Fort Lewis College men’s basketball is poised to improve in 2025-2026 in head coach Jordan Mast’s second season with a mix of returning players and impact transfers. Donald Bangham Jr. and Massal Diouf are part of the latter.
Mast confirmed the signings of Bangham Jr. and Diouf as the Skyhawks have 13 players on the 2025-2026 roster; six are returning players and seven are either college transfers or freshmen from high school.
Size and defensive presence were the two things Mast felt the team needed after signing Jude Tapia and Jaxon Smith to help the team’s scoring efficiency.
Bangham Jr. has great size on the wing. Listed at 6-foot-4-inches and 195 pounds at Chipola College, a junior college in Marianna, Florida, last season, Bangham Jr. averaged 6.4 points per game on 37.5% shooting, 27.8% shooting from 3-point range and 65.4% shooting from the free-throw line as a sophomore.
Chipola is one of the best junior college programs in the country, according to Mast, and it went 24-8 overall last season.
Mast said after recruiting a player who didn’t end up coming to FLC, a spot opened up for Bangham Jr.
“So we recruited him and we talked to their staff, they said, ‘Hey, he's the best defender on our team,”’ Mast said. “Chipola, year in and year out, will have five to seven guys going Division 1. So when their coach spoke that highly about him, it caught our attention.”
Bangham Jr., originally from Grandview, Missouri, verbally committed to the Skyhawks about a month ago and came to Durango to work FLC men’s basketball’s youth camps last week.
Mast said he and the staff were impressed in offseason workouts with Bangham Jr.’s offensive skill set and his shooting ability. Mast thinks Bangham Jr.’s role will be to lock down the opponent’s best player while scoring the ball and making winning plays.
Bangham Jr. has two years of eligibility remaining at the Division II level.
“We think you're going to see a special season because he fits what we do perfectly,” Mast said. “He is a slasher, big-time athlete, and a guy who can finish through contact. He's got great size and plays above the rim. In our style, where you're going to see these steals, defensive traps and getting out in transition, you know, you're going to see a lot more of his game.”
Diouf is a player who brings size and strength FLC didn’t have last year. He also brings a lot of Division I experience.
At 6-foot-9-inches and 240 pounds, Diouf is transferring to FLC for his senior season after playing last season at Division I Western Illinois. From the Netherlands, Diouf also played two seasons of Division I basketball at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Last season, Diouf started in 12 of the 22 games he played in and averaged 12.1 minutes per game, 3.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG on 50.8% shooting from the field.
“Talk about our coaching staff being excited,” Mast said. “He is something we didn't have last year. We didn't have a post presence … So he gives us that presence and that size. So not just height, but the strength. He is 240, but he is strong; I think he deadlifts 600 pounds. He takes the weight room really seriously. That was one thing we were looking for. When we got in the mix with him, he was somebody we did have to recruit very, very hard, and he had a ton of options.”
Mast said Diouf was stuck in a role at Western Illinois, where he was used as a rebounder and screener. Mast said the Skyhawks recruited him to score down low with his good footwork, to have the ball in his hands to create for others and to put the ball on the floor. Mast and the staff love his energy and how vocal he is.
Another addition to the Skyhawks is a familiar face on the sidelines. Jeff Evans is returning to FLC to be an assistant coach on Mast’s staff. Evans was an assistant coach under former head coach Bob Pietrack in 2023-2024 when the Skyhawks went 29-4 overall and 20-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Evans left FLC after Pietrack resigned from the position and was an assistant coach at Division II St. Edward’s University in Austin last season. The Hilltoppers went 21-13 overall and made it to the Division II NCAA Tournament.
Before FLC, Evans had a prolific career as a high school basketball head coach in Texas with a career record of 609-212.
Mast met Evans after he was hired as Evans was on his way out of Durango. They talked about defense and hit it off. Mast offered Evans a position on the staff for last season, but Evans had already committed to St. Edward’s. Mast remained patient, watched St. Edward’s games and they kept in touch.
Once the college basketball season was over, Mast opened a position on his staff for Evans and Evans accepted.
“He's one of the best coaches in the country at any level,” Mast said. “Not just defensive coaches, just one of the best coaches. If you look at his resume, that backs up that statement.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
