COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Black Hills State University men's basketball team captured their third overall (second outright) RMAC regular season title and carried the momentum to a second RMAC Tournament Title, their third NCAA Division II South Central Regional title and their third NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance in 2025-26. On Tuesday, the Yellow Jackets were picked to defend their conference title, being named the favorites in the 2026-27 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll as they received 192 points and 12 first place votes. Despite losing three of four all-conference selections a year ago, Jaeton Hackley returns and is joined by fellow Preseason All-RMAC selections Jaxon Smith and Ben Henderson to lead this year's team. 

Head coach Ryan Thompson is set to lead the Green & Gold for a ninth season, guiding the program to a career record of 169-71 (0.704), and entering the season just 11 wins away from taking the top spot as Black Hills State's all-time men's basketball wins leader. The 2025-26 season marked his third career RMAC Coach of the Year award, as he mentored Cam Lowe to becoming the second RMAC Player of the Year and third NCAA Division II All-American of his BHSU coaching tenure. 

Hackley enters the upcoming season fresh off being named First Team All-RMAC and Second Team All-South Central Region by the NABC as he averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. He scored in double figures 23 times during the season, including four occasions where he reached the 20-point mark. In the RMAC opener at South Dakota Mines, he poured in a career-best 29 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field, 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, while also dishing out five assists and grabbing three boards. In the RMAC Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, he rallied the Yellow Jackets from a 15-point halftime deficit, scoring all of his 21 points in the second half to guide the Green & Gold to the start of a deep postseason run. He recorded his second career double-double and only of the season with a 16-point and 10-assist outing against UCCS earlier in the season. He dished out four or more assists in 24 games during the year, including tying his career-high of ten in the win over the Mountain Lions midway through the season. He collected multiple steals in nine games, including matching a career-best of four against St. Mary's in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In 18 games, he secured four or more rebounds, including matching a career-high of ten against Colorado Mesa in the regular season finale. In the 2025-26 season, he ranked third in the RMAC and 20th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.64) and was third in the league and 25th nationally with 153 total assists. He enters the 2026-27 season in the top-10 of both the BHSU career assists and steals per game lists. He dished out his 300th career assist against St. Mary's, and he now sits at 308 in his Yellow Jacket career, moving into fifth all-time in career assists in school history. He is just the third player in program history to record both 300 assists and 100 career steals. 

A member of the 2025-26 Fort Lewis men's basketball team, Smith had a breakout season earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors as the Skyhawks tied for second in the league standings and reached the semifinals of the conference tournament. Appearing in all 29 games with 28 starts, he was second on the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game while adding 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in an average of 31.3 minutes per game. His minute per game average ranked 11th in the conference. He broke onto the scene immediately in Durango, pouring in a career-high 28 points and seven 3-pointers in his FLC debut, leading to a win over eventual NCAA Division II Tournament qualifier Eastern New Mexico. He scored 20 or more points six times in his lone season as a Skyhawk as he ultimately ranked 13th in the league in scoring average. The sharpshooter tied for third in the conference with an average of 2.6 3-pointers per game, and eight times connected on four or more from deep in a game. Not only did Smith give Fort Lewis one of the top shooting threats from beyond the arc, but he gave the Skyhawks consistency at the free throw line as he led NCAA Division II with 94.02 percent (110-117) shooting from the charity stipe. 

Another in conference transfer and Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection, Henderson played the 2025-26 season at Colorado Mesa, where he helped guide the Mavericks to a tie for second place in the league standings, a runner-up finish in the RMAC Men's Basketball Tournament, and a NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament appearance. In his lone season in Grand Junction, he averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while he played in all 32 games and made 30 starts. On 17 occasions he reached double figures scoring and four times eclipsed 20 or more points, including a career-high of 31 points at South Dakota Mines in the final weekend of the regular season as he went 13-of-20 from the field in the win. A 48.4 percent shooter from the field and a 35.8 percent shooter from beyond the arc, he connected on multiple 3-pointers in ten games. He knocked down a season-high of three 3-pointers in four games. His lone double-double of the season came in January as he recorded a 16-point and 11-rebound performance against UCCS. The 11 rebounds set a career-high mark and was one of 13 games he pulled down five or more boards. Additionally, he was a facilitator for the Maverick offense, dishing out a career-high of nine assists twice against Regis and Chadron State, while in total he passed out four or more assists in eight match-ups. In 14 games he collected multiple steals which included a career-high of four against New Mexico Highlands, helping to total 42 on the year which ranked tenth in the RMAC. He ranked tenth in the league with an average of 31.9 minutes per game. 

Other returners of note for Black Hills State in 2026-27 include starters, Jackson Seale and Jack Haggett, who make it three of five starters returning from the 2026 Elite Eight squad. Seale averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, but took a step up in the RMAC Men's Basketball Tournament as he averaged 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting the ball 59.1 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc en route to being named tournament MVP. He capped the conference tournament off by scoring a career-best 18 points against Colorado Mesa as he shot the ball 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Haggett averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game, and was eventually named to the NCAA Division II All-South Central Region Tournament Team as he averaged 9.3 points while shooting the ball 73.3 percent and grabbed 5.7 rebounds in the three regional contests. Defensively, the duo each posted top-10 seasons in program history in blocked shots, as Haggett ranked sixth all-time with 39 and Seale tied for tenth all-time with 33. 

The 2026-27 season tips off with a pair of exhibition contests, first when Black Hills State faces rivals South Dakota Mines in Sturgis on Sunday, October 25, and then they make their A2 Arena debut on Saturday, October 31, when they host NAIA Elite Eight qualifiers, Rocky Mountain for an exhibition. The regular season begins in The Sunshine State, when they face NCAA Division II National Runners-Up Lander in the season opener on Saturday, November 7, and NCAA Tournament qualifier Florida Southern on Sunday, November 8, as part of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The regular season home schedule begins the following week when the Yellow Jackets host the Dakota Challenge, facing Minot State on Friday, November 13, and UMary on Saturday, November 14. The RMAC schedule will begin on Thursday, December 3, when the Green & Gold host Western Colorado.