STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook men's basketball team has officially added 10 newcomers ahead of the 2025-26 season: graduate student guard Erik Pratt, graduate student guard Rob Brown III, graduate student forward Oleg Kojenets, senior guard Ethan Simmon, sophomore forward Richard Goods, freshman guard Andrej Shoshkikj, freshman forward Tomas Valentiny, freshman guard Jonah Butler, freshman guard Jake Harbatkin, and freshman forward Andrew Okafor.

Erik Pratt | Gr. | G | 6'5" | Lake Worth, Fla. | Milwaukee

Pratt joins the Seawolves following a pair of 20-win seasons with Milwaukee. During his tenure with the Panthers, Pratt appeared in 58 games (27 starts) and averaged 11.7 points per game while shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from behind the arc, and 78.0 percent at the line. In all he totaled 681 points, 190 rebounds, and 119 assists in Milwaukee. He also posted 38 double-digit point games, with a career-high 29 coming against Chattanooga on December 12, 2023.

"Erik's a veteran three level scorer and playmaker  — smooth and confident with the ball," said head coach Geno Ford. "Very effective in the pick and roll, a calming presence on the floor, and a high-level ball handler who knows how to control the game." 

Prior to his time in Milwaukee, Pratt made his Division I debut with Texas A&M back in 2022-23, appearing in nine games and scoring 13 points for the Aggies. His collegiate career began two years earlier at the JUCO level with Seward County Community College in Kansas where he was ranked the No. 7 JUCO recruit in the country by 247Sports after concluding his time there with 15.8 points per game across 33 appearances (23 starts).

Rob Brown III | Gr. | G | 6'4" | Albany, N.Y. | Nicholls State

Over the past two seasons Brown has appeared in 65 games with 57 starts at Nicholls State. One of the Colonels' most reliable scorers during this time, Brown averaged 13.4 points per game with 871 total points as he led the team to back-to-back 20-win seasons. He owns 12 games with over 20 points scored, including a career-high 37 at UIW on January 13, 2025 which helped earn him SLC Player of the Week honors. Brown shot 41.6 percent on field goals, 38.1 percent on three-pointers, and 78.4 percent at the line while in Louisiana. In his two years with the Colonels he also accumulated 212 rebounds, 82 assists, and 53 steals.

"Rob's an aggressive veteran scoring guard — a hard-nosed competitor and tough shot maker who plays defense with the same intensity," noted Ford. "His vocal leadership lifts the entire team."

Before Nicholls State, Brown spent a season at Butler CC where he made All-KJCCC Second Team after posting 12.9 points per game and shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from behind the arc in 35 games (27 starts) with the Grizzlies. His career began a year earlier, though, with Niagara in the 2021-22 season. He appeared in 25 games with 15 starts as a freshman and finished with 91 points, a 48.6 three-point percentage, and 49 rebounds. In total he owns 962 career points at the Division I level.

Oleg Kojenets | Gr. | F | 7'0" | Kaunas, Lithuania | Wyoming

The tallest member of the team and one of three newcomers originally from Europe, Kojenets is also the most experienced player on the roster with four seasons of Division I experience under his belt. After playing his first two seasons with Nebraska, redshirting his first year and making 18 appearances in his second, Kojenets has spent the last two years at Wyoming, making 51 appearances with five starts. As a Cowboy he owned a 46.8 field goal percentage, 163 points, 117 rebounds, and 22 blocks. On January 2, 2024 against San Jose State, Kojenets scored a career-high 18 points while going 8-for-8 on free throws.

"Oleg's an extremely skilled big man — a great passer and rebounder with size and experience," remarked Ford. "A skilled finisher who plays with smart leverage, he's a key presence down low."

Back in Lithuania, Kojenets was initially rated No. 208 nationally and the No. 26 center nationally in the 2020-21 247Sports Composite. On the international stage, Kojenets was selected to the U-19 Lithuanian National Team in the U-19 Basketball World Cup. Before that he played for Žalgiris Kaunas' U-18 team at the 2020 Adidas Next Generation Tournament and averaged 6.8 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and pulling down 4.0 rebounds per game as the team finished 3-1. He also represented his country at the 2019 FIBA U-16 European Championships in Udine, Italy, where he averaged 9.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game while shooting 49 percent from the field. 

Ethan Simmon | Sr. | G | 6'5" | Edison, N.J. | New Haven

Simmon makes the jump to Division I hoops following three years with Division II New Haven. After redshirting his first season, Simmon has since appeared in 56 games with 46 starts for the Chargers. In his career he boasts 11.4 points per game and 641 total points, along with 3.9 rebounds per game and 221 total boards. He owned a 43.1 field goal percentage, 36.7 three-point percentage, and a 77.6 free throw percentage while in Connecticut. In two years he accumulated 33 double-digit scoring games, nine of which saw him score over 20 points with a career-high 30 coming at St. Anselm on February 5, 2025.

"Ethan's a competitor and hard worker who brings it every day on both ends of the floor," added Ford. "An experienced guard, a high-level shooter, strong defender, and a constant offensive threat."

Simmon made the Northeast-10 All-Rookie team in 2023-24 after averaging 10.3 points per game (278 total) and shooting just under 40 percent from three-point range. He improved the next season with 12.5 points per game and 363 total points while also recording a career-high 125 rebounds (4.3 rebounds per game).

Richard Goods | So. | F | 6'9" | Greensboro, N.C. | Hampton

Coming over from fellow CAA program Hampton, Goods saw action in 33 games with 10 starts in his rookie season last year. Offensively, he posted a 49.4 field goal percentage and totaled 108 points. Against Loyola Maryland on December 21 he scored a season-high 13 while shooting 9-for-10 from the line. A strong presence in the paint, Goods finished second on the team with 18 blocks while also averaging 4.0 rebounds per game for 133 total boards.

"Richard is an athletic forward, displaying relentless energy on every possession," stated Ford. "A lob threat, shot blocker, and a tenacious offensive rebounder."

Goods appeared in all 18 of Hampton's conference games last season and shot 55.0 percent from the field. He ended CAA play with 58 points and 80 rebounds. Goods recorded seven points and nine rebounds against Stony Brook on February 24, 2025.

Andrej Shoshkikj | Fr. | G | 6'2" | Skopje, North Macedonia | KK Rabotnicki

Another European on the squad this year, Shoshkikj comes to Stony Brook from North Macedonia. Over the past two seasons he has been playing as a member of KK Rabotnicki AD Skopje in his home country's top-tier league, the Prva Liga. During that time Andrej has averaged over 20 minutes per game. 

"Andrej is a true freshman point guard — smart, super skilled, with high-level shooting and passing ability," said Ford. "His ball handling is excellent, and he always makes the right play."

The bulk of Shoshkikj's playing time came in the 2024-25 season when he played in all 30 games and posted 9.6 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, 4.4 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game, the latter two being team highs. He also shot 48.5 percent from the field and ranked second on the team in both three-point percentage (.385) and free throw percentage (78.8). In total, Shoshkikj scored 249 points with 104 rebounds, 115 assists, and 32 steals last year. 

During the 2023-24 season, Rabotnicki competed in the Fiba Europe Cup. Shoshkikj played in all three of the team's games, averaging 17.3 minutes per game and 2.3 points per game.

Tomas Valentiny | Fr. | F | 6'6" | Zilina, Czech Republic | Lions Jindrichuv Hradec

Valentiny arrives on Long Island by way of the Czech Republic, where he was a member of the GBA Lions Jindrichuv Hradec in the country's top-tier league, the NBL. Last year he appeared in 31 out of 36 games as a rookie and averaged 27.2 minutes per game, good for second on the team. One of the club's top all-around players, Valentiny was third in scoring with 12.0 points per game, second in field goal percentage at .538, second in three-point percentage at .368, and first in rebounding with 6.4 rebounds per game. He would end the season with 372 points, 197 total rebounds, 42 assists, 26 steals, and 15 blocks. 

"Tomas is a talented scorer who can really drive the basketball," remarked Ford. "He has the ability to shoot the three and also impact the game with his rebounding. He's played against high level competition in Europe which should translate well."

Valentiny posted a total of 19 double-digit scoring games, including seven in a row from October 19 - November 17. He also scored over 20 points three times, topping out at 25 points twice. In addition to this, Valentiny recorded five double-digit rebounding games and three double-doubles.

Jonah Butler | Fr. | G | 6'6" | Murray, Ky. | Calloway County

One of three recruits coming straight out of high school this year, Butler joins Stony Brook following four impressive seasons at Calloway County High. A member of his school's 1,000-point club, he averaged a double-double per game in both his sophomore and junior seasons with 12.1 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game in 2022-23 and 17.5 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game in 2023-24. He also set a program record with 12 assists in a single game as a junior. Overall, during his four years with the team, he helped lead Calloway County to 86 wins.

"Jonah's an athletic freshman who's a high-level shooter and a three-level scorer," noted Ford. "He can play multiple positions and competes every time he steps on the floor."

With his AAU team Griffin Elite, Butler was was named a 2024 UA All Rise Honorable Mention at the Rise Basketball Circuit. He was also selected to participate in the 2024 NCAA College Basketball Academy in Rock Hill, South Carolina, playing with Team Grand Canyon.

Jake Harbatkin | Fr. | G | 6'3" | West Palm, Fla. | Olympic Heights 

Harbatkin comes to Stony Brook after three standout seasons with the varsity squad at Olympic Heights High. During his high school career, he shot 48 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep to average 15.2 points per game for a total of 1,127.

"Jake is a freshman guard that is a high level competitor," added Ford. "Smart, tough, and a very good catch and shoot player."

Harbatkin's senior season proved to be his best as he set new career highs in numerous categories, including points per game (19.9), points (518), rebounds per game (4.7), total rebounds (121), steals (41), field goal percentage (51 percent) and free throw percentage (80 percent). In total, he owned 17 games with over 20 points scored in 2024-25, twice scoring a career-high 33.

Andrew Okafor | Fr. | F | 6'8" | Pembroke Pines, Fla. | Archbishop McCarthy

Rounding out the class is another freshman, Okafor. In two seasons at Archbishop McCarthy High, he appeared in 52 games and averaged 7.4 points per game (386 total) and 4.2 rebounds per game (217 total) while shooting 41 percent overall. During this time Okafor helped the team win nearly 40 games, including 21 in his first season.

"Andrew's a young forward with great size and a high ceiling," stated Ford. "Skilled, versatile, and able to guard multiple positions — his potential is super high."

Okafor took great strides as a senior, increasing his scoring to 10.8 points per game and rebounding to 5.3 per game, as well as averaging over a block a game to finish with 31 on the season. 12 of his 14 career double-digit scoring games came in 2024-25, including five with over 20 points and a pair of double-doubles.

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