- USU Eastern's men, 22-9 last season for their best record since 2013-14, open Oct. 31 against Western Wyoming in Price under first-year head coach Easton Ralphs. Chelsey Warburton's women open Oct. 30 in Richfield.
- USU Eastern Men's Basketball, USU Eastern Women's Basketball connect back to USU Eastern and the wider basketball picture.
- The story is backed by 17 sources and a visible last-verified date.
October 17, 2026
October 17, 2026
4 min / 820 words
17 official links
USU Eastern basketball opens 2026-27 at the end of October. The women play Northwest College at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield on Friday, October 30, at 1 p.m., and the men host Western Wyoming Community College at the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center in Price on Saturday, October 31, at 4 p.m. Both Golden Eagle programs play in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, NJCAA Region 18. This preview covers USU Eastern men's basketball and USU Eastern women's basketball, from the official rosters, schedules and releases read on October 16.
Who coaches USU Eastern basketball in 2026-27?
Easton Ralphs coaches the men in his first full season. USU Eastern named him head coach on April 30, 2026, a month after he took over as interim coach when the school announced a leadership change on April 1, as Beehive reported in its story on his appointment. His biography says he joined the staff as an assistant in 2020, was promoted to associate head coach in 2023, and coached Martel Williams to Scenic West Player of the Year and First Team All-American honors. The 2026-27 roster page lists Jael Vaughn as his assistant coach and Lee Ralphs as a program support volunteer.
Chelsey Warburton coaches the women in her 12th season. She took over the program in 2015, and her biography says she led the Golden Eagles to a program-best 24-6 record in 2019-20 and was named Scenic West Coach of the Year. Morgan Warburton-Nelson is listed as her assistant coach on the 2026-27 roster page.
Men: building on the best record in a decade
USU Eastern's men went 22-9 and 9-6 in the Scenic West last season, 13-3 at home. As the third seed in the Region 18 tournament they lost 97-84 to second-seeded Snow College in Twin Falls on March 6, and USU Eastern's recap called 22-9 the team's best record since the 2013-14 season.
The roster turns over heavily. Leading scorer Ike Palmer is not on the 2026-27 roster, and the returner with the most experience is redshirt sophomore guard Robbie Yates of Sandy, a Cottonwood High School graduate, who played 31 games with 11 starts, averaged 4.2 points and made 28 three-pointers, per the official statistics.
Among the newcomers, redshirt sophomore wing Ezias Steffen of Phoenix averaged 14.6 points and made the All-ACCAC Second Team at Mesa Community College, per his biography. Seven-foot redshirt freshman Mason Farr of Spanish Fork is also on the roster.
Women: a Region 18 contender looks for new scorers
USU Eastern's women went 20-11 and 11-4 in the Scenic West last season and entered the Region 18 tournament as the second seed, then lost 68-40 to third-seeded SLCC in their opener, per USU Eastern's release. Leading scorer Skylie Barker is not on the 2026-27 roster.
Sophomore forward Alyssa Whittaker of St. George, whose biography says she finished as the all-time leading scorer in Crimson Cliffs High School girls basketball history, played all 31 games with eight starts and averaged 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds. Sophomore guard Addison Tanner of Blackfoot, Idaho, averaged 5.5 points in 22 games, and sophomores Mia Williams and Logyn Howell also return, per the official statistics.
Scrimmages, Richfield and the opening stretch
Both schedules label their October events as scrimmages. As of October 16, the men's lists the California National JUCO Shootout in Las Vegas on October 3, the SLCC Jamboree on October 10 and the Rocky Mountain Jamboree in Windsor, Colorado, on October 15 and 16. The women's lists the SLCC Jamboree on October 16 and a scrimmage at Colorado Mesa on October 21.
The women's Richfield weekend continues on October 31 at 9 a.m. against Community Christian College, at the same event where Snow College opens its season. Their first home game in Price is on November 13 against Western Nebraska. The men host Central Wyoming on November 6 and open Scenic West play at Colorado Northwestern on January 2. As of Oct. 16, the NJCAA men's tournament is scheduled for March 20 to 27 in Hutchinson, Kansas, and the women's for March 23 to 30 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, per USU Eastern's schedules.
How to watch USU Eastern basketball
The official schedules link the Scenic West Network for streams, and tickets are sold through USU Eastern's ticketing page. The Utah sports schedule lists every Golden Eagle game day, and Beehive's JUCO pipeline hub follows Utah's two-year programs.
Key facts:
- Men's opener: vs. Western Wyoming CC, Sat., Oct. 31, 4 p.m., Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center, Price
- Women's opener: vs. Northwest College, Fri., Oct. 30, 1 p.m., Sevier Valley Center, Richfield
- Coaches: Easton Ralphs (men, first full season, named April 30, 2026); Chelsey Warburton (women, 12th season)
- Conference: Scenic West Athletic Conference (NJCAA Region 18)
- 2025-26 records: men 22-9 (9-6), best since 2013-14; women 20-11 (11-4), Region 18 No. 2 seed
- Men's newcomer: Ezias Steffen, 14.6 points a game at Mesa CC
- Women's returner: Alyssa Whittaker, Crimson Cliffs' all-time leading scorer
