TIFFIN, Ohio – The Tiffin University men's basketball team tips off its 2026-27 season this weekend with two games at the G-MAC/GLVC Crossover, hosted by McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill.
The Dragons will take the floor with a largely overhauled roster and an entirely new coaching staff. First-year head coach Sterling Johnson takes the helm alongside assistant coaches Zach Hendrick and Cornelius Hester, as well as graduate assistant Dillon Schwanbeck.
Key players to watch include redshirt junior Jahki Parrinello, redshirt sophomore Tavin Shaw, and fifth year Charles Turner.
Parrinello, a transfer guard from Truman State University, averaged 14.5 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game last season for the Bulldogs. He shot 43% from the field, scored a career high 33 points in a win over Missouri Western just before Christmas, and reached double digit scoring in 20 of the Bulldogs' 28 games.
Shaw enters his third year with the program and will look to step into a bigger role. Last season, he averaged 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in five games off the bench.
Turner transfers in after three seasons at Grand Valley State University. He appeared in 77 games with the Lakers, averaging 4.5 points per game over that span. Last year, he played in a career high 33 games while averaging 2.8 rebounds and collected 15 steals.
The Dragons were picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Preseason Coaches Poll, but they will look to outperform those projections. Last season, Tiffin finished 6-21 overall and 2-18 in conference play, ending the year on a seven-game losing streak.
Other players who will look to make an impact this season include senior Devin Belle, redshirt sophomore Noah Smith, and senior Marquese Josephs.
Belle transferred from Wayne State University (Mich.), where he played in 25 games and averaged 7.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from the floor. Smith enters his third year with the program after seeing action in 24 games last year, averaging 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds. Josephs transfers in from Saginaw Valley State University, where he appeared in 28 games and averaged 11.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54% from the field and 50% from three-point range.
The Dragons will spend most of the first two months on the road, playing just three of their opening 12 games at home. Home games include the home opener against Ohio Christian on November 30, the first G-MAC home game against Kentucky Wesleyan on December 5, and a nonconference matchup with Bryant & Stratton College on December 15. The early slate also includes two tournaments, featuring the G-MAC/GLVC Crossover to open the season and the Northwood Thanksgiving Classic, where Tiffin will play two games before Thanksgiving.
Tiffin rings in 2027 at home against Malone on January 2 before wrapping up nonconference play on January 6 against Salem University.
From January 9 onward, the Dragons will play exclusively conference opponents. That stretch is highlighted by a run of four straight home games beginning January 23, as Tiffin closes out the regular season with seven of its final 10 games inside the Gillmor Student Center.
The G-MAC Tournament opens with the quarterfinals on March 2, followed by the semifinals on March 5 and the championship on March 6. Tiffin will look to make it back to postseason play for the first time since the 2023-24 season where they reached the G-MAC Tournament Semifinals.
