By Albert Juncà
Over the last few days, we have been releasing articles on the main European players to follow during the CBB 2025/26 season, analyzing them by class: Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors. Today, it’s time for those who will play their Senior year.
Baba Miller - 6’11” - PF/C - Cincinnati Bearcats - Spain
Entering his senior season after transferring to Cincinnati in the last portal, the Spanish forward will share the court this year with his countryman Jordi Rodriguez. This past summer, he joined the Spanish development national team in preparation for the EuroBasket, where he also took part in several practices with the senior national team due to multiple injuries at the power forward position.
Miller can play both the four and the five, and he is expected to be a key player for the Bearcats thanks to his versatility and experience in the league. His combination of size, skill, and mobility makes him a tough matchup for opposing bigs, as he reads his defender’s weaknesses very well and can execute and finish in various ways from different spots on the floor. His main challenge this year will be to gain more consistency and efficiency from the three-point line in spot-up situations. Adding this tool to his game could represent a major step forward for his future professional career.
Toibu Lawal - 6’8” - PF/C - Virginia Tech Hokies - Great Britain
Second consecutive year with the Hokies for the British forward/center, who will face his fourth season in college basketball. His above-average athleticism and mobility allow him to play bigger than his size and be able to have minutes at both the 4 and 5 positions, giving the team the possibility to use different lineups depending on the game. His ability to repeat efforts allows him to put pressure on the offensive glass, crashing for putbacks or diving quickly after a pick-and-roll situation. His connection with the Greek guard Neoklis Avdalas will be very important for the team, as they could form an interesting duo in pick-and-roll situations or off-ball movements.
In his first two years in college basketball, Lawal’s main scoring area was in the paint, diving after pick-and-roll and playing above the rim. Since last season, he has started to explore the possibility of stretching the floor with spot-up situations or attacking closeouts to find mid-range pull-ups. He still has a big margin to improve, but his mechanics are evolving in the right direction.
Emanuel Sharp – 6’3” – G – Houston Cougars – Israel
After reaching the March Madness final and losing against Florida, the Cougars kept a big part of last year’s core, but lost one of their main players, LJ Cryer. The goal this year is to give continuity to the project with an interesting mix of young players and veterans with experience on big stages. In this scenario, Sharp will be an important player for Coach Kelvin Sampson’s system.
Over the last two seasons, Sharp has been the starting shooting guard and one of the main scorers for his team. A reliable perimeter shooter, he is able to score in different situations, off the dribble or by filling empty spots when his teammates collapse the paint. He can also operate with the ball, using his body and strength to attack all the way to the basket after pick-and-roll actions or rise up for mid-range pull-ups.
Defensively, Sharp plays with a low center of gravity which, combined with his strong lower body, allows him to be a solid on-ball defender. Off the ball, he consistently navigates through screens, a very useful skill for the shooting guard position.
Christoph Tilly – 7’0” – C – Ohio State Buckeyes – Germany
After three seasons at Santa Clara, the last one as the starting center with a significant presence on the court, the German big man transferred to Ohio State for his senior year, where he will share the locker room with his countryman Mathieu Grujicic.
In his first game with the Buckeyes, he delivered an impressive performance, scoring 28 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Tilly is a 7-footer with remarkable mobility for his size, capable of punishing opposing bigs by running the floor as a rim-runner or spacing the court with a solid shooting release from deep. He also shows above-average ball-handling skills, using his body to create space and attack the rim from the perimeter. His reads in pick-and-roll situations are also noteworthy, as he consistently recognizes whether to stay open or dive to the rim at the right angle. One area Tilly needs to improve is his toughness when playing through contact. If he can make progress in this aspect, he could become a very intriguing big man for the next level.
Over the last few days, we have been releasing articles on the main European players to follow during the CBB 2025/26 season, analyzing them by class: Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors. Today, it’s time for those who will play their Senior year.
Baba Miller - 6’11” - PF/C - Cincinnati Bearcats - Spain
Entering his senior season after transferring to Cincinnati in the last portal, the Spanish forward will share the court this year with his countryman Jordi Rodriguez. This past summer, he joined the Spanish development national team in preparation for the EuroBasket, where he also took part in several practices with the senior national team due to multiple injuries at the power forward position.
Miller can play both the four and the five, and he is expected to be a key player for the Bearcats thanks to his versatility and experience in the league. His combination of size, skill, and mobility makes him a tough matchup for opposing bigs, as he reads his defender’s weaknesses very well and can execute and finish in various ways from different spots on the floor. His main challenge this year will be to gain more consistency and efficiency from the three-point line in spot-up situations. Adding this tool to his game could represent a major step forward for his future professional career.
Toibu Lawal - 6’8” - PF/C - Virginia Tech Hokies - Great Britain
Second consecutive year with the Hokies for the British forward/center, who will face his fourth season in college basketball. His above-average athleticism and mobility allow him to play bigger than his size and be able to have minutes at both the 4 and 5 positions, giving the team the possibility to use different lineups depending on the game. His ability to repeat efforts allows him to put pressure on the offensive glass, crashing for putbacks or diving quickly after a pick-and-roll situation. His connection with the Greek guard Neoklis Avdalas will be very important for the team, as they could form an interesting duo in pick-and-roll situations or off-ball movements.
In his first two years in college basketball, Lawal’s main scoring area was in the paint, diving after pick-and-roll and playing above the rim. Since last season, he has started to explore the possibility of stretching the floor with spot-up situations or attacking closeouts to find mid-range pull-ups. He still has a big margin to improve, but his mechanics are evolving in the right direction.
Emanuel Sharp – 6’3” – G – Houston Cougars – Israel
After reaching the March Madness final and losing against Florida, the Cougars kept a big part of last year’s core, but lost one of their main players, LJ Cryer. The goal this year is to give continuity to the project with an interesting mix of young players and veterans with experience on big stages. In this scenario, Sharp will be an important player for Coach Kelvin Sampson’s system.
Over the last two seasons, Sharp has been the starting shooting guard and one of the main scorers for his team. A reliable perimeter shooter, he is able to score in different situations, off the dribble or by filling empty spots when his teammates collapse the paint. He can also operate with the ball, using his body and strength to attack all the way to the basket after pick-and-roll actions or rise up for mid-range pull-ups.
Defensively, Sharp plays with a low center of gravity which, combined with his strong lower body, allows him to be a solid on-ball defender. Off the ball, he consistently navigates through screens, a very useful skill for the shooting guard position.
Christoph Tilly – 7’0” – C – Ohio State Buckeyes – Germany
After three seasons at Santa Clara, the last one as the starting center with a significant presence on the court, the German big man transferred to Ohio State for his senior year, where he will share the locker room with his countryman Mathieu Grujicic.
In his first game with the Buckeyes, he delivered an impressive performance, scoring 28 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Tilly is a 7-footer with remarkable mobility for his size, capable of punishing opposing bigs by running the floor as a rim-runner or spacing the court with a solid shooting release from deep. He also shows above-average ball-handling skills, using his body to create space and attack the rim from the perimeter. His reads in pick-and-roll situations are also noteworthy, as he consistently recognizes whether to stay open or dive to the rim at the right angle. One area Tilly needs to improve is his toughness when playing through contact. If he can make progress in this aspect, he could become a very intriguing big man for the next level.
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