Mastodons Announce 2025-26 Spring Recruiting Class
7/10/2025 10:05:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne men's basketball head coach Jon Coffman announced on Thursday (July 10) the program's spring recruiting class for the 2025-26 season.
"I'm excited about our spring recruiting class," Coffman said. "Our program has been built on players that love to play, live in the gym and are obsessed with their player development. This group fits this mold and will thrive in our pace and space style of play!"
"College Basketball is in the midst of a transformation and we are committed to being fluid with its evolution. However, we have remained obsessed with the culture within our locker room and bringing in student-athletes committed to being part of something bigger than themselves. After having our newcomers on campus for several weeks, it is clear that we have again brought a group to Fort Wayne that will make the community proud with how they operate both on and off the court! Fit is critical to our consistent success and this is going to be an exciting group to coach!"
Ja'Corey Lipkins (6'1" | guard | Canton, Ohio | Charleston (W.V.) | GlenOak HS)
Lipkins was the Freshman of the Year in the Mountain East Conference for NCAA Division II Charleston (W.V.) in 2024-25. He was also named second team all-conference. Lipkins played in 28 games with 16 starts for the Eagles, averaging 14.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. He shot 40.9 percent (81-of-198) from three. He had a 42-point performance vs. Wheeling (Dec. 14), finishing 6-of-9 from three while adding five boards. He will come to Purdue Fort Wayne with three seasons of eligibility.
"We have tremendous success with DII transfers, including Anthony Roberts and Rasheed
Darius Duffy (6'8" | forward | Murray, Ky. | Milwaukee / Ranger College / Kaskaskia College | Murray HS)
Duffy spent the last two seasons with Horizon League rival Milwaukee. He played in all 32 games last year for the Panthers, earning 16 starts. He had a team-best 25 blocks and shot 81.8 percent (45-of-55) from the floor. He recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds vs. Portland State (Nov. 22, 2024). Overall, in two seasons with the Panthers, Duffy shot 77.1 percent (84-of-109) from the floor in 57 games, averaging 17.7 minutes. Previously, he had junior college stops at Ranger College in 2022-23 and Kaskaskia in 2021-22. Duffy owns one season of eligibility.
"We are excited to add an experienced Horizon League post presence who fits how we play—toughness and efficiency at the rim," Coffman said. "We love his ability to affect the game in so many ways—rebounding, physicality, blocking shots and offensive efficiency! His maturity and ability to connect with teammates and staff has been exceptional this summer and we are excited about his ability to impact winning with his versatile skill set and engaging personality."
DeAndre Craig Jr. (6'0" | guard | Chicago, Ill. | Denver | Mount Carmel HS)
Craig spent a pair of seasons at Summit League member Denver. He played in 63 games with 33 starts for the Pioneers. Craig averaged 13.5 points last season, shooting 38.8 percent (38-of-98) from three while averaging 2.7 assists and over a steal per contest. He scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting at Cal Poly (Dec. 17, 2024). In high school at Mount Carmel, he was named the MVP of the Chicago Catholic League after averaging 19.9 points per game. He comes to Fort Wayne with two seasons of eligibility.
"DeAndre is a tremendous addition to our backcourt with his Division I experience at Denver," Coffman said. "He will impact winning in a number of ways. We love his versatility, professional approach and has the personality to lead both vocally and by example! We are excited to watch him grow in our pace and space offense and build off of great production in his first two years of college basketball. "
Yuval Levin (6'8" | forward | Haifa, Israel)
Levin played for Kiryat Ata in Israeli Winner League, Israel's top professional league. He was named the Discovery of the Season in 2024-25 after averaging 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He shot 50.8 percent from the floor. He played on the FIBA U20 National Team alongside 2025 Brooklyn Nets first round draft pick Danny Wolf.
"We are excited about Yuval's experience, versatility and combination of size and skill," Coffman said. "He's played at an extremely high level in the top professional league in Israel as well as on the U20 National Team. Age, experience, and international players are making a major impact on college basketball, and we are excited about Yuval impacting winning in our program! I believe that his skill set is ideal for how we play. His ability to defend multiple positions at 6'8" can give our team some great versatility to create challenging match-ups."
Mikale Stevenson (6'2" | guard | Fort Wayne, Ind. | Grambling State / Milwaukee Area Technical College / Independence CC | South Side HS)
Stevenson saw action in 58 games with 31 starts in two years at Grambling State. He averaged 10.9 points last season with 3.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. In 2023-24 he helped Grambling win the SWAC, defeating Montana State in the First Four before falling to Purdue. Stevenson helped Milwaukee Area Technical College to a NJCAA Division II National Title in 2022-23. He averaged 12.7 points, 7.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game at the junior college and was named to the All-American Third Team. Stevenson has one season of eligibility.
"We have had several Fort Wayne products over the past decade shine in their hometown," Coffman said. "I believe that Mikale will be another great fit who will play his best basketball with Fort Wayne across his chest! We love his versatility to play with the ball in his hands and off the ball. We are also excited about his ability to create for others, disrupt on the defensive end and impact winning in a variety of ways."
Ebrahim Kaba (6'9" | wing | East Orange, N.J. | St. Bonaventure | The Peddie School)
Before enrolling at St. Bonaventure, Kaba played his senior season at The Peddie School in New Jersey, after previously playing high school basketball at Gill St. Bernard's in New Jersey. He used the 2024-25 season for the Bonnies as a redshirt campaign and comes to Fort Wayne with four seasons remaining.
"We are excited about Ebrahim's versatility, experience and combination of size and skill," Coffman said. "His ability to guard multiple positions at 6'9 and play on the perimeter makes him an ideal fit for our pace & space offensive attack. We believe he can develop into an elite defender with his length and mobility."
They are joined by local products Danny Kelly (6'6" | guard | Fort Wayne, Ind. | Bishop Luers HS) and Solomon Richard (6'2" | guard | Leo, Ind. | Leo HS) to round out the spring recruiting class.
"Both Danny and Solomon are talented local Fort Wayne products that are joining our program as preferred walk-ons," Coffman said. "They both had impressive high school careers and will make great contributions to our program. We are excited about their enthusiasm to impact winning for their hometown team."
Purdue Fort Wayne will enter the 2025-26 season looking for their fifth consecutive winning season.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
"I'm excited about our spring recruiting class," Coffman said. "Our program has been built on players that love to play, live in the gym and are obsessed with their player development. This group fits this mold and will thrive in our pace and space style of play!"
"College Basketball is in the midst of a transformation and we are committed to being fluid with its evolution. However, we have remained obsessed with the culture within our locker room and bringing in student-athletes committed to being part of something bigger than themselves. After having our newcomers on campus for several weeks, it is clear that we have again brought a group to Fort Wayne that will make the community proud with how they operate both on and off the court! Fit is critical to our consistent success and this is going to be an exciting group to coach!"
Ja'Corey Lipkins (6'1" | guard | Canton, Ohio | Charleston (W.V.) | GlenOak HS)
Lipkins was the Freshman of the Year in the Mountain East Conference for NCAA Division II Charleston (W.V.) in 2024-25. He was also named second team all-conference. Lipkins played in 28 games with 16 starts for the Eagles, averaging 14.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. He shot 40.9 percent (81-of-198) from three. He had a 42-point performance vs. Wheeling (Dec. 14), finishing 6-of-9 from three while adding five boards. He will come to Purdue Fort Wayne with three seasons of eligibility.
"We have tremendous success with DII transfers, including Anthony Roberts and Rasheed
Darius Duffy (6'8" | forward | Murray, Ky. | Milwaukee / Ranger College / Kaskaskia College | Murray HS)
Duffy spent the last two seasons with Horizon League rival Milwaukee. He played in all 32 games last year for the Panthers, earning 16 starts. He had a team-best 25 blocks and shot 81.8 percent (45-of-55) from the floor. He recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds vs. Portland State (Nov. 22, 2024). Overall, in two seasons with the Panthers, Duffy shot 77.1 percent (84-of-109) from the floor in 57 games, averaging 17.7 minutes. Previously, he had junior college stops at Ranger College in 2022-23 and Kaskaskia in 2021-22. Duffy owns one season of eligibility.
"We are excited to add an experienced Horizon League post presence who fits how we play—toughness and efficiency at the rim," Coffman said. "We love his ability to affect the game in so many ways—rebounding, physicality, blocking shots and offensive efficiency! His maturity and ability to connect with teammates and staff has been exceptional this summer and we are excited about his ability to impact winning with his versatile skill set and engaging personality."
DeAndre Craig Jr. (6'0" | guard | Chicago, Ill. | Denver | Mount Carmel HS)
Craig spent a pair of seasons at Summit League member Denver. He played in 63 games with 33 starts for the Pioneers. Craig averaged 13.5 points last season, shooting 38.8 percent (38-of-98) from three while averaging 2.7 assists and over a steal per contest. He scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting at Cal Poly (Dec. 17, 2024). In high school at Mount Carmel, he was named the MVP of the Chicago Catholic League after averaging 19.9 points per game. He comes to Fort Wayne with two seasons of eligibility.
"DeAndre is a tremendous addition to our backcourt with his Division I experience at Denver," Coffman said. "He will impact winning in a number of ways. We love his versatility, professional approach and has the personality to lead both vocally and by example! We are excited to watch him grow in our pace and space offense and build off of great production in his first two years of college basketball. "
Yuval Levin (6'8" | forward | Haifa, Israel)
Levin played for Kiryat Ata in Israeli Winner League, Israel's top professional league. He was named the Discovery of the Season in 2024-25 after averaging 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He shot 50.8 percent from the floor. He played on the FIBA U20 National Team alongside 2025 Brooklyn Nets first round draft pick Danny Wolf.
"We are excited about Yuval's experience, versatility and combination of size and skill," Coffman said. "He's played at an extremely high level in the top professional league in Israel as well as on the U20 National Team. Age, experience, and international players are making a major impact on college basketball, and we are excited about Yuval impacting winning in our program! I believe that his skill set is ideal for how we play. His ability to defend multiple positions at 6'8" can give our team some great versatility to create challenging match-ups."
Mikale Stevenson (6'2" | guard | Fort Wayne, Ind. | Grambling State / Milwaukee Area Technical College / Independence CC | South Side HS)
Stevenson saw action in 58 games with 31 starts in two years at Grambling State. He averaged 10.9 points last season with 3.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. In 2023-24 he helped Grambling win the SWAC, defeating Montana State in the First Four before falling to Purdue. Stevenson helped Milwaukee Area Technical College to a NJCAA Division II National Title in 2022-23. He averaged 12.7 points, 7.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game at the junior college and was named to the All-American Third Team. Stevenson has one season of eligibility.
"We have had several Fort Wayne products over the past decade shine in their hometown," Coffman said. "I believe that Mikale will be another great fit who will play his best basketball with Fort Wayne across his chest! We love his versatility to play with the ball in his hands and off the ball. We are also excited about his ability to create for others, disrupt on the defensive end and impact winning in a variety of ways."
Ebrahim Kaba (6'9" | wing | East Orange, N.J. | St. Bonaventure | The Peddie School)
Before enrolling at St. Bonaventure, Kaba played his senior season at The Peddie School in New Jersey, after previously playing high school basketball at Gill St. Bernard's in New Jersey. He used the 2024-25 season for the Bonnies as a redshirt campaign and comes to Fort Wayne with four seasons remaining.
"We are excited about Ebrahim's versatility, experience and combination of size and skill," Coffman said. "His ability to guard multiple positions at 6'9 and play on the perimeter makes him an ideal fit for our pace & space offensive attack. We believe he can develop into an elite defender with his length and mobility."
They are joined by local products Danny Kelly (6'6" | guard | Fort Wayne, Ind. | Bishop Luers HS) and Solomon Richard (6'2" | guard | Leo, Ind. | Leo HS) to round out the spring recruiting class.
"Both Danny and Solomon are talented local Fort Wayne products that are joining our program as preferred walk-ons," Coffman said. "They both had impressive high school careers and will make great contributions to our program. We are excited about their enthusiasm to impact winning for their hometown team."
Purdue Fort Wayne will enter the 2025-26 season looking for their fifth consecutive winning season.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
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