The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season has featured some of the most unconventional paths to the hardwood the sport has ever seen, and a handful of players stand out not for their age in the traditional sense, but for how far they’ve traveled to get here.
Ramel Bethea, Green Bay
Ramel Bethea holds the distinction of being the oldest men’s Division I basketball player in the country this season. Born on July 27, 1996, Bethea turned 29 years old before the 2025-26 campaign reached its midpoint, which puts him older than several active NBA veterans.
His road to Division I was anything but conventional. A Maryland native, Bethea graduated high school in 2014 and spent the next four years stocking produce at a grocery store before enlisting in the U.S. Navy.
After catching the attention of local junior colleges at the 2022 U.S. Armed Forces Basketball Championships in San Diego, Bethea enrolled at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, California.
Bethea has appeared in 12 games for the Phoenix, averaging 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Brett White II, Oakland
Brett White II is the second-oldest player in Division I men’s college basketball this season. The Oakland guard turned 28 on February 17, and his journey to the Horizon League is one of the more remarkable stories the sport has produced in recent memory.
White graduated from Battle Creek Central High School in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 2016 with serious Division I interest after averaging 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds his senior year.
He took a break and returned to the game at age 23, reaching out to Kellogg Community College. After two seasons, White transferred to the NAIA Rochester Christian.
Nginyu Ngala, Kansas
Nginyu Ngala is a 26-year-old guard from Montreal, Quebec, born April 4, 1999, who took one of the more unusual routes to a blue-blood program in recent college basketball history. Ngala spent four seasons playing for Canadian university programs, three at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and one at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.
Ngala’s role at Kansas has been limited in terms of playing time, appearing in three games through the season, but his value has been primarily felt in practice. The Jayhawks enter the Big 12 Tournament at 21-9 overall and 11-6 in conference play, currently projected as a solid at-large NCAA Tournament team. Ngala, who turned down professional opportunities overseas to spend one season in Lawrence, made a calculated decision, and with Kansas in line for the Big Dance, it appears to have paid off.
Simeon German, The Citadel
Simeon German was born on April 24, 1999, in Lagos, Nigeria, making him the fourth-oldest player in Division I men’s basketball this season at 26. His path to The Citadel is one of the longest in college basketball, spanning several years across multiple programs and levels of competition.
German began his college career at Chipola College, a junior college in the Florida Panhandle, during the 2018-19 season. He moved on to Gulf Coast State College. From there, German stepped up to Division II at USC Aiken, where he spent two seasons as one of the program’s most impactful frontcourt players.
Chad Baker-Mazara, USC
Chad Baker-Mazara rounds out this list as the fifth-oldest active men’s Division I basketball player this season. Born January 27, 2000, the 26-year-old Dominican Republic native has spent six collegiate seasons at five different programs, accumulating one of the most well-traveled resumes in college basketball.
Baker-Mazara arrived at USC ahead of the 2025-26 season after two years at Auburn, where he was a key contributor on the Tigers’ SEC regular-season championship team that reached the 2025 Final Four. At USC, he has become the team’s top option, posting career highs across the board with 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 26 games.
