Monmouth has easily been one of the Coastal Athletic Association’s biggest wildcards throughout the 2025-26 season.
The Hawks went 6-7 during the non-conference with losses to La Salle, Le Moyne and Fairfield, but at times, glimpses of potential were evident. Monmouth battled Syracuse on the road in a single-digit loss back in November, beat Robert Morris in overtime, dominated the Patriot League with wins over Lafayette and Lehigh and even handled Princeton.
In CAA league play, the Hawks almost predictably
opened with a 5-5 record as the inconsistencies remained. By the end of January, Monmouth had scored 81 points or more in four of those five wins while being held to 65 points or less in the other six games.
But the start of February marked a turning point for head coach King Rice: Kavion McClain’s suspension was finally lifted.
McClain arrived via the transfer portal from Texas Southern this past offseason but had missed Monmouth’s first 23 games while being investigated for a rules violation by the NCAA. Having spent the 2023-24 season at Abilene Christian, a program that was listed in the Department of Justice’s Jan. 15 point shaving indictment, he was forced to sit out while the inquiry was conducted.
Though the investigation remains ongoing, Monmouth was informed during the first week of February that McClain was cleared for a return.
Since, the Hawks have rattled off three straight wins, climbing the CAA’s standings to grab sole possession of third-place in double-bye position for the conference championship. According to Rice, having your lead point guard back helps everything else fall into place.
“We have a chance like everybody else now,” he said. “Kavion is a difference maker. That he’s been able to continue getting better without playing all year, under the things he was under, is unbelievable. The more [McClain] plays, the better we’re going to get.”
Through his first three games in the shadow blue and white, McClain is averaging career-highs of 17.0 PPG, 5.3 APG and shooting 43% from 3-point range to lead Monmouth. With their starting ball handler in the lineup, the Hawks are in the 100th percentile nationally for turnover percentage and steal percentage, the 96th percentile for assist-to-turnover ratio and the 95th percentile for fast-break points, all by CBB Analytics.
A rising tide evidently lifts all boats and finally having a ball dominant guard has seen the rest of Rice’s rotation resume their usual roles.
Senior guard Jack Collins is typically off the ball but was thrust into the point guard spot early on this season and had his struggles. It had something of a trickle down effect with Justin Ray being more of a limited scorer because “he wasn’t getting clean looks,” according to Rice. With both Collins and Ray playing without the ball, this team’s shooting percentages drastically improve. The Hawks are in the 98th percentile in 3-point percentage since.
Jason Rivera-Torres continues to be his usual versatile self, scoring double-digits in each of the last three games which included two double-doubles. He’s likely an all-conference first team selection with an outside shot at CAA Player of the Year. Having a trusty playmaker beside him should only help his case.
Even in the frontcourt and on the wings we’re seeing McClain unlock talent. Cornelius Robinson III chipped in a season-high 20 points in last week’s 93-72 win over Drexel. Freshman Stefanos Spartalis returned from injury with 10 points and five rebounds to stave off Towson 72-71 on Sunday.
McClain’s return is taking the pressure off everybody and that freedom, combined with the 154th-most efficient defense on KenPom, is allowing Monmouth to play its best basketball of the season.
“If you take the main point guard off any team, they wouldn’t be good,” Rice said. “For us, Collins doesn’t get the shots he normally gets, Ray doesn’t get clean looks, but now, even Rivera-Torres is going to start playing better because he doesn’t have so much responsibility. Everybody is shooting and I’m telling you, our percentages from three are going up because these guys get to do what they do [best].”
Wins at Stony Brook and Drexel before returning home to defeat Towson showed just how capable Monmouth is with a fully available roster. But now, it’s time for the Hawks to prove they compete with the CAA’s best as the bright lights of March begin to loom.
Monmouth’s toughest road trip of the year awaits this week with a visit to first-place UNC Wilmington on Thursday followed by a stop at second-place Charleston over the weekend.
Still, having seen this group together all year in practice, Rice is confident that with a healthy lineup and an available McClain, his Hawks have what it takes to win a conference championship in Washington, D.C.
“Now, we can really guard you and we can score it as good as anybody,” Rice said. “Can we catch everybody [in the standings]? I don’t know. But what I’ve been saying is the only way you get into the [NCAA] Tournament is by winning those three or four games down in D.C. I’ve been in it where we had the best team and didn’t win and I’ve been there where we were just one of the teams and got close. I think we’ll have a chance this year.”
