FREDERICK, Md. - The Hood College Men's Basketball program, coming off its best season in school history, has announced its 2026 recruiting class.  The Blazers (26-4) finished ranked #13 in the nation by D3hoops.com, took home the MAC Commonwealth regular season title, won the conference tournament championship, hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and advanced to the NCAA's Sweet 16—the only Hood College team to ever do so in any sport.  
 
High expectations will be on the shoulders of the 2026-27 squad, as they return almost all players from last year's squad.  The program will also be welcoming six newcomers—five incoming freshmen and one transfer.  Head Coach Chad Dickman is excited about the incoming class, stating "I think we have a really nice group coming in that will mesh well with our returners.  They'll get some much-needed experience behind some veteran starters, but I can see these guys being significant contributors for us as they get comfortable with everything we do."
 
North Hagerstown High School's Joey Dorsey will join the Blazers after an impressive two-sport (baseball) high school career.  The 6'3 Dorsey battled injuries throughout his senior season, but fought through them and still averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.  He was named 1st Team All-Washington County, 1st Team All-CMC (Big School), and Herald Mail 1st Team All-Area.
 
Coach Dickman's thoughts: "Joey's a Swiss army knife. He's very talented and can do a variety of things at a high level on the floor.  He's got great size, and his shooting, ball handling, and passing ability make him an all-around threat.  I think he has a chance to be a great player in our system." 
 
Arrie McWilliams, a 6'2 shooting guard from Hanover HS (Mechanicsville, VA), scored 932 career points and holds the school's all-time record for made 3-pointers.  He averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals a game, leading to a third consecutive year on the All-Region team.  McWilliams shot 52% from the floor, 38% from deep, and 90% from the free throw line.
 
Coach Dickman's thoughts: "Arrie's just a good ballplayer.  He knows the game, shoots it well from deep, and scores at an efficient clip, which we love.  I think he's going to be a really nice player for us."
 
Hood hit the Northern Virginia region hard again, picking up three more NOVA players in this year's recruiting class. Devon Pettibone is a 6'0 combo guard that averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals for his Briar Woods HS (VA) squad. The shooter, a 1000-point scorer, was named 1st Team VHSL 5D All-Region and 1st Team All-District.
 
Coach Dickman's thoughts: "Devon is a heady, high IQ player that shoots the ball well.  He's not the biggest, most athletic guy, but he's very skilled and his decision-making translates well at the college level.  He's a kid that guys will enjoy playing with."
 
6'2 wing Chas Battaglia had an extremely productive dual-sport (baseball) career at Tuscarora HS (VA).  On the hardwood, he was a two-time 1st Team All-Dulles District, two-time 1st Team VHSL All-Region 4C, and two-time 1st Team All-Conference player.  He averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 56% from floor as a senior.
 
Coach Dickman's thoughts: "Chas has a remarkably high ceiling. He's very skinny now, but he's long, bouncy, and skilled.  His potential on both ends of the floor are going to give him a lot of opportunities to help us as we move forward."
 
Hood's third Northern Virginia pick-up is Parker Cage, a 6'0 combo guard from perennial power, Hayfield High School.  Cage, who the Blazers recruited out of high school last year, will come in with four years of eligibility left after spending one year at Division II Livingstone College (NC).  As a senior Cage led Hayfield to a 23-7 mark while averaging 12 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals per game.  He was named District Defensive Player of the Year, 6A 2nd Team All-State, 1st Team All-Region, and 1st Team All-District.
 
Coach Dickman's thoughts: "Parker is a guy that we've been impressed with for a while. He can be a difference-maker for us defensively.  He's also dynamic with the ball in his hands, can get open shots for teammates, and shoots the ball well—guys that can do those things really well usually have a lot of success in our system."
 
The Blazers finalized the class locally with the addition of Walkersville High School's Cam Eager.  The 5'11 combo guard had to sit out his entire senior season after tearing his ACL last summer, but his rehab has gone well and he has recently been cleared to play again.
 
Coach Dickman's thoughts: "Cam's obviously coming off a tough situation this past year, but we're excited for him to get healthy again.  He knows how to play and shoots the ball well. Cam also has the ability to put it on the floor and make plays for teammates."