Mid-Major Basketball is the premier source for mid-major basketball coverage. Dive into the heart of the action with comprehensive coverage, insightful analysis and engaging content tailored specifically for fans of mid-major hoops. From the latest game highlights and player spotlights to in-depth articles and exclusive interviews, we bring you closer to the teams, players and stories that make mid-major basketball truly special. Whether you’re a die-hard supporter or a casual observer, Mid-Major Basketball is your go-to source for all things mid-major hoops.
Meet the Team
Dan Zielinski III, Founder/Editor-In-Chief
Dan Zielinski III is the creator of Mid-Major Basketball and has covered college basketball since 2013. He grew up around mid-major college basketball and has had a passion for writing about sports since high school when he started The3rdManIn.com in December 2011.
Zielinski, a Milwaukee native, honed his writing skills through internships and freelance work at UW-Milwaukee from 2013-17, gaining invaluable experience and building a reputation for his dedication to delivering accurate, engaging, and thought-provoking content. In college, he covered the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Milwaukee Panthers as a credentialed media member for four years.
After college, Zielinski worked as a full-time college athletics beat reporter for a daily newspaper in Nebraska for three years, covering the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Nebraska-Kearney, a Division II program. He also launched BaseballProspectJournal.com in 2019, and it is a leading source for MLB draft content. His work has been featured in major publications and on radio stations around the country.
Follow Zielinski on X (Twitter) @DanZielinski3.
Emmanuel Barrera, West Coast Writer
Emmanuel Barrera is a recent Long Beach State University graduate. He started covering sports at Palomar College, breaking stories and covering the football team. At Long Beach State, he covered men and women’s basketball for the Daily 49er.
Follow Barrera on X (Twitter) @mannybarrera02.
Xander Busch, Akron Writer
Xander Busch is a junior at the University of Akron pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Creative Writing. Xander has taken several courses with a journalistic focus and created articles independently. He works for the University of Akron athletics, directing games of numerous sports for ESPN+ and working as a freelancer for numerous broadcast groups, such as NBC and Freedom.
Follow Busch on X (Twitter) @XanderBuschX.
Thomas A. Castre, National Writer
Thomas A. Castre is a recent graduate of the Zimmerman School of Mass Communications at the University of South Florida. There, he founded “The Court Chronicle,” an NBA blog offering in-depth analysis. He also worked as a play-by-play shadow for ESPN+, focusing on enhancing sports broadcasts.
Follow Castre on X (Twitter) @thomascastre.
D’Asya Collier-Williams, University of South Florida Writer
D’Asya Collier-Williams is a journalism student at the University of South Florida. She played college basketball at the Division II level and is originally from Kansas City, Mo.
Follow Collier-Williams on X (Twitter) @dasyanalism.
Frank DeBari, St. Bonaventure/Atlantic 10 Conference Writer
Frank DeBari is a junior St. Bonaventure University. Being closely connected to the mid-major basketball world with prior broadcasting and writing experience, DeBari is well-versed in and knowledgeable about the college basketball world.
Follow DeBari on X (Twitter) @FrankDeBari.
Nathan Donnelly, St. Bonaventure/Atlantic 10 Conference Writer
Nathan Donnelly is a second-year broadcast journalism major at St. Bonaventure University. In his third semester writing for SBU’s student-run newspaper, The BonaVenture, Donnelly has written about baseball, softball, swimming and rugby. Donnelly will look to hone his writing skills in covering all things related to Bonaventure basketball.
Follow Donnelly on X (Twitter) @nate5644.
Cody Englander, Ohio Writer
Cody Englander is a journalism and media production student at Ohio University. He has written for The Athens Messenger, a local newspaper in Athens, Ohio.
Follow Englander on X (Twitter) @CodyEnglander.
Jason Garcia, Long Beach State/Big West Conference Writer
Jason Garcia is a recent Long Beach State University graduate. He began his sports journalism career at LBSU, where he won best sports story for the fall 2022 semester for his story about the men’s basketball trip to the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship. Garcia has interviewed coaches and players, such as Dan Monson and Jadon Jones, for the school newspaper, the Daily 49er.
Follow Garcia on X (Twitter) @BylineJason.
Johnathan Harris, UNLV/Mountain West Conference Writer
Johnathan Harris was born and raised in the city of Las Vegas and is now a senior at UNLV. He has written for the last two years for UNLV’s Scarlet and Gray and Rebel Report.
Follow Harris on X (Twitter) @jxhn_h.
Piper Howard, UIC/Missouri Valley Conference Writer
Piper Howard is a senior Communication student at the University of Illinois Chicago. She has previously served as the head of women’s competition coverage for National Collegiate Rugby and a contributor to the “Watching TV: Eight Decades of American Television” textbook (Castleman & Podrazik). She has been studying journalism since high school and enjoys writing about the world of sports as she participates in it as the UIC Women’s Rugby Club President.
Follow Howard on X (Twitter) @PHowardUIC.
Michael Marchionna, Iona/MAAC Writer
Michael Marchionna is a sophomore attending Iona University and studying Media and Strategic Communications. For the past two years, he has written for the sports section of Iona University’s student newspaper, The Ionian, where he became the editor of that section starting in 2024.
Nick Martin, Central Michigan University/Mid-American Conference Writer
Nick Martin has experience writing for the World Baseball Network, writing game stories, player features and breaking news. He is a recent graduate of Central Michigan University, where he gained experience in writing, interviewing, and video production.
Follow Martin on X (Twitter) @__nickmartin__.
Chris Matthey, Longwood/Big South Conference Writer
Chris Matthey is a sophomore Communication Studies student at Longwood University and the current Sports Editor at Longwood’s student newspaper, The Rotunda. He has loved sports for as long as he can remember and has developed a passion for meeting athletes and writing about them. Matthey also has covered the Big South basketball tournament.
Follow Matthey on X (Twitter) @MattheyChris33.
Stella Nastulski, Milwaukee/Horizon League Photographer
Stella Nastulski is a junior attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, studying Journalism, Advertising and Media studies. Nastulski has enjoyed creating content for local teams, including Milwaukee Area Technical College’s men’s basketball team and other University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletics teams. She specializes in photography and social media management.
Follow Nastulski on X (Twitter) @stellanastulski.
Babatunde Otukoya, Milwaukee/Horizon League Writer
Babatunde Otukoya is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee majoring in Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies. His goal is to pursue a career in broadcast journalism.
Follow Otukoya on X (Twitter) @otukoyabc.
Juliana Simon, Florida Atlantic Writer
Juliana Simon is a junior at Florida Atlantic University studying Mass Communications. Her passion for journalism began in high school when she wrote for the sports team and conducted interviews to create engaging columns on athletes. Aside from her studies, she writes for the FAU newspaper team, covering student life and sports.
Follow Simon on X (Twitter) @Julianas2345.
Justin Theriault, Rhode Island/Atlantic 10 Conference Writer
Justin Theriault is a fourth-year Sports Media and Communication major at the University of Rhode Island. Justin has covered URI athletics for The Good Five Cent Cigar for the past three years, from women’s rowing to feature stories about cross country athletes. He has also been a sportscaster for WRIU 90.3FM and ESPN+ throughout his time at URI. Most recently, he has participated in a new talk show about URI football called “Rhody Beat Report.”
Follow Theriault on X (Twitter) @JustinTher14.
Andrew Thompson, VCU/Atlantic 10 Conference Writer
Andrew Thompson is a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a degree in Digital Journalism with a minor in English. He currently works as a writer for the VCU newspaper – The Commonwealth Times – in the sports section. Additionally, he has taken many classes on journalism and article writing. He has covered men’s and women’s basketball at VCU on multiple occasions and men’s soccer.
Follow Thompson on X (Twitter) @amthom11.
TJ Thompson, Dayton/Atlantic 10 Conference Writer
TJ Thompson is a junior majoring in Journalism at the University of Dayton. He has gained valuable experience working with Flyer News, the university’s student-run newspaper, for three semesters. During this time, he has covered a variety of sports, including baseball, football, soccer, and basketball, honing his skills in interviewing and writing.
Follow TJ on X (Twitter) @TJThompsonUD.
Noah Vinsky, University of South Florida/American Athletic Conference Writer
Noah Vinsky has written for the University of South Florida’s student newspaper, The Oracle, since 2022, mainly covering football and men’s basketball. A Pennsylvania native, Vinsky grew up a massive Philadelphia sports fan, where he developed a love for writing about his favorite teams. He currently also interns with WSLR in Sarasota.
Follow Vinsky on X (Twitter) @NVinsky.
Trey Weston, Lipscomb/National College Basketball Writer
Trey Weston is a senior at Lipscomb University. Throughout his time at the school, Trey has done many different things in journalism, including doing play-by-play for ESPN+ and the school radio station, serving as the sports editor for student media, and writing for the men’s basketball team. His passion for mid-major basketball dates back long before college. Growing up, he attended the MVC tournament every year with his dad, seeing future NBA players like Doug McDermott, Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker shine.
Follow Weston on X (Twitter) @treywestoniii.