OAKWOOD MEN'S BASKETBALL 2026-27 PREVIEW, AMBASSADORS HOPE NEW COACH, NEW ATTITUDE WILL MAKE THEM MORE COMPETITIVE IN HBCUAC

10/24/2026 8:47:00 PM

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – New coach. New attitude.

Oakwood University's new men's basketball coach is Wooderson Durosier.

The new attitude is a result of Durosier's more relaxed approach.

Durosier, a former player and assistant coach for the Ambassadors, took over for long-time coach Simon Jacob during the offseason and has been pleasantly surprised with the response from his players.

"I've been impressed by how hungry they are and how willing they are to listen and learn," Durosier said. "We've made a lot of progress in training camp. Now, we've got to take it from the practice floor to the game."

Oakwood will try to do that tonight when it hosts Washington Adventist University in the season opener for both teams. Tipoff is at 9 inside Ashby Auditorium.

Despite losing All-HBCUAC forward Jordan Bell, the Ambassadors return a handful of key players from a year ago.

Leading the way is Joshua Barnett, who is back after finishing second on the team in scoring (11.1) and third in rebounding (4.4) to go along with 69 assists. Unfortunately, Barnett won't be eligible until next semester.

Point guard Chase Jackson, a former Sparkman High School standout, is back after averaging 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, while leading the team with 77 assists.

Jason Griffin, who averaged 8.1 points and three rebounds, also returns.

Jordan Green, who came on late last season, and newcomers Nicholas Bennett and Christian Williams are expected to make an impact, according to Durosier.

Oakwood entered the HBCUAC Championship last season as the No. 7 seed, but reeled off three straight wins, beating Wiley University, Dillard University and Talladega College before falling to Tougaloo University to end the season.

Durosier hopes the returnees can get back to that and gel with the newcomers in hopes the Ambassadors can be competitive all season long.

"The biggest thing we've got to do is play hard on defense," Durosier said. "If we do that, the offense will come. We're going to have a free-flowing offense and I think that will give our guys confidence to play with more freedom."

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