Men’s Basketball Adds Four Newcomers to the 2026-27 Roster
4/27/2026 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – University at Buffalo men's basketball Head Coach George Halcovage III announced the signings of four newcomers for the 2026-27 season on Monday afternoon.
Drew Steffe // R-Junior // Guard // Frisco, Texas // Frisco Memorial HS // Southern Illinois/Texas Tech
After red-shirting in the 2023-24 season at Texas Tech, Drew Steffe played the last two seasons for the Southern Illinois Salukis. He played in all 65 games for the Salukis, including 51 starts. Averaging 28.5 mpg, he totaled 8.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.4 apg at Southern Illinois. Last season, he averaged just under 10 points as he shot .404 from the field. He had three 20-point performances in his time Carbondale, including a career-high 24 points against Belmont (1/17/26). Prior to college, he was ranked a consensus 4-star shooting guard by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports, On3, The Circuit, and MADE Hoops. A Frisco, Texas native, Steffe was a four-year starter at Frisco Memorial High School where he finished with numerous records and accolades including career points (2,128), field goals made (444), 3-pointers made (265), and free throws made (475). He owns the single-season records at Frisco Memorial in points (599), 3-pointers made (80), free throws made (185) and free throw attempts (226). During his junior season, he was named the District 9-5A MVP, earned TABC First-Team All-State, and was a Dallas Morning News All-City selection.
"Drew brings proven experience, toughness, and versatility to our program," stated Head Coach George Halcovage III. "He's a high-level competitor who impacts winning with his skill, feel, and leadership. We're excited about the maturity and winning mentality he'll bring to Buffalo Basketball."
Mikkel Tyne // Senior // Guard // Toronto, Ontario // Bishop Walsh (Md.) // Richmond
In his three seasons with the Richmond Spiders, Mikkel Tyne helped the program to 48 wins. Last season, Tyne appeared in 31 games with 28 starts. In his time at Richmond, he tallied 71 starts under Head Coach Chris Mooney, the fourth most starts by a Spider since the 2005-06 season. In 96 total games played, he averaged 22.5 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. In his collegiate career he has 24 games scoring in double figures, nine games with five or more rebounds and 14 games with at least three assists. The Toronto native scored a career-high 22 points against Ball State (11/27/24) in his sophomore campaign. Last season, he shot .397 from the field including .395 from three-point range, good for third on the team and 10th in the Atlantic 10. He registered a .441 three-point percentage in conference play in 2025-26, the fifth-best mark in the league. Prior to college he represented Canada at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship and FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in 2022.
"Mikkel is a dynamic guard who plays with tremendous confidence and toughness," added Halcovage. "His ability to create offense and make plays for others fits perfectly with how we want to play. Bulls fans are going to love his competitive spirit and energy on both ends of the floor."
Dylan Ducommun // Sophomore // Guard // Geneva, Switzerland // Icademy Middle East // Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois transfer Dylan Ducommun will stay in the MAC as he'll play for the Bulls in his sophomore season. The Swiss native started in 26 games for the Huskies. Ducommun averaged 30.6 mpg to go with his 10.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 3.4 apg. His 89 assists were second on the team last season. The guard attempted the second-most field goals on the team with 287. His 95 made field goals were the third-most makes by a Huskie. He scored in double figures 14 times including seven games with at least 15 points. At Loyola Chicago (11/21/25) he scored a career-high 24 points, one of his 20-point games as he also did so at Ohio (1/20/26) and against Western Michigan (1/27/26) scoring 23 and 21 points, respectfully. A solid ball distributor, he secured a career-high 10 assists at Buffalo (2/17/26). The 6'4" guard had a career-high six rebounds against Bradley (12/6/25) and at No. 24 Miami (OH) (1/31/26).
"Dylan is a skilled and versatile player with a tremendous basketball IQ who we played against twice last season," added Halcovage. "He stretches the floor, competes on both ends, and understands how to impact the game in multiple ways. We believe his best basketball is still ahead of him here at Buffalo."
JJ Frakes // R-Freshman // Guard // Berrien Spring, Mich. // Berrien Springs HS // Oregon
JJ Frakes comes to Western New York after red-shirting at Oregon in the 2025-26 season. Prior to his time in Eugene, Frakes was a three-star recruit out of Berrien Springs High School. The Michigan native averaged 24 points per game, including shooting 45% from the field with a 35.5 shooting percentage from 3-point range as s junior. The guard earned Second Team All-State honors for the Berrien Springs Shamrocks.
"JJ is a tough, hard-nosed competitor who embodies our ALLinGRIT mentality," added Halcovage. "His work skill, athleticism, and willingness to do the little things make him a perfect fit for our program. JJ is the type of player that all winning teams need."
For all the latest on UB men's basketball, follow @UBuffaloMBB on Twitter/X, @ubuffalo_mbb on Instagram and like the UB Men's Basketball Facebook page.
Information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics can be found here.
Drew Steffe // R-Junior // Guard // Frisco, Texas // Frisco Memorial HS // Southern Illinois/Texas Tech
After red-shirting in the 2023-24 season at Texas Tech, Drew Steffe played the last two seasons for the Southern Illinois Salukis. He played in all 65 games for the Salukis, including 51 starts. Averaging 28.5 mpg, he totaled 8.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.4 apg at Southern Illinois. Last season, he averaged just under 10 points as he shot .404 from the field. He had three 20-point performances in his time Carbondale, including a career-high 24 points against Belmont (1/17/26). Prior to college, he was ranked a consensus 4-star shooting guard by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports, On3, The Circuit, and MADE Hoops. A Frisco, Texas native, Steffe was a four-year starter at Frisco Memorial High School where he finished with numerous records and accolades including career points (2,128), field goals made (444), 3-pointers made (265), and free throws made (475). He owns the single-season records at Frisco Memorial in points (599), 3-pointers made (80), free throws made (185) and free throw attempts (226). During his junior season, he was named the District 9-5A MVP, earned TABC First-Team All-State, and was a Dallas Morning News All-City selection.
"Drew brings proven experience, toughness, and versatility to our program," stated Head Coach George Halcovage III. "He's a high-level competitor who impacts winning with his skill, feel, and leadership. We're excited about the maturity and winning mentality he'll bring to Buffalo Basketball."
Mikkel Tyne // Senior // Guard // Toronto, Ontario // Bishop Walsh (Md.) // Richmond
In his three seasons with the Richmond Spiders, Mikkel Tyne helped the program to 48 wins. Last season, Tyne appeared in 31 games with 28 starts. In his time at Richmond, he tallied 71 starts under Head Coach Chris Mooney, the fourth most starts by a Spider since the 2005-06 season. In 96 total games played, he averaged 22.5 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. In his collegiate career he has 24 games scoring in double figures, nine games with five or more rebounds and 14 games with at least three assists. The Toronto native scored a career-high 22 points against Ball State (11/27/24) in his sophomore campaign. Last season, he shot .397 from the field including .395 from three-point range, good for third on the team and 10th in the Atlantic 10. He registered a .441 three-point percentage in conference play in 2025-26, the fifth-best mark in the league. Prior to college he represented Canada at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship and FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in 2022.
"Mikkel is a dynamic guard who plays with tremendous confidence and toughness," added Halcovage. "His ability to create offense and make plays for others fits perfectly with how we want to play. Bulls fans are going to love his competitive spirit and energy on both ends of the floor."
Dylan Ducommun // Sophomore // Guard // Geneva, Switzerland // Icademy Middle East // Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois transfer Dylan Ducommun will stay in the MAC as he'll play for the Bulls in his sophomore season. The Swiss native started in 26 games for the Huskies. Ducommun averaged 30.6 mpg to go with his 10.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 3.4 apg. His 89 assists were second on the team last season. The guard attempted the second-most field goals on the team with 287. His 95 made field goals were the third-most makes by a Huskie. He scored in double figures 14 times including seven games with at least 15 points. At Loyola Chicago (11/21/25) he scored a career-high 24 points, one of his 20-point games as he also did so at Ohio (1/20/26) and against Western Michigan (1/27/26) scoring 23 and 21 points, respectfully. A solid ball distributor, he secured a career-high 10 assists at Buffalo (2/17/26). The 6'4" guard had a career-high six rebounds against Bradley (12/6/25) and at No. 24 Miami (OH) (1/31/26).
"Dylan is a skilled and versatile player with a tremendous basketball IQ who we played against twice last season," added Halcovage. "He stretches the floor, competes on both ends, and understands how to impact the game in multiple ways. We believe his best basketball is still ahead of him here at Buffalo."
JJ Frakes // R-Freshman // Guard // Berrien Spring, Mich. // Berrien Springs HS // Oregon
JJ Frakes comes to Western New York after red-shirting at Oregon in the 2025-26 season. Prior to his time in Eugene, Frakes was a three-star recruit out of Berrien Springs High School. The Michigan native averaged 24 points per game, including shooting 45% from the field with a 35.5 shooting percentage from 3-point range as s junior. The guard earned Second Team All-State honors for the Berrien Springs Shamrocks.
"JJ is a tough, hard-nosed competitor who embodies our ALLinGRIT mentality," added Halcovage. "His work skill, athleticism, and willingness to do the little things make him a perfect fit for our program. JJ is the type of player that all winning teams need."
For all the latest on UB men's basketball, follow @UBuffaloMBB on Twitter/X, @ubuffalo_mbb on Instagram and like the UB Men's Basketball Facebook page.
Information on the Bulls Championship Fund and how you can help UB Athletics can be found here.
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