DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis men's basketball program has signed 6-foot-11 forward Jonathan Noudjihidi, a Chad native and interior force from Coahoma Community College, head coach Jim Les announced Friday.

"Big Jon brings a unique combination of size, athleticism, and work ethic to our team," said Les. "He's a true rim protector who plays above the rim on both ends and runs the floor as well as any big I've coached. His presence in the paint gives us a real edge. We're excited about the impact he'll make and the energy he will bring every day."

Noudjihidi broke out as a full-time starter this past season at Coahoma CC, averaging 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 57.8% from the field - the seventh-best mark in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC). His 2024-25 campaign featured a career-high 23-point, 12-rebound performance against Southeast Arkansas College on December 14, along with six double-doubles and 10 double-digit rebound games that showcased his consistency. The athletic big man also recorded a career-high seven blocks against Shorter College on December 11, one of his 12 multi-block performances in 25 games.

The Chad native more than doubled his scoring output from 4.8 to 10.9 points per game while increasing his rebounding average from 3.5 to 7.2 per contest between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He also demonstrated improved touch by raising his free-throw percentage to 72.4%, a near 10-point improvement from the previous year. His rim protection (50 total blocks) and finishing ability made him one of the conference's most impactful two-way players. Before his time at Coahoma, Noudjihidi developed his game at Our Saviour Lutheran in the Bronx.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/6/6/jonathan-noudjihidi-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

so Omer’s older brother, Imran, is going to be a freshman at St. John’s. My daughter’s boyfriend is a St John’s alumni and a big time Johnys fan and apparently they are all very worried that Imran will have visa troubles getting into the country. I don’t know if there are specific worries or just a general concern, but it’s something to keep an eye on for Omer.

That makes me wonder if Noudjihidi could end up with ICE problems since his home country of Chad is one of the countries included in Trump's recent travel bans. I'm assuming that since he has already been playing at a community college in Louisiana for 2 years, that the Chad travel ban would not affect him. I certainly hope that Suljanovic and Noudjihidi don't encounter any problems.

Easily the best recruiting class.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/6/10/abdullah-amzil-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

It certainly seems like a step up in terms of talent. Notably Les is bringing in SIZE which hasn't been his MO

and it’s nice to see us getting guys over some bigger programs. Abdullah had offers from Utah, South Carolina and Wyoming

So our squad is probably set now:

Post: Jon Noudjihidi 6’11”
Isiah Chappel 6’9”

Wings: Ylan Esso-Essie 6’8”
Omer Suljanovic 6’9”
Abdullah Amir 6’7”
Marsalis Roberson 6’6”
Nils Cooper 6’5”
Jalen Stokes 6’5”
chase Rawlings 6’6”
Marcus Wilson 6’4”
Sione Lose 6’4”
Carl Daughtery 6’3”

Point: Braden Fagbeymi 6’0”
Connor Seville 6’0”

I think that’s everyone.

Amzil is a great recruit for the Aggies. I saw we had offered him back in mid-May and I watched some of his highlight videos and this kid can play! He is very versatile with good size and strength inside and a beautiful shot from beyond the arc. He had offers from South Carolina, Utah, Toledo and Wyoming also. This recruiting class is really impressive!

This is not about Ags recruiting but it's relevant. Eran Ganot, the Hawaii head coach has been under fire and it looks like he went all out to bring in a lot of great transfer talent.
https://hawaiisportsradio.com/2025/03/30/uh-mens-basketball-2025-offseason-recruiting-transfer-portal-tracker/

Probably not a coincidence that the two programs moving to the MW had good recruiting classes

Wow! What a recruiting class!

I am here to personally apologize. While I do think a large portion of this recruiting bump is due to our move to the MW coming and the hype associated/recruiting power that comes with that, Les has really been able to bring in some good folks. Looking forward to seeing what we will do in the coming seasons!

We still have to turn the strong recruiting into a strong on court product. We're going to have a pretty young squad so there might be some growing pains, but this definitely looks like a move in the right direction.

To be honest, I wasn't too far away from your point of view on Les. After watching the team implode late last season (and really look awful in Henderson), there was part of me that was ready for a new vision/direction. Hopefully the bump in recruiting will result in a more competitive team next year.

Well I figured our recruiting was about done, but I guess not

yeah that’s him. Kind of interesting prospect. Good size but apparently plays a lot of point. Interesting to see if he makes an immediate impact or is someone that the staff develops.

Yeah every year I hope that we see the Roberson that was a big recruit out of high school. And every year something happens to him. I’ve tempered my expectations.

The folks over on t he Big West Boards are saying that teams are signing 15 players this year to their rosters.

I think Roberson is probably done. He wasn't a great player at Cal, and now he has two years of rust on top of not-so-great. — yolohw

Les is well known for bringing in players that he feels are diamonds-in-the-rough and developing them. Quite a few of them became outstanding players under his coaching. I don't know if Roberson will be back or not but I do know that Les was high on his potential to be a solid contributor prior to tearing his ACL in a pick up game 2 years ago. I trust Les' eye for talent so I hope Roberson is able to return this year and that we get to finally see him in action.

I got to know one of the parents a bit last season and talked often when we ran across each other at games. At Vegas, we were talking about the season and how early injuries (Borra and Roberson) effected the team and may have led to the late season collapse. He was saying his son felt Roberson was a ‘GameChanger’.

Hope for this sake (and ours!) he gets healthy and has a chance to show his potential

The Ags officially announced the signing of CJ Franklin Jr today.

"We're thrilled to welcome CJ to the Aggie family," Les said. "He brings great size and length at the guard position, and he plays with a high motor that we love. CJ is dynamic in the open floor and gives us tremendous flexibility in the backcourt. His ability to defend multiple positions, especially as an elite on-ball defender, sets him apart. CJ's upside is through the roof, and we're excited about his future here at UC Davis."

Franklin Jr., a 6-foot-5 guard from Las Vegas, Nevada, dominated the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) during his lone season at the NJCAA Division I level. He averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49.4% from the field for the Coyotes. His standout campaign included 17 double-digit scoring efforts, highlighted by a career-high 28 points against Arizona Western College, and 11 multi-steal games, featuring a career-best six steals vs. Phoenix College. Franklin Jr. also showcased his playmaking with 11 games of five or more assists, including a pair of eight-assist performances, and was a consistent presence on the boards from the guard position with 17 games grabbing five or more rebounds, ranking third on the team. His performance during his lone season with the Coyotes earned him ACCAC Freshman of the Year and all-conference accolades in the very competitive ACCAC.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/6/26/cyril-cj-franklin-jr-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

So they put up the 2025-2026 roster on the website, but Niko is still on the roster…? https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

This is for 2026, but I mountain bike with this kid's aunt. Curious to see where this goes a year from now.

https://ny2lasports.com/rykan-woo-picks-up-first-offer/

I didn't think that Rocak had any eligibility left so that might be a mistake. Sione Losé is not listed on the roster either and he has a year of eligibility left. I wonder if he may have left the team or maybe they erroneously listed Rocak instead of Losé on the roster?

Not about recruits but I just saw on KCRA News that TY Johnson is now playing for the Lakers in their summer league.

Niko Rocak has been granted a 5th year of eligibility according to a post on the Big West Boards Men's Basketball Forum:

UC Davis has released their 2025-26 roster and there are several changes.
Biggest news is that forward Niko Rocak has been granted a 5th year of eligibility and returns as a graduate. He started 27 games, putting up 5.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg making him one of the more productive returning bigs in the conference. A couple of players who played little last year are no longer on the roster despite not entering the portal; Sion Lose and Marsalis Roberson.

This would be wonderful news if this is indeed the case. Niko is defensive force in the paint and he would be a great, experienced team leader for the Ags with so many new players. He was a workhorse last season since the Ags really didn't have anyone to back him up adequately with Borra out injured for the entire season. We would have some depth at the post now with Niko and the addition of 6'11 transfer Jonathan Noudjihid. I sure hope we get to see Niko play again this fall!

For this upcoming season, we have nine new players on our roster. That level of turnover seems crazy to me (glad football is different). I hope going forward we develop a culture in our MBB program that is more stable with players sticking around.

Wow, that would be amazing! Niko is a great leader, like BlueGoldAg mentioned, so it will be really exciting to see him back on the court. I’m very curious who they would make the team captains for next season. We actually don’t have any seniors besides Carl (not sure if captains can be in our grade levels?).

Big news with Nico returning. He'll certainly provide leadership and a solid defensive presence. With him and Chappell and Noudjihidi it gives us some interesting options in the middle.

He’s underrated. Glad he’s back.