ELMHURST, Ill. – Elmhurst University head men's basketball coach John Baines has announced the addition of a strong and versatile 2025 recruiting class featuring ten incoming freshmen and two transfers. The class brings a dynamic mix of size, skill, athleticism, and academic excellence, as the new Bluejays are set to bolster an already deep and experienced roster.

"This class of players has a fantastic blend of size, length, shooting ability, and versatility. We've covered a large number of the bases we hoped to when we started this recruiting class. These future Bluejays are all high character people, and with a combined admission GPA of 3.45, very much exceptional in the classroom" said Baines. "With many of our current roster returning and gaining court time last year, we have wonderful mix of hungry, seasoned players with young, talented newcomers."

Incoming Freshmen

Oliver Adams – 6'8" Center – New Haven, Ind. / Woodlan HS

• Played football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball
• Multi-sport varsity letter winner
• Earned All-Conference honors in both basketball and baseball

Baines on Adams: "Oliver is just scratching the surface of his ability. He is a traditional center that has put in a major amount of time working on his body and conditioning. He has so many tools to work with and he has a high energy motor for a big guy.  It is really going to be a blast watching Oliver mature as a player and begin to dominate in the paint."

Andy Colvin – 6'8" Forward – Dugger, Ind. / Premier Prep Academy (AZ)

• Four-year letter winner in basketball, also ran cross country
• Named All-County, All-Conference, and All-State Academic
• Senior year honors include Conference MVP and IBCA Player of the Year Honorable Mention
• Three-time team captain

Baines on Colvin: "Andy has got massive potential as a player at this level.  He has such superior length and skill for someone his height.  He has shown the ability to run the floor and stretch out to the 3PT line.  As he learns the physicality of college basketball, as well as working on his overall strength, he could develop into a massive player for us."

Brent Collar – 6'5" Guard – Prospect Heights, Ill. / Wheeling HS

• Three-year varsity starter and 1,000-point scorer
• Two-time All-Conference and Team MVP
• All-Area and multiple All-Tournament First Team selections

Baines on Collar: "Brent is a such a versatile player in so many aspects of his game.  He has shown the ability to score on different levels, be the lead ballhandler, and contribute on the glass.  Potential definitely describes Brent, as he has the talent level to be quite a player in the very near future.  Once he puts the work in, he is going to make tremendous strides in his game."

DJ Jervier – 6'4" Guard/Forward – Oak Forest, Ill. / St. Rita HS & Tinley Park HS

• Played varsity at both St. Rita and Tinley Park
• Senior year: All-Conference, All-Area Honorable Mention
• Named Conference Player of the Year Runner-Up
• Honor Roll student

Baines on Jervier: "DJ has an extremely long frame, shown ability to be a force in transition, and looks like a player that can defend multiple positions.  What's even better than his talent level, DJ has a ton of drive to improve his game and the intangibles to be a superior teammate.  DJ could really be an outstanding two-way player in the future.  I'm anxious to see his progress, as he will certainly push himself."

Vaggelis Mitropoulos – 6'5" Guard – Grevena, Greece / 1st HS of Grevena

• Incoming freshman from Greece, turning 22 before the season
• Attacking wing with experience in Greek club basketball
• Played against older competition in European circuits

Baines on Mitropoulos: "Vaggelis is not your typical freshman recruit.  Not only is he from overseas, he will also be 22 years old once the season is underway.  In watching film of Vaggelis, he is an attacking wing player with a ton of skill.  His length and ability are incredibly intriguing, as well as, his production against older club players in Greece.  His adjustment to the States will be important, but he truly could be a hidden gem of our recruiting class."

Evan Salvador – 5'11" Guard – Mundelein, Ill. / Mundelein HS

• Three-year varsity guard, scored over 1,000 points
• All-Conference and All-Area honoree
• Multiple All-Tournament Team awards and Chicago Tribune Player of the Week

Baines on Salvador: "Evan can flat out shoot the ball.  Every time we saw him play, he torched the nets.  Evan is an extremely high IQ player and has been coached extremely well.  The size and strength of college will be an adjustment for him, but Evan is a very tough, smart player that is going to continue to find ways to compete and make shots."

Luke Smith – 6'0" Guard – Addison, Ill. / Addison Trail HS

• Four-time All-Conference selection
• Two-time All-State selection
• Recognized for leadership and academic achievement

Baines on Smith: "Anyone who has seen Luke Smith play knows how huge his commitment to Elmhurst is.  He is an offensive machine as a shooter, scorer, passer, and lead guard.  He has a knack for making the right plays at both ends of the floor.  He has the leadership make-up, maturity, and intelligence that you want to have from your guard position.  I have very little doubt that Luke Smith will heavily contribute and very soon be an all-league level player."

Steven Tierney – 6'2" Guard – Westfield, Ind. / Bethesda Christian HS

• Two-year varsity player
• Leading scorer with over 20 points per game as a senior
• Played on a state runner-up team as a junior

Baines on Tierney: "Steven is an exciting player for us.  He comes from a prosperous program and has developed his game over the past few years.  He has the ability to shoot the ball at a high percentage and also the athleticism to get to the rim.  He has a competitive personality that his teammates are going really appreciate.  We look forward to watching his maturation."

Jaeden Warrener – 6'2" Guard – Arlington Heights, Ill. / Rolling Meadows HS

• Three-year varsity player
• Earned MSL All-Conference and Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior
• All-A Honor Roll student

Baines on Warrener: "Jaeden has been a starter on an extremely successful Rolling Meadows team.  He shows all the signs of being an outstanding teammate, great student, plays with high level work ethic.  He is good addition to the way we like to compete and carry ourselves as a program."

Quintin Wiencek – 6'5" Forward – Plainfield, Ill. / Plainfield North HS

• Competed in basketball, track & field, and cross country
• Set school records for 3-pointers in a game, season, and career
• All-Conference, team MVP, and Athlete of the Month
• Honor Roll all four years

Baines on Wiencek: "Quintin is a flame thrower from the 3PT line.  He has the body to defend the forward position but shoots the ball as well as any guard on our recruiting list.  As Quintin continues to work on his body and athleticism at the college level, he is going to make huge strides.  He has the basketball IQ and shooting ability to find himself an important role in our future."

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Transfers

Cooper Hasz – 6'6" Forward – Rochelle, Ill. / Kishwaukee CC

• Previously played at UW-Platteville and Kishwaukee College
• Earned Academic All-American honors
• Ranked top 10 all-time in rebounds at Kishwaukee

Baines on Hasz: "Cooper is someone we are so anxious to see flying around on the floor.  He is coming off of knee surgery and will be 100% when we begin the season.  When healthy, Cooper has exhibited the ability to be a huge rebounding presence and ultimate energy player.  We think he will fit right in with our core players."

Stefan Soh – 6'0" Guard – Durham, N.C. / Carrboro HS / Allegheny College

• Four-year varsity point guard and three-year team captain
• Averaged 14 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds as a senior
• Valedictorian and Transfer Excellence Scholarship recipient

Baines on Soh: "Stefan brings an intelligent, analytic mind to our program.  We could tell that Stefan wanted to be in a positive environment where he could grow as a player.  With his work ethic and attitude, Stefan is going be an extremely encouraging teammate and fun player to mentor."