UC Santa Barbara basketball brings in a high ceiling backcourt, hoping that those two, plus the supporting cast, are enough to dominate the Big West
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: UC Santa Barbara basketball.
Last year, UC Santa Barbara basketball celebrated a successful year, finishing 21-13. However, a loss to UC San Diego in the Big West semifinal ended their season. The roster will look different, with leading scorer Stephan Swenson and second-leading scorer Kenny Pohto both gone. They do return Jason Fontenet II, who averaged just under 10 points a game for them last season.
The big ticket addition to the team was Aiden Mahaney. In his freshman and sophomore seasons at Saint Mary’s, he was one of the top mid-major players in the country. Last year at UConn, he really struggled, but playing back down to this level could allow him to reach that peak. They also add Miro Little, a former top 40 recruit who hasn’t found his groove, but playing in the Big West could change that.
The Big West will be tough, per usual. UC Irvine, which is also in the CBB Rank top 100, won’t be far behind, and several other teams have the talent to compete. Joe Pasternak is a winner as well. He’s 169-81 as the UC Santa Barbara coach, and would love to add a tournament win to that resume.
Head coach:Â Joe Pasternack (9th season at UCSB, 13th season overall)
2024-25 record:Â 21-13 (11-9)
2025 postseason finish:Â No postseason
Notable departures:Â
- Stephan Swenson (13.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.4 APG)
- Kenny Pohto (11.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.6 APG)
- Deuce Turner (9.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG)
- Cole Anderson (8.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.0 APG)
- Max Murrell (5.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.0 APG)
Notable non-conference games:Â
- N/A
Projected Rotation
PG: Aiden Mahaney (6-3, 185, Sr.)
2024-2025 stats: 4.5 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 75.8 FT% (UConn)
SG: Miro Little (6-3, 195, Jr.)
2024-2025 stats: 5.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 75.5 FT% (Utah)
SF: Jason Fontenet II (6-6, 205, Jr.)
2024-2025 stats: 9.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 77.1 FT%
PF: Collin Smith (6-8, 220, Jr.)
2024-2025 stats: 8.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, 46.0 FG%, 43.5 3P%, 71.4 FT%
C: Hosana Kitenge (6-8, 235, Gr.-Sr.)
2024-2025 stats: 11.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 56.2 FG% (Louisiana)
6: Zion Sensley (6-8, 200, So.)
2024-2025 stats: 4.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 42.6 FG%, 7.1 minutes per game
7: Marvin McGhee IV (6-7, 200, Jr.)
2024-2025 stats: 10.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 86.8 FT% (Cal State Bakersfield)
8: CJ Shaw (6-5, 190, Fr.)
2025 247Sports #205 ranked recruit
9: Michael Simcoe (6-8, 225, Fr.)
2025 247Sports #140 ranked recruit
10: Koat Keat Tong (6-10, 220, Jr.)
2024-2025 stats: 2.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 61.3 FG%
UC Santa Barbara Basketball team MVP: Aiden Mahaney
Mahaney was an absolute star at Saint Mary’s. During his freshman and sophomore years, he was first team All-WCC, thanks to just under 14 points a game. He always stepped up when the lights were brightest and was a key reason for Saint Mary’s success. Last year, he gave the power conferences a try, joining the back-to-back champion UConn Huskies.
That did not go well, as he saw his playing time go down and down until he was mostly out of the rotation. Now, in the Big West, he has the potential to reach that ceiling that we saw, and maybe even more. He should be the go-to guy for this team as both a scorer and a playmaker. The big issue for him is the defense. The big reason why he struggled so much last year at UConn is that opponents would pick on him defensively and force him off the court.
Hopefully, that was addressed this offseason, but he won’t have to face Big East-level athletes. That isn’t discounting what we’ll see in the Big West, so he’ll need to be a lot better if he wants to succeed, especially since teams were given a blueprint last year to beat him. If he does succeed, though, he could easily win conference player of the year and once again be one of the best mid-major players in the country.
UC Santa Barbara Basketball make-or-break player: Zion Sensley
Zion Sensley is the highest-rated recruit in program history, and by a long shot, per 247sports. He was ranked #132 last year and was as high as 77 at one point. Last year, he didn’t get much playing time, getting 7.1 minutes a game. He missed about a month, but when he played extended minutes, he produced. Sensley played 10+ minutes five times last season and scored in double figures four of those five times.
Now, with a season under his belt and many of the players ahead of him in the depth chart gone, he has a real chance to break out. He should get 20 minutes a game, and if he shows early that he can be productive, that could only increase. At 6’8, he’s a tall guard, and that makes life difficult for the opponent. UC Santa Barbara basketball has a lot of great guards, and if two of Mahaney, Little, and Sensley can average mid to high double-digit scoring, this conference is theirs.
Key analytic: Three Point %
When you look at last year’s roster, you’d be a little surprised to see that they were so successful. But a big reason why was their three-point shooting. They shot 38.1% from deep last year, tied for 17th and best in the Big West. They also took a lot of threes, finishing 52nd in the country.
It’ll be interesting to see if they are as efficient this year, and two, if the attempts will follow. None of their transfers were good three-point shooters last year, and their top two shooters from last year, Swenson and Cole Anderson, are both gone. It clearly worked last year, so hopefully, a tough offseason regime and extended playing time, and confidence for some of these guys can lead to efficient shooting for this UC Santa Barbara basketball team.
UC Santa Barbara Basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish:Â 1st in the Big West
Projected postseason ceiling:Â NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Exit