The Bearcats basketball team is in Kansas City, Missouri, this week for the 2026 Big 12 Basketball Media Days. Head coach Jerrod Calhoun spoke to the media members with ESPNU Wednesday afternoon and touched on a few interesting topics ranging from his roster-building mentality to MJ Collins' potential impact.
Calhoun and his staff had to build this entire 15-man roster from nothing when he got here in April, and they've gotten "old" just like he wanted to.
Five seniors on the roster were slated to be entering their fourth and final years before the five-in-five ruling. Collins has played four years and wants to add his veteran presence for a fifth.
"Since this new portal world started many years ago, we've been pretty successful, and we really try to evaluate every single position, make sure those guys kind of play the way we want to play," Calhoun said. "But one thing we try to do is get old and stay old, and also we want to develop our bench with younger guys. So when our older guys leave, now it's their turn."
Guys like Collins, Tylen Riley, and more should mix in well with some of the youth on the roster like Adlan Elamin and Akai Fleming.
Elamin just notched 15 points to slot in behind Riley on the leading scorer list for UC this past Saturday, while Collins debuted with eight points in that exhibition game against Illinois.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound three-level scoring wing was one of two Utah State Aggies to start all 36 games last season (30.7 minutes per outing). Collins led the team and ranked fourth in the Mountain West in scoring at 17.5 points per game while also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 48.7% shooting (36.1% from three-point range).
"Well, I thought last year he was probably one of the best transfers in the country. A guy who only played half the game at Vanderbilt. We brought him in; he gets 17 a game on high efficiency. Wonderful family, you know, really values a team environment and a big shot maker. He makes big shots in big moments," Calhoun said about Collins.
Cincinnati has seven days before its third (and final) exhibition) and then the real thing begins the following week against American and Green Bay.
Check out the full comments below:
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) October 20, 2026Just a couple of UC alums talking hoops.
📺 Jerrod Calhoun and Katrina Merriweather join the ESPNU broadcast, live from Big 12 Media Days in Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/cuGosB2rcB
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