As the Howard University’s men’s basketball team enters the 2026–27 season, new and returning players are working to build team chemistry and establish their expectations for the year.
The Bison’s exhibition game against American University on Oct. 25 let players put their preparation into practice. It also showed how the new additions to the team — freshman forward Drew Harris, junior forward Josiah Lawson, sophomore center Gasper Kocevar and center James Brown — perform together.
For Shane Frazier, a sophomore shooting guard entering his second season at Howard, building relationships with new teammates has become an important part of preparing for the season.
“The cool part about this team is that everyone wants to be around each other,” said Frazier, a philosophy major from Los Angeles.
Frazier said he hopes to help incoming players adjust to the program and develop the same sense of connection he experienced during his first year.
Josiah Lawson, a new small forward from Stone Mountain, Georgia, viewed the exhibition against American as an opportunity to evaluate the team’s progress overall since joining Howard after spending two years at Morehouse College.
“It was a great test to see kind of where the team is at and how we play together against another team,” Lawson, a junior computer science major, said.
Despite transferring into a new program, Lawson said adjusting to Howard was easier than he expected.
“It wasn’t much of an adjustment at all,” he said.
Gasper Kocvar, a sophomore forward center from Slovenia, transferred to Howard from California State University, Fresno. He was drawn to the program by the coaching staff’s approach and the opportunity to take on a larger role.
“I liked their mentality. I liked the style we play now. I liked basically everything they stand for,” Kocvar, a sports management major, said.
For Kocvar, Howard stood out among his options after meeting the coaches and learning more about the program.
“As soon as Howard was an option, it was the number one option,” said Kocvar.
While transitioning from California to Washington, D.C., Kocvar said his new teammates made him feel welcomed both on and off the court.
As the team prepared for the exhibition, players described practices as physically demanding, emphasizing defensive communication and intensity throughout games.
“We practice against each other so hard. It’s like a war almost every day in practice,” Lawson said.
Kocvar said the team spent the week leading up to the American exhibition focusing on defending the low post and working defensive rotations.
He believed that preparation was shown in Howard’s ability to control much of the second half of the game.
For Frazier, the team’s approach this season has shifted toward becoming more aggressive from the beginning of games.
“But I think the difference in changes we made this year is really starting to throw the first punch,” Frazier said.
He believes the intense practices will help prepare the Bison to maintain their energy through the final minutes.
“The stuff we do here, it’s not easy, but at the end of the day, it prepares us for being able to just outlast teams down the stretch,” Frazier said.
Beyond their performance on the court, returning players have helped newcomers understand the team’s expectations. Kocvar said much of his adjustment came from communicating with teammates during practices.
“It was more from players and, like, just us figuring out stuff together,” Kocvar said.
As the season continues, Howard’s newcomers will have more opportunities to settle into their roles and build on the chemistry they’ve developed in practice.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
