10 shots and pilfered 18 steals.
Woods appeared in all 34 games (no starts) and averaged 10.5 hard-nosed minutes per appearance. Most impressively offensively, he knocked down 87 percent of his free throws and buried nine three-pointers. Nearly half his rebounds were on the offensive end.
Oluwasuyi also played in the main rotation, coming off the bench in 29 games and playing 10 minutes per outing. He ripped the cords for more than 50 percent shooting (17-of-33) and pulled down 65 boards. He also blocked 22 shots and made 12 steals.
Hamblin and Oluwasuyi ended their careers with explosive efforts during the 56-55 loss to Langston University in the Sweet 16 on March 20 in Kansas City.
Oluwasuyi rejected four Langston shots, helping keep OKWU in the game and Hamblin knocked down 10 points — on 5-of-6 shooting from the field — and confiscated five rebounds. Had he not fouled out, the outcome might have been reversed.
Hamblin, Oluwasuyi and Woods were the lone seniors — which bodes well for next season.
Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Ethan Williams (1) fights off a defender during an earlier season game. The Eagles (30-4) advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men’s National Basketball Tournament.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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Among the prime-time underclassmen this past season was Ethan Williams, who faced the unenviable task of filling the gap at point guard caused by Talton’s departure.
“He settled into D.J. 's role,” Bostwick said. “Ethan was a lot like D.J., he is a strong Christian guy and a leader on campus. On the court, Ethan doesn’t worry about himself. He’s a selfless point guard.”
Williams started all 34 games and handed all 124 assists. He wore out the nets with nearly 50 percent shooting from the field (93-of-191), including 21 treys. He also pulled down a respectable 3.2 rebounds per game, made only 22 fouls, blocked 10 shots, recorded 63 steals and averaged 7.3 points.
Tamaje Izuagbe emerged as OKWU’s offensive star, stirring the cords for more than 17 points a game while hitting better than .535 of his shots. He also contributed around 5.5 rebounds per game and gave out 49 assists.
His emergence as a major star — he came in the season before without a full scholarship and now is likely to be selected as an All-American for this past season — could have been a major force around which Bostwick might have built his 2026-27 team. However, Izuagbe has received some NCAA offers to transfer, and Bostwick said he isn’t sure Izuagbe will return to OKWU.
“He’ll probably be the only one, other than the three seniors, we’ll be losing,” Bostwick said.
Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Humberto Kentish Jr. (35) tries to block an inbound during a playoff game in front of a packed Mueller Sports Center in Bartlesville earlier this month. The Eagles (30-4) advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men’s National Basketball Tournament.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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Some other key players who emerged this year as main performers included Nick Bene, Jaden Wilson, Humberto Kentish Jr. and Yashi McKenzie.
Wilson started 21 games (32 appearances) and played almost 20 minutes per contest. He buried 50 percent of his field goals (79-158), secured 113 rebounds, spooned out 40 assists, made 51 steals and averaged 6.1 points.
Kentish averaged around eight points per game, started at least 26 games, canned more than 20 three-pointers and fingered more than 100 rebounds.
McKenzie displayed the potential to score big points. He started 19 games (34 appearances) and had among the most minutes (20.0 per game). He buried 112-of-232 field goals (.483) and registered 99 rebounds, 35 steals and 60 assists. His 9.2 points per game were invaluable.
Bene appeared in 25 games and averaged more than 21 minutes of playing time per contest. His 8.8 points per game put him among the team leaders.
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Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Jaden Wilson (4) dunks the ball during a playoff game earlier this month. The Eagles (30-4) advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men’s National Basketball Tournament.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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Other underclassmen honed by several games or minutes included Angel Hidalgos (33 games), Nathaniel Law (31 games), Cameron Mansfield (31 games), Marshall Gillette (29 games), Isaac Stanek (27 games) and Malachi Okunbor (27 games).
Other than their faith in Jesus Christ being their sixth man, the biggest inspiration for the Eagles might be someone who didn’t attend a game — or at least didn’t fill a seat.
Long-time Bostwick advisor/assistant Thomas Poling passed away a week prior to the start of the school.
This was a blow “that rippled all year long among our players,” and added extra motivation, Bostwick said.
In addition, Bostwick decided to follow some advice Poling had offered during the years and start running more pressure defense.
This helped the Eagles achieve their unexpected height.
Other underclassmen honed by several games or minutes included Angel Hidalgos (33 games), Nathaniel Law (31 games), Cameron Mansfield (31 games), Marshall Gillette (29 games), Isaac Stanek (27 games) and Malachi Okunbor (27 games).
If he could point to one overall virtue possessed by his team it would be summed up in one word.
“Relentless,” he said. “We focused on possessions over minutes. … Our team showed that they were relentless.”
In their Sweet 16 loss to Langston — which finished as national runner-up — Bostwick said the Eagles squandered a double-digit lead and just didn’t cash in on their late chances to win.
But he still emerged from the season with a tremendous amount of pride in what his group of “no-names” achieved against the mightiest odds and “the focus they had on Christ.”
Assisting Bostwick during the improbable journey were Gene Hartman, Bryant Knigge and graduate assistant Phillip.
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Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s head coach, Donnie Bostwick, left, and assistant Gene Hartman watch from the bench. The Eagles (30-4) advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men’s National Basketball Tournament.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
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The chapter is written. Like a fingerprint, no season duplicates another.
It’s kind of like life. Some try their hardest, some coast, some give up — or are found somewhere in between.
These Eagles tried their hardest. They believed. They soared higher than anyone expected.
Regardless of what else they experience, they can look back on the season where they learned what winning is really all about.
Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles warm-up jerseys with the words “In Memory of Coach Thomas Poling, We Believe”.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports